Custom Trackmaster Derek Timeline

(W.I.P.)

Here's my custom Trackmaster Derek progress, I had help cutting the cab and wheel clearance from my dad. Though I did some more of the cutting on my own.

Here's what he looked like once the shell was three pieces.

Then did sanding to get rid of some of the vents, the horn, and remove the slant from the cab.




After all of that, the shell was test fitted. 

Holes being cut for wheel clearance.


The lever hole was made larger so taking the shell on and off would be easier to do.


Another test fit was done before connecting it together.


Then it was time to superglue the front and middle sections. My dad did this as I didn't have too much experience and I still don't have that much, though I do have a general understanding as shown later in this post.


A test run was done before cutting away the original footplate due to it not aligning correctly.

The pipes and wheels we're cut off aswell to make room.



Cutting the middle wheels off wasn't too challenging, and soon the model was up to here in terms of completion.

Footplate being cut off and replaced with polystyrene.  

The polystyrene was applied with plastic cement and it was a bit of a challenge to get it to stay on as it still wants to come off a bit. The buffers were also grinded off and the back was reshaped as well. All done with the Dremel, a file, and sandpaper.

After doing a test run and progress video Derek is up to here, in terms of completion, now.

This is really cool! I can't wait to see more progress!

I honestly can't wait to get back to work! Though I've got quite a bit of Schoolwork I've got to do before I can get to work. I also need to get some more supplies to finish such as milliput epoxy putty, mould putty, and some more tamiya tools.

any plan on repainting this new "Derek" ?

Also have you tested it on a tight curve to see if it has any clearance or overhang or tail swing issue?

[Super]

The only picture I see is the last one.

The only picture I see is the last one.

I've got them on my twitter, so I'll PM you.

any plan on repainting this new "Derek" ?

Also have you tested it on a tight curve to see if it has any clearance or overhang or tail swing issue?

Yes I do plan on repainting it once I'm done, though I need to remove a broken screw first to remove the face and continue reshaping. I've tested it on a normal curve and it works just fine, I just need to work on filling in the gaps and strengthening it before continuing.

That should turn out better than most other Salty based Dereks I've seen. Those just retain the original shape, while this is a rebuild. Way to go by putting more effort before the cosmetic alterations. Strange to think one Salty was enough considering how short the rear is compared to the front.

Meanwhile, I'm still willing to find out how to convert my Talking Salty into a "semi regular" version so I could give up on sound in favour of functionality. If my powered coach chassis didn’t need the 2x AA pack, I would've built Derek as a custom shell for it.

If you happen to have a TOMY Lorry 1, it might be better to cut up his face and fill the gaps than using a Wooden Derek (which is too small). Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Ffarquhar, to fill gaps I would suggest the use of milliput, its a real nice modeling putty than bonds to plastic!

I actually haven't considered using a Lorry 1 for the face. Also I'll be sure to get milliput putty instead for the custom.

laG, I'm using Salty as he's the only spare that can work as Derek I've got on-hand. This design of a Custom Derek was originally done by Trackmaster Productions 2016 on YouTube, he uses 2 Salty's. My version only uses one Salty and that's achieved by just turning the cab around.