Russell C Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 (edited) I figured my Checker Cab diecast collection (1/64, 1/43, 1/32, 1/24, 1/18) could use just a little more zip, so I combined the slotted wheels/tires, chassis, engine & interior out of a Hot Wheels '55 Chevy gasser* with the body of a Hot Wheels Sunshine Cab to get the result below. Overdetailed the replacement moon tank, I suppose, and couldn't resist adding a shift lever to the lackluster interior, but it otherwise looks like the somewhat clunky appearance of what Hot Wheels itself would put out as a gasser taxi. *(not to worry, collectors, I didn't wreck a rare Treasure Hunt blue body version, it was an ebay seller's cheap ordinary '55 gasser with swapped-in slotted wheels) Edited May 1, 2017 by Russell C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelbuilder Mark Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 That's cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedd60 Posted April 18, 2017 Share Posted April 18, 2017 VERY cool!My first job as a mechanic was at a Checker & International Harvester Dealership in Keyport, NJ. a VERY long time ago. Not many folks know that Checkers could be bought as passenger cars and came colors other than yellow. I don't remember any with the exhaust dumping out the front wheel wells!Very rugged and reliable ... the owners loved them.Great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted April 19, 2017 Author Share Posted April 19, 2017 Thanks, gents.Yep, my late father considered buying a 'civilian' one, I still have the dealer brochure. Not especially valuable as a mint collector item since it was heavily folded over, but still entertaining to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedd60 Posted April 19, 2017 Share Posted April 19, 2017 Do you have a Checker 9 Passenger Aerobus in you collection? During the Vietnam War these were almost as ubiquitous as Huey's around military bases. They would haul servicemen between the base and the airport and I rode in them a LOT back in the day. After the war was over, I remember seeing tons of them in junkyards around Fort Dix, NJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted April 20, 2017 Author Share Posted April 20, 2017 Do you have a Checker 9 Passenger Aerobus in you collection? ......Nope, keeping the collection by preference to what might be a typical NYC standard body quad headlight taxi. But I have seen some company's Aerobus collectibles on ebay, usually quite pricey. Managed to snag the 24th scale Franklin Mint one for just $30, missing a few parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) My first job as a mechanic was at a Checker & International Harvester Dealership in Keyport, NJ. a VERY long time ago. That would have been Raritan Garage. I had no idea they were once a Checker dealer. I believe the owners were the Cahill family. I had an uncle Jules who lived in Cliffwood who always had a Checker sedan.. he was a relative to the Cahills, so that now makes a lot of sense!Raritan Garage was behind what was originally a bowling alley on Route 35. It eventually became a car dealership selling AMC, and eventually a Dodge dealer owned by the Straub family. The Raritan Garage building eventually became part of that dealership, but no longer had IH. I bought my 1996 Grand Caravan at that Dodge Dealership (Remsen Dodge). Today it's all gone, the site holds a chain drug store. Edited April 20, 2017 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedd60 Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) That would have been Raritan Garage. I had no idea they were once a Checker dealer. I believe the owners were the Cahill family. I had an uncle Jules who lived in Cliffwood who always had a Checker sedan.. he was a relative to the Cahills, so that now makes a lot of sense!WOW ... what are the chances ... ?When I worked there, your Uncle Jules owned a green one. You are right about the Cahills, Buddy owned the place and his brother (Tom ... no ... it was Artie ... I think) was the shop foreman. I seem to remember that Jules was related to them by marriage. pm on the way ... Edited April 20, 2017 by tedd60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Nice work....Looks pretty cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 (edited) For those who attended GSL 17, you saw 4 entries in the Small Scale class, including my gasser taxi, but only 3 awards were given out. What prevented me from achieving at least 4th place? My model was disqualified. I totally spaced out one of the cardinal GSL building rules: thou shalt not utilize a pre-painted body in any class except Box-Plus, where the specific build-out-of-the box effort involves using the pre-painted body which comes with some kits. It's a rule probably from the beginning of GSL, basically to reward building and finishing, with the original intent of preventing guys with lousy painting skills from hiring a skilled painter to finish the body. Parts/components/bodies (from whatever source) are collected, assembled and paint-finished by the builder, that is the whole idea. What I spaced out is that the Checker taxi in its "Sunshine Cab" livery is a pre-painted body. No worries, I was assuming the small scale class would have as many as 8 to 15 models, and my gasser taxi wouldn't be a contender no matter what. There's no harm or penalty for entering uncompetitive models. My objective, which I achieved via various compliments I got, is that it looked neat and was a fun idea which inspired others to look into doing small quick fun die cast conversions for themselves. Notice also that in the couple of posts above, I inadvertently prompted a couple of guys to get nostalgic about an old Checker dealership. What a fun hobby this is! Edited May 1, 2017 by Russell C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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