Thomas collection and projects

[MrBob]

I'm a 'Mature' modeler from Scotland (UK) I'm of the age that I can remember watching Thomas season 1/2/3 when they 1st came out, and since I was a child I always wanted to do a Thomas layout, but at the time only the Hornby range was available and I didn't like that they were not screen accurate so time passed and I forgot all about it.

But last year I just happen to come across the Bachmann models on eBay and when I seen you could get a Thomas with snowplow I was sold, being in the UK Bachmann Thomas stuff is hard to come by but I managed to get a brand new Thomas with snowplow and hat split from a set and that was the start of my new hobby

about a year as passed and now I have a growing collection with some of my own projects in there too

Thomas

The Bachmann models are fantastic but in some areas not perfect I also only really want to model Season 1/2/3 as that's what I watched growing up, I've made alterations to a few to make them more screen accurate 1st one I done was Thomas





I'm a mature modeler so not fussed about the moving eyes so I replaced this face with a more screen accurate face

painted the area between his tanks and wheel arch black

the grey area under the cab door painted black

and put the season 1/2 red pin striping on the back of his bunker

and of course you cant have Thomas without Annie and Clarabel



their chassis were painted black

and Clarabel got a guards section

Edward

Edward s pretty much perfect, Bought off ebay as a non runner replaced the motor (great parts service bachmann have!) now runs perfect







the tender steps has there centers panted black

the cab was painted black

cab controls were added

As of yet I don't have anything for Edward to pull

I did make some old branch line coaches





But I wasn't happy with there finish so I have started again, so far I have just remade the brake coach



Henry

Henry again excellent model







I got Henry along with Edward as a non runner again replaced the motor works perfect,

painted the grey bits black

painted his cab black

added cab detailing

cut out the sloping section on the cab side of the tender and replaced with a right angle section

painted his steps centers black

by the time I got into buying the bachmann models Gordons and the red express coaches had been discontinued, but they weren't screen accurate anyway so I made my own





Painted in season 2 red and white, currently only got a red brake coach finished but 2 composites are getting painted as I type


Gordon

Again Gordon spot on out the box but as always it's the small details...





grey bits painted black

cab painted black

cab details added

rear of the tenders black sloping section cut out and replaced with a right angled curved section just behind the coal

as stated before I had to make my own express coaches







detailed to season 1 style coach, currently have 2 composites and a brake finished but a 3rd composite is getting painted soon

James

We all know James isn't perfect, but its got great potential! this was a big project







face changed

smoke box painted black

wheels painted black

grey bits painted black

front coupler added

cab cut open and painted black

cab detail added

random bit of black paint on the back of the tender removed

of course wouldn't be a season 1 James without his coaches





bought 11 annie and clarabels 2 for thomas the other 9 got there bodies removed

chassis painted black

names removed

faces removed by cutting the face end off of 1 end and replacing it with the blank end of another coach

1 coach was left with the Clarable face and guards section added

so what happened to the other 4 that got cut up? keep reading....

Percy

again Percy isnt perfect, but everything is there to make it so this was my 1st big project





face changed

front coupler hoop added (cant add the hook as the spring got in the way of the chassis)

leaf spring detail added under his boiler

steps moved to under the running board

louvers cut into the back of his bunker

coal cut down

rear window painted on to the back of the cab

brake pipe and hook detail added to the rear buffer bar

excess metal cut from the piston rods

grey bits painted black

maybe becuase the amount of work i put into it but has to be my favour model, and of course he needs to pull the mail



I've only got 1 Sodor Mail car, I would like 3 more but I really cant find the 'Sodor Mail' ones any where if anyone's got some for sale?

