Anglia105E Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 Thanks Phil, and although I wasn't sure if the original Hooper & Co showrooms had framed paintings on the walls, I have seen artwork on the walls of a Rolls-Royce dealership in London. Somehow it is a feature that suits the building in this diorama. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 You do some impressive work Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 15, 2018 Author Share Posted January 15, 2018 Thanks Joe..... work in progress continues... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Here is an update on the 1958 Hooper & Co diorama..... the lighting system that I have persevered with over the past year has now been removed completely. In place of this is a proper 1:24 scale dolls house type lighting system. There are two coloured stained glass Tiffany style hanging pendant lamps in the ground floor showroom, which are ideally suited to the 1950's period feel of the building. Upstairs to the first floor showroom there are two white Tiffany style lamps hanging from this ceiling and no lighting on the second floor which is office space. You can see from the photos posted that the system has produced a much warmer yellow / orange glow, rather than the blue tinge of the LED aquarium lamps. This allows me to come up with some more realistic and advanced photography, using the diecast and styrene or resin model motor cars of the period. All the clutter of bulky lamp fittings and cables has been removed from the diorama setting, so the result is a tidy, well concealed layout that is more controlled. I hope you agree that the photos show a marked improvement. Thanks for looking. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Aw yes, really looking good and the new lights are a welcome addition. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Thanks Gary, the new lights make all the difference. I am trying to work out how to produce photographic backgrounds in A2 or A3 size, that will lead the viewer's eye into the distance at the end of St James's Street, and also Bennet Street. This can probably be done, but it will be tricky to get right. Still toying with the idea of having wet roads and wet vehicles, either just after it has rained or during an actual period of rainfall. Looked at some possibilities, some of which are feasible. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 The lighting is playing its part in this dio. Looking good Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Thank you Joe..... and I feel more confident about the direction in which the diorama is going, now that the lighting issue is sorted. Do the 12 volt dolls house lights generate any heat, and I only ask because the LED aquarium lights do not generate any heat..... just wondered? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Looking great, David and very effective photographs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thank you Peter...... I hope to produce some highly realistic photographs now that I have almost all I need to work with. Watch this space! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Ah yes...."mood" pictures are always nice. they make you think about what is going on in the scene. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks for the comment Pat, and this is exactly what I am going to try to achieve. Each composition of the cars , the figures, the interior or exterior of the building, combined with the lighting, the camera angles and as you say, what is actually going on in the scene needs to allow the viewer to use their imagination and sort of believe that it's real. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 Continuing to experiment with the lighting source around the diorama area. Here are a few shots of recent developments. You can see a ladder leaning against the street lamp which is there for the lamplighter who will light the gas lamps in due course. The Morris Minor Traveller is at the mock-up stage for the chassis and body shell alignment, seen here photographed alongside one of the Rolls-Royce Silver Clouds. The British Racing Green paintwork is awaiting polishing with Meguiars Carnauba Wax David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Everything you're adding is a straight up improvement bud. Lookin' good so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 Thanks Joe, and here is the latest addition which is a Tamiya Morgan 4/4 sports car. This will be finished in Ferrari Giallo Modena Yellow, applied over Halfords white primer. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 The build of the Morgan 4/4 sports car by Tamiya is now completed, and this car looks quite nice in the upstairs showroom of Hooper & Co. Having built Revell, Minicraft, Emhar and Italeri kits so far, I found this Tamiya kit more challenging but the end result is satisfying, so worth the pain. The diorama is going through some radical changes over the next few weeks, so watch this space for updates and developments. David  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Hello again fellow members, and thanks for looking at these updates to the Hooper & Co diorama project. The building now has four floors, and my feeling is that the building has the right proportions now. I have used a different technique to build the third floor windows and I shall have to change the windows of the second floor below, in order to match those of the new floor above. The entire top floor and roof lifts off as one complete module, so it is not part of the opening hinged side wall to the left of the building. I have removed the tree from this diorama as I wasn't happy with it. Along with the lighting system change, the top floor addition and the tree removal this is all part of a radical rethink on my part. There is a further addition to the scale model car collection next week, which is a 1948 MG TC Roadster by Franklin Mint (diecast). Few photos here, showing the third floor completed. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Not all my photos are uploading properly.... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 Here you can see the 1938 Alvis 4.3 litre drophead coupe in the first floor showroom of Hooper & Co, and there is one photo of the 1948 MG TC Roadster in red, alongside the Bentley S1. At the moment the Hooper & Co building has been moved from the diorama baseboard to the workshop in order to make changes to the upper floors windows. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 25, 2018 Author Share Posted February 25, 2018 Here are a few photos of current work in progress on the Hooper & Co diorama. The top two floors of the building now have the same type of windows, which look much better. Also, and this is early days yet, there is the addition of a projected image that can be displayed on the white screen alongside the building and at the end of St James's Street. By using a mini projector I can display moving or still images from the 1950's street scenes in London, either in colour or black and white. The most difficult aspect of this feature is getting the perspective absolutely right, which applies to not only the precise positioning of the camera but also the positioning of the projector. Lighting is crucial to make this work, especially as the projector is LCD / LED lighting which produces the usual blue element. As well as the video footage from British Pathe and YouTube, some of the movies have audio too. As always.... thanks for looking guys. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 Here is the photo that refused to upload previously.... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gilkeson Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 great job and images Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 Thank you Ken...... and I think the Hooper & Co building is finished now, so it's down to the cars themselves, the figures and then on to the advanced photography. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATHU Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Looks fantastic, superb work so far!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 Thank you Anders, and I will have some new photos ready soon ! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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