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1930s Portable Gramophone


Natter

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Good morning All, it has been a while since I posted a Phoenix Models kit but I have complete another one as a break from my current Fairey Rotodyne build.  Many of us are blessed with significant others who understand, appreciate or simply accept our hobbies.  Some of us have significant others whose own hobbies include Dolls' Houses and their associated items; a hobby that can quickly become far more expensive than our own.  My (much) better half encourages my hobby and on occasions I assist with hers, as in this case.  Phoenix produce a wide range of white metal kits in 1:12 scale for the Dolls' House sector, of which this is one.

 

The kit itself is fairly simple, requiring the usual clean up that any white metal kit will require before starting the build.  This is what you get in the bagged kit along with the simple, hand drawn, exploded diagram instruction sheet which also has a written explanation of the assembly sequence.

 

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I based my colour scheme on a couple of photos found on the internet, these portable gramaphones are not exactly rare items, rather than follow the suggested scheme from the instruction sheet.  I should have muted the sheen of the case, but hey-ho.  By chance we had two models of the gramophone, and this one has a scratch built carry handle and winding handle to replace the items misplaced over the years, based on the internet photos more than the parts in the second kit.

 

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The records are photo etch brass from a separate Phoenix set and are quite thick; well they seem thick for those of us used to using 1/72 Eduard items for model planes anyway.  These were sprayed with etch primer, then Mr Color semi-gloss black and finally given a coat of Klear for the centre decal labels to be applied.

 

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To give you an idea of size in this scale I put a pound coin with the last photo.

 

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Thank you for stopping by to look.

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That looks great, Dave @Natter, beautifully built and presented. Love the accurate representation of the record labels.

I'm sure your [much] better half will give it pride of place in one of her dolls houses.

 

I still have my 1-1 HMV Picnic model, the last remnant of a collection of horn and other wind up gramophones, the bulk of which were left behind when we left for Oz in the late 60's.

Still have my late Dad's collection of jazz 78's [he was a noted and recorded dance band pianist between the wars] plus a stack that I've collected over the years and periodically they get an airing on the gram to the great amusement of the grand-sprogs. 

Your model is a vast improvement on my dog-eared example !

Rog

 

 

 

 

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That’s lovely, Dave... it looks exactly like one I inherited as a lad, liberated from the loft. Goodness only knows how often I wound it up and listened to “Sparky’s Magic Piano.” At seven I wasn’t up for the Beethoven Symphonies spread over half a dozen discs. Boy, they were hefty. I assume the etched brass records play if you turn them at 6 1/2 rpm...

 

Did you have to make the label decals or do they come with the kit?

 

A lovely build of an unusual subject!

best,

M.

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That is quite brilliant. We had one like that when I was a kid, a mix of kids records & 30-40s songs my Dad used to like. The only one I can remember with certainty was "Yes, we have no bananas", hell, I can still remember most of the words. Little tins of gramaphone needles, change it when it got too scratchy. Eventually the spring succumbed to over enthusiastic winding. :( , replaced by an electric thing which would take a stack of LPs.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.  :)

Steve

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20 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Did you have to make the label decals or do they come with the kit?

M.

Hi Matt, I wanted to get a photo for the reply, hence the delay.  The records (Phoenix set DH-111) come with included decals for HMV, Colombia, Rex, Decca and something I can't identify for the smaller record.  Also included are some record sleeves which have to be cut out and glued, which will be todays little distraction from the madnesss of the world.

 

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Brilliant Dave. The Pheonix  kits are excellent.

 

The boss has sold here houses and is now doing room boxes (correction I am) 

 

Keep up the good work

 

Dick

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