"Diesel's Devious Deed" is here!

Watch Episode 13 now! I think we can all agree that this does have a really disheartening and to an extent unsettling ending...

BEHIND THE SCENES: KNAPFORD HARBOUR AND YARDS

This is going to be a big one!

     Upon publishing two recent hit remakes, I was asked to further explain my papery take on Knapford Harbor and Yards, as seen in the "Duck and Diesel Trilogy" and "Percy Takes the Plunge."

After reading through this How-To article, if you should

have more questions, feel free to email me at:

larrisons1234@gmail.com

1. 3-D Ships and Watercraft

Supplies:

• cardstock similar to the colors in the original episode
• hot glue gun and glue or glue of some sort
• skewers (if you plan to use the crane arms to lift engines)
• Sharpie marker (or any black marker)
• Galaxy marker (or any white marker)  
• miniature paper cutter
• scissors
• pencil

STEP 1 - BASE

Acquire your paper. Fold it in half, and trace the design of your the desired base and shape for the hull and sides for your boat. For a tug it might be a teardrop shape, whereas a floating crane might be perfectly rectangular. Cut out with scissors. Note: Usually I use a darker color for the base. 

STEP 2 - HULL and SIDES of the SHELL

Again layer two pieces of the color of the actual boat exactly on top of each other. For example, we'll use white. Sketch a design on the paper, mimicking the shape of the real boat. Cut out. Then, cut out a small section for the stern. 

STEP 3 - BUILDING

Now, using the hot glue gun, secure all pieces together to form a the shell of the boat.

STEP 4 - DECOR

Cut out and make lines on white or tan paper to fit inside the shell of the hull and paste them about 7 mm down from the top to create the deck. Use a white marker if your ship is a darker color and make a name for it, and decorate the sides with a stripe or other naval embellishment. 

STEP 5 - FINISH, but CONTINUE for FLOATING CRANES

If you are making tug boat, then you've completed a basic shell successfully.

If you are making a floating crane, then continue. 

Floating Cranes Continuation:

If you are making floating cranes you should have been making a different shell than the tug all along.

> Make a box and put a skewer through it towards the middle. 

> Then glue two skewers together, but let there be a 4 mm gap at one end for 5-8 cm. 

> Cut a square hole in the paper box, about centered with your rod in the middle. 

> Put the gap end of your double skewers on the rod and hot glue one end, so as to close it in on the rod. NOTE: BE CAREFUL TO NOT GLUE THE DOUBLE SKEWERS TO THE ROD, FOR THE SKEWERS SHOULD ROTATE ON THE ROD LIKE AN AXLE, THUS YOU CAN LIFT AND LOWER THE CRANE ARM!!! AGAIN, YOU MUST MAKE SURE THE ROTATION ON THE ROD IS LOOSE, AND NOT STIFF OR SEIZED UP.   

> Cut paper the length of skewer and start making the crane arm. Lay short and thin pieces of paper perpendicular to each other at and angle to achieve a realistic crane arm look. 

> Add a weight, on the back to counteract the items lifted by the crane. 

Although unbelievable, by using these counterweights and good wooden skewers, I've lifted many things with this crane arm, from a small piece of track to Percy himself. Never once did it break. 

2. Buildings

For my buildings at Knapford Harbor, I simply copied a few from the original episode. 

• The large dome-type building was easily made by cutting the shape out of a brown sheet of card stock, drawing in apparent lines, and weathering it my way by spritzing it with brown and black spray paint. 
• A large building appearing to be a workshop or something was just a creme piece of paper folded into a box and weathered.
• A small building with a black roof was actually made for "Saved from Scrap," but I repurposed it again, to add effect to my harbor.  

 SEE THE HARBOR IN ACTION BELOW!

Season 2 Episode 4 "A Cow On The Line"

(Note: Get a quick glance at Knapford Harbor at the beginning!)

Season 2 Episode 11: "Percy Takes the Plunge"

"The Express Triplets!!!"

     Upon the acquisition of PlaRail Gordon, I obtained my third express coach. Now, much footage can be done with only express coaches and not the substituted tan branch line coaches. 

     These three similar coaches have been dubbed "The Express Triplets" by those who visit my studio, and so this nickname will stick with them until I obtain the "quadruplet.

     In their premier remake they were supposed to be the red express coaches, but red coaches are extremely expensive and hard to come by, so I did my best with my three. With or without the red stripe, having triplet coaches is splendid, indeed. 

Watch Duck and the Coaches without narration

in Season 2 Episode 12 Pop Goes the Diesel below:

Pop in to watch "Pop Goes the Diesel!"

Running right on time and really reliable, I've delivered "Pop Goes the Diesel" a day early!!! Watch it below!

Plunge into "Percy Takes the Plunge!"

FINALLY! WITH TWO DAYS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THAT "PERCY TAKES THE PLUNGE" IS HERE!!!!!!! 

FALL SCHEDULES

Text with strikethrough means that the remake was completed.

August 8-October 4: Episode 11: Percy Takes A Plunge

October 4-5: BEHIND THE SCENES: "THE MAKING OF: KNAPFORD HARBOR"

August 8-October 5: Episode 12: Pop Goes the Diesel

October 6-16: Episode 13: Diesel's Devious Deed

October 17-31: Episode 14: A Close Shave for Duck

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