Hornby's 2015 Range

With Hornby's announcement that they would be reviving their Thomas and Friends range (my thoughts on that here), everyone became rather excited about what was to come. So here are my thoughts on Hornby's most recent announcement: their 2015 range!

In all, Hornby revealed they'd be releasing 6 locomotives, 5 pieces of rolling stock, 5 rolling stock packs and three sets, which is an excellent starting point. But that's only part of the story.

All of the locomotive releases are exactly the same characters that were around in 2008, which has provoked very mixed feelings as it's nothing new. And I can definitely understand why; most older fans probably have each character already. Me though? I'm not that bothered. Yes, to older fans, it may seem pointless, but what about young fans? You know, the main target audience? What if they're only just getting into model railways? Introducing the first six engines is the most ideal way to do this as those six are the most identifiable. Besides, I'm also happy for one reason:

Hornby's rendition of Henry is, in my opinion, the best Thomas model I've never had, so I'm extremely glad that he's part of the launch line-up. However, if the promotional picture will be the final look for the model, I'll be slightly disappointed. There are some green bits there that really should have been repainted.

The biggest disappointment though is Edward. Out of all of Hornby's original models, Edward's was, by far, the most controversial as he was such a contrast to all of his incarnations on TV and in books, so to discover that his new version is exactly the same as his old one is really disheartening. At least back in 2011, his reduced price of £49.99 was enticing, but for £30 more? Nope. You're better off searching eBay for the Bachmann version.

Singular rolling stock (bar one) consists solely of express coaches, which is fair enough. But I never really expected Old Slow Coach to be brought back, at least now. Not to say I'm disappointed, but considering the only time she was seen on screen was in 1998, would kids actually know who she is?

And then there's the rolling stock pack, which include Annie and Clarabel (it's about time, to be honest), the Troublesome Trucks and random wagons including three tankers, red and blue open wagons and S. C. Ruffey. They're a nice starting point, especially since one includes a brake van. Unfortunately, I do have a criticism.

There's a reason fans choose Bachmann's Annie and Clarabel. While they do have their issues (their running boards are mis-coloured and Clarabel's not depicted as a brake coach), but at least the sizes and proportions are correct, something that could never really be said about Hornby's (apart from the clockwork range), so to see them looking the same as they did before is a real shame. I'm secretly hoping they're just stock photos rather than the final products, but I doubt it...

As for sets, there are two including Thomas, one with a generic oval, Annie and Clarabel and the other with the oval and the same coaches, but with additional trucks. Then there's one with Percy and the mail train with the same layout as Thomas' Passenger and Goods set but with the additional mail van exclusive to the set and a red van. I have to admit, it's a really good set, and I'm glad this was one of the first to be brought back. The additional track is nice and the van look brilliant.

Final Thoughts

I've seen a lot of complaints about the announced range. And I can completely see why. This was advertised as a "brand new range", yet it was nothing new. But think of it this way: despite the price, these trains are aimed at kids. And while they're not new to us, they're new to them. The range had to start somewhere, and I think adding the major six characters, as well as the important rolling stock, is a very good starting point. Yes, I'd have loved new characters and rolling stock, but considering the range has been non-existent for a couple of years, they need a solid foundation to build from. And with two waves of models coming next year, we may get new characters very soon.

I quite like the packaging. It's bright, vibrant and looks very appealing, maybe more so than it ever has before. I'm hoping that the boxes for the actual characters and rolling stock keep the viewing window though. While it doesn't give as much as a viewing range as the Bachmann packaging, it still gave you a good idea as to what you were getting and the quality it was in.

Overall, I'm still glad that Hornby have brought their range back to the UK. Once the old stock has been revived, it'll be very interesting to see the new things they produce. The lowered prices (compared to what they used o be and how much discontinued models are going for on eBay) are much more appealing and the quality will, hopefully, still be there. One thing that surprised me was that the faces are still the same as they were before (you'd think they'd be CG inspired these days), but they still look really good. And I'm really excited to get Henry.

DVD Review: The Complete Series 16

I was really debating reviewing this DVD. There's little I can really add as I've reviewed the series already. But then I got the DVD, and I thought... Yeah, why not? So here's my review on the series 16 DVD!

Episodes

As the name suggests, this release includes all 20 episodes from the sixteenth series. But like all complete series releases since 2011 (including the series 1-7 re-releases), the episode names are nowhere to be seen. Not that you'd want to remember them as, in all honesty, this is the worst crop of episodes that the show has produced. It's only rated slightly higher than series 15 because the animation was at its best and the two good episodes were some of the best from the Nitrogen era.

Bonus Features

There's nothing really to talk about here; the only addition is the advert for a push along toy and the trailer for Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, which was on the previous release.

Presentation

The visuals are really good. There are a few errors here and there, but for their swansong series, Nitrogen did a good job with the episodes they were presented with. However, on the DVD, the footage seems to have been shrunk slightly, as there's a small black border around all the episodes:

It's a real oddity, especially since no other complete series release has this.

