Anglia105E Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 I've had this idea for a while now, and decided to set it up this weekend. From the four attached photos you can probably see what I am trying to do, and there is the first test video which is very simple, and there is more that can be done to develop the idea. There is a Silver Cloud rolling chassis that carries the camera and then a length of fishing line is attached to the front of the rolling chassis, leading forward along St James's Street to a couple of pivot points behind the foamboard wall. The line passes around these two nails and back down the street to one of two screws on the underside of the taxi cab. A second length of line leads from the second screw underneath the taxi to the end of the street, where I can pull the line. The idea is, that when I pull the line it causes the taxi to travel towards the camera and it appears to be passing a stationary bus. At the same time this pulling motion causes the rolling chassis to travel along St James's Street past Hoopers which is on the left, and past the moving taxi in the opposite direction which is on the right. Tying the knots in the fishing line was difficult, and originally I tried to use grey cotton thread, but this was too visible and it snapped under load. I think this idea has potential and it could turn to be interesting. David 101_1225.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 Here is a link to the small video on my Google Drive, which is the file mentioned above 101_1225.MOV https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q3RlbVZ David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 David, what a great idea! The link gives an error message but I can imaging the scene. Can't wait to see it in motion. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 Thanks Gary, and here is the video file, copy and pasted into this post message...... not sure if that works either ? https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q3RlbVZF6-p-0mQ_WcqJ2HHxo0F_NfYY David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Neat, great potential. And mine doesn't even have people in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Anglia105E said: Thanks Gary, and here is the video file, copy and pasted into this post message...... not sure if that works either ? https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q3RlbVZF6-p-0mQ_WcqJ2HHxo0F_NfYY David Yes it is working now. Super idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 Thanks a lot Pat, and the video link seems to be working too. The main problem with this, is the short length of roadway and generally the relatively small space overall. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Macleod Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 Pretty soon you'll have the Dobby talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 (edited) Super idea. I'm building my first hard core diorama now and will incorporate a provision for this. Your approach is much simpler than what this fool here was envisioning. K.i.s.s. Nice job. Thanks for sharing. Peace. Edited November 13, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 13, 2018 Author Share Posted November 13, 2018 Thanks for your comment Eric, and I didn't have time to reply earlier today. What is a ' Dobby ' ? Thanks also to olsbooks, and I am pleased to hear that you approve of the technique for the video testing. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted November 14, 2018 Share Posted November 14, 2018 9 hours ago, Anglia105E said: Thanks for your comment Eric, and I didn't have time to reply earlier today. What is a ' Dobby ' ? Thanks also to olsbooks, and I am pleased to hear that you approve of the technique for the video testing. David I think he may have meant Bobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 14, 2018 Author Share Posted November 14, 2018 Oh I see, ..... soon I'll have the Bobby talking...... thanks Pat, and maybe they have Dobbies in Michigan? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Macleod Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Sorry yes, I meant Bobby. But I had been watching Harry Potter and Dobbie is his friend there. Oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 No apology necessary Eric..... Dobbies and Bobbies...... we've got them all ! ( Harry Potter appeals to all ages, and there is of course the Ford Anglia 105E in there too ). At the moment I am building a 1953 Bedford OLBD LWB Dropside lorry by Emhar, and also building a man's Vintage Bicycle which is from the Fujimi Garage Set Tools No.3 for dioramas. The Fujimi bicycle kit has 12 parts, compared to the Tamiya Vespa motor scooter which has 8 parts. Among the parts in the garage set I have found two stoves, a kettle, a fire extinguisher and one or two odd shaped parts that could come in useful. The fire extinguisher is described as a ' Digestive Organ ' according to the Fujimi kit instructions...... ? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 22 hours ago, Anglia105E said: No apology necessary Eric..... Dobbies and Bobbies...... we've got them all ! ( Harry Potter appeals to all ages, and there is of course the Ford Anglia 105E in there too ). At the moment I am building a 1953 Bedford OLBD LWB Dropside lorry by Emhar, and also building a man's Vintage Bicycle which is from the Fujimi Garage Set Tools No.3 for dioramas. The Fujimi bicycle kit has 12 parts, compared to the Tamiya Vespa motor scooter which has 8 parts. Among the parts in the garage set I have found two stoves, a kettle, a fire extinguisher and one or two odd shaped parts that could come in useful. The fire extinguisher is described as a ' Digestive Organ ' according to the Fujimi kit instructions...... ? David I have had my eye on that bicycle now for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to how you will finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 I had been weighing up the Fujimi kit for a few months really, because the bicycle was the only item I needed from that product. What made me decide to order the kit was when an MCM member posted on a topic that this vintage bicycle was actually very good. I think if I paint it very carefully, and use some Molotow Liquid Chrome Pen over the gloss painted surface, this should turn out to be a realistic looking bicycle for the diorama photography. