London Black Cab by Aoshima: WIP

[David G.]

20 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

As you say, not a lot of chrome on the taxi cab, so minimal BMF work to do . . . Nice work on the door cards, and I agree, loads better than bare plastic. Those four exterior door handles look a bit tricky for BMF . . .

David W.

Thank you much David.

The outer door handles I think I'll paint with Molotow but that's still under consideration.

 

12 hours ago, Steve H said:

Nice progress David, looks like you’re getting close…

Thank you Steve. I feel like I'm in the sprint toward the finish line on this one, hoping of get it wrapped by year's end.

=D-

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's the next update for the London Black Cab.

In my last build session I managed to get all of the bright bits foiled. Thankfully, there weren't many to do.

 

 

I also got about half of the window surrounds painted flat black to simulate the rubber seals around the windows.

 

 

It may not seem like much but it it a whole session's worth of work.

I promise!  

Until next time, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to share your thoughts.

David G.  
 

[mustang1989]

Between this one and the Black Widow you're working on, it looks like you've got more than enough to keep you busy at the bench Dave. 

Such a cool build here with details aplenty. Your paint work looks great as well bud. 

Edited December 9, 2024 by mustang1989

[David G.]

7 minutes ago, mustang1989 said:

Between this one and the Black Widow you're working on, it looks like you've got more than enough to keep you busy at the bench Dave. 

Such a cool build here with details aplenty. Your paint work looks great as well bud. 

Thank you very much Joe, I appreciate that.

I'm also working on the old Monogram Cord 812 kit too!

Cheers!

David G.

[mustang1989]

Just now, David G. said:

Thank you very much Joe, I appreciate that.

I'm also working on the old Monogram Cord 812 kit too!

Cheers!

David G.

  You are a true WILDMAN Dave. 

[David G.]

1 minute ago, mustang1989 said:

  You are a true WILDMAN Dave. 

Naw, just tryin' to stay out of trouble.

=D-

[mustang1989]

Just now, David G. said:

Naw, just tryin' to stay out of trouble.

=D-

 This is one way of doing just that FO SHO Dave. 

[Bugatti Fan]

Nice further progress on the London Taxi.

Chromework looks good now applied. The overall black finish on your cab looks really good too David.

Now that someone has already done a London Cab, I am surprised that no kit manufacturer has ever produced that other iconic taxi, the Checker Cab to my knowledge. Maybe someone has done one as a 3D printed kit? I have a feeling that Franklyn Mint or someone similar may have produced a Checker Cab in 1/24th scale as a fully built die cast model.

[David G.]

 

 

3 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Nice further progress on the London Taxi.

Chromework looks good now applied. The overall black finish on your cab looks really good too David.

Now that someone has already done a London Cab, I am surprised that no kit manufacturer has ever produced that other iconic taxi, the Checker Cab to my knowledge. Maybe someone has done one as a 3D printed kit? I have a feeling that Franklyn Mint or someone similar may have produced a Checker Cab in 1/24th scale as a fully built die cast model.

Thank you Noel, I'm pleased with how it's all going so far.

A Checker? I would love to have one of those! Both IRL and in scale. I had a chance to buy a Marathon many years ago but the seller was asking $10,000!

In 1989! 😮 

It was in rough shape. It barely ran. And I was dirt-poor. Which was probably a good thing because even at that time I didn't think it was a good purchase.

I always thought of the London Taxi and the Checker Cab as two sides of the same coin. Trans-Atlantic equivalents as it were.

 Thanks again for your comment Noel.

=D-

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Another build session, another update!

I finished painting the flat black around the windows before installing the side glass and partition.

 

 

There's a little cleanup to do on the side glass (isn't there always?) before installing the front and rear windows.

 

 

This installation is also a test fit to make sure that the partition glass and compartment divider align properly with one another. I did have to make a little adjustment.

 

 

As a bonus, look what I found the other day in Forza Horizon 4!

I wish my paint looked this good!  

 

That's all for now. 

David G.
 

[Anglia105E]

Good work on the door glass David G., and I like those tyres . . . Always tricky with clear plastic parts, as we have found previously !

I saw your photo that shows the old barn building, and I know what you mean about the similarity with the barn roof and the Model T bonnet . . .

David W.

[David G.]

Thank you David.

I managed to get the rest of the glass installed and cleaned up yesterday and a good number of other things accomplished. The build's mostly done now and I hope to have some photos to post tomorrow.

=D-

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I'm quickly approaching the finish line with this build. Here are the results of my most recent build session.

I've installed the front and rear glass and did a touchup of the flat black around the windows.

 

 

From this view, one can see the marginal quality of the window castings, most noticeable by the distortion when looking through the rear window. What doesn't show as well is the haze and streakiness of the glass. I managed to polish most of that out but it's still there.

 

That's all for this round. As always, thanks for following along and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[slusher]

Glass looks nice David!

[Bainford]

Looking good, David. The flat black window trim is a nice touch.

And a little late, but great work on the interior. Those door cards look just right.

[David G.]

10 hours ago, slusher said:

Glass looks nice David!

Thank you Carl.

 

8 hours ago, Bainford said:

Looking good, David. The flat black window trim is a nice touch.

And a little late, but great work on the interior. Those door cards look just right.

Thank you Trevor. 

Yeah, I just couldn't leave that raw plastic showing when I could do something simple to cover it up.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Good news! It looks like I'll this one completed for EOY.

Most of the ancillaries have been finished and put in their places so this build is effectively completed.

 

 

I just have a few more of the "buttons & bows" to add then get it cleaned and prepped for the final photo shoot.  One more build session should do it.

The next time you see this one it'll be in the "Under Glass" section.

 

My personal thanks to all of you who followed along and provided your encouragement, suggestions and support.

David G.

[stitchdup]

your taxi has reminded me off one on the island i grew older on. the north ronaldsay bird observatory used one for ringing birds after their 70s fiat van crumbled away. it was in the lairds garden almost hidden by flower bushed but at one point it had the highest number of non native species ringed. i remember even as a child noticing how thick the metal was on the doors. i'll have to hunt out some pics

[Anglia105E]

Congratulations David G., and what an excellent result . . . These older London Taxi Cabs are much more interesting than the modern ones.

David W.

[David G.]

23 hours ago, stitchdup said:

your taxi has reminded me off one on the island i grew older on. the north ronaldsay bird observatory used one for ringing birds after their 70s fiat van crumbled away. it was in the lairds garden almost hidden by flower bushed but at one point it had the highest number of non native species ringed. i remember even as a child noticing how thick the metal was on the doors. i'll have to hunt out some pics

That sounds delightful Les. I imagine that these cars were put to any number of alternate uses over the years.

I'd love seeing any photos you may have, please feel free to post them here.

=D-

 

21 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

Congratulations David G., and what an excellent result . . . These older London Taxi Cabs are much more interesting than the modern ones.

David W.

Thank you so much David. You should see it now that I've cleaned it up a bit.

In the next few days I should have time to get out the lights and tripod for a proper photo set.

I agree with you on the older taxis, I feel the same way about the old Checker cabs here in the States. There's just more character in the design. More personality.

=D-

[slusher]

Cab looks fantastic!

[David G.]

4 minutes ago, slusher said:

Cab looks fantastic!

thank you kindly Carl!

=D-

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I've wrapped this one up and have begun posting photos in the "Under Glass" section, here's a link.

 

Thank you so much to all of you who offered your support and guidance during this build. I do appreciate your being there.

David G.