Price

The RRP for this release is £12.99, with the cheapest price going to Amazon at £7 (but you have to pay extra for postage due to Amazon's new regulations). The only other alternative is this eBay seller, where it's a much more reasonable £5.99.

Final Thoughts

I'm really conflicted on what my final verdict is. On the one hand, you get 20 episodes for a great price, on the other, you get some of the worst episodes of the lot. If you really want to complete the collection of DVDs from 1-16, then yes, you should buy this release, but for the cheapest price you can get it for (check the link I posted previously).

Should you buy it? No, I don't think so. If you just want to watch these episodes, get Netflix. It's £6.99 a month (with a free trial for new customers) and you can get the first four series as well as this and the fifteenth and Calling All Engines! and The Great Discovery. Not to mention great shows like Top Gear, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and many others, as well as some really good films and original Netflix shows.

So yeah, unless you're really desperate, give this release a miss.

Jack and the Pack Mini-Series

It's a post that I've been procrastinating for the last few years. Why? I don't really know, but in hindsight, I'm glad it's taken so long as I'm now a lot more confident in my opinions than I would have been in 2011 when I started reviewing the main series. So, without any further delays, here are my thoughts on the Jack and the Pack mini-series!

Before I begin, I'm going to say that the titles of each episode will not factor into my final ranking. Yes, I know most have nothing to do with the stories that were told, but I'm more interested in said stories rather than the titles, at least for now.

I think this episode is... OK. It sets the purpose of the building site up well and it was really interesting that they'd find something on site. What was also interesting was Oliver's interchangeable tools. It made him stand out a bit more from Alfie, if his size and colour didn't do that already.

Unfortunately though, it does have a pretty big problem: the build is pretty much abandoned as soon as they find the dinosaur skeleton, which makes everything feel pretty pointless, especially since the skeleton is never mentioned again after this (unless the one mentioned in Rheneas and the Dinosaur was the same one from this episode. It's really difficult to tell).

Like I said though, it's alright. It would have been better if they'd actually followed through as far as the school build was concerned, but seeing Oliver prove that's it's better to be careful at times was a pretty good moral.

Rating: 7/10

This one is brilliant. It just feels like a very natural story that works brilliantly for Jack. The other character choices were brilliant as well and Jack actually gets punished for his actions! Although him owning up to his mistake was a great character moment in itself.

If I had to pick out a problem, it's that Ned's banksman didn't warn him about the slates for... some reason. Perhaps he couldn't see them? Speaking of which, Jack's banksman must be very incompetent. If he'd have done his job, or if Jack had just not listened to what he'd said, things may have played out a bit better. Also, were they really trying to tell me that Thomas had nothing else to do while The Pack were working? Yeah, I could understand that they need him there to save time and effort, but it just feels... off from a railway perspective.

What's really odd though is that this and Percy's Scary Tale were the only episodes released in the UK that a) weren't on the Thomas' Trusty Friends DVD (why, I don't know) and b) weren't in widescreen. I only bring this up because, on Virgin Media's on demand service here in the UK, they do show the widescreen version. I'm really not sure why they cropped it, but it would have been nice if they'd release all these episodes, unaltered, on one disc. And don't say they can't, because by this point, the first five series (which comes to 144 minutes total runtime) were relased on DVD, so the disc would have probably had the capacity for the extra episodes, especially since Thomas' Trusty Friends had no bonus features!

Anyway, with that rant (that won't factor into my rating, but it's something I did want to mention) out of the way, this episode was great, and probably wouldn't have felt out of place in the main series (as it was when the spin-off was filmed).
Rating: 9/10

The conflict here is pretty good, and it played out nicely as well. I quite like that it showcased each character's personalities rather well: Oliver's honesty, Patrick's arrogance (side note: it's a shame he was only seen here), Nelson's boasting and Max and Monty's competitive streaks. Ned's mention of banksmen was great as well; it shows how much he cares about the man who keeps him -and everyone around him - safe.

That said, it was a bit weird for Thomas to care so much about his paint. Then again, it was probably because cement (yes, I know it's called concrete in the episode, but Patrick's a cement mixer so that's what I'm going with) went all over him and he was worried about how it would come off. What was also strange was the "no such thing as 'most important'" line. I know why it was said, but a lot of team do assign leaders, so sometimes there can be someone who is more important, but it is better for them all to work together.

Overall, I like it. It did seem a bit silly that Patrick landing in the pool of cement didn't break anything, but that's a slight nitpick in what was otherwise a great watch.
Rating: 8.5/10

I'm really not much for this one. The conflict seems far too similar to Ghost Train, only there it was slightly more believable that Thomas would be scared. Yes, the setting does feel rather... spooky, but I highly doubt that Max and Monty would not know what Thomas' whistle sounds like. Also, how did they not know that trucks (or lorries if you're British, like me) don't whistle? It just makes them look stupid rather than frightened Whether that was the intention or not I don't know, but that's how it comes across.

