DalaGStanator's Customs, Mods and Experiments

Just like with Jack, work on the new Alfie has commenced. Unlike the first version (left), the top is finally able to rotate. Now that the whole model is smaller by a few millimetres, the old arm should be more proportionate. He will have a somewhat lighter shade of green since he no longer has to match the Mighty Wheels telehandler. His wheels are from a cheap pull back pickup truck (whose motor and axles were rusty). I initially wanted to use those from a pull back dump truck/mobile crane I had, but they were too small and might be used if I make Ned. Shame their rims couldn't fit in these tyres very well, because the star shaped ones really don't fit him. I'll probably fill them in using clay or glue or just cover them. The arm will also be held properly and not hastily glued on. Very eager to start building the top, and I hope he will turn out as great looking as Jack.

Edit:



Main body finished and primed, with certain detail to be added after painting. In terms of looks, my wish above was definitely granted. I'd say the most difficult part was to attach the arm, because it has pegs rather than holes. The previous green paint was (mostly) removed before priming, and glue was applied to the pegs to prevent it from falling out. Before the body was built, the rims were filled in with clay. It may not be easy to tell on camera, but the top wasn't perfectly built and makes him unbalanced. Face will be a modified cast of Mega Bloks Toby's. Apart from the stability issue, I got the exact result I was going for.

Alfie was painted and detailed yesterday, and the face cast has been finished today. I remembered the Mega Bloks Toby face being taller and thinner than TrackMaster's, but didn't know it would be the perfect size for the cast. Unlike the red used for Jack, the green had to be applied in several coats due to some of it coming off and leaving yellowish stains on him. The only thing carried over from the previous version besides the arm were the digits (cut and turned into stickers, with the biggest being copied for the back). After that, the whole shroud was torn off the telehandler and the original arm released from the glue. It occured to me the body is too thin because the arm is too close to the cab (the piece between them should be the same width as the other side), but it does help the arm stay up a bit better. Given he's taller than V1, he has to be stored with both pieces separated. Still have to find how to make him more balanced and not wobbly and leaning to one side, in a way that would not hinder the rotating base. Might help if I remove the small piece near the back and insert a heavy weight behind it.

[Super]

That is just some Awesome work LaG. You are getting so good at cardboarding for sure.

Having just bought premade olive green paint, I've given the TOMY Cranky a second repaint eight years after my first attempt. The less accurate shade I used back then was kept underneath, because the olive green seemed a little too bright for him when applied (hence why I didn't prime him). In parts where I overrode the black spaces, I used markers to fill them in again. Have to say it turned out much better, and the unintentional weathering helps add a perfect look to him. Shame I (currently) can't do anything about the faded face without wiping the eyebrows off, because the previous repaint was clearcoated by spraying (without masking). The fact he sat near large windows until last year doesn't help either. Here's how the new colour looks under outdoor lighting:

Made a second attempt at building a prototype Duncan for the Junior Train wind up loco chassis. I didn't like the first version one bit, so it was never documented. He is now much more accurate, thanks to the rear overhang like he actually has. Before trying to build a new top, I redid some of the donor's detail and added a cardboard bufferbeam where the cowcatcher used to be. I initially wanted to build Rheneas, but the wheelbase was too short for him and more similar to Duncan's (or Skarloey/Sir Handel/Peter Sam's driving wheels). My previous running board designs somehow caused the chassis to run in circles, even though nothing was (visibly) blocking the motor. To rectify this, the running board is now wider. He does still get stuck with it, though it helped make him run straight. Like on the first version, the face is a cast of Take Along Fergus' (the closest face to the narrow gauge engines' in my collection). The funnel and rear dome were originally a small lead container for an old compass, the dome being its cap. He is currently painted in an incorrect shade of yellow, to be replaced with a mixture of yellow and brown or similar. In spite of the running issues, I like the result a whole lot better. If I had six Junior Train locos, I would've simply reshaped the original tops instead of (fully) removing them. That way, the wheels wouldn't pop out and perfect running would be guaranteed.

[Super]

The cardboard King does it again. Nice work LaG.

Repainted and detailed. He now uses a mixture of yellow and orange (a.k.a. amber) to better resemble his colour. The steam pipe (?) uses an old wire tie, and the name and number (with inverted colours) were done using a pen. On a final model, they would likely be separate pieces and not painted on. Due to the overhang, the coupling had to be removed. Not much of a problem since I'd use a TOMY like system anyway.

[Super]

I love it, well done

Thought I should start building the other NG engines (barring Rheneas, Rusty and Duke) as interchangeable tops in the same vein as Duncan. Any guesses which one this will be? The cab shape is the only dead giveaway at the moment, because all three share overall similarities.

[Super]

No guess from me