2024/07/19 update
Timothy:
Here's a progress update on Timothy for the first time.
1. I started off by cutting down the cab and everything on the footplate of the Ben.
2. Then I fitted the Percy boiler that was cut away from the old Wilbert's cab and went to work on cutting it down to use as Timothy's boiler.
3. After that I started using filler putty and stuck a couple of nails on to hold the boiler down to the chassis permanently.
4. Up next was adding the cab walls and the back section. His little tube at the back was made out of paintbrush handle and stuck on, while the rest of his back was reshaped with filler putty and styrene.
5. When I finally came back to working on him today I cut out styrene sheets to make his sideplates.
6. Next was drilling out holes in the wheels I'd be using for Timothy's siderods to remove the excess material. These were stuck ontop of mixing stick cut down, split down the middle, and glued together to give it the space needed to make the clearance. These were then glued onto the wheels after the siderods were placed in.
7. The axles for the rods to go on were way trickier, as this required using more of the mixing sticks to make the wheels. These were glued on and then drilled through to fit the axles on. The rods just have to placed on and removed when taking him on and off the chassis to remove the battery.
8. The roof is a single piece of styrene bent with a hole cutout at the back for the switch.
The next steps are adding his dome, cutting his sideplates, casting a face out for him, finishing the front section, making the other side of the cab even, and making him smooth before painting. Going to have to pickup Tamiya's TS-15 Blue for him. It'd be the right color for Sidney too but I like him in the brighter blue like Wilbert MK2 before him.