Boo. It’s Halloween. I haven’t got any Thomas stories to share with you all, sorry,
I’ve been caught up with making a university film, but I am working on some models so that I can get
back to making Thomas episodes again, particularly with the Skarloey fleet and Stepney, of course.
Whilst I’ve been doing that, I’ve been reminded of all of the horrendous model customs I’ve
forced into this world in the past. TUGS and Thomas modelling was what got me into the hobby,
so I’ve learnt from a fair few mistakes growing up. Ones that I thought might
be funny to look back on now, so that you guys can succeed from where I’ve previously
failed. Here’s a look at all the Thomas custom models I’ve made or at least can remember.
Like so many, one of my first models was a Hornby Thomas. I got a 2nd one when it finally broke,
and because they were so cheap and easy to find used it as one of my first customs.
I used the only blue acrylic I had around and just went with it. It’s too dark for NWR blue, but as
an alternate universe thing I think it looked neat. It was ridiculously glossy, I messed up
with the red lining a lot, but hey, it had a black running board now. It lasted like this for about
a year, being used in my episode Give Me A Break, which has haunted me for ever since, then I used
it as a test dummy for another livery. Ignoring the fact that Hornby E2s exist in Southern Green,
I crudely painted it in Maunsell Olive, again by hand if you couldn’t tell.
I don’t know why I did this, because Thomas never wore any Southern livery, and I could have just
bought another E2 but oh well. I’ve not bothered to do anything with it since. Oh, apart from one
time when Harry got a newspaper cutting of Teresa May and stuck it on the front, something I didn’t
notice for some time afterwards. She’s still there to this day, dreaming of corn fields far away…
I bought TwistedTom’s old Bachmann Thomas which he was selling with a CGI face and a truck, still
with remnants of the LBSC paint-scheme he’d used. As a way to try and weather it, I used mascara
and spread massive blobs all over the model, with the thought process that it
would be able to be wiped off easily. Thank goodness it can be because it looks awful.
The cleaners at Ffarquar sheds should be fired if this is what they call decent.
Another cheap Hornby test dummy. Harry and I needed a Percy model for something, I think it was
his Put Upon Percy remake but we ended up using an actual Hornby Percy for that so I have no idea.
Either way, I remember being round his house with this army camouflage spray paint trying
to cover up the detail with masking tape. It ended up drying really bubbly and honestly if
any child pointed to it and recognised it as Percy I’d think they’d never seen the show.
This model was used for spares, so I suppose Stunt Jump Joe didn’t have it all bad.
Some years later I finally got a Percy model of my own, using a 3D printed bodyshell made
by Explosive Cookie, which I don’t think he ever made public so I’m grateful he let me have one.
It fits on a Hornby Peckett chassis, but Luke’s own updated model is slightly more accurate in
terms of the later books Percy. This is in the cheap Shapeways print plastic which isn’t the best
when it comes to quality, and even after a fair bit of sanding the surface is still pretty rough.
It didn’t help that I don’t remember priming the model because I was impatient, and again painted
it by hand instead of using lining tape, so this little guy is waiting patiently for a repaint,
the current livery is looking a little dirty. Continuing with the Ffarquar fleet, here’s
a completely scratch-built Toby. I made this especially for Knights of the Round Turntable.
The Hornby Toby is just an office block and the Bachmann Toby was already rare at this point,
so I made a quick mock-up just to film with. It’s unpowered, but being hollow beneath
the running board it would be easy enough to fit some wheels. It’s made from matchsticks,
coffee sticks and cardstock, and the bell is a pen lid cut up. Served its purpose, but never
intended as a fully detailed model, since the Rapido J72s will probably never be topped.
Another static model, again in that deep royal blue. This T9 is supposed to be Edward, but yes
it’s really one of those cheap magazine models that were available everywhere you looked in 2014.
Harry and I bought it together with the intention being that we’d just share it out depending on who
needed to film with it, until he eventually bought Bachmann Edward from Bass TBone Music
to go on his newly built Wellsworth layout. Apparently I was so in love with that blue that I
did the same to Gordon. This was a Hornby Flying Scotsman which I pretty much butchered, but I
kept it with the intention of using another Hornby Railroad model to make a double-tendered Scotsman,
but much like the real Scotsman’s 2nd USA tour being a success, that never ended up happening.
In my freshers year at uni I had an awful time, so to counteract that I started doing more modelling,
and Arthur was the first thing I finished. I was impressed with the newer Bachmann 2MT, so bought
one of the older tooling ones and painted it in red like Arthur, complete with the number
he had in his concept art which is the same as the one also in red on the Keighley and Worth Valley
Railway. Sadly I butchered up the smokebox door trying to remove it and never found a replacement,
so the cheap paper faces will have to do until I can get some 3D print ones for him. The lining was
done by hand but I always intended on redoing it with transfers some day. That never happened and
as reliable as he was, I sold the fish boy on to Harry where he now lives by the quayside at last.
