olsbooks Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 (edited) Ha! So you do that as well? So much for thinking i was being clever. Time to pilfer the garbage in search of a new low. Hmmmm..wonder what i can make out of this broken stapler? Edited May 9, 2019 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 4 hours ago, olsbooks said: Ha! So you do that as well? So much for thinking i was being clever. Time to pilfer the garbage in search of a new low. Hmmmm..wonder what i can make out of this broken stapler? I do that a lot as well. I find it very satisfying to turn something into something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 The latest addition to the collection of 1:43 scale diecast vehicles has arrived for the Hooper & Co diorama in 1:43 scale.... this is a Ford Thames ET6 by IXO carrying a load of Calor Gas butane gas bottles, and here it is photographed alongside the Bedford OB Coach, which is also by IXO / Hachette..... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 12, 2019 Author Share Posted May 12, 2019 It is 1963 and Osmond Rivers has returned to 54 St James's Street in London SW1, four years after the closure of the Hooper & Co business. As the previous Chief Draughtsman and Managing Director of the famous coachbuilders, Osmond Rivers is now tasked with the removal of any remaining documents and fittings following the sale of the Hooper building. By the end of December 1959 all of the staff and the cars had left the building so all that remains for the manager to do is to ensure that anything belonging to the reorganised company is secured. Although the showroom premises have been closed, there will be some coachbuilding work and engineering projects that will continue at the Hooper & Co factory over in Acton. Many important plan drawings and other confidential documents will go into a private collection at the Science Museum of London, while other more specific documents and photographs will go into what will be known as the Rippey-Rivers private collection across the Atlantic in Denver, Colorado and in the ownership of Arthur G. Rippey. The motor car in which Osmond Rivers has arrived to carry out his task is a 1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, finished in Mason's Black over Sand, with a cream beige for the interior upholstery. This motor car has the 6.2 litre V8 engine as opposed to the earlier 4.9 litre 6 cylinder inline engine of the Silver Cloud I. ' He stepped out of the motor car and stood for a moment looking at the building. A successful business spanning 154 years...... was no more. He gazed upon the empty showroom with more than a hint of sadness. ' David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 What??? You closed it before ir opened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 Don't panic Pat !....... for the upcoming exhibition in June there will be two Hooper & Co buildings on display, one is the 1:24 scale diorama from last year's event, showing the building as it was in 1958, then the 1:43 scale diorama that shows the building as it was in 1959. The later Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud that was produced in 1960 will be positioned slightly to one side of the two main dioramas, with Osmond Rivers standing alongside the motor car. He didn't purchase this car until 1963, so I had the idea that as the CEO of the company it was conceivable that he might have visited the empty building 4 years later, assuming the building has taken 4 years to be sold. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 The first floor showroom window of the 1:43 scale Hooper building was not only buckled badly, but also the glass was fogged and misted by white spirit. It was not possible to clean off the white spirit residue due to the close grid of white lines that represent the window frame. The white paint would have been rubbed off all too easily. So it was decided to construct a new replacement window, which is made of a thicker polyester material and the lines have been laid down much better. The white lines are done with a Pentel Paint Marker pen with an extra fine point. By using a steel ruler with masking tape on the back face of the ruler, this prevents the white paint from leaking under the ruler while scribing the straight lines. The horse-drawn carriage stands proudly behind this first floor window glass, and the carriage is now much more visible since the poorly made window was replaced.. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Excellent repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 Thanks Pat..... over the next few weeks I need to examine each of the scale model cars that will be part of the International show exhibition on 21st June. There will be 35 of the 1:24 scale cars and 22 of the 1:43 scale cars. All of the 1:24 models need dusting and some need a few minor repairs. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Very nice job on the windows. I probably missed it but where did the carriage come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 Hi JC.... the horse drawn state carriage is 1:24 scale by Brumm of Italy, and it is very accurate because I have a photo of the actual carriage as it appeared in Hooper's first floor showroom window. Thanks for asking! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 24, 2019 Author Share Posted May 24, 2019 Hoping this is the right place to post this question...... do any fellow MCM members know of LWAS, which is Leduc West Antique Society near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada? The reason I am asking is because they have built a replica full size building which is the art deco building that was the Hooper & Co factory from 1933 - 1959, at Western Avenue, Park Royal, Acton, London, England. The man who is leading the team of motor enthusiasts in Canada is Howard Lengert, and he intends to display his collection of full size Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars at the museum project, which is called Hooper Place. Here is a link to the Hooper Place website and I am very interested in making contact with this man, Howard Lengert, because my Hooper project in 1:24 scale and 1:43 scale has lots of similarities with the project in Canada and also I have plans to build a third diorama, which will be the Hooper factory at Acton....... http://www.leducwestantique.com/?content/hooper-building.html David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Doubtful but will contact a buddy who might know a buddy kind of thing. Nice time of year to visit edmonton. Just show up on their doorstep bearing gifts. Thanks for the carriage info. It looks like a neat build . