Hooper & Co Diorama

[Anglia105E]

The past couple of weeks have seen the assembly and painting of a 1:35 scale laser cut MDF kit, which is a WW2 European Building..... This kit is very well designed, and also nicely produced, having 123 parts in total. I coated all the parts with red primer enamel, and then decided on Crown Elle Decoration Cushion Craze emulsion for the walls of this house. The doors, windows and all frames are painted with one coat satin Magnolia enamel. There has been a huge amount of painting, especially the windows, which have 8 inner frames, 8 outer frames and 16 panes. The window panes can be glued in the closed position, half open or fully open.

In addition to the MDF building kit, I have purchased a 1:35 MiniArt European Tiled Roof kit, from which I wanted to use the guttering and downpipe. Since the kit arrived I have decided to use the chimney and also sections of the roof itself. The house is not quite completed yet, but the bulk of the work is done, including the iron railings along the front walls and the double doors have been fitted, along with door handles. All the doors and windows have clear acetate sheet behind the frames, which I chose to add, as they are not included in the kit.

The house model was positioned on the baseboard tonight, so that I could see how this diorama is going to look, and it fits precisely.

David

[Anglia105E]

Here is a 1:24 scale 3D printed grand piano, and a 1:24 scale ICM figure from the ' American Gasoline Loaders ' set. Three different lighting sources have been used together, and this black & white image has reduced clarity for effect. The photo has the title:  " The Maestro Goes To Work "..........

David

[Anglia105E]

Managed to complete the 1:35 scale laser cut MDF house building a few days ago, and here are a some photos of the ' Black Diamond ' diorama.

There will be some further additions to this model, as I photograph the setting, which leads me to new ideas.

Thanks for viewing the progress of this one.

David

[Eric Macleod]

I don't know which is more impressive,  your model making skill or your artful photography.  Either way, you remain a true master. 

[Anglia105E]

8 hours ago, Eric Macleod said:

I don't know which is more impressive,  your model making skill or your artful photography.  Either way, you remain a true master. 

You are too kind, Sir !

I do enjoy both aspects of this wonderful hobby, and it is most rewarding when the assembled and painted models come to life within a realistic diorama setting.

David

[Anglia105E]

There hasn't been any further progress with the Hooper & Co. dioramas over the past two weeks, and this is simply because I have been busy working on a slight deviation from the usual period of model car building.

I shall most likely post the details of this ' deviation ' in the WIP Model Cars section, as it has nothing to do with the Hooper or Rolls-Royce theme at all.

Having 3D printed 16 parts that go to make up a 1:20 scale 2018 Red Bull RB14 race car ( F1 ), I am now assembling the parts and preparing them for primer and painting. Managed to get a 1:10 scale Red Bull decal sheet scaled down to 1:20 scale, and this has arrived in the post. Also, I have obtained the correct paint colours for the Red Bull car, both the yellow and the blue, as produced by Zero Paints and supplied by Hiroboy.

This is my first attempt at printing, building, assembling and painting a Formula One race car, and my first foray into 1:20 scale territory.

Here is one photo of the partly assembled model.

David

[Anglia105E]

I have not posted on this topic for a while now, due to various distractions that have included building a 3D printed 1:20 scale Red Bull F1 car and a Tamiya 1:12 scale Lotus 49B , also an F1 car. Yet a further distraction has been a 1:24 scale Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine, which is currently being assembled from 57 parts that I have 3D printed...... However, I have found some time to photograph a scene on the 1:43 scale diorama.

Sadly, a member of the board of directors at Hooper & Co. (Coachbuilders) Ltd. has passed away recently, and the entourage of funeral cars is moving slowly through the gateway outside the Hooper & Co. factory. Walking in front of the Austin Princess hearse there is a sombre gentleman wearing a top hat, and immediately behind the hearse there is an Austin Princess limousine. It is early morning, and the Autumn sun is low in the cloudy sky. Factory workers are driving past as they arrive for the early shift, while some employees are arriving by bus. Here is........... ' Through the Gateway '

David

[landman]

You have caught the mood perfectly.

 

[Anglia105E]

18 minutes ago, landman said:

You have caught the mood perfectly.

 

Thank you, Pat....... I have enhanced my first photograph of the scene by adding some light to the second one, and then taking away some of the clarity from the third photograph. I am quite pleased with the final image, as it has achieved the level of realism that I was seeking.

David

[Zippi]

Nice work.  Looks pretty realistic to me.  

[Anglia105E]

13 minutes ago, Zippi said:

Nice work.  Looks pretty realistic to me.  

Many thanks, Bob..... If you see this image as being quite realistic, then I am happy  !

David

[Eric Macleod]

I think all three are impressive but that third image looks like a post card photo taken decades ago. I'm betting that's exactly what you were trying to achieve. 

[Anglia105E]

7 minutes ago, Eric Macleod said:

I think all three are impressive but that third image looks like a post card photo taken decades ago. I'm betting that's exactly what you were trying to achieve. 

Very observant of you, Eric....... and yes, that is precisely the kind of effect that I was looking for. Those photographs were taken using the 1:43 scale diorama, and at the moment I am also working in 1:12 scale, 1:35 scale and some 1:20 scale....... How are your model building projects going these days?

