Anglia105E

Hi Gene..... the Hachette models like this Morris were in the format of regular magazines, that allowed you to collect all the parts in order to build the complete kit. These are being sold on Ebay as complete built models, and previously I could only see them listed from Italy, and the price was five times the amount I just paid. They do seem to have a good range of car manufacturers, and they are very nice in 1:24 scale. The IXO brand seems to be Hachette also. David

Ah yes.... I spotted the bottle holders just as I posted the reply..... perfect! David

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

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

I picked up this Hachette / IXO Morris Minor Traveller in 1:24 scale diecast on Ebay for a very reasonable price..... and it is a very nice accurate model too. David

I think the first of those five photos is the best table Pat..... because the piston crowns supporting the glass top seems to look right. David

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

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

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

Excellent work on the paving, JC...... and the Peterbilt truck is impressive. Recently I have started to make more use of Vallejo acrylic paints as well as my usual choice of Humbrol and Revell enamel paints. The other type of paints I like to use are the Revell Aqua Color acrylics from Germany, which are extremely good, although they have a matt finish which needs a coat of yacht varnish if you want a high gloss finish. David

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

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

Yes Peter, I agree that it is surprising there is no plastic kit version of the Morris Minor Traveller...... the Hachette / IXO version is 1:24 scale diecast, and there is a resin body version available in the UK from which I have scratch built a Morris Minor Traveller, also in 1:24 scale. David

Well JC..... not only did you get the water right, but also you got the smoke absolutely right too! This has turned out to be an extremely well built diorama setting, and the model of the paddle steamer is superb...... realistic and highly detailed. I do like that smoke. David

Really nice build you have there, lsmo.. Liking the paint colour also. I do know all about VW Beetles, but I did not realise there was a custom built gooseneck caravan for the Bug David

Two excellent Shapeways figures that you have there, Pat....... and here is my ' What did you get today? ' item..... 1:24 scale 1958 Morris Minor Traveller diecast by Hachette. David

Just to say..... I hadn't seen those Plastruct letters before..... and unfortunately they are not available in UK, or at least not listed by Plastruct over here. David

The 1:25 Lindberg kit of the '48 Lincoln Continental looks to be quite a challenge for you Pat, but at least with the '41 car available you do have a few options. Although I am not familiar with these particular kits, I would consider the suggestion to use the spare wheel hub cap from the '48 Lindberg and make a cast seems to be a good option. Out of all the kit manufacturers I would say that Lindberg is the one brand that I haven't built a model from..... maybe I should have a go? Did Lindberg ever do a Rolls-Royce? David

I see what you mean about the large scale of the previous dioramas, John !....... and so realistic looking in the outdoor setting. David

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

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

Thanks for your efforts, Dave Ambrose..... I shall be patient ! David Watson

I am getting the error message as mentioned, and I am only uploading ONE photo.... There was a problem processing the uploaded file. -200 David

When I was looking for ideas to make newspapers and books in 1:24 scale I saw doll's house items for sale on Ebay, but I guess you could easily print images of books, newspapers and magazines by reducing the size of the image by 24. Here is a photo of 1:24 scale office desk with a book and sheets of paper on the desk top. The telephone is too large, even though it was stated as being a 1:24 scale doll's house furniture item. Cannot upload the photo for you...... I am getting this error message... There was a problem processing the uploaded file. -200 David

Those tail lights do make quite a difference, Pat........ I suppose you could place a 1:24 scale seated figure on the seat, and then see if his feet are placed squarely on the floor...... that way, you will know if you need to raise the height of the bumper. David