Overall, it's pretty meh. It's very atmospheric, and it was really nice that Percy and Alfie started to build a bond, but the lack of original conflict and rather silly climax turns me off slightly.
Rating; 5/10

This episode seems intent on breaking the laws of physics. No, I'm not talking about Kelly being blown over; I can buy that, sort of. I'm talking about Isobella hanging over the edge of the road like that, especially when the piano (by the way, how did they get the piano hooked up safely when Isobella was like that?) was lifted off. Considering the majority of her weight comes from her cabin, how did she hang on like that?

That being said, I do like the plot that Kelly goes through. It's not particularly original as far as media goes, but it's still really relatable. And it's feels very in character for him to worry more about anyone else being hurt than himself.

On the whole, I'd probably rate it the same as the previous episode. It's not an original plot and it really pushes a person's suspension of disbelief, but it's still watchable with a bit of drama and a relatable scenario.
Rating: 5/10

Out of all the episodes in the mini-series, this feels like the only one where the main character feels... off. Yes, Byron has always been proud of what he does, but I couldn't really imagine him feeling conscious of others caring about what he thinks. Then again, maybe that was the intent; to try and give him a bit more depth.

Also, while the scene Alfie started sinking was tense, why didn't he try moving when he had the chance? Yeah, if he had, there wouldn't have been a climax, but it does make him seem weak. Also, and this could be considered nitpicky, but transporting Jack and Alfie in they way they were here was rather dangerous.
Rating: 6/10

Why would you want to save a tree that needs felling? How can you save a tree that needs felling? In hindsight, that was probably the biggest problem I had with Henry Gets it Wrong, especially when you consider what was said in Henry's Forest. Regardless of what I think of it, at least that episode realised that you couldn't save a tree that had fallen. Yeah, it sets up a dramatic climax, but it just makes... no sense.

That said, there are some things I iked. Again, Max and Monty get punished for their actions and, despite how silly the setup is, the determination from the machines to keep the tree upright was pretty admirable.

Overall though, it's typical Paul Larson: really inconsistent. I wouldn't say this was his worst episode, but it is really flawed.
Rating; 3.5/10

This one is rather entertaining, but also rather relatable. Putting characters in a conflict where they have nothing to do is rather interesting as there are many different ways they could take the plot. And here, it worked very well.

You feel rather sad for Buster because he has nothing to do, then you feel happy for him when he gets to flatten the molehills. Thomas' characterisation was great as well; his role as a concerned friend ,ake him feel like a great character, given more depth than him simply being cheeky.

Also, those moles were really funny. As was Buster's line delivery after discovering the football pitch. It felt like Michael Angelis had a lot of fun narrating a lot of these episodes and, in turn, I had a lot of fun watching.

That said, it does feel odd that Buster doesn't have anything to do. Who knows, maybe building work had dried up that day due to the clean up operation? And, again, it was pretty dangerous to have Alfie travel that way.

But on the whole, I liked it. It was a pretty simple story, but it was well executed.
Rating: 7.5/10

Hmm. This episode is alright. It's not particularly flawed (although how Thomas' wheel could break off while his coupling rod was unaffected is baffling), but it's not a brilliant story either.

It was nice to see Nelson live out his dream, and it was great that he was properly rewarded for doing a good job. But other than that, the story is extremely simplistic. There's no real stand out moment, or anything really entertaining. That's all I can really say. It's not good or bad, it's just... there/
Rating: 6/10

On the other end of things..!

Seriously though, although this is an adaptation of the classic fable (as if the title didn't give it away), this is an excellent re-telling, and pretty funny at times as well. Most of that can be attributed directly to Michael Angelis' excellent line delivery.

It did feel rather contrived that Max and Monty could only get themselves free after Buster past, but all in all, this was an excellent episode that worked brilliantly well with the characters that were chosen.
Rating: 9.5/10

Another really entertaining episode. Sure, the chimney probably would have fallen on Ned and Thomas in reality and that wall was... well, what was it made of to be so solid? And it seemed weird that Thomas' trucks weren't smashed to bits by the falling debris.

That said, the humour here was fantastic, whether it be visual thanks to Oliver's facial expressions or where the workmen hide, or the brilliantly funny narration. Everything just worked, and it showed that accidents can sometimes be a good thing. Compared to the "morals" further down the road, I can tolerate this one.

Overall, this is probably one of the most entertaining episodes of the franchise, let alone this mini-series. That said, it did continue Paul Larson's inconsistent trend that continues to this day
Rating: 9/10

If there's any episode from this mini-series I'm glad I didn't review four years ago, it'd definitely be this one.

Back then, I didn't think much of it, possibly because I'd seen all of Abi's Grant's episodes from the main series and I let them cloud my judgement. Now though, this is one of my favourite episodes ever, and it's in a similar vein as to why Edward's Exploit is my all-time favourite: it tackles a relatively serious issue and pulls it off beautifully. It's also one of the few episodes that involve animals that are extremely well written.

