Sunshine

STAR TUGS #7

HARBOUR SWITCHER

VOICED BY SHAUN PRENDERGAST

THE CHARACTER

Sunshine, a Switcher Tug from up river, became the last member of the Star Fleet to join the crew. His first day saw him very keen to make an impression on the Bigg City Tugs, and win their favour. However, he was flung in at the deep end when he and Ten Cents were called upon to help dock the liner, The Duchess.

The devious Zorran used Sunshine as a pawn in his plan to steal the liner contract from the Star Tugs by ramming him into the rudder whilst the others were occupied. Sunshine thought he had caused the accident, and so did the other Star Tugs, so he slipped away to hide. Thankfully for him, Ten Cents was worried about him and went to look for his new friend, only to find that Izzy Gomez had seen Zorran hit Sunshine

Following that, Sunshine joined the Star Fleet with a smart new livery.

Since then he and Ten Cents became best friends - often working together on jobs like delivering fuel to Sally Seaplane or Lillie Lightship, as well as other general work around the Harbour and up river.

Even though he is the smallest tug in the harbour, Sunshine can be quick-witted and knowledgeable at times. He comforted Ten Cents when his friend has been accused of missing barges, and even helping to find the real thieves responsible soon after. He also tried to help rid Boomer of his jinx - despite Ten Cents' doubts - and came to one possible solution that Ten Cents' whistle may have been the cause of it.

Sunshine's primary knowledge lies in up river matters - during the big freeze upon S.S Vienna's arrival, when Ten Cents and Sunshine couldn't find fuel barges for Lillie Lightship, Sunshine remembered a secret creek where an emergency light barge was kept.

Even when Zip and Zug tried to trap them in the creek, Sunshine knew of an "escape route" that lead back up river during the night tide, which enabled them easy access to Lillie Lightship before Vienna's arrival. And when Zorran trapped the Star Tugs up river, Sunshine, intent of finding a crane to clear the old tramper, instead came upon a fellow up river tug, Billy Shoepack, whose dynamite proved to be much more effective!

At times, though, Sunshine has wound up in a few tight spots. He became trapped in a log jam at the creek and was almost burnt alive when the logs rubbed together and caught fire.

And during the quarantine season, he almost fell victim when Nantucket lowered his quarantine flags and demanded a tow into port - in spite of not getting clearance just yet. But Sunshine knew better and kept well away, even when Zorran tried to confront him when coming after Nantucket himself.

Therefore, Sunshine is living proof that great things come in small packages. Hard-working, funny, witty and a true friend, he is a popular Tug in the harbour and with us!

THE MODEL

As the smallest tug we own you'd be forgiven for thinking Sunshine is maybe the most fragile. Not so. At least not if his condition is anything to go by!

Sunshine is in very good condition and there's practically nothing of note missing from him. He is a solid little model and is perfect for us when we want to take one of the tugs out somewhere but are really limited for space.

He's also the first tug since we've owned them to travel on water as seen in the picture above! (Ok he was actually on board a full size boat at the time but hey it makes for a great picture no?)

As with most of our models we have only one face mask for him, and this is unfortunatly his "shocked" face. We value it as much as we would any other piece of the collection but it would be nice to let Sunshine smile again, with that single tooth grin we know so well, but who knows perhaps one day we can replicate this with the original or a replica?

Sunshine really doesn't need any work of note doing to him, which is a nice thing to be able to leave him in 100% ex-set condition!