David

[Anglia105E]

The latest build is now completed, which is a 1:12 scale Tamiya Lotus 49B in Gold Leaf Team Lotus colours. Sitting in the car there is the Tamiya figure of Graham Hill, and also a second figure which is Graham Hill's Chief Mechanic, Bob Dance..... This scene is my idea for a small diorama of the starting grid at the 1968 Mexican Grand Prix, when Graham Hill went on to win not only the race but also the Formula One World Championship.

These photos are taken outdoors, and they are really just a set of simple test shots, that were taken very quickly. The rear aerofoil wing of the model Lotus was broken off, when the white board acting as a screen behind the scene, was blown over by a light gust of wind. This will be repaired for the next batch of photographs.

David

[Anglia105E]

The right front suspension of this Lotus 49B has a bracing strut, which has detached itself, basically because there is very little point of contact at each end of the strut. This has been repaired, by adding a modification, in the form of a mounting plate at the outer end of the bracing strut. My thinking is that this would have been the type of modification that the Team Lotus mechanics might have carried out in between races, using whatever parts came to hand in the pits garage.

Also, the mechanic figure is having some skin tone changes, which is my attempt to achieve a realistic appearance to the hands and face. The seams on the hands need to be removed, as they look bad.

David

[Anglia105E]

Here are some photos taken of the 1:35 scale ' Black Diamond ' diorama, using a different lighting source. This features the 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I, which is actually a 1:32 scale model car.

The next build on the workbench will be the 1:35 scale MiniArt European Tram Car from the 1940's, and both the tram rails and the overhead tram wires will be incorporated as part of the European house scene, which is the ' Black Diamond ' diorama setting. There are quite a few interesting 1:35 scale figures included in the tram car kit.

David

[Anglia105E]

The European Tramcar build has now started, and during the same weekend we had a fall of snow, as well as sub-zero temperatures. My loft workshop recorded 0°C while I was assembling the first few parts of this model, and the temperature inside the loft only rose to 1.4°C with my portable heater running. The 1:35 scale kit by MiniArt of the Ukraine has 810 parts, and is effectively 5 - kits - in - 1, so extremely good value for money. The quality of the styrene parts and the instruction sheet in the box is excellent. I find the styrene that MiniArt use is quite soft, and nice to work with.

I decided that one street section, as supplied with this tramcar kit, is too short at 32 cms, so I have ordered a second street section kit to extend the cobbled road and tram lines to 64 cms in length. There will be two street sections in the second kit anyway. Running just in front of the European house there will be the tramcar, while the Rolls-Royce Phantom I ' Black Diamond ' motor car will be on the other side of the roadway, and in the foreground.

For this diorama, I will be using 1:35 scale figures and the tram car in the background, and then using 1:32 scale figures and the Rolls-Royce car in the foreground.

Thank you for looking, fellow MCM members,

David

[Anglia105E]

Having ordered the MiniArt kit that contains the two street sections, I assumed from the box art that the tram rails ran along the length of the cobbled street, just like on the street section that is included in the tram kit..... No, the tram rails actually run along the width of the street section, so not the same at all ! This means that I shall have to use both street sections to achieve the full length on the baseboard of this diorama.

The two ends of the chassis are now assembled as one piece, and the small gap between the two sections has been filled and sanded down smooth. The chassis is now ready for red primer, and I have applied some black Sharpie along the edges of the door glass parts. So far, I have only completed 10 stages of the assembly instructions, and there are 49 stages in total !

David

[Anglia105E]

Working on the bench seats of this tram car, and also starting some of the brush painting over the red primer parts.

The upper half of the panels on the outside of the tram will be Ochre and the lower half will be Olive Drab.

David

[Anglia105E]

Preparing the two sliding door assemblies for the interior of the tram car. Also, inserted the four glass panes for one of the outer side panels.

Work on this model is being put on hold for a short while, to make way for the Christmas festivities with my family.

Wishing all my fellow MCM members a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year  !!!

David

[Anglia105E]

Managed to get some brush painting done on the floor section of the tram car today. The floorboards are Humbrol Red Brown, and the surrounding areas are Humbrol Olive Drab. . . . . . . This Olive Drab colour will most likely be the lower half of the tram car on the outside, with Ochre for the upper half.

David

[Eric Macleod]

This looks excellent as always. Happy holidays to you!

[Anglia105E]

6 minutes ago, Eric Macleod said:

This looks excellent as always. Happy holidays to you!

Many thanks, Eric. . . . . . and Happy holidays to you and yours !

David

[Anglia105E]

The following photos show the two bench seats painted in a natural wood colour, and placed in their intended positions on the floor section of the tram car.

Each of the two sliding door assemblies has three parts, with the door itself sandwiched between the two outer sections, and painted in the same natural wood colour. There will be some glass window panes to fit the sliding doors, as well as door fittings in black cast iron.

David

[Anglia105E]

Progress on the tram build has been pretty good over the Christmas period. The windows of the central passenger section are in place, also the bench seating and the large side panels. Working on the two sliding doors for the interior, which have some very small parts such as door handles and protective bars across the windows. These small parts are difficult to remove from the sprues without breaking, and even more challenging is the tidying up of the parts where they were connected to the sprue.

Painting the parts as I go along, and using black Sharpie for some parts, including the edges of the glass panes. The parts fit together almost as well as in Tamiya kits and this is a most enjoyable model to build. Lots to do yet, and the bogie wheel assembly that is under the chassis will be quite time consuming and labour intensive. I placed a 1:35 scale MiniArt figure in two of the following photos, to show the realism that can be achieved with this model.

 

David