[Doug]

Bachmann Europe Plc is delighted to have been chosen as licensee to produce the range of electric toy trains from the new television series 'Underground Ernie', launched this morning on BBC Cbeebies channel.

Bachmann have been granted the Worldwide rights to manufacture electric powered toy trains, train sets, tracks, buildings and scale figurines associated with the series that has been created by Joella Productions.

The series is aimed at children aged 3 - 8 and features the voices of former England footballer and now broadcaster, Gary Lineker, as Ernie and comedienne Janet Brown as Victoria.

Graham Hubbard of Bachmann Europe Plc said today "We are delighted to be associated with Underground Ernie and our challenge is to bring the superbly computerised animations into the toy and model shops as working electric trains. We began work a few weeks ago with the full support of our parent company, Kader Holdings Company Limited. Kader's toy division has pulled out all the stops for us and we aim to have the first set on the market before Christmas".

There are a number of trains featured in the series including Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Victoria. There are also visiting trains from other systems including Brooklyn (New York), Osaka, Paris, Moscow and Sydney. All are involved in a host of exciting adventures.

Graham Hubbard continued "We are acutely aware that we need to attract the next generation into the creative world of model railways. Underground Ernie gives us the opportunity to develop a complete system independently of our mainstream business and to attract future railway modellers. We have been excited by the enthusiasm of the creators, producers and other partners to establish Underground Ernie as way of educating children through the adventures that the characters are involved in. It will hopefully in the longer term teach them the benefits of public transport in our cities".

John Deery of Joella Productions said "Bachmann Europe are the perfect partner for us. We met with other toy train manufacturers but we felt that Bachmann not only had the skills necessary to make this happen, but also shared our vision in helping to make Underground Ernie a truly global brand".

The programme will be repeated at 1630 today on Cbeebies channel. Another episode follows tomorrow (26 have been made).

More info on Ernie and his buddies at the Underground Ernie website.

 

[60134]

The deeply cynical part of me wonders if the Bachmann models will hit the streets before the series completes its run!

I agree that kids need Thomas and the like but if this takes a slice of Bachmann's production that would otherwise have been dedicated to "serious" scale models I doubt the model railway community is going to be amused....

60134

 

[37197]

QUOTE (60134 @ 5 Jun 2006, 13:21) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I agree that kids need Thomas and the like but if this takes a slice of Bachmann's production that would otherwise have been dedicated to "serious" scale models I doubt the model railway community is going to be amused....

60134

I definitely agree with that not only will there be more pressure on the what is already a very p**s poor performance on the production side, which will undoubtedly lead to even longer angonising waits for new releases, I wish they'd concentrate on the task in hand on producing quality British outline models and leave like's of this to kids toy manufacturers

.

 

[Doug]

Reference to the press release clearly describes that the production of Underground Ernie is a new product being handled by the TOY division of Kader and not the MODEL RAILWAY division.

Lets hope that this brings in a bunch of new railway enthusiasts to our great hobby!

 

[37197]

QUOTE (Doug @ 5 Jun 2006, 15:33) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Ernie is a new product being handled by the TOY division of Kader and not the MODEL RAILWAY division.

Thank god for that

, for a moment there I thought we were going to have to endure even longer agonising waits

.

 

[Jennings]

This sounds promising ... if they are actually going to model the correct track for the stock to run on.

 

[rb277170]

The kids will all be on their pension and the stock will have been transferred to the Isle of White before Bachmann get the first models into the shops.

Russell

 

[Dennis David]

Man you guys are a bitter lot ... I think they're cute ... they look oh so British!

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE Reference to the press release clearly describes that the production of Underground Ernie is a new product being handled by the TOY division of Kader and not the MODEL RAILWAY division.

Lets hope that this brings in a bunch of new railway enthusiasts to our great hobby!

I wouldn't begrudge kids an entry to the world of trains. I agee with Doug that this will attract many new people to the hobby. Hornby still manage to produce their regular product as well as Thomas.

QUOTE Man you guys are a bitter lot ... I think they're cute ... they look oh so British!

Check out the two at the top Dennis, they look very American.

 

[Dennis David]

Hey, you're right they do ...

 

[37197]

QUOTE (Dennis David @ 5 Jun 2006, 21:03) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Man you guys are a bitter lot ... I think they're cute ... they look oh so British!

Don't worry Dennis they'll probably export it to the States like they did with Bob the Builder and dub American accents over it so you guy's can understand what they're saying

.

 

[Ben Manicom]

They have also exported Thomas over to America and dubbed that with American accents my Uncle who lives their says it sound totally ridiculous compared to the good old Ringo Star Days

 

[37197]

What about the Hollywood live action film of Thomas the Tank Engine with Alec Baldwin in, it's got to rate as one of the worst films I have had to endure in my life, I can sum it up in two words Bloody Awful

, in there typical style as well they ruined the Thunderbirds truly awful films

.

 

[Gary]

I suspect that this licence is the reason that Bachmann have announced that they are to produce a model of a southern EMU and that Hornby have cancelled the production of theirs!

They have to have a model upon which they can fix a face and so why not a Southern EMU!

Who says childrens TV does not influence the manufacturers!

I bet Hornby and Bachmann marketing staff wake up to CBeebies every morning!

What other models could Hornby and Bachmann produce on the back of childrens TV?

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[DS239]

QUOTE (Gary @ 30 Aug 2006, 10:44) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I suspect that this licence is the reason that Bachmann have announced that they are to produce a model of a southern EMU and that Hornby have cancelled the production of theirs!

They have to have a model upon which they can fix a face and so why not a Southern EMU!

Errrm....I wasn't aware that BR built their 4CEP units to tube stock loading gauge...

 

[Gary]

Big "Underground Ernie" news!

"Underground Ernie" is being launched at The London Toy Fair 2007 with an appearance from Gary Lineker (fromer England football captain now BBC commentator) who provides Ernie's voice in the TV series.

The trains are based around the Bachmann US switcher chassis and include a DCC socket!

They also feature mechanically operated "turning eyes". This was a big attention grabber at a recent trade show.

A number of "Underground Ernie" buildings are also going to be produced including a turntable and various other buildings including a Sports Stadium, Botanical Gardens and Inductrial Units.

It does appear that adults have as much to look forward to as the kids!

Bachmann have 1000 train sets arriving into Britain before Xmas with the main launch in January 2007.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[rb277170]

This'll be why theres' no

Class 108 dmu
Class 47
Revised class 37/4
Class 150
2-6-0 4MT
2-6-0 2MT
RMB

before Christmas then. Or are they all just figments of Bachmanns imagination that appear in their catalogue

Russell

 

[dwb]

If you want to see a picture of the box, visit Metcalfe Models - they have one. Anyone on their mailing list (like me) also got a photo of one of train characters - a pale lime green character with blond hair, moving blue eyes and red lipstick. I was not so much reminded of an underground tube train as an extra from a Pixar movie - I leave you to guess which one, but here's a hint - think german accent.

David

 

[Mike Parkes]

> Or are they all just figments of Bachmanns imagination that appear in their catalogue

Never bothered buying a catalogue - even less need for them now even Peco have almost discovered the web but Bachmann made it quite clear in all the articles I have read that the range announced early this year was to be introduced over the "next 18 months" .The Ernie model is in anycase apparenty produced by a different division of the Kader factory to the model railway one.

 

[Oakydoke]

Why are we talking about this on a model railway forum?

It has as much relevance to this forum as Skateboards, Barbie and garden swings.