I am doing a 3D thomas the tank engine cake for Sunday. It will be in all BC except for the face, which will be in fondant. The only thing I've ever done with fondant before was a bow and streamers. How many days in advance should I work on it to allow ample time to dry? do I use the standard Wilton or Americolor colors to tint, or do I need something different?
A day or two should be fine, but it does not have to be all the way dry to put it on the cake... The front part of the train will be flat so just stick it on... I do not always let my fondant figures dry out for days...If you have some problems with it sticking use some piping gell as a kinda glue
You should be able to stick it on right after you ice that part of the cake. The wetness of the BC will adhere to the face pretty well. Since it's not a piece that needs to stand alone, you could do it within a few days of needing it. It doesn't have to be totally dry to stick to the cake.
My concern wasn't so much with sticking to the cake, as much as it was with keeping it's shape. He has cheeks and a nose that I don't want to sag after affixing them to the cake. As you can tell, I'm not experienced with fondant. The last fondant I worked with was the horrid Wilton. This time I have Satin Ice to work with, so I'm excited to get to play with it!
You could start making it today, if you have the time. But a few days in advance should suffice. If I remember his face correctly, his cheeks and nose don't protrude too much. Are you saving that piece to eat? If not you could add some gumtex, tylose or powdered fixodent to speed up the drying process.
I just recently bought Americolor, but I haven't used it yet. I heard some people having problems with the Wilton changing colors or fading on them once the piece had time to set. So, I'm not sure what to tell you there. His face is a light gray, so you wouldn't need much of which ever color you choose. Sorry, I'm no help there!
If you have Americolor, you should use that. It takes a lot less because it is so concentrated and it shouldn't fade in just a few days. 
that's so funny I am making the same thing for my son's 4 th Birthday in a couple weeks and I plan on doing a fondant face for Thomas as well........what I was thinking about doing was making a round disc the size I need (probably use a cookie cutter) and then mold some half moon snake like shapes and put on for the eyebrows a nose shape a chin shape etc. and then lay another thin layer of fondant almost like a blanket overtop of the whole thing to make a 3 dimensional face.........maybe you could give it a shot???? psstt.....let me know if it works (sorry for making you into my guinea pig LOL )
That is such a good idea. I wasn't sure how to approach it. I was wondering how to get the 3D effect without anything collapsing or cracking. Doing it that way, it will support itself. You are so smart. When I grow up, I want to be smart like you and everyone else on here!! lol 
KHalstead, you pretty much hit the nail on the head on how the face can be done. I have done 4 Thomas cakes all with fondant faces, 3 of them are in my pics. I followed the directions from Debbie Brown's Lovable Character Cakes.
You cut the circle out of gray (or is it grey? 
I always get the two mixed up!) make indentations where the eyes and mouth will go. Flip it over and you put a tiny cone size piece of fondant where the nose will go and two little balls where the cheeks will go. Flip it over again and gently mold the fondant around those pieces to get the nose and cheeks. With white fondant make 2 balls, gently flatten and apply them to the eye area. Do the same for the pupils of the eyes. For the mouth use a sharp knife and cut a smile in the fondant. Gently open the smile and insert a little crescent of white fondant into the slit. Voila, you have Thomas!
I always made mine when I iced the cake and applied it directly to the icing, nothing special needed. I liked it that way so I coudl gently mold it to form to the front of the train.
Hope this helps! Be sure to post those pics too!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%