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| Bill and Ben: 2003 (left) vs 2013 (right) |
Earlier today, a Japanese Twitter user uploaded a picture from a (Japanese, obviously) Thomas and Friends magazine article about Bill and Ben. Rather than using model picture, fans were treated to brand new CG rendered promotional pictures of the two little engines.
Arc Productions have done a fantastic job with these renders. The size and shape of each twin looks identical to their model counterparts. Butt like Duck, they've had a few alterations to their designs.
The main ones are the additional brake pipes and lamps. While the brake pipe is excellent (they look more realistic with them), I have to ask: what are the lamps resting on? It's hard to tell from the angle that was chosen, but I'm sure we'll find out in their returns.
The writing and nameplates look a lot better as well. "BRENDAM BAY" and "SCC" seem a lot more prominent and legible than they did before and the nameplates actually look like REAL nameplates rather than printed decals or paper glued onto the saddle tank (Series 2) as they were in the model era.
The things over the coupling rods (really not sure what that's called. If anyone knows leave a comment!) look great; it's good that they've been re-painted to make them stand out more than they did in the model. But what's really strange is that they've swapped the colour they used to be (black) with the dome's colour. The black domes really don't suit the twins in my opinion; they should have been kept yellow. But I'm sure I'll get used to them.
Another weird addition is the few extra centimetres on their cabs. They look a bit taller than they used to, although that could be the perception from the picture that was taken from the magazine.
One major disappointment for me is that the faces are identical. In the model series, each twin had a different face mask fitted to that viewers could tell them apart on screen. Will Arc be able to do the same in their returns? Maybe, maybe not, but they should have at least done so for their promotional images.
Final Thoughts
I'm really not surprised to see these pictures: Andrew Brenner has said in online interviews that his favourite characters were Bill and Ben, so it was matter of WHEN we'd see their CG renders rather than IF. Overall, Arc have done a wonderful job bringing them into the CGI world and I am looking forward to their returns, whenever that time may be.
The thing over the side rods are called.. well, side rod guides. They were colored black in the TVS.
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks for that :)
DeleteSHA-BAM! I expect Oliver and Toad next!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't Donald and Douglas make more sense?
DeleteOh. Ok!
Delete:)
There is every chance that the two pictures are actually the same twin, just duplicated since you can't see the nameplate. In the show they might have different faces
ReplyDeleteYea, just like we thought that Duck has changed his paintwork!
DeleteAlthough they look great, I hope they'll choose suitable voices for Bill & Ben. If they take the words "China Clay" to a literal point (CHINESE!!), I'll eat my hat!
ReplyDeleteI feel it's worth pointing out, like most of the twins in the model era, Bill and Ben used the exact same face masks. It was like that for Donald, Douglas, Max and Monty as well. Here are a few examples.
ReplyDeletehttp://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/e/e2/TheDiseasel51.png
http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/6/63/Heroes28.png
http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/5/53/DoubleTeethingTroubles11.png
http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/c/c5/DoubleTeethingTroubles5.png
http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/c/c9/Bill%2CBenandFergus4.jpg
...isn't that what I said, only worded differently?
DeleteThere's a box holding up the twins' lamps, these aren't actually new, they've always had that one box there since the classic series, well the episode I noticed this in was "Double Teething Trouble." It may be a sandbox, but its only on one side
ReplyDeleteI can't see it, to be honest. If they were sandboxes, they'd have been on both sides, but they're only on one. I think they're there just to accomodate the lamps
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