Toby

Toby is spot on, as is Henrietta, and of course Tidmouth Milk tanker



nothing needed done! just painted his front and rear hooks black



Tidmouth Milk tank straps painted black

the camera hasn't picked it up but i have added wire from the ends down to the chassis

Duck

perfect out the box, pulling all the trucks I have I'm waiting for the red coached for duck!



just painted his black buffers red



the oil tanker has been weathered

and like the milk the wires been added

Donald and Douglas

both fantastic models, so good i still haven't got round to modding them



I did make them snowplows i also have cab details waiting to be added to them, i would also like to move there name plates forward at some point

also made a works unit for them



not happy with it so i have started making a new one but only got the chassis made so far



Bill and Ben

brilliant models as well, nothing needed done



once I'm finished with the coaches I will start collecting more trucks, they will get a long line a china clay trucks for the 2 of them to pull together

I just bought a Diesel few days ago so should be delivered soon, after that I will be getting a Mavis and that's me done till Oliver and Toad come out will get a S.C.Ruffy with them, and fingers crossed there is a daisy and Boco in the future

so remeber the 4 other annie/clarable chassis? they were reused in my new very large project, which is slowing up all my other projects....

Brake down train

very long project, not alot getting done to it as i dont have much free time at the minute but i am striving to get it finished , icant wait to see it all done!







that's all for now, more updates as an when they happen!

[thomasj219]

WOW! Amazing work. Can't wait to see how they look when finished. I have a couple of questions though. What faces did you use to replace Thomas Percy and James'? And how did you manage to make those moulds for the brake down train? Any other tips on how you modded the others (Percy eye) would be helpful too. Again great job. 

[Anthony P2]

Wow! That's some great modeling! I like how the breakdown train is looking. I have a rake of 6 Hornby Maunsell coaches and have been debating whether or not to repaint them, but now I'm convinced after looking at the ones you have! They look fantastic! Keep up the great work! any pictures of a layout to show?

[MrBob]

WOW! Amazing work. Can't wait to see how they look when finished. I have a couple of questions though. What faces did you use to replace Thomas Percy and James'? And how did you manage to make those mould for the brake down train? Any other tips on how you modded the others (Percy eye) would be helpful too. Again great job. 

The replacement faces are from Hornby models, there pretty much direct swaps only you lose out on the eye moments

The brake down train is annie/clarabel chassis, remove there buffers and cut down there side boards

the body work of the brake down trains is hand cut plasticard glued together then fill in any gaps with model filler, sand smooth bit like a kit/jigsaw then painted green then glued to the annie/clarable chassis, i still have one flat bed to make i could do a walk through if you're interested?

Thomas mods were easy enough just repaints, the face just pops off, the Hornby face has a ridge on the back side of it which needs sanded down, once done a little spot of glue and fits directly in place

James again mostly repaints, making sure when you paint the wheels not to get any on the rim of the wheels or it will cause cut outs, the black bit on the back of his tender was removed with white spirit (mineral spirits in the US) being very very careful as its nasty stuff and will strip the black lining if it over splashes

the face removes easy, on the under side, in front of the wheels, there is 2 silver screws and a hole, down the hole there is a screw that holds the face in, remove it the pop the face off, the Hornby ones fits perfectly in place

the front coupler was made from a spare Edward front bogie i had, cut it in half just behind the screw, then i used the bit of plastic that holds James front wheels, turned it up side down, lined up where the axle used to go with the axle in the new bogie made a hole in it for the screw, remove the spring and painted the bare metal black



his cab was a bit of work, undo the screws that hold it to the body and it lifts off, you will see the little PCB circuit board screwed to the chassis, remove the screws and you can fold it and the wires into his fire box, fits just snugly, cut off all the mounting off the chassis, i cut a square bit of plasticard for the cab floor it cover all the holes, and a bit of plasticard to cover over the fire box, undo the screw that holds the roof on the cab and cut it all smooth, then using a very sharp knife and a steady hand cut out the back of the cab then glue the roof on to the cab

Percy again the face pops off with a flat blade screw driver, remove the eyes and remove the ridge from the Hornby face, small dab of glue it should fit perfectly

the front hoop i had a spare Percy chassis the i cut the rear section off of and glued it on under the buffer bar so a coupler could be screwed on but the chassis is to close so had to remove the hook and spring bit so its just the hoop but as long as all your running stock has hooks they hook on to it and he can pull things backwards

the side steps i used a very very sharp knife ran it parallel with the running board and cut the steps off trying to keep the running board as smooth as you can, sand down any cut marks, then glue them back on underneath, make sure however you leave enough space for the side rods to pass the steps or they will jam the wheels repaint the side boards red

