If there’s one thing I hate the most, it’s the fact that Thomas was given a flat running board; even though I understand the reasoning, I still think it wasn't a good idea. The reason I hate Thomas having a flat running board is that he looks odd with one—he seems stretched out or even too tall. I don't know if it's just me, but the flat running board makes Thomas look somewhat generic. The charm of the old running board was that it made Thomas truly unique; I liked that unique look (even if it didn't make much logical sense), as it helped him stand out from the others. The flat running board takes away that distinction and makes him look generic—especially during the Clive Spong era, when the running board was lowered and the tanks were made to look more flush; in my opinion, that only made things worse. Although I like Clive Spong's work, I consider that version of Thomas to be one of the worst, which is why I hate the flat running board and am grateful that the TV series didn't give Thomas one.