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Background Information[]
Hercules is a fictional tugboat created by David Mitton and Robert D. Cardona.
He first appeared in Sunshine, the first episode of TUGS, and continued to appear in the rest of the series.
Like the rest of the Star Fleet Hercules is based on a tug that operated in San Francisco waters from the 1920s, Hercules.
Behind The Scenes[]
Hercules' model was scratch built with a fiberglass and plastic upper deck, along with a brass smokestack. He was designed by Chris Tulloch. Hercules (as well as all the other tugs) used specially-constructed wheeled trolley chassis clamped to the hulls to move on the set. An external tube was stuck inside his hull and connected to a fog generator, this is how his stack "produces" smoke. The model is roughly 39 inches long.
Eight facial expressions were sculpted for Hercules. The faces were first sculpted in clay and from that resin casts were made using a silicone mold. Bios written during the production of the series note that Hercules' appearance was based on Australian-American actor, Errol Flynn.
The eye mechanism had two servos, one for up and down movement and one for left and right movement. It was remote controlled and often controlled by David Mitton and Chris Tulloch.
After production on TUGS ended, Hercules' model was kept in storage at Shepperton Studios. In 2012, the models were illegally cleared out into a skip without Cardona's permission and rescued by a builder, who sold all he could salvage to a man named Richard. Richard restored the models to good condition and unable to keep them, he sold them off on eBay. Hercules is now owned by the TUGS: The Exhibition, an organization which aims to showcase the models. It is currently unknown if his other faces still exist.
At some point, Hercules' eagle ornament on his hat broke. It was repaired until it broke and repaired once again.
Voice Actors[]
TUGS[]
- Seán Barrett
- Sukekiyo Kameyama (Japan)
- Elise Langenoja (Finland)