Anglia105E

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

Hi Brian from Boston..... What sort of RR diorama was it that you built in the '90s ? Yes, I agree, that you could still produce some stunningly realistic shots in B&W by using an old SLR camera, like the one I have which is a Zenit ( Russian ). David

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

Nice looking build there Garry, and like you, I started building scale model cars again at the age of 63 when I had not built one since I was 13 years of age ( 50 years ). There is a Minicraft Triumph TR3A, also 1:24 scale but more basic than the Gunze Sangyo version. ( I thought the Gunze Sangyo was a TR2 ? ) David

What a beautiful model, of a beautiful full size motor car. I agree with Eric in that it must be the best looking American car of the 1950's. I like the tinted glass and the whole colour scheme actually. Nice build Michael and you must be proud of this one. David

I really like your diorama Michael, especially because it is 1950's. The car and the figures in the smaller scale look very good indeed... some excellent work there from you. My diorama is also 1950's but the build is in 1:24 scale, so slightly larger. As other members on this forum have pointed out, the 1:24 and 1:25 scale figures do not usually look as good as those you have been able to use. I did order some vey nice figures from Shapeways in the Netherlands and as long as they are well painted they can look realistic in my diorama photography, although these 3D printed figures have a higher price. Your detail work is very well done and for a diorama of that size you have included quite a few elements. I have a bicycle in my diorama also, but yours is better than mine, especially the spokes of the wheels. I like your version of the VW beetle which has the split rear window, and is of course correct for the period. Good photos of your diorama and you have captured a moment in time, from the 1950's. If you want to take a look at my topic in Dioramas, it is ' Hooper & Co Diorama ' by Anglia105E David

Excellent build Dwayne, and not an easy model to put together. I do agree with you that there are simply not enough 4 door cars to choose from, in kit form. Really I would like to build a scale model replica of a Canadian car that I once owned here in England, which was a Pontiac Parisienne 4-door 1968 - 5.3 litre V8 RHD. This car was pale yellow with a brown vinyl roof and registration number FCK 33 David

Pleased to hear that you are having a lot of fun with this project Joe, and I find the whole diorama thing so absorbing. You can lose yourself in a 1:24 scale miniature world. Once the building starts to take on the feeling of a real place ( in your head anyway ) then the figures, the vehicles and the street furniture all become more important. I like to take a lot of photographs of the diorama scene, and every once in a while one particular photo comes up that has something special about it. David

Interesting to see that you are giving attention to the outside walls, keeping in mind that it is the interior walls that will be on show ( I presume ? ) The building in my diorama has most of the attention on the outside walls anyway, and only recently have I begun to focus on the interior walls. For me it is the background boards that are now presenting me with a challenge, which is how to get the perspective right and also the sky in the background.

Very nicely done Mark, and as others may have mentioned this is an unusual subject for a diorama, and it really works too! David

The door is perfect and is the photo of the filing cabinet with the calendar on the wall, inside the diorama or is that 1:1 ? ( I'm not sure ). David

Very nice build you have there George..... and excellent work with the Molotow Liquid Chrome pen too. I am liking these pens, and tend to use it more than Bare Metal Foil these days, except for larger areas of chrome. Your colour combination of two-tone green works really well and I would say is right for 1940's and 1950's David

Really like the work you've done on the doorway and the window, and this diorama has a nice feel to it now. All good Joe ! David

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

Interesting to hear that you remember Plimley Motors Richard, and I did a great deal of research into the whole area and history of Victoria BC because I was building a 1:24 scale Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud that belonged to a lady called Margaret L Sayward-Wilson, who you may know was the daughter of Joseph Sayward one of the founders of the Royal Colwood Golf Club. During my research I traced the detailed history of the original car that was delivered to Canada in 1958 and the lady ordered the car from England to be painted in Velvet Green, which appears to be black at first sight but reveals dark green in bright sunlight. I received copies of letters sent from Rolls-Royce dealers in Vancouver and Montreal to Mrs Sayward-Wilson regarding the maintenance of the car. It was all very useful information, although I never did locate a photograph of the car, or indeed determine the registration number while the car was in BC. Here is a photo of my completed build. David

Right Christian, must get a Sherman tank on the streets! Embassy reg of course. Oh I see now.... you don't mean a TANK.... you mean a large car. David

Wise words indeed Richard Bartrop...... and it's funny that you should mention a Canadian diorama, because I have an idea lurking at the back of my mind that would involve Victoria, British Columbia and the old Rolls-Royce dealership that was there. Plimley Motors Limited I believe ( also in Vancouver ). Now that would be an interesting diorama for sure..... David

You are probably right Snake.... by restricting myself to 1950's, London, Rolls-Royce and Bentley, this immediately rules out a lot of cars that I cannot have in the scene. Is that what you mean? One day I need to build a second diorama that would not be so restrictive. David

Thanks to Michael in South Carolina, and always good to hear from someone who knows their subject. I also like the Citroen C4 Fourgonette delivery van and so far I haven't built one because it wouldn't have been a vehicle that you would expect to see on London streets in 1958. There are lots of model cars that I would very much like to build, but they have no place in my period diorama, such as the 1950's American cars, which really appeal to me. The purpose of the diorama is to display the models, rather than put them on a shelf or in display cases. Heller do seem to provide us with a choice of cars that seem to have been largely ignored by other kit manufacturers. David

That is an impressive catalog but what are Heller kits like to build? Compared to say Revell, Tamiya and Emhar for example, what sort of quality can be expected from these French kits, and do they stand up well in terms of accuracy and instruction sheet design? The reason I ask is that having built many of the leading manufacturers models in 1:24 scale, so far I haven't built a single Heller kit. I do like the look of the Hispano Suiza and the Talbot Largo especially. David

To see the daylight bouncing off that purple roof..... more than a work of art.... it's poetry! Wish I could get close to that glass finish with my paintwork. David

Enjoyed watching your video build diary and this is interesting because it's an Airfix 1:16 kit of the AC Cobra. Several parts of the build stood out for me, the walnut dash and instruments, the fabric of the seating and the engine..... transformed from glue bomb to intricate perfection in detail. Excellent job Mark ! David

When I said ' overdue ' the weathering effects, I did of course mean ' overdo ' David

Now it's looking like a real workshop..... just a bit dirty. David

Really nice build Michi, and you must feel proud of the work you put in over one year. Don't worry about the sunroof, it is not unusual for Revell to get the instruction sheet slightly wrong. When I built the 1:24 Revell London Bus there were warnings on different forums about some instructions that were wrong way round. Good job ! David