Hooper & Co Diorama

[peekay]

Very impressive modeling and photography. I didn't at first notice the two different scales in the video, even though I know nearly all the cars involved.

[Anglia105E]

14 minutes ago, peekay said:

Very impressive modeling and photography. I didn't at first notice the two different scales in the video, even though I know nearly all the cars involved.

Thanks very much, Peter...... sometimes the larger scale diorama can appear to be in scale with the smaller one, when viewed from a certain angle, although that wasn't my intention. Due to limited space at home these three dioramas are very close together. I did consider producing two videos, one for 1:24 scale and one for 1:43 scale and that might be a better way of presenting the dioramas. There are many more model cars that cannot appear at the same time, when using photography or video recording..... I have 51 vehicles in the larger scale and 48 vehicles in the smaller scale, so I have to be selective when choosing which models are featured in a series of photos or in a short video scene.You will have noticed examples of most diecast manufacturers, in both scales, and also most of the plastic kit producers as well. Thanks again for looking.

David

[Anglia105E]

It is 1959, and on this fine sunny afternoon a young mother is pushing a pram along Western Avenue....... just behind a passing bus can be seen Hooper's factory across the road, where there are two Rolls-Royce motor cars parked outside the front of the building. It was one of those long afternoons in June when time seems to stand still........ and there is no hurry to get anywhere.

These are a few models from the 1:43 scale Acton Factory diorama, and the black & white photographs would be typical of the late 1950's in post war London.

David

[Anglia105E]

I saw this image today on the BBC website of people celebrating VE day in Piccadilly, London on 8th May 1945, as the end of the war in Europe was announced. The photograph is shown here, courtesy of Getty Images and I have added my own photographic images that represent my interpretation of the scene on that day in 1945..... the diorama scene is actually St James's Street, which is just a short distance down the road from Piccadilly, and my Hooper & Co diorama is 1958, so technically thirteen years after the end of the war in Europe. I realised that I have the same type of London bus, as a 1:24 scale model, and also some of the figures are in similar positions to the ones in the original photograph. There aren't as many people in my photos because I don't have that number of figures. The scale model of the Hooper & Co building on the left hand side of the photo is of the same period as the buildings in the VE day celebrations.

Hope you like it..... and thanks for looking........

David

[landman]

Niiiiiice!

[Anglia105E]

8 hours ago, landman said:

Niiiiiice!

Thank you, Pat !

David

[Anglia105E]

This is 1948, and a Bedford OLB lorry is transporting a 1929 Bentley Blower motor car to the Goodwood motor racing circuit in England....... it is the first year that motor racing events were held at the famous Goodwood circuit, and motor racing continued to be held there until 1966. The Bedford Dropside lorry is a 1:24 scale EMHAR model that I built and painted, which followed on from a Bedford OLB Tanker that I had built earlier. These Bedford OLB lorries were produced up to 1953, which coincidentally happens to be the year that I was born. ' MW 1929 ' is the registration number plate of the Bedford lorry, and I built the model as an idea of what might have been a fictitious road haulage company that my Dad could have owned when he was alive..... his name was Maurice Watson, and he was born in 1929, which also coincidentally was the first year during which the iconic Bentley 4.5 Litre Blower supercharged racing car was produced and raced.

David Watson

[Anglia105E]

During 1958 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada a fine English motor car has been delivered to Mrs Margaret L. Sayward-Wilson....... the motor car is a left hand drive Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I and the paint finish is particularly interesting, as it is one of the Rolls-Royce company's most intriguing colours... Velvet Green, which appears to be black when viewed in subdued daylight. However, when seen in bright sunlight the paint finish shows up as a rich dark green, which is actually quite spectacular. Mrs Sayward-Wilson, who was the daughter of Joseph Sayward, inherited the Royal Colwood Golf Club when her father passed away and she was a keen golf player herself. This lady had placed the order for the motor car and arranged for it to be shipped over to Canada from Rolls-Royce in England, with specific instructions regarding the Velvet Green paint finish and the interior upholstery, which was to be pale green leather of the finest quality. Here we see several rare old photographs from 1958, portraying Mrs Sayward-Wilson with her beautiful motor car, as she might have attended a private party at one of the best hotels in Victoria.

