Hooper & Co Diorama

[Anglia105E]

Made good progress with the telegraph wires today..... so there are now two telegraph poles mounted on the diorama baseboard, with one length of telegraph wire joining the two poles. One of the poles will supply the two terraced houses, and there will be more wires added between the two poles. Earlier today I tried to place an order for a product called EZ Line, which is supplied by a company in the United States called Berkshire Junction, but I saw from their website that they are going into retirement and closing the business. Suppliers here in the UK are all out of stock of EZ Line in heavy size, black. Such a shame because this product appears to be perfect for the telegraph wires. Anyway, all was not lost because I managed to source some Shirring Elastic which is intended for sewing machines from a hardware store locally, and very cheaply too.

David

[Anglia105E]

The length of guttering on the front of the houses is in place, and also the two drainpipes are done, These were very tricky, and each one has four brackets holding the pipe to the wall. One pipe is dark red and the other one is dark green, to match the paintwork for each house.

Three lengths of telegraph wire are in place, and a second street lamp has been fitted.

Attached photos are from two photo shoots from well into the early hours of Tuesday morning. This time I was able to get some better results with the fog in a can, and the trick is to set up the camera in self timer mode, which gives me 10 seconds to get ready with the canned fog and it hangs around long enough to create the effect. Once again I have used the funeral cortege of three cars, with the gentleman in the top hat walking in front of the hearse. Apologies for so many photos, but most are in black & white, so smaller file sizes.

David

[Gramps46]

Wow, that's a first, fog!  Impressive.

[Anglia105E]

Thanks, Gary...... I thought I would attempt to to create the fog effect indoors, using the atmosphere aerosol for the 1:43 scale diorama, rather than go outdoors at 5.00 am in the morning to use real fog :-) As long as the camera is aimed directly at the light source, the fog technique does seem to work quire well.

David

[Anglia105E]

I have added four metal dustbins with lids ( trash or garbage can ) and these are awaiting collection outside in the alleyway, at the rear of the terraced houses.

David

[Anglia105E]

Following the arrival of a 1959 Ford Consul MK II yesterday, I photographed the car in a diorama setting. This is a 1:43 scale diecast model by IXO and is nicely finished in light blue with a white roof.  Alongside the Ford Consul is the 1963 Ford Consul Cortina MK I, which appears to be light blue in certain lighting conditions, but is probably light grey actually. I find myself seeing a strong similarity between the '59 Ford Consul and the 1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria that you have in the United States.

David

[Anglia105E]

Having drawn up a plan that shows how a layout of two dioramas would work, this is how I see the display coming together on the table. Each of the two dioramas in 1:43 scale occupies a surface area of 2 feet 6 inches x 2 feet 6 inches, and the table area that I am allocated for the annual Rolls-Royce event is comprised of two tables, each one being 5 feet x 2 feet. The Victorian terraced house diorama is nearing completion and the next diorama will shortly be under construction. This one will be the Hooper & Co factory, as it was in 1958 and located at the address Western Avenue, Park Royal, Acton which is West London. As you look at the display, the terraced house diorama is on the right and the factory diorama will be on the left, so that Western Avenue runs along in the foreground, effectively connecting the two dioramas into one. The shorter street that leads away from Western Avenue is Dukes Road, and the terraced houses are on the corner of the two roads. There will be a factory frontage that is 19.75 inches wide and art deco in style, while behind this will be several rows of ridged roof factory buildings. One photo that follows shows the building early in 1959, when Standard - Triumph became the new owners of the Hooper building and another photo shows an original plan drawing from 1959.

David

[Gramps46]

It looks to be a very ambitious project but one I am sure you can do justice to. 

[Anglia105E]

Thanks for your vote of confidence, Gary...........  here you can see the single petrol pump on the forecourt of the Hooper factory building, which can be seen more clearly on the Standard - Triumph photograph. There should be plenty of space around the factory to position all of my Rolls-Royce and Bentley car models.

David

[Gramps46]

It looks like there is even a spot for your call box per the bottom right corner of the photo.

[Anglia105E]

Well spotted, Gary..... that is exactly where I shall place my telephone kiosk, which I assembled and painted from a white metal kit.

David

[Gramps46]

Do you have a date on the Hooper photo.  Looks definitely '30s and wondering if it was converted to war work in the '40s?  Just curious.

[Anglia105E]

Gary...... the date of the Standard Triumph Service Depot is definitely early 1959, but the Hooper photo could actually be late 1930's, which is when the Park Royal  factory was built. I was thinking that it might not be a photograph at all, and it could be an artist's impression ? You could well be correct, as the factory was engaged in war work.... [ quote } - 

During World War I, Hooper turned to aircraft manufacture, eventually producing Sopwith Camels at the rate of three a day. With peace, the firm returned to coachbuilding. They weathered the Great Depression of the 1930's far better than most coachbuilders, even building a second factory in Acton, West London. In the peak year of 1936, more than 300 bodies were built.

