TTTE Gauge 1 James: Primer, Bondo, Paint, & Pinstriping

[lego12323]

woah good

[TheRyanCarMan]

Wow! Was that pinstriping done by hand? I can't believe I hadn't seen this video beofre. I love the end 360 view. How many TTTE Characters do you plan to make for Gauge 1, and if you don't mind sharing, about how much did it cost for making James? I'm inspired by you to possibly attempt some in the very far off future, when I have a good paying job so I can afford it?

PS I apologize if all my comments lately have been a nuisance...

[cudak888]

@TheRyanCarMan - It's automotive stick-on pinstriping, though I'd suggest model aircraft pinstriping to anyone attempting something a TTTE model. The R/C stuff sticks better.

I'm not sure how many I'll make at this point - if I do produce everything I've done for Ernest so far (and if the Partnership Program pays for a warehouse) I think I'm looking at a good 5+ years of work and dedication. We shall see.

James probably cost around $300 by now.

[cudak888]

@TheRyanCarMan - Mind you though, I've come to realize that James is a bit over-scale to his TTTE show counterpart. It might sound crazy, but I believe the cheapo Lionel wheelset as fitted to the old James electric G-scale sets would be closer to the original.

Granted, the Lionel shell is a joke - you can toss that - but the pre-fabbed 0-6-0 drive would be a much easier starting point.

-Kurt

[BramGroatFilms]

Nice Job! WOW!!!

[JamesTheRedEngine99]

oh shot this is soooooo good!!!

[explodingninja1]

i miss the old thomas and freinds

[trainmadd34]

is this lgb gauge?

[cudak888]

Gauge yes (45 mm), but in scale, no (Gauge 1 = 1:32 vs. LGB = 1:22.5).

LGB models were originally intended to be narrow gauge equipment on Gauge 1 (45mm) rails. Gauge 1 rides on the same 45mm rails, but consists of standard gauge equipment.

-Kurt

[TurboJUSA]

@cudak888, When are you going to make Iron 'arry and Bert?

[cudak888]

@TurboJUSA - Never. HiT's characters have no place in my stables.

[kirbyfan600]

am proud of you only awdry characters

[darthwinsor]

@cudak888 arry and bert where introduced in season 5. when allcroft was still in charge

[cudak888]

@darthwinsor - Ah, but they're still Britt's characters, not the Reverend's. Not particularly my taste in antagonists. Good old oily Diesel does the job sufficently (and we still have Bowler and Stuck-Up - don't forget them).

[ctmajka]

So... is comparing Gauge 1 wight G gauge the same a comparing HO with 00 gauge? Are the trains just a different size but can still run on the same track?

[cudak888]

Bingo.

[ctmajka]

Excellent.

[JH55000]

Your James looks excellant but I have a couple of questions because I'm thinking of makin some RWS versions in "0" gauge.

What do you mean by primer?

what do you use for the paint to get that finish please?

[cudak888]

Primer = grey coat of semi-rough paint that gives the finish coat a good surface to "bite" on - also neutralizes any color differences between the plastics used.

Paint finish = Use spray cans. Brush-on is a nightmare. Preferable to use fine spray paint for these applications though. I like Scalecoat II (U.S. product, I do not know of any specific U.K. equivalent) in such cases.

[AlexKouhiFan]

Just out of curiosity that how will you find any necessary materials required to work on Toby if you're planning on doing him afterwards?

[cudak888]

Not too difficult. His drive doesn't have to be specific, as it's hidden under the sideplates, and his shell is essentially made up of various flat sections of styrene and fake wood-panel styrene.

Getting myself buffers from Tenmille - now that's the problem that I've been postponing for months now.

-Kurt

[PPFgirls]

Lucky you got buffers from Tenmille. Are you now planning on fitting buffers for James soon?

[cudak888]

No, no - that's the problem. I have not purchased them yet. When I do, you can be assured that they'll be fitted quite quickly.