Another university repaint, this time with a Hornby Railroad N2. I love Ryan as a character,
and thought it would be nice to have such a dramatically different coloured engine
in my collection, so Ryan it was. Learning from Arthur, I bought a Wooden Railway face for him
and managed to get the lining slightly neater. Then I made the mistake of using a very thick coat
of gloss varnish, which dried white and ruined the whole thing. I didn’t like the simplicity
of the model itself, so eventually sold him on, making sure to repaint the model first to get
rid of the varnish stains. Thankfully after a fair few years I still had the original paint.
As you’ll know, I’ve been very lazy with some of the representations of various characters
in my videos, going as far as slapping Spencer nameplates on a very obvious Dwight.D Eisenhower
and just having TardisRescue record a few lines saying “so what, I can be BR green if I like, who
cares.” I never properly got a model of Duck, but I did have this poor old, non-running pannier…
I don’t know what braincells were on annual leave at the time but I decided to paint it red. Not
London Transport red, just in your face red, wait no, black. I want a pannier in BR black… wait no,
both, why not both? No, what if I put it in Phoenix Precision Improved Engine Green? It’s
far too dark to be IEG, but maybe it’ll look like The Railway Children Pannier! This poor model was
victim to an indecisive child and a paintbrush. Not Sodor related, but around the same time I also
made this. It’s a freelance industrial shunter I made for my sister because she wanted an engine,
and I let her choose what colour and what to add to it. It’s very simplistic but that’s all
it was ever going to be. Can’t for the life of me remember what she called it, so if you have
a good but sensible name, let me know. Going Narrow gauge now. I waited so long
to try and find a Bachmann Skarloey, so when the time came when I did get one 2nd hand from
a friend, I didn’t have the heart to repaint it. Amusing fact. I was volunteering on the footplate
of No.65 at the Bluebell Railway and got handed the Skarloey as we were running into the platform.
Picking up a Bachmann model like a token exchange is something I never thought I’d do.
When I got Rheneas though, dear Old Lady, the paint, the face and the small cab windows…
eugh. As soon as it arrived, into a nicer red it went, but again it was pretty rushed. I snatched
up Narrow Planet’s Dolgochification kit when it came out, but didn’t have a metal saw to cut off
Rheneas’… funnel. When we were filming The Great Model Railway Challenge I gave Rheneas to Luke so
he could do the honours. A couple months later I came back to volunteer at Talyllyn for the first
time and picked him back up again. Cheers Luke! I think I might make Smudger next… I got some name,
number and works plates from Narrow Planet and The Quarryman headboard too, because Rheneas was
in John Lennon’s original band. Who knew? The nameplates I got were too big though so try not
to notice that. The face is an ERTL one painted by SodorModellingInMinature. It’s not a perfect
model by any means. I still want to get a firebox backhead, replace the driver’s side wheel arch,
spread out the buffers, fit larger cylinders and oil pots on the running board but I’m happy enough
for now. Years ago I also painted up ERTL Skarloey and Rheneas in matching red with blue lining,
with brass domes just for the fun of it. Thinking about it I also had a Bluebell-black Stepney I
made and a couple of Thomas paint-ups so if I can find photos of those they’ll be greeting you now.
For the other narrow gauge models that have appeared in my videos, Duncan I bought as he
is modelled by SodorModellingInMiniature, Rusty I’m still yet to get a new bodyshell
for as I keep mistaking the Bachmann one for an orange Skittle, and Sir Handel and Peter
Sam were made by TheJamTram, I just stole them to film All In A Spin. As I mentioned though,
I’m slowly working on improving my little Skarloey gang so hopefully I shall have to steal no more.
On the topic of future projects, I also haven’t mentioned the obvious character.
I plan to make a separate video talking about
modifying Hornby Terriers in different ways, as I’ve owned quite a few. I’m still hoping to
modify a new Stepney out of the newer Hornby A1X tooling, so that’ll be included too.
That’s that little horror show done with. I was very young when a lot of these models
were created, and would like to think I’ve got slightly better over time, but still have a long
way to go when it comes to modifying, repainting and weathering models. But hey, that’s what life’s
all about. Learning, not so much modelling, but we should of course be moral examples. If I can
tell you one thing from what I’ve learnt though, it’s to take your time with modelling, and never
be impatient or rush a model. It’s a slow hobby, but a rewarding one when things do go well.
Happy Halloween, and thanks to everyone who asked to see more from my model collection.
If you have any other recommendations of videos you’d like to see, let me know.