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 (edited) Thoroughly enjoying working my way through this thread. With regards to the video production, consider this a "for what it is worth" kind of thing. Apologies if I have missed or not read yet and therefore spoken prematurely. An inexpensive way to "pull" vehicles can be found in model railroading. Motorizing kits for locomotive turntables and drawbridges are slow, smooth, and inexpensive. I don't know about on your side of the pond but in the US, Walthers is by far the big name distributor of this kind of stuff. Besides those, there are what are called "slow motion switch machines" used to operate track switches. They are incredibly smooth from start to stop. While designed for limited travel, a little engineering and modification might multiply that exponentially. People are going to be an issue for me on my project...at least the characters in the foreground. Thus far, nothing remotely close and of acceptable quality has been found. Painting people is NOT in my skillset but may have to take that plunge. Seeing some of works done on military figures by others (and sci fi), it CAN be done. I would welcome suggestions from any and all. Peace. Edited November 20, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 JC..... Without a doubt, it is the figures that have been the main issue with my diorama project too. I realised at the beginning that I had to decide, do I go the way that the well respected Michael Paul Smith chose to go, which is to have no people whatsoever in the setting, or do I attempt to include VERY realistic looking people? Adding figures to the scene, especially for the purposes of close up photography, is a risky business at the best of times. It sounds like you will need 1:25 scale figures for your foreground position, and they need to be in keeping with the vintage period. So far, the best figures that I have found are the ICM 1:24 scale Henry Ford & Co set. The kit is a set of three figures, made in Ukraine and very cheap to buy, just over £11.00 here in England so around US$ 14.00. The kit includes an engineer, a businessman and Henry Ford himself wearing a bowler hat, and they are easily assembled from 8 - 10 pieces of plastic. Once painted carefully they can be very realistic and seem to be suitable for 1910's, 1920's, 1930's scenes, and even 1950's for my diorama. There are literally thousands of 3D printed figures listed on the Shapeways website, some of which I have used, but it does take some time and patience to go through the many pages of figures listed, all shown as white on white. Why they show a white figure on a white background I don't know, but it makes no sense to me. For you, 1:24 scale would not be a problem, being so close to 1:25 David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Thank you for the suggestions. I will investigate. People are a must. As a fiction writer, IF I can pull this off, the goal is to recreate scenes. This great gatsby project is just to see if I can pull it off. While silly and self-imposed hardship, the goal is to avoid "digital" as much as possible in the creation stage at a minimum. Sort of like how old cartoons were hand drawn and movie sets were a marvel unto themselves. The goal is an old school, historically accurate fantasy world...by design and choice. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 Here is the 1953 Bedford OLBD dropside lorry, which is now completed, and I have scratch built a green tarpaulin, a wooden pallet and some ropes to go with the vehicle. These photos show only the initial stages of setting up the idea to see if it works, so the roping and sheeting is not correct yet, and the really interesting photography will come along later when the Bedford gets to the diorama setting. PC Dixon is having a quiet word with the Mr Watson, the lorry driver about his dubious roping and sheeting, and the Police constable is not happy with the insecure load. Furthermore, he is equally concerned about the kettle and the bricks, not to mention the ladder. The tarpaulin is green garden refuse sack material in PVC, with Sap Green acrylic paint applied with a dry toothbrush. The pallet is constructed from balsa wood and the ropes are 1:24 scale rigging for model ships. The rope size is correct at 0.5 mm to represent 1/24th of 12 mm rope in full size. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 Super looking truck and set up. I do have to agree with the bobby though about the load security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 25, 2018 Author Share Posted November 25, 2018 Thanks for the comment Gary, and let's hope the next load for this truck is way more secure! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 Is that a girls bike in the background? Where did that come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted November 26, 2018 Author Share Posted November 26, 2018 Well spotted Gary..... there are two bicycles in this diorama now, the most recent being the gent's Fujimi bicycle from the garage tools set, and the other one is a 3D printed lady's bicycle from Shapeways. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red318 Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Not been here for a while, that truck looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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