Whiff/Behind the Scenes

Gauge 1 model
Whiff's model was built as a North Eastern Railway's 2-2-4T No. 66, named "Aerolite". It was built to approximately 1/32 scale and designed to run on gauge 1 track. Only 2 facial expressions were sculpted for Whiff. The faces were first sculpted in clay, and from that resin casts were made using a silicone mold. The model body was made from brass. While only one body was made, two complete chassis' were constructed from scratch (CNC). The chasses had two motors, both powered by electricity from the track via the pickups on the metal wheels. The main motor powered the wheels, while the second motor (located at the back) powered an inside piston for the smoke mechanism.

The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. The up/down servo was attached to the body. The left/right servo had a rod attached to the arm, which connected to a bracket. The eye balls were coupled to the bracket, and locked in by the face-plate, so whenever the servos were powered, the eye balls would move however the crew member desired.


 * Season 12:
 * His glasses gained lenses.

Close-up model
close-up shots of Whiff's cab was required for scenes in where he had to interact with close-up scale figures.

CGI model
In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. The following year, Whiff was recreated from scratch in CGI by Nitrogen Studios. His model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.[2]

Photographs of Whiff's Gauge 1 model were used for referencing. According to Greg Tiernan, every detail of the original television series models for each character is carefully reproduced in the CGI model. The models are subjected to many rounds of review before they are submitted to HiT Entertainment for final input and approval.[2]

Whiff has had modifications throughout the CGI series. These include:


 * Misty Island Rescue:
 * His whistle budges up and down.
 * His bufferbeam is significantly more weathered.
 * His pupils become smaller.
 * Season 17:
 * His whistle becomes stationary again.
 * Season 18:
 * He gained a lamp and lamp iron.
 * Season 20:
 * He gained front and rear brakepipes. Additionally, the front brakepipe outlets he had had since his introduction were replaced by the generic style shared by most of the other engines - he also gained these on his back.

Voice Actors

 * Keith Wickham (UK; Misty Island Rescue onwards)
 * William Hope (US; Misty Island Rescue onwards)
 * Takayuki Kawasugi (Japan; eleventh season onwards, excluding Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks)
 * Keiko Nemoto (Japan; Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks only)
 * Ernesto Lezama (Latin America; Misty Island Rescue onwards; excluding the nineteenth season)
 * Carlos Íñigo (Latin America; nineteenth season only)
 * Sigbjørn Solheim (Norway; Misty Island Rescue - seventeenth season)
 * Dan Schatzberg (Israel; twentieth season onwards)
 * Robin Brosch (Germany; Audio Books only)
 * Tetje Mierendorf (Germany; Misty Island Rescue only)
 * Till Huster (Germany; fourteenth - seventeenth seasons)
 * Kailas Mahadevan (Germany; twenty-second season onwards)
 * Artur Pontek (Poland; Misty Island Rescue onwards)
 * Mariano García (Spain; Misty Island Rescue onwards)
 * Vladimir Antonik (Russia; fourteenth - sixteenth seasons)
 * Petri Hanttu (Finland; Misty Island Rescue onwards)