London Airport Northside retro 200 update - Page 2

Retroguy · 03-07-2012, 08:10 PM

Good Morning Graham, Gents !
Heres one of the most important buildings in the Northside, the Passenger building, departures and arrivals, the "Concrete Building" !
Textures are photoreal from another similar building we saw when we visited the BEA Herald, look at those office windows!

Sorry about the quality of the pictures, its past 1 AM here, and just finished this, still a few more details to go, like more textures, still have to make the porches, the flag poles...just wanted to tease you guys and hope you like this so far Graham !
See you next week, hopefully !!!!
yours,
rc

Graham Bridges · 03-08-2012, 03:56 AM

Rui, Its looking really marvellous. Those top windows work a treat. This really is the most important key building on the whole ramp so fantastic to see it coming together. Thanks a zillion buddy.

Graham

Dakota · 03-08-2012, 03:13 PM

Hello Retroguy & Graham,

Very impressive layout building and so exclusive. As propliner fanatic this is like a time machine. Propliner Magazine (UK) is very good reference.

Keep up the sterling work, look forward to see progress. TXS

cheers,
Fernand - Belgium

Graham Bridges · 03-08-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakota

Hello Retroguy & Graham,

Very impressive layout building and so exclusive. As propliner fanatic this is like a time machine. Propliner Magazine (UK) is very good reference.

Keep up the sterling work, look forward to see progress. TXS

cheers,
Fernand - Belgium

Thank you for your encouragement. When I go in to my airport room it is indeed my time machine

Adrian · 03-08-2012, 06:30 PM

Hello Guys

Ah another dose of nostalgia and what a superb job you've done there Rui. Alas I'm too young (cough!) to have seen that building in real life!

norhtwah · 03-08-2012, 08:26 PM

Great stuff!!!

Graham Bridges · 03-09-2012, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian

Hello Guys

Ah another dose of nostalgia and what a superb job you've done there Rui. Alas I'm too young (cough!) to have seen that building in real life!

Hi Adrian, glad you're liking it. I remember that pic of you on the roof gardens with the Loftleidder 6 in the background. From the roof gardens the view of this concrete building was like this, Did you have your bins with you that day

Adrian · 03-09-2012, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Bridges

Hi Adrian, glad you're liking it. I remember that pic of you on the roof gardens with the Loftleidder 6 in the background. From the roof gardens the view of this concrete building was like this, Did you have your bins with you that day

Yes Graham, but I was too busy spotting reggies and at that tender age, I was not aware of Heathrow's history and that building was still in use.

Graham Bridges · 03-09-2012, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian

Yes Graham, but I was too busy spotting reggies and at that tender age, I was not aware of Heathrow's history and that building was still in use.

I still have my log books and Ian Allen books (plus I have collected most of the older spotter books as well now). Fun to look at my own tatty originals though. Have you still got yours ?

ralph morton · 03-10-2012, 05:03 AM

Graham

Your model airport just keeps getting better and better. 1-200 really works well with the propliner era!

Ralph

Adrian · 03-10-2012, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham Bridges

I still have my log books and Ian Allen books (plus I have collected most of the older spotter books as well now). Fun to look at my own tatty originals though. Have you still got yours ?

But of course, I have all my Ian Allan Civil Aircraft Markings books from 1960 to '67. Before I seriously got into photography, these were my only record of spotting and recording sightings and I love looking back on them.

Graham Bridges · 03-12-2012, 08:57 PM

Here are pics of the final mock=up if the concrete terminal. Rui was in town today and brought the printed texture sheets with him. We went to ARD where he did his usual photo shoot, and then on to my place where we textured my back up concrete terminal (the final deluxe build being back in Portugal where Rui took it 2 weeks ago).

These textures are so cool, really beinging the whole area to life. Hope you like it. Hoping to get the deluxe version of the concrete terminal back duly finished by the artiste himself, in a few weeks time.

Then on to the Departure Lounge !