What makes it episode truly great though is Thomas. Seriously, he has very little screen time, yet his role is pivotal, and handled fantastically. It's when he features in episodes like this that I don't mind the contrivance of him not being on his branch line. If the role is well done, fair enough.

One interesting tidbit is that Ned would have had a bigger role in the original draft. Personally, while I can understand why he would get a bigger role (to make up for his comments), I don't mind that he wasn't utilised more as the episode, as it is, is fine.

Overall, this is a must watch if you meed a pick-me-up. The character development was brilliant, individual character moments worked extremely well and the moral is fantastic.
Rating: 10/10

Out of all the members of The Pack, Isobella was the only one that never really stood out. Apart from her colouring, she doesn't feel very original. Her model is pretty much a larger Elizabeth and her personality was similar to James'.

That being said, this episode feels a lot like Muddy Matters from series 16, only it was done years earlier and much better. It also gives her some really good character development that I'd actually completely forgotten about before watching this for reviewing purposes. Yes, she still cares about her paint at the end, which some could see as a slap in the face, but it was great to see that she'd do anything if it meant helping the other machines, which is pretty admirable.

One odd observation was seeing a large scale model of Trevor in the little shed. It's actually a shame that nothing was done with him. Maybe he'd have been involved in one of the planned episodes? Who knows? It does seem a waste for them to not do anything with that model. Then again, considering he's going through the exact same thing with his CG model, this was no surprise, in hindsight...

If I had to issue a complaint, it's that it felt far too convenient that all the machines broke down at the exact same time. I know they wanted it to feel like a serious issue, but they would've conveyed it a lot better, in my opinion, had only one or two failed while Isobella was there and the rest break down while she was gone. It would've felt a bit more believable had they done this.

As it is though, it's still a really good episode. Not perfect, but it pushed Isobella's character in the right direction, which was great.
Rating: 8/10

Models and Sets

I've been saying on Twitter recently that I respect what the models did more than I like them these days. And, out of all of the projects that used the models, there are two I respect the most: series 4 for trying to fit the narrow gauge models around the existing standard gauge ones and this one. On its own, it may not seem impressive. But think of it like this: while these episodes were being filmed, so was series 7 (which would kind of explain why so much stock footage was used for that series). All of the models looked fantastic, and I think everyone's glad that Thomas' faces were worked on by the model makers after the ones seen in series 6. Although it was odd that Ned's "Packard and Co." was changed to "Sodor Construction Company". The sets were also very appealing. They felt like real construction sites, which is great.

One disappointing model though was Percy's. With the green dome and red stepladder, it just makes it stand out, and makes it more obvious that it is a different model to his normal scaled version. Yeah, Thomas' different scaled models can be told apart, but the changes are a bit more subtle. It isn't as distracting here since the only time we see Percy's original model is in the Engine Roll Call at the end of the DVD, but it's incredibly jarring in The Great Discovery and Percy and the Bandstand, where both models are seen.

New Characters

Buster

I quite like Buster. Sure, he's not the best character, but he always want to keep busy, which is a nice trait for kids to relate to or learn from. I think the most interesting thing is that he's the polar opposite of George. Heck, I know that everyone wants to see the two Olivers together, or Ned and Marion. But I'd like to see Buster and George together. It would be very interesting to see how well they play off each other.

Monty

Speaking of playing off someone else..!

I have to admit, Max and Monty's competitive dynamic isn't anything new, but it still works brilliantly well. In all honesty, Monty is probably the best thing that could have happened to Max. Without him, Max could have been a generic antagonist to the smaller Pack members. And while both of them together can slip into that trap, they balanced it out with humorously delivered lines and both get punished for their actions.

Nelson

There's not really much I can say about him, really. The only thing we learned about him is that he's quite proud of what he does. Yeah, there was the dream he had, but that was fulfilled, so it took him back to square one, really. I'm rather hoping he does make it into the CG series; it'd be interesting to see what the current team can do with him.

Patrick

It's a real shame that Patrick was a one off (unless he was planned for the cancelled stories). He had a really strong personality that was really interesting. Again, it'd be nice if they added him in the CG era, although they'll probably only focus on the main members at first (if they're even featured after Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure).

As for the cancelled character, Nigel, it's a shame he didn't make it. But considering how tight budget and resources would havbe been, him being cut doesn't surprise me too much. Considering his illustrations though, he certainly would have looked great, and it would be nice if the team looked at the illustration and gave him a chance.

Music

It's fair to say that Ed Welch's themes were never really welcomed by fans. Even if you take out the fact that he had big shoes to fill, they just didn't feel as memorable. Here though, I personally believe, are some of Ed Welch's best efforts. They just seemed to fit really well, and The Pack's theme is great.

