BEHIND THE SCENES: "THE WATERMILL"

Ever wonder how I pulled off the Watermill, a scene that I can't find any other Tomy remaker doing? Here's how in this new "Behind the Scenes" post!

Supplies: 

• fishing line
• brown paper
• black Sharpie marker
• wooden skewer
• building (for me, I used a porcelain "Christmas Village" house) 
• blue tablecloth
• green tablecloth
• clear plastic wrap
• blue paper
• Spanish moss/peat moss (for effect) 
• trees (for effect) 
• fence (optional)
• something to elevate your track (for me it was Legos)
• hot glue gun (or some type of adhesive) 

The Process: 

1. I staged the scene by putting a green table cloth on the floor and hung a blue tablecloth for the backdrop. 

2. I elevated the green tablecloth with Lego Duplos. I made towers, each seven legos high. 

3. I made the waterwheel/mill and placed it on the set.  

      a. I cut a strip of brown paper that was 12" by 1.5." Then, I cut two identical circles, 5 inches in diameter. I hot glued the strip in a circular shape to one of the circles, and glued the other circle on top.

      b. I poked a wooden skewer through the middle of it. This became the "axle" for the waterwheel to turn on.

       c. With a black marker, I made black rectangles on the strip of paper to make it look like it had paddles on it. I might add paddles on the wheel, eventually, though. 

      d. I attached the wooden skewer with tape to the porcelain house. I made the skewer stick out of the ends of the waterwheel about 2 inches on each side, and when I put the mill on the set, I hid 3 blocks beside the wheel under the green tablecloth and put the excess skewer on them, to elevate it off the tablecloth to ensure smooth revolving.

     

      e. I placed the mill on the set. 

4. I already had a brown arch made, but you will need to make a simple arch out of brown paper and place it beside the mill. 

5. Next, I put track on my elevation. I elevated the track that wasn't in the scene, so that there was some track for the engine to go on while its cars passed through the scene. It would be a shame for an engine to get to the end of the scene and watch the cars zoom off the set as the engine falls off the elevation.

6. I wound fishing line clockwise around the wheel, and taped the end of the line to the wheel.

7. I put light blue paper wrapped in a clear plastic wrap giving the glimmering water look down right around the mill.

8. I put Spanish moss and trees around the pond and the track in the upper right.

   

 9. I filmed the scene, and while doing so, I was able to pull the fishing line slowly, causing nice turn on the wheel while Percy puffs by in Season 2, Episode 9: Percy Proves a Point; and when Duck and Thomas chuff through in Season 2, Episode 10: The Runaway.

Duck in "The Runaway" S2 E10

Percy in "Percy Proves a Point" S2 E9

Thomas in "The Runaway" S2 E10

Watch the full episodes: 

 Percy Proves a Point

The Runaway