This week marks 25 years of TMC 'production' transforming ready-to-run models into individually crafted, highly detailed masterpieces at scale.

For many modellers, TMC's weathering and customisation service has become synonymous with realism. But behind thousands of weathered locomotives, bespoke commissions and exhibition-quality models lies a story of constant experimentation, refinement and improvement.

Few people have witnessed that evolution more closely than Rob Perkins, who joined TMC's customisation department in 2001. Over the last quarter of a century, Rob has seen the service grow from relatively modest beginnings into potentially the largest professional model railway customisation operation anywhere.

An older historical photograph 'tongue in cheek' take by Rob on how some factory weathering was once acheived by manufacturers – blindfolded with one arm behind the back!

"What's notable is the reputation we forged," he begins... "The format we kind of trail blazed. How prolific our customisation became, even on the international scene. We never stopped asking how we could make it better."

When Rob first joined TMC, customisation was already an established part of the business. But he quickly became obsessed with improving every aspect of the finished model: "In my first months at TMC I'd keep appearing at Chris Yates' office door enthusiastically announcing another process improvement or a new detail we could add. Those ideas soon snowballed… to name but some, buffer grease, additional rust tones, real coal loads, tarpaulins, firebox ash, and water streaking. Even opening smokebox doors with detailed fireboxes and miniature 3D-printed cab crews created from scans of customers themselves before it became popular.”

The consistencies of custom batch production orders are paramount. There's no room for customers saying "theirs looks better than mine"... all models must be equally great. Here a selection of our G5 0-4-4T locomotives undergoes period-specific weathering.

Some ideas remained niche, while others became part of TMC's standard offering. The philosophy, however, never changed.

Rob continues... "We absolutely ripped up much of the rule book to improve techniques, processes, efficiency and especially quality."

 

Reinventing the process

The pursuit of realism wasn't simply about adding more detail. Rather, about making high-quality customisation commercially viable without compromising the finished result.

Rob explains, "Some processes that had taken up to three days originally were reduced to as little as 13 minutes."

That refinement didn't come without setbacks, he laughs, "I did melt to destruction at least three brand-new TMC locomotives during the initial process refinements!"

Fortunately, the lessons learned proved invaluable. Rather than keeping techniques static, TMC has continually evolved our methods as new materials, tools and ideas emerged.

Something for everyone

One of Rob's biggest contributions came in 2005 with the introduction of 'Deluxe' weathering. Rather than offering a single level of weathering, 'Deluxe' gave customers the option of an even more detailed finish, based directly on photographs of the prototype.

"I realised we could have a second, higher, more premium weathering level. This would also give customers the option to have models weathered to copy the subject in photographs."

Later came 'Value' weathering, born from Rob's own experience as a modeller: "I grew up understanding what it's like to be on the customer side of model railway companies and passionately got the desire for better realism that would suit smaller budgets."

'Value' weathering is designed to remain affordable while still looking perfectly at home on an exhibition layout—and even capable of being built upon in the future.

Never still

Looking back, Rob believes one of TMC's greatest strengths has been refusing to stand still. He has watched other businesses emerge over the years, sometimes adopting ideas and terminology first introduced by TMC. Rather than viewing that negatively, he sees it as further motivation to continue innovating.

"Competition is good. It spurs us on to keep improving. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I’m told."

Perhaps the most rewarding moments aren't the complex commissions or technically challenging projects. They're the reactions from customers.

"It's very nice to see how our models occasionally recreate precious childhood memories. I recall one customer say, ‘I remember when my grandad used to drive this exact steam locomotive – you've got it just how I remember it.’”

For Rob, that's what customisation has always been about. Not simply weathering a model, but recreating memories.

Today, tens of thousands of locomotives later, TMC's customisation department continues to evolve with new staff, materials, techniques and challenges. Yet the philosophy remains exactly as it was when Rob first walked through the door over two decades ago:

“It’s a huge privilege to work with TMC’s excellent team. I love this company and am so proud of them.”

As TMC celebrates 25 years of professional model customisation, the journey is far from over.

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