Narration

This was definitely Michael Angelis' highest point after series 6. There was just so much enthusiasm in his voice with every story, Some of his lines were delivered so well that I found myself laughing on a few occasions. Yeah, his voices for a couple of the characters change often, and his voice for Miss Jenny is completely different to the one in series 6, but I can let it slide.

Final Thoughts

Out of all the projects that HiT produced with the models, this is, by far, my favourite. I'll admit that some of the episodes weren't as good as I remembered, but the ones they got right, they completely nailed. And besides, even the bad ones kept me interested throughout. I do still think it's a shame that the UK only got 11 on the retail DVD release, while the final two were exclusives at Woolworths and, later, in the Daily Mirror.

As for the length of the mini-series itself? I really don't mind. I can't be mad or upset at the knowledge of 13 extra episodes being written as that information wasn't revealed until fairly recently. Besides, I'm still surprised, and glad, they managed to churn out 13 episodes while filming a regular series for the main show. I'd rather that than nothing. Besides, if TUGS has taught us anything, it's to accept quality over quantity.

And the episode titles? Yeah, I'll agree that it's really annoying how misleading most of them are. I can understand why they changed them - to make the episodes easier to sell - but it doesn't mean I agree with it. If anything, the American terms being used annoyed me more. Calling cement concrete, trucks freight cars, lorries trucks, banksmen operators. It did get pretty testing after a while.

I think the biggest problem the series has though is that it was treated like a spin-off, meaning that none of the construction projects were seen on the main show. Again, considering the differing model scales, I can understand why they weren't featured, but it still takes the shine away, sadly.

And finally, what would I want the future to hold for The Pack? Apart from their appearance in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (well, only Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max and Monty have been confirmed so far), I'd love to see them episodes with other engines. We already saw James with Jack in King of the Railway, but it would be brilliant to see Max and Monty at either of the quarries, Oliver with... well, Oliver, Ned with Marion, the possibilities are endless now. Heck, if they had the resources, it'd be fantastic if they did a second series of this spin-off! I'd love to see that!

Series Rating: 8/10

The Adventure Begins UK Release

Now that I've tackled two issues that were requested for, I'm now going to tackle something that personally annoys me. I know this may make me sound petty, but I hope you can understand why I feel this way.

The Adventure Begins was released as a Walmart exclusive in the United States in March, and it was received with huge acclaim from fans (except those whose who aren't happy with anything unless it was from the original era). As for the UK though? July 27th. In all fairness, the trailer released on the Dinos and Discoveries DVD in January never specified when it would be released, but the fact there was a trailer released in the first place annoys me. It's like dangling a carrot in front of someone.

Now before anyone says anything, I don't mind waiting for DVDs usually. The recent episodic releases usually reach British stores any time between a month and a year after the US release, but by then all of the episodes have aired on TV here, so we don't miss out on much. Meanwhile, the releases do have extra content to soften the blow a bit.

Yearly specials are usually released a month apart which, while not ideal for everyone, it's still a relatively short wait. But to wait 4 and a half months?! That's extremely testing, especially since hype is currently building for Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure! So by the time it's actually released, some fans may not be that bothered (although they'll still buy it because it's an excellent production).

Yes, I say it is entertaining, rather than "could be", because I've already seen the American version. And that's what it all comes down to: waits this long encourage piracy, the one thing that Hollywood fears the most. It's really sad.

But the thing is I don't blame HiT for all of it; SiF have said that they've said the special is ready to be released and they wanted it to be released much sooner than Asda announced.

In all honesty, I put it down to poor marketing departments from either side (Asda's most though), which is weird as you'd have thought that, since Asda is owned by Walmart, they'd be able to arrange this release as efficiently as their American counterpart.

If HiT are wanting specials like these to sell well, fine. But if they decide to do this again in the future, they're going to have to be a bit more firm with negotiations. They obviously care about fans (this special wouldn't exist otherwise), but their marketing team need to show it as much as the TV series team.

As for Asda? Well they should take lessons from Walmart and pull their heads out of wherever they're lodged. It's unacceptable that the country that Thomas used to call home has no choice but to play second fiddle, due to whatever red tape is in place, for a special that's meant to be celebrating the franchise's 70th anniversary!

#RestoreTheMagic

So now that I've got one monkey off my back, it's time to tackle another.

It's safe to say that creating a petition to get a director's cut release of Thomas and the Magic Railroad isn't a new concept; SiF tried a relatively big campaign in the 2000's to get it released and, although they didn't succeed with it, a lot of information was unearthed about the original production that kept the curiosity up.

Unfortunately, the campaign fizzled out at the turn of the decade, but recently, a new campaign (#RestoreTheMagic) has surfaced with constant Twitter updates, a petition and all that stuff. I was recently asked what I thought of it, to which I can answer with three words:

It's completely pointless

I understand why fans want it released, but the fact of the matter is that it's never going to happen now. Seriously, if the biggest fan forum on the internet couldn't get it released, a campaign 14 and a half years after its release won't make any difference whatsoever. And here's why.