With re-armament in the late 1930's, another factory was opened in Park Royal, London, on Western Avenue, next to the Callard & Bowser confectionery works, and during World War II, they built fuselage sections for De Havilland Mosquito bombers, Airspeed Oxfords and gliders.

David

[ATHU]

The "foggy" photos looks fantastic, I really like the sinister atmosphere. Great work!!

[Anglia105E]

Many thanks for your comments, Anders...... While I do realise that the funeral procession scenario is a bit morbid, it does allow me to experiment with the ' fog ' effect and as you say, this gives the diorama setting a sinister look. That is what I was trying to achieve..... so you have responded as I was hoping !

David

[Anglia105E]

The following photographs feature the 1960 Vauxhall Cresta PA in two-tone green, which is Alpine Green and Glade Green. This is the 1:43 scale diorama and the car is parked between the terraced houses and the bus shelter. It is early morning during the early 1960's, shortly before the first bus is due, and around the time that the local milkman is about to begin his deliveries. Soon the newspaper delivery boy will be doing his rounds and the owner of the green Vauxhall will be driving off to work.

David

[Anglia105E]

Here is the latest addition to the 1:43 collection of scale model cars, photographed in a diorama setting. This is a 1950 Jaguar MK V diecast by NEO and it is a left-hand drive version with sun roof and white wall tyres, finished in brown paintwork. I had a feeling that this car would photograph well, and I was not disappointed. The MK V was the first post war Jaguar to be produced, from 1948 to 1951.

David

[Eric Macleod]

One of the most beautiful postwar cars ever.  Your diorama amazes me more every day.  

[Anglia105E]

Thank you, Eric...... and I think the Jaguar MK V compares well alongside the Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn and Silver Wraith of the same time period. This part of the latest 1:43 scale diorama is what I am calling Diorama 3, and the next one to be constructed will be known as Diorama 4, which will be the Hooper & Co factory at Western Avenue, Park Royal, Acton, London...... the idea is that both Diorama 3 and Diorama 4 will merge together as one larger setting for next year's exhibition during June of 2020.

Diorama 2 was the 1:43 scale version of the Hooper & Co, St James's St showroom building, and Diorama 1 was the 1:24 scale Hooper showroom building. 

David

[Anglia105E]

Oh, I forgot to include these photos in my previous post, Eric..... showing the Jaguar MK V now that it has been fully restored. One the wheels had come off in the box, the radiator grille mascot was missing, the windscreen wipers were missing and the front bumper was bent upwards slightly. All issues resolved now.

David

[landman]

On 9/2/2019 at 8:31 AM, Eric Macleod said:

One of the most beautiful postwar cars ever.  Your diorama amazes me more every day.  

I agree. there was one in a nearby town to where I lived between 85 and 99. every time I saw it I stopped and had a closer look. they are regal looking machines.

[Anglia105E]

I believe a lot of Jaguar Mk V's were exported to USA and Canada, and the design developed later into the MK VII  ( there doesn't seem to have been a MK VI, well maybe two )

David

[Anglia105E]

During the past week I have been assembling and painting a 1:43 scale Lambretta motor scooter and Swallow sidecar combination from a white metal kit, that is a lead and tin alloy. The paint finish is brushed on Humbrol enamel, using Emerald Green and Lime Green. As an addition that is not included in the kit, I have fitted three pieces of acetate window glass. The kit only comprises 14 pieces in total, as compared with the 1:24 scale Tamiya Vespa motor scooter, which comprised only 8 pieces. Quite a fiddly and tricky kit to build, but the result is better than I had expected to be honest.

David

[Anglia105E]

The 1954 Ford Zephyr Zodiac MK I by Lansdowne in 1:43 scale arrived today....... so here are a few photos of the car in a diorama setting. There are some parts of this model that probably need some chrome adding, which is surprising because usually Lansdowne wouldn't miss such details. I am thinking door handles, also the moulding strip that runs the length of the car along the waistline, and the window surrounds.

David

[Anglia105E]

New arrival today was this 1:43 scale 1965 Ford Transit MK I van by Vanguards in diecast....... as you can see from the following photos, this is a realistic dirty white van, and as was typical in those days, some comedian has written a few words in the dirt...... such as ' Clean Me ! ' and ' Also available in white ! ' After looking at a Ford Transit model in pristine white, showroom condition, I decided that I preferred the dirty version for my diorama. This is a model from the Vanguards ' Hidden Treasures ' collection.

David