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Macleod Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I haven't had much of an opportunity to check in but find your work just keeps getting better and better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 Thanks very much Eric...... I have managed to obtain the email address for the gentleman who masterminded the Hooper Place project in Edmonton, Canada, thanks to Gord Craig at RROC Can-Am Prairie Region..... also, I have located original site plans for the Hooper & Co factory at Warwick University in England, so it looks like I can go ahead with planning the build of a third diorama n 1:43 scale..... this is the art deco building as it appears in old photographs. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Wow! The art deco styling fits! I never would have guessed RR incorporating it into anything they had a finger in. It seems almost paradoxical yet they pulled it off very well in my opinion. Quite an undertaking you are starting but know its in capable hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 Thank you JC...... I am confident that I can construct this iconic building, and all I need to begin with is the precise measurements and dimensions of the site. This will only be the front aspect of the building in white masonry, so will not include the ridged roof factory buildings that recede into the distance. I can include the telephone kiosk and also the petrol pump (gasoline pump). I take your point about the art deco styling and Rolls-Royce.... and somehow they did get it absolutely right. Possibly I could include two or three of the ridged roof factory units, which would look good I think. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 It seems there is or was a very similar building front in the model railroad kit world but marketed as a hospital if that is of any use to you. Perhaps walthers or one of their suppliers offered it but amnesia takes hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 Thank you JC, and I will investigate your mention of the model railroad kit. This morning I received an email reply from Howard Lengert at LWAS in Canada, and he was most helpful with his response to news of my ongoing project, regarding the Hooper & Co factory building in England. Apparently, his team were restricted to 600 metres for the size of their museum project, which included several other full size buildings as well as the Hooper Place reproduction building. Howard only had one photograph to work from, which was the same for me originally, so there was a lot of guesswork when it came to measurements! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 27, 2019 Author Share Posted May 27, 2019 Here are a few photos of the 1958 Morris Minor Traveller in a diorama setting, along with the AEC bus, and the local Police Constable..... David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 Good looking street scenes with the Traveler David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 27, 2019 Author Share Posted May 27, 2019 Thanks Gary..... this is the 1:24 scale diorama, and features the diecast version of the Traveller..... the scratch built resin body version of the Traveller now belongs to my cousin, and he has kindly offered to lend me the model for the exhibition in June. Perhaps I should seek out a 1:43 version of the Morris Minor Traveller for the smaller diorama? Later the 1:43 scale model cars will appear in both the Hooper & Co showrooms diorama, and also the Hooper & Co factory diorama when I get around to building it in 1:43 scale. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 The 1:43 scale Hooper & Co diorama has been assembled on a table in order to make sure that the aluminium channels and the backing foam board panels all fit properly. There will be display cards mounted on the rear panel, under the main heading sign. These display cards are in black text on yellow and white card, with a double red borderline. Actually, I saw display cards similar to these on an exhibition stand at an event in the United States, and it was a photo on this MCM forum that made me decide to produce display cards in that style. As well as being a mix of colours that is pleasant to the eye, I think they are easy to read also. Meanwhile, on the 1:24 scale diorama I have photographed a second engineer / lorry driver figure, along with the Bedford dropside lorry and the Morris Traveller. The first of the two engineer /lorry driver figures is part of the blue Bedford tanker mini diorama, so I needed a second driver for the lorry with the wooden crate mini diorama. This mock up process is to allow me to see how the two dioramas will look once they are displayed on the exhibition table at the show in 3 weeks time. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 Most of the diorama stuff is all packed away in boxes now, ready to be transported to the RREC Annual Show in two weeks time. This evening I thought I would take a few photos as I felt the urge, nothing more than that really. This is the early 1950's Talbot Lago Record Cabriolet in 1:24 scale, standing in the first floor showroom as the early morning sun is coming up. Mr Rivers is presenting this French motor car alongside his stock of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars on the upper floor as a personal favour for a friend of his, who is visiting England from across the Channel. It would seem that Mr Rivers is quite impressed with the overall quality of the engineering and the coachwork, which stands up quite well when compared to that of the French car's Rolls-Royce and Bentley counterparts. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 Impressive indeed. Best wishes for the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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