Diesel 10, anybody?

[ConfusedRobotCat]

For nostalgia's sake, I've been looking at Thomas & Friends lately and rediscovered Diesel 10.

He debuted in 'Thomas & The Magic Railroad' as essentially the first actual villain to appear in the series. As far as sentient trains in a series for small children go, he was an absolute psychopath.

He was a BR Class 42 warship (which I believe Hornby have produced before) with an illegal hydraulic claw attachment (which he now gladly uses to crush other engines for scrap - psycho). At first, it seemed he would be a one-off character for 'Thomas & The Magic Railroad'. However, he made a return to the series five years later and has appeared several times since.

Now, being such a... unique character in the series... Does anyone else think he should join Hornby's Thomas & Friends line? 

Let's add a little murderous psychotic touch to our otherwise happy and playful Thomas layouts.

Needless to say, I think he's well overdue for a Hornby model. But of course, one potential customer doesn't mean much to a corporation. So who is with me? Who else wants a murderous psyhopathic sentient machine barelling down their tracks threatening to destroy the island of Sodor and every steam engine along with it?

[NWR-Gordon-4]

I somewhat agree that ot be very cool to have Hornby to produce Diesel 10. It would be very cool and fun to create your own adventures of Diesel 10 chasing the other steamies around your layout. Some points have to be made though.

 

1. Correct, Hornby have made models of the Class 42 Warship.

 

2. Just because Hornby do have the tolling for this locomotive, does not mean he will get released.

 

3. How on earth would Pinchy, Diesel 10's arm with the snappy-jaw on his roof, be made? It would be very difficult and to get it to scale too. I could see Diesel 10 costing £100.00+, to buy him. That is a lot. Not many children I should think have that sort of money on their pocket.

 

4. Each indivual item that Hornby want to produce for their Thomas & Friends range has to be licensed by the owner's, this being HiT Enteratinment and Mattel. It would be illegal not to get this licensing. I also do not think either would agree for the production of Diesel 10 to be released, as a model railway product, simply due to the lack of times we have seen him in the TV series. Also, the complexity of produce Pinchy would be a question why Hornby would produce him anyway.

 

It seems for the timebeing (Annway), that sadly, Hornby may not give us soon (Or ever again), a new Thomas loco. It cost millions of pounds to license each product. If they were going to give us a new loco in the future (Which I hope and want them to), it will be one that does not involve somekind of hard and difficult thing to produce, such as some snappy-jaw mechanism on the roof of a diesel. They will do one like Arthur or Neville. Create the paint and the lining and a new face and the job' is done. Not make something that seems almost impossoble and make the product cost a lot of money for the consumers.

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[ConfusedRobotCat]

All very good points. 

I would expect Pinchy to be static, and have been considering attempting a custom build using Mechano to demonstrate (if I ever find a reasonably priced second-hand Warship), but I suppose even a static edition would be more redetailing than a T&F engine has recieved before from Hornby. 

I guess the only way it'd ever be likely is if the economy improves and Diesel 10 gets more screentime, huh?

[NWR-Gordon-4]

Yes, Pinchy would be static, but even at that, I still think it would make Pinchy hard to produce and mkae the overall model cost a bomb for the consumers. 

 

GNR-Gordon-4

[LBSCR Nerd]

A working claw would be cool, though. And diesel 10 has NEVER pulled any train cars. His sole purpose is to be evil.

[LBSCR Nerd]

Our only hope is that Bachmann releases Diesel 10, as Hornby doesn't produce Thomas and Friends stuff anymore.