I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about the film industry at all, but the one thing I do know is that corporate decisions are based on how much money the film companies will make, and I don't believe that releasing the director's cut will be a profitable decision. The film in its unfinished state barely made a return and critic reviews were pretty negative. Why would Sony or Shout! Factory or HiT risk releasing something they know they might not profit from?

Yes, quite a few older Thomas fans want it to be released, but does anyone else? This generation of kids probably have no idea about the film or what happened behind the scenes, and they'd probably care more about what's currently being released as, in all honesty, it's far superior in quality. The Adventure Begins feels like a much more fitting tribute to the franchise than any version of T&TMR as far as I'm concerned

Finally, it's been 15 years. Fifteen. If a film gets a re-release this far down the line, it's usually a HD remaster of some sort. Director's cuts are usually released between its final showing in cinemas and 3 or 4 years down the line. Because of that, SiF's campaign would have had a much better chance of success than this one.

And finally, we've basically got the original version at our disposal already in the form of the original script. It's not as good as seeing the final cut visually, I understand that. But it's much better than nothing.

So to sum up, this new petition will never get my support as I live in the real world. If something is not financially viable, film companies won't give it the time of day, and this is the prime example of that. Now, let's look forward to the future rather than continually harking on the past.

Britt Allcroft

Over the past few days, there's been a lot made of Britt Allcroft and David Mitton's era. And, to be honest, I've been the most vocal about it. I'm going to say this right now, I'm not going to feel guilty or apologetic for anything I say here. There will be a lot of (what others would believe to be) harsh comments and observations of her as a whole, and whether fans agree or not I've gone beyond caring about at this point. I'm just going to put my point across and leave it at that.

Before I begin with my observations, I'll say this: I do not hate Britt Allcroft or David Mitton at all. I have a lot of respect for them as business people, producers and creators. But there's a difference between respecting someone and burying your head in the sand every time their names are mentioned. The best way to be respectful, as far as I'm concerned, is not to pussyfoot around those you admire, but to say what needs to be said regardless. You know, the "cruel to be kind" approach.

Now I'm going to begin with the positives, because the last time I spoke about this era, I don't think I did that. At all. Unless you count that deleted post on the TTTE Wikia which a certain Kevin Devaney sabotaged, but I digress.

Now, regardless of what I think of what she did further down the road, the fact that she practically gave up everything she had and pinned her hopes on making the television series successful is extremely admirable. I highly doubt she would have done that if she didn't believe in what the Rev. W. Awdry had created. And I'm extremely glad that her sacrifice worked out for her as it became a huge success with British audiences.

I also thought it was a very gutsy move to try and take it to America, since not many British exports work well across the pond. And, again, I'm glad it paid off for her as it broadened horizons and put Thomas and Friends on the map as one the most successful British children's shows.

She was obviously a very gifted businesswoman, and the fact that she helmed such a tight ship as far as merchandising went also showed that. Seriously, when she was in charge, the franchise had some of the best merchandising it's ever had; pretty much all of it is looked back on fondly. ERTLs, classic Wooden Railway, TOMY Motor Road and Rail, Hornby. She and her team commissioned them all, and because of her leadership, they turned out exactly how she wanted them to look (in contrast to current merchandising which is... hit and miss).

And even though I hate pretty much everything about Thomas and the Magic Railroad, I do have to give her props for, at least, trying to go down that road. If anything, I'm more disappointed in the final result because I feel it could, and should, have been monumentally better if the focus was on the characters that had been established, rather than trying to turn Thomas into something it's not, at least in my view. After all, every production team has their own idealised version of what Sodor is which, I feel, is where the true magic really lies.

As for buying the rights? I have no animosity towards her for doing so. Her reasoning for doing so was well-founded, and it did allow future production teams more leeway to write whichever stories they wanted to - for better or worse. Speaking of which, I respect why they cancelled The Missing Coach. Granted I don't know why they pretty much filmed most of it before they came to the decision not to adapt it because it could confuse some kids, but considering they were thinking about the majority rather the minority is also pretty admirable.

And, while some were a bit... mixed, many of her adaptations really hit it out of the park; most of which are in my favourite episodes list. Heck, quite a few of her own stories were really good as well. And while I'm not a fan of series 5, at least it was interesting, which couldn't really be said about the majority of series 8-16.

But do I think she was perfect? Absolutely not.

Some of her adaptations did leave a bit to be desired, while some of the "in house" stories weren't that good. As far as adaptations go:

• Henry had no real reason to strike other than being made to shunt. Yes, Gordon and James did so for the same reason but they had additional grievances that piled up
• Thomas' accident in series 2 had no real point to it narratively, apart from knocking his ego down a bit, which was pretty much the whole purpose of Thomas, Terence and the Snow. And considering they built a rebuild model for Henry on, arguably, a tighter budget, how hard would it have been to straighten out Thomas' front?
• Edward telling Douglas the story of Trevor in Escape was pretty pointless. Think about it: in The Deputation, Douglas was close to death, like Oliver, so you'd have thought he'd be able to feel empathetic.
• Percy's Promise being filmed after Percy Takes the Plunge.
• Diesel replacing Daisy in Mavis for no real reason.
• Rusty to the Rescue turning out to be a rip-off of Escape, only far more contrived.