More importantly, James needs $45 worth of power pickup units from Hartland Locomotive Works - I'm more concerned about that then the buffers.

-Kurt

[PPFgirls]

I see. Will the side rods be fitted on James' drive wheels soon?

[Galisoneh]

Are you going to add eye mechanism to the model when it's finished?

[cudak888]

Yes - a Futaba transmitter and receiver hooked up to a pair of Hitec HS-55 servos.

[aftmast]

Hmmm... Well good luck. And what about the Percy model in the video where James is moving down the track for a test?

[cudak888]

On its way as with James. I've put James first in priority.

[aftmast]

That's great. How do you plan to make the face right?

[cudak888]

Careful sculpting with a hardening clay should do the job. I've already done one in typical modeling clay (non-hardening) for the Ernest parody - seemed to be reasonably easy. I didn't try for any particular accuracy with Ernest either...

[choochooguy63601]

Good Job! Really accurate aswell! :) 10/10

[fgthomasjp]

すごい！、テレビ版のジェームスそのものです！

[tonypilot]

A work of Art! Keep it up.

[Rexeljet]

That looks like the real model you are gret at model making! You didn't steal it, did you? ;)

[cudak888]

Haha - seeing that I am in the Southern U.S. region, that would be a tad difficult, wouldn't it? ;)

[PercyandDuckfan94]

Awesome!Are you going to make his eyes move like in the real Show?

[cudak888]

Yes, with a Futaba radio control.

[therailwayinspector3]

any plans for any other characters?

That looks brilliant!!! Wish I had space and money to do this sort of stuff

[cudak888]

Percy is 1/4 of the way along the assembly line. I have partial drivetrain parts for Edward.

[donaldthescotishtwin]

just like the real james

[StanleysilverZ]

Looking rather err... Splendid!!! :p

[DoctorTankEngine]

As I've said on SIF, it looks sweet mate, really great!

[UnluckyTug06]

That is simply amazing. One of the best kit-bashed models I've seen in a long time.

[rosiethepinkangel]

awsome job

[Thomas4trainz]

Very realistic James! Looks a lot like Kerry McCoy's MSTS James. Any plans on when he'll release Thomas?

[cudak888]

No idea on when Thomas will be available, sorry.

[Robtheredengine]

awesome, you have done a amazing job with james, i can't wait to see it done.

[sodorsno1]

He's coming on well, isn't he. You must have a great talent for building model locomotives. looks almost identical to his real life counterpart!

[TheFatSirTophamHatt]

OMG! what face will you use!??

[cudak888]

As the face off the Lionel G-scale model is too large to cast and adapt for the facial features, it will probably wind up being another home-brew.

[exveefan]

Do you plan to make different expressions? :-)

[cudak888]

All depends on how much effort it will take to produce the initial face.

[exveefan]

You done a wonderful job so far.

Wish I had your modeling skills :-)

[cudak888]

I might put up a video later on with some scratchbuilding tips. Not difficult at all really - toughest bit is working with the Bondo and Squadron putty. Tedious and time-consuming.

[exveefan]

I've done some modeling in 3D, but haven't produce anything that's as accurate.

You must have some really good resources or drawings for your James.

[cudak888]

The base orthographic views came from Kerry McCoy's MSTS James model, incidentally. I did a few modifications of my own along the way - still not perfect, but suffices.

-Kurt

[ronanL10]

awesome!

[StanierJack]

Yet another great video. 5/5

[PercyandBillyfan828]

That Looks Awesome,You Did A Great Job On It =D

[cudak888]

Still not done with it yet. Dome, buffers, coupling hardware, track power contacts, eye mechanism...there is a lot still yet to be done.

-Kurt

[PercyandBillyfan828]

I know,I'm saying it looks great so far.I can't wait to see the finished product

[cudak888]

Thanks. It will not be too long before he's done, cosmetically. Still have to build the tender though.

[BhanuHabbo]

NBut it looks good what is is now,the detail is very almost exactly like the real model.