Toby Tank Engine and Care Bears Ride Again!

Man, oh, Man...the Choo Choo was a huge bite, but it came together and I was pleased with the final product!  In my previous post I spoke of the largest project I had ever committed to, following are the pictures that chronicle the process from beginning to end, minus only a few details.

I began with the basic design - Engine, three cars, and Care Bears.
Three weeks prior to delivering the cake, the Care Bears were made out of gum paste.

I used 1 inch foam board to create the bases for each of the cakes.  As you can see from the first picture, there were two layers of foam for the base.  This is the form for Toby.

 Next, I made three forms with a 1 inch base for the train cars.  The wheels were painted with black royal icing.



It was at this point, I realized I had created a "monster" and didn't have a cake board that the train would fit on...Help! My husband came to the rescue and cut me a 24" x 42" piece of 1/4" plywood. Now on with the show!




Next, I baked and froze 9" x 13" sheet cakes to make the train from.  Also, I made the train face and a few other details from gum paste.

The day before delivery, I carved, molded, and attached the cake to the bases, forming the train engine and cars.  Each piece was frosted with butter cream, which was textured to resemble wood.



The gum paste details were added and the Care Bears were attached to the train cars. 

Finally, after more than 15 hours Toby the Tank Engine is complete and ready to pull the Care Bears to the party!