Anglia105E

Harold is waiting patiently at the bus stop, for his daughter and her child to return from their bus trip into town. He has brought the pram to the bus shelter so that his daughter doesn't have to carry the baby any further. David

How very perceptive of you, JC......... the funny thing is, and this is only a few weeks ago now, I had exactly that idea which came into my head while I was out walking. Several of these photo shoots have developed into a kind of short story with pictures, as you describe. Part of this project is building the cars from kits and painting them, another part is constructing the buildings and populating the scenes with figures, and then follows the photography aspect of the project as quite a natural part of the whole process. The stories and the characters within those stories seem to evolve from the photographs, without me really being aware of what is happening. Now that I don't need to purchase any more model cars, or add any further buildings to the dioramas in either of the two scales, perhaps this is the right time to consider creating a ' picture story book ' from what I have on the table. Prior to starting work on the first diorama project, I had written three detective novels which have been published as paperback novels on Amazon Books. The detective stories have a sailing theme and they are set in Cornwall, England where my sailing boat is now berthed near to Falmouth. The cover photography for these three books was produced from photos taken from my boat while I was living aboard for a few weeks in the Summer. David

I think the two figures standing just inside the showroom, over to the left, really work....... very life-like. David

The Rolls-Royce motor car only goes out on the road when it is Sunday, and then only when it is sunny and dry........ Harold is unlikely to drive into town, much more likely to head for the open countryside. It is nice to see that you are following the story so far ! David

Harold is waiting at the door of his greenhouse...... his daughter is just arriving, and she is pushing the pram in which Harold's granddaughter is sleeping. They have come to collect some of Harold's finest tomatoes. It is early morning, and the shadows are long on the ground. He is pleased to see them at this hour of the day. Harold agrees to look after the pram, while his daughter takes the baby into town. He watches the bus leave, having seen them on their way. David

Thanks very much, Peter....... I am so pleased that you like the diorama and my photography. During the month of December in 2018, and also in December 2017, we enjoyed a visit to Geneva in Switzerland....... mostly around Lake Geneva, the whole trip was wonderful. David

Picked up this Haynes workshop manual in new hardcover version from Ebay, very cheaply and free postage too....... it is the Bentley from 1927 onwards, including the ' Blower '........ at the moment I am building the 1:24 Bentley Blower by Revell, and the engine is fully assembled and painted. David

Very nice dream car, Tom....... and you can be real proud of that one. The blue paint work is beautiful.... what colour is that? When you get the white top down, and with that blue sky...... you are living the dream. David

Proper gas pumps in gallons ( not litres )...... they look great, Tom...... David

Thanks a lot, JC....... and of course, I am pleased that you find my diorama project so uplifting. Onwards and upwards ! David

Harold Brown has worked hard all his life, as the owner of a successful engineering business which he had taken over from his father before him. Now Harold has decided to retire and let his only son step up to the mantle. Harold allowed himself one luxury in retirement, having lived in the same red brick terraced house for most of his adult life and during this time he had saved his money wisely. He bought himself a Rolls-Royce motor car and he counted himself very fortunate to be able to own such a fine example of automotive engineering. Throughout his entire working life Harold had gone without fancy cars, expensive holidays and clothes, and he had always eaten simple food.... nothing to excess. Sometimes, Harold would just walk outside, open the gate of his small yard and turn the corner of the street...... so that he could spend a few quiet moments, standing in silent solitude to admire his Rolls-Royce....... he was very proud of this car, and how it represented the pinnacle of his achievements. David

Many thanks for looking in, Tom...... and there is more I would like to do with the photography. I am continuously experimenting with lighting, camera angles and composition, in the belief that I might find that elusive ' golden formula '........ David

Those garage kits, and the gas pumps are well made, Tom......... and with your skilled painting they should turn out nicely! David

Brilliant !........ marvellous detail...... the diorama master at work. David

The workman, who is the most recent addition to the diorama, is clearly going to be a busy chap....... here he is looking after the horse and cart, and who knows what he will be doing next? David

Well, the funny thing is, Don..... some weird magic has been going on, and the leaning wall has somehow straightened itself. Without any intervention from me, the wall is almost back to where it was originally. David

Many thanks, John...... I enjoyed building the greenhouse, and also the factory building. The photography is just as important for me as the building of the dioramas, as I am sure you have found yourself. David

Yes. Gary...... he arrived prepainted, and professionally painted too ( according to the packaging ). Myself, I am okay painting 1:24 scale figures, but not great when it comes to painting 1:43 scale figures. Forgot to mention, that the Ford Cortina in these recent photos is not a MK II, but is actually a MK I....... which I should not forget, as I passed my driving test in a Cortina MK I back in 1970. David

Today, a 1:43 scale figure arrived in the post from Detailed Miniatures....... this one is a bearded workman, with his hands on hips and holding a rag cloth, dressed in a waistcoat and flat cap. Another nicely detailed figure from this supplier, and he fits very well into the photographic scenes involving the lady pushing the pram, and also the horse and cart. This man could be inside or outside the greenhouse, possibly working his shift at the gasoline pump or carrying out his deliveries with the horse and cart. Alternatively, he might be standing next to a Rolls-Royce or Bentley motor car, ready to carry out some routine maintenance or maybe he is in the process of wiping the windscreen, or polishing the chrome embellishments of the car. Hope you like these photos..... David

Nicely turned out project, John...... and no problem with the diecasts, as my 1:43 scale dioramas are also entirely diecast model cars, due to no kits in that scale. I particularly like your photo that has the showroom lighting, which is the sort of brightness that you would expect to see in a car showroom like that. The view of the cars inside the showroom, through the big glass windows, is a really nice contrast with those cars that are parked up front and immediately outside the showroom glass. Some interesting Vette's you got there, John.......... also a convincing story that goes with the diorama, which is something I like to do at Hooper & Co. David

Here are just a few black & white photographs of the car park area of the 1:43 scale terraced houses diorama....... experimenting with various angles. The car is a diecast 1963 Ford Cortina Mk II by Minichamps. David

Following the arrival in the post of some more red brick wall materials, I have built the short section of wall that you see to the right of the white five bar gate. The gate itself is loosely mounted, so that I can have this gate in the closed position or alternatively in the open position for the photography. In this way, I can have a car entering the car park, or just about to leave the car park. There is one more short section of wall to build, which will be adjoining the bus shelter. David

Nice range of smaller scale models there, JC.......... and using your photo reduction technique, you can get more photos onto a smaller area of the page. Not easy to see the detail, but you have clearly come up with some very interesting ideas. As you say, it is all about maintaining sanity..... keeping those old cogs moving round. David

When I bring the 1:24 scale Danbury Mint diecast Rolls-Royce models to the table, that is when the weight really starts to stack up ! David

Your suggestion to store the Molotow pens in a plastic sandwich bag or freezer bag, David is a sound idea and I shall try that. My Molotows are stored vertically upright, with tip and cap to the TOP........ other members seem to have good results with tip and cap to the BOTTOM....... David