And then... there was Henry's Forest. Now I have no problem with those who like this episode; it's full of heart and it has one of the best soundtracks of the series. But it was the first one to break the rules that the franchise had established, which is something you can not do. Yes, the early books of the Railway Series didn't really follow any rules, but it can be excused as it was still finding its identity at that point. By series 3, the show's identity was well established. It seems minor to fans, I understand this. But as someone who wants to become an author, these writing techniques are very important for me.

I also have similar issues with series 5. I can respect those who want to take a show in a different direction, but you still need to keep the rules that it had established. And before anyone complains, yes. I do have issues with the teams from series 6-7 and 8-16 going against the show's rules, but by then it was par for the course, so I didn't bring it up that much. Also, they'd only inherited the show; Britt and David created it, so their inconsistencies stand out more.

The tone change was also... really jarring and came out of nowhere. I agree, the Railway Series underwent a tone change too, but that was between 1955-72, when the modernisation plan was taking shape on Britain's railway network, so it made more sense. But with series 5, it seemed to come out of nowhere, And the more I think of it, the more I believe that it was David Mitton's doing, since Britt would have been busy with T&TMR at that point. Also, he produced TUGS, which was a serious show (and one I've no grudge against. They could get away with it in TUGS as it was a completely new, different show). The tone change needed context, which it didn't seem to have that series. Especially when there were light hearted episodes also in the mix.

As for T&TMR? Well, everyone keeps blaming everyone for it failing. But considering it was geared towards the American audience from the get go, I personally believe that the story that Britt wrote was the reason why it failed in the UK. As far as it failing in America goes, it's probably a mix of her and the focus groups. It just felt really confused as to who it should be aimed at. There was a villainous diesel there that wanted everything dead, so you'd assume that it was aimed at an age group that wouldn't usually be into Thomas at that point. But when they give inanimate objects silly names and use the "magic" concept, they insinuate that it's for kids, which it can't be as most would consider the tone too dark for them.

I think the biggest disappointment though is that she didn't take advantage of the hidden lore that had been created in her stories. Yes, I know she didn't have to, but it would have been a nice little tribute to the man who trusted her with his creation, especially after his passing. It's because of this that I have a little bit more respect for the current team, but I digress.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, most of my problems with what the original team did were centred around the series they were involved with. Does that mean I hate their impact as a whole? Absolutely not. On the contrary, Britt Allcroft and David Mitton consisted of my second favourite production team the show's ever had. Unlike most fans though, I don't put them on such a high pedestal to the point where I think they can do no wrong. They're human beings; they make mistakes, and they should be called out on them.

That being said, I have the utmost respect for them because, without them, this fanbase wouldn't exist. Heck, without them, Thomas and Friends wouldn't have grown into one of the biggest preschool brands in the world. The Reverend Awdry put his faith in her, which was probably one of the hardest things he'd done as he was giving his creation to a complete stranger (to all intents and purposes), and she delivered in an amazing way. While I don't agree with some of her production decisions, no one can deny that she must have been doing something right since she was involved with the show's production for nearly 20 years which, by anyone's standards, is rather incredible.

In short, even though some of your choices were questionable, Britt Allcroft and David Mitton: I salute you both

DVD Review: Trouble on the Tracks

2015 is one of the busiest years for Thomas and Friends DVD releases, with one being released every month (apart from July, where there's two). So to kick off, here are my thoughts on this year's second release, Trouble on the Tracks!

Episodes

Unlike the US release from last year, the UK version has 7 episodes. They are:

1. Thomas the Quarry Engine
2. Not So Slow Coaches
3. Flatbeds of Fear
4. Disappearing Diesels
5. Toad's Adventure
6. Duck and the Slip Coaches
7. Missing Gator

I really like the selection, including the two extra episodes. They fit the theme of the DVD well and they're all pretty interesting. If you want to see my thoughts on each individual episode, click the links above.

Bonus Features

I have to admit, the features took me by surprise here. Not because of what was featured, but by how many there were.

We kick off with Mr Perkins' Story Time, but rather than featuring one story, there are two, and neither of them feel out of place. The first was Pop Goes the Diesel, which was on the original American release.

I personally think this version features some of Loraine Marshall's best illustrations. The expressions on the trucks are great and it was really well narrated. Although I didn't like them changing the "big black weasel" line in the song to satisfy the oversensitive soccer mums who may have complained about the original version of it...

The second story featured was Toby's Tightrope. I quite like the edits made at the beginning of the story as it sums up the events that got Mavis to the point this story ended up at. That said, Marshall's illustrations felt a bit... out of place here. Gunvor and Peter Edwards' illustrations were some of the most realistic and artistic the Railway Series had. In comparison, Marshall's seem to stand out a lot more, which is a shame.