the leaf spring suspension detail was cut from an old scrap truck i had, then the area under his boiler was sanded down using a dremel like rotary tool and a point sander, dont remove all the flat green section though it covers a hole in the chassis just cut it enough for the detailing to sit in it

the coal and bunkers a bit tricky, the coal is a separate moulding so it can be popped out, cut the coal down so its just the coal detail that left, when the coals out use a sharp modeling knife and with a steady hand slowly mark 3 lines in the back of the bunker, and just keep slowly scoring them till they cut all they way through then use some sand paper folded over, insert  it in to the cuts you made and sand the cut bigger till your happy with the gap making sure you don't put to much pressure in case you snap any plastic, mask off and paint black, the windows i used a paper hole punch to punch a hole in masking take, stick the tape where you think the window should go and dab some yellow paint on with a brush, once its dry mask off some small lines through the yellow and dab black on to complete the look, put the coal back in job done

Wow! That's some great modeling! I like how the breakdown train is looking. I have a rake of 6 Hornby Maunsell coaches and have been debating whether or not to repaint them, but now I'm convinced after looking at the ones you have! They look fantastic! Keep up the great work! any pictures of a layout to show?

if you're wanting screen accuracy like me I removed all the small detailing from the coaches and smoothed out the end doors and of course they have to be all 3rd class

no layout as of yet, I have an old Hornby track mat system i built years ago but its kinda fell into disrepair



I have drew up a 'dream' layout I would like to make, just need to see what time and money is like once I collect all the locos and rolling stock I want

[sodorlad]

I sold an non running Edward and a Henry to a Robert in Scotland via eBay a few months back.

If it's you, glad they went to good use. I bought new ones! All your work looks great.

[MrBob]

yup thats me, sad to say you can buy the replacement parts from Bachmann for cheaper than buying new

[thomasj219]

Thanks for the info, and I would certainly be appreciative of any how to videos you could post, as I am sure would others, especially of how to make customs moulds.

[MrBob]

Small update, not a lot done, life getting in the way

My Diesel arrived



Love it, but the cgi face bugs me a little, maybe a future change

Mavis



Thats me got all the engines I want till Oliver is released (and with any luck a Boco and Daisy in the future!)


New works unit complete





Remake of the old branch line coaches complete








4th express coach complete



That is me now got all the coaches I want till the red coaches come out so started on trucks

Started making 'a close shave' laughing van



Just need to paint, add tension hooks, brake pipes and a face to it

Still to finish are 2 red and white express coaches they just need painted and finish off my brake down train, will need some free time for that

[Chaz]

The models here look incredible and I am glad to see another talented modeler join the board! 

The express coaches look fantastic, and I really like how you have taken the time to make them look really accurate to the ones used in the original show. 

I'm interested in seeing what kind of new face you are planning to give Diesel, I never liked the CGI face that Diesel had.  At least Arc did a better job at giving him his "devious" personality.  Either way a model face on Diesel would especially look flattering on the model, particularly with the silver siderods shown on Diesel which were used only in the second and third seasons.

Looking forward to hearing more in regards to upcoming projects, particularly the breakdown train and the old van. 

[JLK2707]

Great job! I just love how you've done them all! Also, can you please tell me what you used to make the composite and brake coaches?

[Metal]

You're work is fantastic, I hope you don't mind if I ask you questions

How did you make Clarabel's Brake Compartment?
How did you modify Percy's Coal Bunker?

Boco and Daisy, they're pretty much what fills in the gap? I kinda hope for Daisy more than Boco, tbh. She is unique and contributes so much to the show's personality spectrum. Plus another female character in the Bachmann range.

With Diesel CGI face, I honestly don't mind Bachmann using CGI faces considering that they're really capture the homage of the classic series. Especially Oliver/Toad, the best faces rendered by Arc.
With Diesel, I have to agree that it kinda bugs me, because of his cheerful expression.
But considering that Bachmann does it to meet up with the licenser's standards, I understand. I wouldn't mind at all Oliver's CGI face, they just need to get his scaling right.

[MrBob]

Thank you for your kind words

I'm interested in seeing what kind of new face you are planning to give Diesel

Nothing in mind but will most likely use a Hornby face

You're work is fantastic, I hope you don't mind if I ask you questions

How did you make Clarabel's Brake Compartment?
How did you modify Percy's Coal Bunker?