The 1:24 scale model car has been built from a Minicraft Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud kit, and the figure is 3D-printed by Shapeways.

David

[Anglia105E]

The early morning bus is departing from the bus stop across the road from Hooper & Co., and the St James's Street showrooms have two Bentley motor cars on display this week...... in the ground floor showroom Mr Rivers has a 1955 Bentley S1, which is finished in maroon and gold, while upstairs on the first floor there is a dark green 1930 Bentley Blower. These two fine motor cars represent 25 years of Bentley auto engineering, and the 4.5 litre supercharged racing car continues to compete at motor racing circuits all over Britain during the late 1950's.

The Bentley S1 is a 1:24 scale Franklin Mint diecast model and the Bentley Blower is a 1:24 scale model assembled from a Revell kit in plastic.

The Osmond Rivers figure is a 1:24 scale 3D printed figure from Shapeways.

David

[landman]

Nice lighting. Do they make a 1:24 or 1:25 Silver Cloud III?

Edited May 27, 2020 by landman

[Anglia105E]

1 hour ago, landman said:

Nice lighting. Do they make a 1:24 or 1:25 Silver Cloud III?

Thanks for your comment on the lighting, Pat....... the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III is only available in 1:18 scale as a diecast model, and then only as a ' Flying Spur ' version which has a different body shape. The Silver Cloud is only available in 1:24 scale as a Minicraft or Revell plastic kit, which is actually a Silver Cloud II, or as a diecast version by Franklin Mint which is a Silver Cloud I...... ( as you probably know already, the Silver Cloud III has the double twin headlamp arrangement, as opposed to single headlamps. )

David

[Anglia105E]

An English detective, Frank White who lives and works in London, owns and drives a 1938 Delahaye 135 motor car. The detective is investigating a break-in at Hooper & Co on St James's Street...... arriving outside the showroom building early that morning, he steps out of his old French motor car and surveys the front of the premises......

David

[landman]

Keep us posted on his findings.

[Anglia105E]

8 minutes ago, landman said:

Keep us posted on his findings.

He's on the case, Pat !

David

[Anglia105E]

Detective Frank White has taken this gentleman to one side, in order to question him further...... apparently, the gentleman claims to have witnessed a suspicious character entering the Hooper & Co building during the very early hours. While taking a night time stroll along St James's Street, the ' witness ' was briefly aware of a movement among the shadows, quite close to the front entrance door of the showrooms. He could just about make out the form of a person, who seemed to pass through the doorway and disappear inside. It all happened so quickly, and this gentleman could not be sure that his eyes were not deceiving him for a moment.

David

[Anglia105E]

The most recent batch of photographs were taken using a slightly risky technique, which was risky for a variety of reasons..... I decided to place the portable lamp with the 100 watt daylight bulb inside the ground floor showroom of the Hooper & Co. building. This concerned me at the time because this bulb gets very hot, and the glass of the bulb was within millimetres of the crimson gloss showroom flooring, which has a coating of yacht varnish..... and as we know, yacht varnish is highly inflammable. One other reason for my concern, was that the light from the large bulb would appear to be too bright from the outside of the building, so not realistic. However, my trusty KODAK camera seemed to handle the brightness effectively and these shots turned out quite well. I made sure to switch off the 100 watt daylight bulb every few minutes or so, and let it cool down before continuing with the photo shoot. Close examination of the showroom floor later, showed no damage to the surface of the painted and varnished wood.

