Chariots of Fire

I use craft wire and bead wire all the time. Some is mylar coated and looks great for winch cable. The brass and copper wire are good as well as the solder wire. All are soft and bend easily but once bent hold their shape. Paper clip wire is too heavy and not easy to bend as has been suggested.

That's a good tip! I have some of those wiggle eyes and could use them on a Ford hardtop I got from Tom Coolidge years ago! Thanks!!!

That is special, Tom. Been following along so keep us posted on your progress. Great lines and all of the appropriate little things!

IMHO If it doesn't come in a kit and you have to manufacture it, that's scratch building, plain and simple. Doesn't matter how you do it or what materials you use. The extent to which one does scratch building is strictly up to that person. It was said quite well further up this post that if the work is done sloppily it doesn't matter whether it was scratch built or kit built. The result is still the same. Workmanship is what makes the difference.

Paint the fenders and hood black on that Ford dump in the background and you will have a good Mass Highway rig from the 60's.😊

Got the revised cab back from AITM so work is started on this build. Reo is set aside for the moment until I can come up with a reasonable frame. The Sterling will have some new tires based on an old casting that I had. Just a road tire but is 41" diameter and takes a regular AMT rim set. The tire is a bit narrower than the modern tires and casts up nicely. The frame is mocked up for now but is set for a 153" wheel base.

Duplicolor GM Dark Jade Green

That's one reason I like it also, Kurt. I remember these going by the house when I was a boy of 8 or 9. Letting off the gas let the chains slack off as well and it was a neat sound.

A couple of photos of the first pop in color. Just a trial actually to see what flaws there might be. Not many but some little things that might need tweeking. Just a curbside at this point. And not even really up on all 6's yet.

I was asked about Seagrave fire apparatus models and in particular about one that I build back around 1990. I had seen this rig at a fire muster in New York, took some photos and ended up building the model after getting a resin casting from Mike Eisenbrenner at the Toledo Toy Show. The Great Lakes Model Fire Apparatus Association hosted a show and then NNL held a show on Saturday nite. The model is 1/25 scale, although I think Mike advertised it as 1/24. I cut the top off and did the rest of the building from scratch. It was pictured in SAE shortly thereafter and the River Edge Fire Company asked if I would build one for them. So a second one was built and is, to the best of my knowledge, still on display at their firehouse. I took this one so you can see that I actually did built two. The one with the flag on the antenna is the one that went to New Jersey. The last one is a model of a typical Detroit rig. The number on the side indicates that it was built in 1997. Finally this one was constructed a number of years ago as representing a typical Nashville, TN rig. They used several Seagrave apparatus and this one in particular. It is 1/32 scale. The tractor is scratch built. The trailer is a Franklin Mint piece that originally came with a Seagrave cab forward tractor. At the time I sent the nose and front bumper out to Chrome Tech to be plated. Wish they were still in business! Tires came from the stash and the wheels are from the Aurora California Fire Truck kit that was 1/32 scale.

Here's what Renshape can do. Front fenders are carved from it. Some rear fenders from the block of porch railing stock shown here. The latter is not quite as dense and takes a bit more primer to fill but it still works the same. The hood, hood sides and fenders are Renshape on this '53 Reo. I printed out a fender profile, glued it to the Renshape and sanded the profile on a disk sander. Same for the hood and hood sides. Hand sanding is a breeze. Not only that, it carves easily and cleanly. I carved the REO letters first on my small drill press using the cross slide to hold the Renshape and a small milling bit. Then each letter was removed individually with a razor saw and glued in place. Here is another example of carving for fenders using Renshape. This time for an International Loadstar. Same as with the Reo and Maxim. Fender profile printed out first onto a flat blank of Renshape and rough sanded. Final shaping with a Dremel, some files and sandpaper. Be prepared for a lot of dust, though, when using the Dremel, or even when hand sanding. A minimum of primer/filler prepares the surface for paint. Really great stuff!

You got me remembering things. I few years ago I did some surgery on my '50 Chevy. This is the way it came out. Cab extended, front bumper from the '99 Chev.

Got a present in the mail this morning. Timely! B-day coming up. Anyway, as promised here is the '53 Reo cab with interior bucket, dash, steering wheel and column, fenders, running boards and bumper. The inside door panels were cast in place and are used to snap the dashboard in where it belongs. The openings in the grill are just skimmed over so opening them up is real easy with an Xacto knife and a small file for finish.

It's quite possible we have met, Tom. I've been going to NNL East for a number of years. I should have started making a list of all of the people I have met there but sadly I have not. If we have the opportunity to do so again I hope that we can.

AND! it is only $19.95! If you order now we will send you a second one Free! Just pay an extra fee.😆 Like $19.95??????

That's pretty cool, Tom! Where do the nice bearings come from? I do similar things with brass tubing.

have you got a 3D computer program along with the printer?

Got word that the first resin casting of the Reo has been done and is on its way here. I'll post pics as soon as it arrives. And I sent back the revised Sterling cab and hood. So the short version may be available at AITM as well.

Looking forward to the next photos. Glad there is an interest in replicating that rig again. Our whole family would sit in front of the TV back in the day and watch each episode without fail. Kids were young so baths would be done and PJ's were the attire.

😊👍

that is nice! What a great touch....the open ash tray! Love it!

Have not used 91% alcohol so I don't know how it would react to the paint. I have used oven cleaner on occasion but not that much. The results will depend on whether the agent you are using reacts with the paint. Some paints like Duplicolor don't like to come off. Whereas model paints like Testors or Model Master will come off with little effort. Hope things work for you.

They look ok to me. If you can re-do the cab I think you have a shot at a good rig. If you are able to strip it make sure you wash it good with soap and water afterward. Any little bit of paint remover left will ruin what you are trying to do.

I think that is doable. You have a template of the windshield area so it means you can get the correct outside shape. If you can apply the technique I suggested you should be able to get some results. What will you do first, glue in the blank that is in the windshield area and then use the template?

Chalk it up to a bad day and move on. If it's soft and rubbery there's not much that can salvage it. Must have been a bad mix to start with.