Dakota · 03-13-2012, 05:19 AM

Very impressive buildings, I prefer this home made efforts.
Not those lengths of ready made modern airport facilities they all look the same....
(Maybe it's my age °1957)

Graham Bridges · 03-13-2012, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakota

Very impressive buildings, I prefer this home made efforts.
Not those lengths of ready made modern airport facilities they all look the same....
(Maybe it's my age °1957)

Glad you like it. I must admit that when I started I had no idea it would go in this direction. Neat example of evolution. In case you want to try this yourself we find this is the best way. I make a full scale hand drawn sketch mock up of each texture face, then Rui goes all techy and builds it up on screen with different imorted window/door textures. Straight comparison here of before and after magic.

Dakota · 03-14-2012, 03:53 AM

As a professional draughtsman I can see this is the best way to do. Do you have drawings of those buildings or is it based on pictures?

Graham Bridges · 03-14-2012, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakota

As a professional draughtsman I can see this is the best way to do. Do you have drawings of those buildings or is it based on pictures?

No drawings available as far as I know. My rough visuals are done to a guess calculation of size based on my memory and loads of ramp photo backgrounds. Aerial shots are a big help because you can estimate (as with the concrete terminal) length as 2.3 x DC-6 wing spans.

We are in the habit of spotting doors and windows on old buildings and taking photos for future use. Definitely build up your own library of window/door textures.

More recent structures of course you may have access to the drawings. Rui has made a 200 scale model of the Heathrow tower for me. He had all the drawings for this and photographed all his own window and brick textures.

Retroguy · 03-14-2012, 11:15 AM

looks so good if I may say so myself

all these buildings and sheds are starting to make sense now...textures are really helping !
more photos :

the master teaching his pupil on how things were in those days, and how to replicate them into 1:200 !

some aerial views:

Graham Bridges · 03-18-2012, 11:09 AM

Hey Rui, see my press agent before you publish another pic of me. Lower view point next time please, it lessens the impact of the solar panel !

Graham Bridges · 05-18-2012, 01:42 PM

Got around to adding the southern strip of the base which is the east - West taxi way through the whole of the "North Side" ramp. Grass added, plus the 5 extra parking stands where in real life anythong longer than a DC-4 would have to hang its tail over the grass at back in order to clear the taxi way.

So this is the North side ramp in its entirety in 200 scale. Pretty basic compared to LHR 2012 eh ?

For More pics of LAP North side model follow this link:

http://s1167.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

Istari · 05-18-2012, 06:22 PM

This is beautiful, will you be bringing it to the meet in July? Would love to see it! I'll be bringing some models and a couple of small dioramas I think

Graham Bridges · 06-24-2012, 03:30 PM

I'm going to try and bring it. I need a van though. Will ask Geoff Noble nicely.

So here we are at 24th June 2012. 3 years on from the inception 0f Northside model. Just created and installed a mark 2 version of textures for the departure lounge which are much better than my first lame attempt. Hopefully Rui can work his magic again and use this as a reference for the final totally photo realistic version, as he did with the concrete terminal, when his schedule permits.

Have added new pics to photobucket album

London Airport North model 200 scale pictures by conniefreak - Photobucket

Graham Bridges · 07-08-2012, 04:53 PM

July 8th 2012. Have spent some time working on the passenger arrivals area and Airline sheds.

EGPFGLA · 07-08-2012, 05:05 PM

Amazing work!!!! Best representaion on the golden age of flying i have ever seen!

Dakota · 07-09-2012, 02:29 AM

Perfect modelling of a bygone era. Are those vehicles Oxford Diecast 1:160?

Graham Bridges · 07-09-2012, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EGPFGLA

Amazing work!!!! Best representaion on the golden age of flying i have ever seen!

Thank you for the compliment. I have no natural modelling skills and am usually blessed with impatience ! However it seems if one has the strong enough will to see something happen, then...it just does ! Amazed myself at what can be done, and of course I have been helped and encouraged by Rui.

Graham Bridges · 07-09-2012, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dakota

Perfect modelling of a bygone era. Are those vehicles Oxford Diecast 1:160?

Yes they are in this area. 1:200 GSE on the airside but got away with 160th here. It seems to work well and they don't look too big compared to the buildings. Dunno how that works, but it does ! BEA bedford truck is a repaint of a German Opel. A couple of white metal Austin 7 vehicles. Western GSE jeep which is in fact far bigger than 200. Plus the resin solid Bedford coach/bus. Most others are as you say Oxford diecasts, which do look a tad too large on the airside.