Then we come to Mr Perkins' Postcards, which follows the similar formula to the previous segments. On this DVD, he sends a card about the Dieselworks. It's nice, and it includes a great description of what the Dieselworks is and does.

The second postcard was about the quarries of Sodor. I like this one a bit more than the other one; it's nice. Although the postcard features Ffarquhar Quarry, all of the ones featured in the CG era (including the Clay Pits) are mentioned. It's great that Ffarquhar's was also mentioned to be the oldest again, especially since, in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways, it's said that the old coffee pots worked on the line to Ffarquhar, so it can be interpreted to be the oldest quarry based on that.

The Earl's Quiz was the usual fare. It's OK for kids, but it's just not for me. The episodes featured were Percy's New Friends and Slippy Sodor. They aren't good episodes in the slightest, but like I said, kids may like it. The Calling All Engines features Salty and Paxton. They're really good.

Like the last release though, the biggest surprise of this DVD is actually right at the start. There'd been a lot of talk of Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure before the trailer was released, but we ddn't think there'd be a trailer released for months. But I'm surprised, and delighted, that one was added here. I've already posted my thoughts (which you can see here), but for now I'll just say it's brilliant. Probably one of the best so far.

Presentation

Apart from a few errors here and there, and a couple of shots from one episodes that seem to be inspired from a previous special, the presentation here is excellent. The footage is well directed and animated, and it's sure to satisfy your kids.

Price

As usual, the RRP for this release is £12.99, but it can be brought for £5.99 at HMV or £6 at Asda. Some shops will also sell it for £7 or £8, so take your pick.

Final Thoughts

While this release doesn't have the unique selling point that Dinos and Discoveries had, the overall content quality is far superior in my opinion. The episodes are, on the whole, much better and the bonus features are fantastic. That said, I would recommend shopping around for the cheapest price should you wish to buy it. I don't think it's worth anything more than £10 personally.

CGI Logan and Sam

Unlike the original post on the Wikia, I've decided to pair these two together since my thoughts on both are pretty similar (or, at least, they have the same problem).

Logan

It's amazing how one render can turn a creepy faced character into one that, actually, could fit into the series rather well. How they managed to make a face like the one from the book look appealing I'll never know, but Arc did. Brilliantly.

They also added the standard couplings and brake pipes. How the illustrators managed to omit them I'll never know. But I'll get onto the illustrators later.

Would I like to see him in the series? Yes, actually! Well, I wouldn't mind either way, but it would be interesting to see what the new team can do with him. That said, I'd only really wanted to see him if the Coaling Plant was brought back, since he was created to work for the Crosby Coal Company (that and there are enough tank engines around Knapford Yards as it is).

Sam

Sam, however, is a different beast altogether: a large tender engine built from an American basis. And it's because of that, no matter how good this render looks, it looks really out of place. And considering what I've heard about the story (spoilers: it's not very good), he's actually rather pointless.

The render itself is fantastic.The detailing is brilliant and the face (like Logan) looks much better animated than illustrated. That said, it feels like he hasn't been edited enough to fit on the railway. And yes, while some engines haven't been given bufferbeams in the past, in reality, it would be a necessity to pit one on. At least Connor and Caitlin's fronts have an excuse not to include one (and they've also been seen to go under bridges with no problem, which doesn't happen with Sam). And before anyone brings up Duke, the Ffesteniog Railway engines don't have buffers, so it's accurate.

And my other problem is that he doesn't seem scaled to fit the British loading gauge. Like I said, Connor and Caitlin have no problems. and while Porter does have the proper adaptations, he looks... odd. So while I can understand why they wouldn't edit him too much, he still looks out of place because of it.

As for my "pointless" complaints, that's my biggest problem. I've said a few times over the last couple of years that I really don't mind an engine's country of origin if they have a purpose. That's why I don't mind Porter (in fact, he's my third favourite character), Connor and Caitlin. But Sam's job can easily be done by other characters: Hiro, Murdoch, Neville, even Hank if they really want to give him a chance.

So the simple answer to "would I want to see him on TV"? No.

Final Thoughts
These two renders do show one thing though: the illustrators HiT have chosen for these new books are terrible. Fans were negative about Logan and Sam the second those first illustrations were revealed and, while Sam has received a mixed opinion, many have been won around by Logan due to a simple CG render. So here's a thought: why not just use the animators to render pictures for the books? It would save a lot of money since they would no longer need an illustrator.

If they do want an illustrated feel though, why don't they just allow Loraine Marshall do the job? She's proven how good she is with the Perkins' Story Time segments, and fans seem to appreciate the work she does.

To summarise, I think this is still a very good idea, as it frees the show to create some fleshed out characters. But they both had the same problem: the illustrations put fans off. They really need a quick change in that department before other characters they plan to create for this series suffer the same fate.