Get to know the classic car model maker who creates small masterpieces in his garden shed

His first foray into film was much earlier, at the age of 10, with an anonymous role in Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky, a fantasy film about a dragon starring Michael Palin and David Prowse (directed by Darth Vader). English recalls, “Dad made all of the armor for Jabberwocky, but they needed someone small to play the knight in the famous battle scene to make the dragon look bigger. That was me, ”he laughs. “I wore reduced armor and swung a sword around uncontrollably.”

With the money from Sword of the Valiant, the English started motorcycle races and participated in events such as the Isle of Man TT. He was seldom out of the saddle: During the week he worked as a dispatch rider in London. On the side he began to build models of two-wheel stars like George Formby and the multiple world champion Mike Hailwood. How did that happen?

He explains, “I was at a movie memorabilia convention with Dad – not my bag, but for his work – and I saw a model builder and thought, ‘I could do this,’ so I bought an Action Man doll and put it on in clay and modeled by Mike Hailwood. I had a few cast in bronze and sold them during the TT races on the Isle of Man. “

In 1994 he moved to Cornwall to work with his father to make armor for films such as First Knight (1995), The 13th Warrior (1999), The Messenger: Jeanne d’Arc (1999) and King Arthur (2004). “All armor was made the traditional way, by hand punching aluminum plates, but we also had to be on set for repairs and dress the stars in their armor. We spent a lot of time away and I loved it, ”says English. “But in 2008 I separated from my partner and had custody of my daughter so that I couldn’t be gone for months.”

The shed – and the models – were the answer. “Fortunately, through my replicas of George Formby and Mike Hailwood, I met a model builder named Javen Smith who inspired me to build a 1: 4 scale Manx Norton racing bike.

Glen limited the 500cc Manx Nortons to 50 – priced at £ 3,250 – and sold out within months. His next model was the AJS 7R – “the most beautiful motorcycle that has ever been built,” he says. It was only a matter of time before he turned his attention to cars. “It’s actually easier to build cars because they’re a lot less complicated than a motorcycle,” he says.

Skill runs through English’s family. His uncle Jim – with whom Glen works occasionally – was involved in designing the 1970s Raleigh Chopper bike for Ogle Design. His cousin Michael Johnson is one of the UK’s leading coppersmiths and owns Cornwall-based Copperworks, with which Glen helped create a coat of arms for the Duke of Westminster for the Defense Medical Rehabilitation Center (DMRC). “Michael called me and explained that the badge was for dogs and I said, ‘You’re kidding, I don’t make animals, I make cars and bikes.’ But Michael said ‘you’ll be fine’ so I tried.

“I was obsessed with studying dogs, however,” says English. “I found myself running after everyone with a dog and saying, ‘Wait, I have to pull your dog’s paws.’ Fortunately, there were also artist drawings of the blackboard that could be worked on.

The plaque is one of several bronzes made for the DMRC and is placed over a statue of Major Sir Robert Jones (1857-1933) – known as “the father of modern orthopedics”.

But now it’s back to the shed. English needs to finish the Alfa before starting work on his new series: a Jim Clark Lotus 25 and a Maserati 4CLT (the racing rival of the Alfa Romeo 158 in the 1950s). He also worked with the Brough Superior motorcycle brand to develop a 1: 4 scale model of the SS100 on which Bert le Vack broke the world record in 1929 at a speed of 129.07 mph.

“I started with the Brough Superior, but I’m learning one part at a time. It’s too worrying to have too many valuable parts on the workbench, ”he says.

The demands of production mean that the next 18 months will be almost entirely shed. But that’s fine; All episodes of Minder are now available on catch-up.

Alfa Romeo 158