Boco and Daisy, they're pretty much what fills in the gap? I kinda hope for Daisy more than Boco, tbh.

sure happy to help

Its easy enough, I used a small bit of plasticard glued in to fill in the window



then mask off the area you want to make the compartment



then using model filler



I use humbrol as its all that is readily available to me but any model filler should work

lay down a thin layer of filler over the area you have masked off, keep adding in thin smooth layers till you are happy with the way it looks (the smoother you lay it on the less sanding you will need to do)

once the fillers dry take some really fine (1500 - 2000 grit) sand paper and sand down the filler till its even and smooth, dont be scared to go to far, if you take to much off add another thin layer and sand back again till you are 100% happy with it, remove the masking tape to make a clean strait line

then i used :



Revell Aqua color '85' brown, best match I could get without having to mix a custom color, remasking tape it then same idea lay it on smooth (best to thin it with a touch of water) once dry fine sand it back and repaint till you are happy with the finish, then lacquer it and remove the masking tape



the coal bunker was a bit tricky

the coal and the bunker are 2 different parts, so  use a small flat screw driver and pop the coal out the bunker



cut the bottom of the coal molding off so it will sit lower



i also cut the hump out the bunker



though I don't know if that's necessary or not

this is the tricky bit, with the coal out using a very sharp knife cut the 3 louvers into the back the of bunker, make sure they line up with the louvers on the side of the bunker



just initially score the plastic once you are happy with there placement keep running over the scores with the knife till you cut all they way through (takes a long time and its a bit boring but best way to do it without stressing and braking the plastic) once you have cut all 3 right through use sand paper folded over on its sell and push it though the louvers you just cut and sand side to side till the louvers become larger holes

for the windows i used masking take and a document punch



to make a hole in the tape



place the hole where you want the window



then dab some yellow paint on with a brush

can you please tell me what you used to make the composite and brake coaches?

sure!

The base models are all 3rd class Hornby SR (southern Railway) Maunsell Coaches (or as pictured Ex SR British railway red/cream Manunsell coaches)



I remove the body and all the fine detailing that the express coaches don't have like front/rear corridor doors, using model filler like I did above for the Clarable compartment, mask off the roof and windows (both inside and out)



repaint in express coach colors



or like the ones pictured will be getting painted season 2 red and white, brake coaches have rear duckets which are a separate molding from the main body so can be easily removed without cutting, again cover the hole left with plasticard, model filler smooth and paint

[JLK2707]

Also, I am just wondering what colour paints you used to paint these coaches. Please tell me as I would love to know.

[The train kid]

This stuff is amazing also the same mature modeler looking to make a childhood dream come true.

[MrBob]

Also, I am just wondering what colour paints you used to paint these coaches. Please tell me as I would love to know.

I use:

Tamiya surface primer (spray)

for the express coaches I used

Humbrol 21 gloss black (spray)

Humbrol 3 Brunswick green (spray)

Revell aqua color 314 Beige (pot)

Humbrol 19 Red (spray)

Humbrol 22 White (spray)

old branch line coaches i used

Tamiya X1 black (pot)

Tamiya X45 Green (pot)

Revell aqua color 314 Beige (pot)

(the plastic they are made off doesn't take to Humbrol sprays paints. they dry all cracked and bumpy so had to switch to Tamiya brush on paints)

Clarabels color match is Revell Auqa colour  85 Brown (pot)

Annie/Clarabel Chassis is Humbrol 21 Black (spray)

the works unit is

Tamiya X1 Black (pot)

Revell aqua color 360 Fern Green (pot)

(again the Humbrol sprays wouldnt take to its plastic)

the brake down train is

Humbrol 21 black (spray)

Humbrol 80 grass green (spray)

any black touch up work on the Bachmann models was Tamiya X1 black (pot)

Percys running board was repainted in Humbrol 19 Red and his rear window is Humbrol 69 Yellow

The laughing van has now been painted in a custom color mixed using Tamiya X1 and Tamiya X9 brown its a really dark almost black brown

This stuff is amazing also the same mature modeler looking to make a childhood dream come true.

Its strangely satisfying