The Backyard Tidmouth

Well; I had a better look at the cabinet yesterday, and it turned out the problems I thought it would have were totally nonexistent. The back was still perfectly strong and only some staples had to be pushed back into place. The sliding tray was removed before dusting but won't be reinserted (I shall see how I'll repurpose it). These are the first public photos of anything inside:



In keeping with the concept art, it has been filled with the TOMY and TrackMaster destinations. The depth turned out to be 40 cm, which helps fit the large ones very well. Some of the ones that can be taken apart were disassembled for more effective storage, especially sheds. Even the bottom right compartment is just wide enough and doesn't hinder anything (though I still think it could've been better off without it). Not all the items are in permanent locations.



I was impressed to see how neatly everything went into it, thanks in part to the disassembly. Some have been laid on top of each other where possible, while others were simply tucked in. Since the top shelf is too low for characters and other vehicles, I knew I'd save it for large items to take better advantage of all that space.





The Sodor Engine Works (right) was actually my only Take Along/Take 'n Play set (as I mentioned in the Introductions thread, I got it simply to get James before I saw one by himself). Everything else is TOMY and TrackMaster, so it wouldn't have much use for me besides as other buildings and for some interior shots. On the other hand, the TOMY Engine Wash (left) has always been one of my favourite pieces. Along with the small track and road station, it has since been taken out and put on top for display (next to the Elsbridge crossing).



The bottom right compartment has been reserved for both the HiT Toys and Fisher Price Tidmouth Sheds. The turntables were hard to deal with, but all the doors, roof sections, walls and support beams fit just as well as their TOMY counterparts.

Needless to say, I'm glad I decided to repurpose the cabinet because it's just what I needed for the right side. I'll still have to find solutions for Boulder Mountain, the oversized Harold Cargo Delivery and (of course) the track and road boxes and anything else in there.