NWR Editorial: Logan Gets A Render

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

NWR EDITORIAL:

LOGAN GETS A RENDER

The new year had started off with two surprises. Of course the 'The Adventure Begins' trailer, which I've discussed earlier and the CGI rendered Logan. Last year in July 2014, Fisher Price has revealed on the Thomas & Friends 'Engine Depot' website the new exclusive character Logan. Which is available in his own Wooden Railway train set and Book Pack. This year the official Thomas Wooden Railway website had revealed a promotion video of Logan in a full CGI render by Arc Productions.

When I first saw the picture above from the TTTE Wikia, I thought it's a fake picture. As there has been previous images in the past when it came to Tale of The Brave of engines with sloping boilers. But thanks to friends on twitter it was real. Though it had lead to the speculation that Logan will join the television series in Series 19. As SiF had put it on their blog, Logan is created by Fisher Price. No one from HIT Entertainment were involved towards the creation of the character. Plus he's a 'merchandise exclusive' character and even if he's added in the series it loose that uniqueness, in my opinion. It's understandable that some people don't like how he's a one-off character but in my opinion it's in a good way. Children who have the item can give there own personality towards Logan using their imagination and can recreate the adventure with the book through a train set. Plus he's a one-off with purpose, by working at a coal depot at Crosby. Much better then the previous one-off's between S5 and S9-16. 

Although fans do want him in the series and I have nothing against that, I think we should wait and see if he is confirmed to be in the series. In my eyes I see this as a promotion only video and I understand that it's costly to render a model just for a one-off deal. Though that happened to characters like Trevor and Jack in the past. But there has been many promos that use CGI such as the Pixar teaser trailers and some Toy Story promotional videos that were on TV in the 90's on Fox Kids I believe, but they're on the 10th anniversary DVD from 2005. 

But I will admit, the CGI render is much better then the book. His face in particular doesn't look like plastic surgery gone wrong or a jacked up Victor. Although in some places it looked awkward but natural as well. Plus I'm glad Arc had given him a front coupling too and riveting and detail of his body looks amazing. In conclusion though there is nothing to confirm that he'll be in S19 this year. 

LOGAN'S PROMO VIDEO 

IS VIEWABLE ON THE THOMAS WOODEN RAILWAY

WEBSITE

WRW Review: Logan and the Big Blue Engines Book Pack

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS AND FRIENDS FAN BASE

WOODEN RAILWAY REVIEW:

LOGAN AND THE BIG BLUE ENGINE BOOK PACK

On July 7th 2014, although really it was July 8th, HIT Entertainment and Mattel had revealed a brand new character named Logan on the official Thomas & Friends website as part of the improved wooden railway brand. However fans were wondering if Logan is a new character for the television series or if he's a merchandise only character, I can confirm that this book is not based on any upcoming episode, Logan will only be a merchandise only character. I have to say about the fans complaining about the newbie being an exclusive character for the merchandising, there are many Railway Series characters that weren't in the television series and are used in the wooden railway brand such as Flying Scostman and D199. If Mattel is reading this maybe they should consider on using the RWS characters for these 'Sodor Story Collection' sets? 

Logan pretty much has no personality though in the book, however the story is about patience and not to be fooled by appearances according to an activity sheet, the former, which is also provided in the book pack and the train set, which is the same title as the book along with a standard Gordon. The story is short, of course it's focused at a pre-school level which is good as children at the recommended age group will get into reading and also learn to read. 

The book contains everything that is provided in the train set, the Sodor Brass Band coach, two coal wagons, Logan, Gordon and pieces of track and buildings, however they should've add Edward as he's in the story too, what I'm glad to see what Mattel is doing with these sets is that they're not putting every set with a standard Thomas, unlike previous sets. I'm sure parents that bought a set was given each Thomas? However the turn track station is not featured in the book and the bubble trucks are exclusive items on the Thomas wooden railway website. 

I believe also that this stuff is also great for kids to act the stuff that comes from the book with the train set. The illustrations in the book have some errors, however they're OK. Some errors like Gordon's wheel arrangement which he's a 2-6-2 locomotive, in one page of the book he's a 2-6-4. They have used some CGI elements from the show, in the first page they've used Thomas, Percy, Edward and Gordon's model from the Nitrogen era and some workmen, though one was floating around. 

I am surprised since the reveal that Mattel, an American toy company, had chosen a British basis, usually when toy companies do toy trains it's usually a very Americanised locomotive with a cow catcher and 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, no offence to Americans though. 

Nowadays shows like Thomas & Friends are now considered as a brand and as SiF says in their blog about Logan, toy sales are the lifeblood of the franchise and I have to admit it's like that. However I'm glad that they're using this when it comes to one-off's instead of placing them in the series hoping that the popularity of the character goes well with toy sales (e.g-Billy, Dennis) new characters need to have personalities and reasons like in S17 and when it comes to characters like Logan I think it's better that kids can give any persona towards Logan. Incase if you're wondering where I got it from, I got mine from Totally Thomas via Amazon US as they do ship internationally, so credit goes to them. 

Rating: 7/10

MORE SODOR AND STORY COLLECTION ARE ON SALE NOW AT 20 EXCLUSIVE STORES ACROSS THE US AND ON THE THOMAS WOODEN RAILWAY WEBSITE

NWR Editorial: Logan

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

NWR EDITORIAL: LOGAN

On July 8th 2014, HIT Entertainment and Mattel have released a brand new character named Logan, which will be exclusively sold in a playlet that comes with a free book, which that'll be his only appearance and not on the television screen. Looking at the character design of Logan I'm surprised that an a American toy company had gone with a British prototype, which he's a 0-4-0 Sentinel steam shunter so that's good mark for Mattel but how the way it was drawn looks a bit bland, plus no front coupling either. But the face in my opinion is…ugly. It looks like a plastic surgery that had gone wrong, it looks like a jacked up Victor. 

Another critical opinion I have about this character is how the way he was hyped up to be. He was shown on the 'Engine Depot' page on the official Thomas & Friends website and was hyped up as a new character on a page with characters that have appeared in movies and episodes of the series. Why couldn't HIT and Mattel make a wooden railway character guide on a wooden railway website? They could've confused not only fans but parents and the target range too to be on a page with TV characters. 

Mattel have said in their Press Release a few months ago that they be making wooden railway exclusive characters but how the way Logan was hyped up to be, some had been fallen that he'll be a new character for the television series. I think Mattel should try and open up a new website to promote the wooden railway range with their exclusive characters there and not on the official Thomas & Friends website.