David

[Anglia105E]

Later that day, Detective Frank White noticed the tall gentleman in the bowler hat across the street...... he was standing beside a black Citroen motor car. Just behind the French car there was a number 76 bus waiting at the bus stop. The detective crossed the street and engaged the gentleman in conversation once more. "I would appreciate it if you would accompany me to the Police station, Sir...... I wish to question you further regarding this incident at Hooper & Co., and if you don't have any objection, Sir, I shall require your fingerprints for our records." The tall gentleman paused for a moment, and then explained to the waiting detective that he would have to move his vehicle as it was obstructing the bus, which was about to pull out it seemed. The detective was not to be taken at a disadvantage, so he suggested that he join the gentleman in his Citroen, and they could travel to the Police station in each other's company. Frank saw the slightly amused expression that passed over the man's face.......

David

[landman]

Do they still have yellow headlights in France? Haven't been there since 1975. they had them then.

[Anglia105E]

20 minutes ago, landman said:

Do they still have yellow headlights in France? Haven't been there since 1975. they had them then.

Yes, Pat...... they do still have yellow headlamps in France, but these days when you take your car from England to France, for example, you can place sticky film over your headlamps to correct the left hand dip beam to right hand dip beam, but you don't have to fit yellow bulbs in the headlamps. They have mostly white headlamps as well as the less common yellow ones.

David

[Anglia105E]

Harold's neighbour has taken delivery of a new caravan ( trailer ), and he is having a look at it while the car and caravan are parked near to his greenhouse. The car is a 1954 Ford Zephyr Zodiac MK I by Lansdowne Models, and this caravan is a 1956 Willerby Vogue also by Lansdowne Models...... Harold has been listening to his neighbour as he explained how this is the first caravan to be moulded entirely in GRP (fibreglass ). There were only 115 of these caravans ever produced, and to this day in 2020 there are only 5 or 6 of the real 1:1 caravans that still exist.

Included with the white metal model caravan, Lansdowne has provided a couple of tow bars that can be attached to a range of Lansdowne model cars by removing and re-attaching a screw from the rear underside of the model car chassis. This sort of attention to detail and quality is why Lansdowne and Brooklin Models are recognised as being the best 1:43 scale white metal model cars in the world. As such, they do tend to fetch high prices when sold. The models were made in Bath, England and sold in large numbers.

David

[Anglia105E]

Harold Brown's next door neighbour is returning from a one week holiday with his new caravan. This is during the Summer of 1958, and the neighbour's 1954 Ford Zephyr / Zodiac MK I has made a good job of towing the 1956 Willerby Vogue 4-berth, 14 feet caravan from London to Brighton, and back. Driving slowly along the narrow cobbled street, the motor car and caravan is approaching the white five bar gate, which leads to the small car park just behind the two terraced houses. This would be quite early in the morning, and the sun is rising on the other side of the houses. The neighbour has returned well before breakfast and there is no one else about yet.

These are 1:43 scale models which have been photographed within the Victorian Houses diorama, and this area of the neighbourhood lies between the factory and the showrooms of Hooper & Co (Coachbuilders) Limited.

David

[landman]

Great scenario. You captured the "mood".

[Anglia105E]

33 minutes ago, landman said:

Great scenario. You captured the "mood".

Thanks, Pat...... and I always appreciate feedback, which gives me some indication as to how I am doing.

David

[Anglia105E]

This is a 1948 Ford V8 Pilot E71A by Lansdowne Models in 1:43 scale, towing a 1956 Willerby Vogue Caravan, also by Lansdowne Models.

David

[Anglia105E]

A large part of today was spent making a prototype deckchair in 1:43 scale...... following a suggestion by a fellow local model builder, the idea is to have a couple of traditional stripey wood and canvas deckchairs outside the 1956 caravan. This is only my first attempt at making a deckchair, in any scale, and it is not yet good enough. The fabric needs to be slightly longer, and the stripes need to be narrower. After knocking up a simple jig from matchsticks and blu-tack, the frame of the deckchair was assembled from 11 pieces of Evergreen styrene rod, which is 0.64 mm ( 0.025 " ). The canvas fabric is tissue paper with stripes done in Sharpies.

David