Butch/Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

This is a behind the scenes subpage for Butch. This subpage contains all behind the scenes material relating to said article.

Background Information

Butch was first introduced in 1998 during the fifth series of the television series and is one of the very few characters introduced in said series to appear frequently along with Cranky, 'Arry and Bert. Up until he joined the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre in the special Misty Island Rescue, he was primarily a background character and did not have an official speaking role until the fifteenth series episode, Stuck on You. He would usually appear if there was an accident of some sort, whether it was on the road or a rail accident near the road.

In the UK dub, Butch was originally voiced by Rupert Degas. After Degas left the series, Matt Wilkinson took over and has voiced the character since. In the US dub of the series, Glenn Wrage voiced Butch from 2011 to 2012 and afterwards Steven Kynman took over as the voice for Butch.

Behind the Scenes

Gauge 1 Model

Butch was designed by art director, Robert Gauld-Galliers^[1] and built by model-maker, Chris Lloyd, ^[2] to a 1:32 scale. Butch's model was remote-controlled and had a powered-motor mounted inside the chassis. The chassis was constructed from a K&S brass stock.^[2]

In his first official appearance, Butch did not have a face. In further background appearances, he was given a small, stubbled face on his radiator. Only one facial expression was ever made for Butch. The face was first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made of a silicone mould.

Present Day

After production of the model series wrapped in 2008, most of the models and sets would be put into storage, with some being put on display at Drayton Manor Theme Park. All other models would be logged and referenced from 2010 till early 2011 by HiT Entertainment, from this HiT would decide on which models were to enter storage once again, which would be given to crew members and which to be disposed off. Due to only having one model made in gauge 1 scale, Butch's model would stay under HiT and later Mattel's ownership.

Butch's model used to be on display at the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition at Drayton Manor. In July of 2022 Butch moved places on the layout. When the exhibit closed and a new layout was constructed elsewhere in the park, the model was returned to storage. As of late 2023, Butch's model has been put back on display at Drayton Manor on the new layout.

Reference Sheets

CGI model

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

Photographs of Butch's live-action 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.^[3]

Butch has had modifications throughout the CGI era. These include:

His CGI render is a lot larger than his original model.
Since Misty Island Rescue, he has the logo of the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre on his cab doors.