Food trailer for car show diorama

[Sixties Sam]

Hey, all! I sometimes display my models on a diorama mimicking a downtown car show. I decided to make a food trailer similar to those often seen at car shows. It's all scratch built from sheet, angle, and strip styrene, and parts box stuff. Still under construction, but nearing completion. It's a composite of trailers I've seen online. The roof will be red and removable in case I need to make repairs or changes. I had planned to make the stainless steel counters, etc. from aluminum flashing, but went with styrene and BMF instead. Fun project so far!

[Tom Geiger]

This looks great! I look forward to watching the rest of the build!

[ChrisR]

Cool!!

[Anglia105E]

I really like your food trailer, Sam....... you have done a great job on building that model from scratch, and it will look great once completed. The opening window, the colour scheme and especially the interior of the trailer are just brilliant..... Well done!

David

[Ramfins59]

That's looking great so far Sam.  Will you be scratchbuilding food and/or other detail items, or using some dollhouse items..??

[Sixties Sam]

2 hours ago, Ramfins59 said:

That's looking great so far Sam.  Will you be scratchbuilding food and/or other detail items, or using some dollhouse items..??

I'm looking for food items in the dollhouse section of ebay. Hard to find in 1/24-1/25 scale. Most of it is in 1/12 scale.

Sam

[Ramfins59]

Sam, many years ago I built a Coffee Truck / Food Service Truck and found some interesting and usable items at a "local" Dollhouse & Miniatures store when I was living in NY.  I was able to get both some food items and also some items I was able to use for a Lawn Service Truck that I also built.  You also  might want to check out Scale Equipment Ltd. website.  They have some food items and a few other items that you may want to have in your Truck.  Good luck with your search.  You'll most likely have to wind up scratchbuilding a lot of items, but that's half the fun of working on a project like this.

[Sixties Sam]

Got the roof made. Scalloping done with my wife's pinking shears. Working on fluorescent lights for the ceiling. Still a  lot of details to do.

Sam

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Very cool, are you going to weather it to look like it has seen several years of service?

[misterNNL]

IMHO I would move the wheels inboard as their location would intrude on the customers getting up to the counters at two of the three possible locations.

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Sam!

Wow, it's great, and it wets my appetite!

From one food trailer operator to another: keep on!

CT

[Sixties Sam]

5 hours ago, misterNNL said:

IMHO I would move the wheels inboard as their location would intrude on the customers getting up to the counters at two of the three possible locations.

I thought of that approach. I've seen both inboard and outboard wheels on trailers like this. Serving shelves will be on the outside of the trailer body at the 3 serving windows. They are the same width as the fenders that will be over the wheels, so customers couldn't get any closer than the shelves  are anyway. Outboard wheels saved me from having to make internal wheel wells. I'm lazy!

Sam

[misterNNL]

56 minutes ago, Sixties Sam said:

I thought of that approach. I've seen both inboard and outboard wheels on trailers like this. Serving shelves will be on the outside of the trailer body at the 3 serving windows. They are the same width as the fenders that will be over the wheels, so customers couldn't get any closer than the shelves  are anyway. Outboard wheels saved me from having to make internal wheel wells. I'm lazy!

Sam

Excellent solution to your problem, Be sure to keep us up to date with your progress.

[Rodent]

Motor City Resin Casters offers the Kurbmaster van kit that I think would make a fun food truck build.

You probably already know this, but you may get more results for dollhouse accessories if you look for "1/2 scale" (as in 1/2" to the foot.) We modelers know it as 1/24th but dollhouse folks more commonly call it 1/2 scale.

[Bills72sj]

Cool idea. Following.

[Sixties Sam]

I made lift-off serving shelves for the serving windows. Styrene with 90 deg. angles on the tops to hook over the trailer sides at the base of the windows. I saw photos of a real food trailer with this method of attaching the shelves while making them easily removable. Interior walls are not pink. It's a reflection from the red cabinets below the counters. Looks like Susie's eager to start selling food!

Sam

Edited November 9, 2020 by Sixties Sam

[kilrathy10]

This looks great, Man... Loving all the little details in this one... Very nice...

[Anglia105E]

Those shelves do work really well, Sam.

David

[Sixties Sam]

Window props, taillights, license plate frame, reflectors mounted. Almost done!

[Sixties Sam]

Propane tanks and lines done. Tank rings are .010" styrene rolled in a circle and overlapped and glued, then glued to styrene base. Tanks are resin items.

Sam

[Anglia105E]

Nicely done tanks, Sam..... and I am liking the whole build. Brilliant !

David

[Sixties Sam]

It's done! Posted in the under glass diorama section.

Sam

[landman]

On 11/8/2020 at 10:01 PM, kilrathy10 said:

This looks great, Man... Loving all the little details in this one... Very nice...

X2

[FreddyBass]

You got a very good diorama, and how much time did it take you?

[Mike C.]

Nice! They got a million of these things at Carlisle.