Danno

The Revell 30 Ford Woody Wagon kit knocked me out. It is probably the finest stock Model A chassis/running gear kitted. I had to build one. And, by now you've probably figured out my propensity: emergency vehicles. Thus was born the concept of my Model A Fire Department Staff Car. I wanted to build as accurate and detailed a scale model of the wonderful Model A as I could. I began by scratching up the mechanical brake system, bending plastic rod to represent the main brake and emergency brake cranks, cutting plastic bits and brass rods to replicate the actuator rods and levers, and fashioning the tensioner springs from thin brass sheet. Of course, the Model A in 1/25 scale is very delicate and the entire chassis/running gear is painted semi-matte black ... so none of it is noticeable or even very visible! I plumbed and wired the engine, chassis, and all the lighting and wiring harnesses just like the 1:1 in my garage, including fabrication of a switch bale at the end of the steering column. I used a ribbed stainless steel cable to represent the light conduits. The cowl lamps were filled with epoxy tinted transparent red. I used black enameled jewelry wire to represent the ignition cable from the junction box to the distributor, and used fine wire to replicate the choke, ignition, and throttle adjustors. Tiny copper wire was flattened with smooth-jaw pliers to represent the flat copper spark plug connectors and they were installed between the distributor and the spark plugs (yes, wired in proper sequence! LOL). Finally, a small bullet-shaped clear turn signal from the parts box was shaped to serve as the gravity-feed fuel bowl; its interior was reamed out and a dab of clear orange paint on the inside made it appear to be full of gasoline. It was attached to the firewall and bright wire routed from it to the carburetor. I had located a tiny piano hinge from a miniatures source in New England. Unfortunately, I couldn't "see" a picture of it or determine its size; it was advertised as the smallest brass piano hinge anywhere. Because it was pricey, I ordered just one. When it arrived, I saw that it was exactly what I wanted: the perfect diameter to replicate Model A (and Model B, V-8, etc.) butterfly hood hinges! One hinge was enough to do all three sections required for one car. I modified the kit's hood to accept the new hinge and found it worked perfectly, looked absolutely in scale, and functioned exactly as the real thing! I was ecstatic! I promptly sent off an order for four more; then got my mail back ... the company had gone out of business. The hinge they sent me had only their markings and I've never been able to identify their original source! Dang. Back to the model. After hinging the hood and modifying the firewall and radiator to accept the brass hinge pivot, I made decals with dry transfer lettering applied to clear waterslide decal film, then applied the lettering to the hood and cleared it over. The cowl and hood are fire engine red; the fenders black; the roof satin black; the main body was painted to simulate the real car's maple and birch wood with satin black carriage bolts picked out with a paint-laden straight pin. This build is a few years old and the hood hinges have held up well, still functioning just like their 1:1 counterparts. However, the fiddly kit door hinges have given up the ghost and the doors now are fixed permanently rather than being operable. I hope you like this little guy; it is one of my favorite models.

Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate it.

Thanks, Zoli! That's quite a compliment, coming from you. I've always admired your work and aimed to ... well, you know, try to catch up!

Thank you!

THAT cracked me up! Ah, yes. Back when the men were men and the firemen were NUTS!

Okay, here it is. The great, big STUPID error I made when building this rig, is in the markings. The "Rescue 8" program was about the Los Angeles COUNTY Fire Department and I plastered the very attractive but totally wrong Los Angeles CITY seal on the doors! Yikes! I didn't even realize it or think about it until years later when I was researching the "Emergency!" Squad 51 Rescue truck and its history. All of a sudden the big light went on! Holy cow, Batman! Wrong agency markings on the doors of Rescue 8! DUH! Boy, did I feel like an idiot. And yet, over all these years, no one ever noticed it ... or mentioned it if they did. (It has even won a few IPMS awards. At least I got the rivets right, I guess!) I can't tell you how many times I've considered stripping it down to take those LA City seals off ... but then, I've figured WTH. Got along with 'em for all these years, I'll get along with 'em a few more. Now you all know my deepest, darkest secret! Just don't tell Martay! PS: I'm a lot more careful with my project research now! LOL.

Thanks, Tom. I appreciate the compliment. No, the big ... stupid ... error I made ... will be revealed in my next post. Thanks, Neal. I appreciate your comments.

Thanks, Charlie. That's not it; they weren't intended for transportation at all and thus had no accomodation for it. A knock-down military style stretcher would have been a reasonable piece of equipment to include, but that's not my big boo-boo!

Thanks, Gary. The actual truck on the series could have been a long wheel base rig. When I prepped to build the model, I could not find a picture anywhere to save my life (LOL. Old paramedic joke. ) There were no video clips available and no reference material at all. I worked strictly from memory, which contributed to the big error, which I'll reveal in a separate post.

Uh, my head is not THAT big! I have you to keep me humble. More "great" builds coming up! I've already this year quadrupled last year's output: I've built four models this year! Including a fully detailed Edsel! See, I'm on a roll! Stand by. PS: Martay, did you ever get put a license plate on your police car? Hee, hee, hee.

Thanks for the kind comments, guys! You are too kind.

Just to make Harry shudder a little: FD New York open cab ladder truck. And by the way ... I declare: THAT IS NUTS!

Remember that back in those days, there wasn't much in the way of electronics and electrical circuits were primarily contained within the dashboard; in open cabs, the dash had additional weatherproofing. It wasn't much different than open touring cars. They were built for it. Floors were diamond plate, rubber mats; seats were leather or vinyl; drainage accomodations were built-in. Seemed almost silly, but our ALF had great windshield wipers! LOL. We also had a closed cab engine, and if heavy rain or snow was a real issue, it went and the open cab stayed home. But since we were in a relatively moderate climate, that didn't happen often. I don't think open cabs were a big seller in Seattle or the northern (winter) states, although I've seen photos of open cab trucks with rudimentary canvass canopies ... completely encased in ice during a winter fire. Ugh! As I said, it was another era ... bygone. And in the context of today, with GPS navigation systems, laptops, sophisticated communications systems, onboard printers, intercom systems, defibrillators, EKGs, scopes, scanners, telemetry, and all the electronic equippage carried to emergency scenes, there is just no way an open cab apparatus could exist. Good question! Hope this helps.

Thanks, Harry. Well, open cabs were more common than closed cabs in the early days of firefighting, and many carried over as "tradition" for many years. Initially it had to do with the extra cost of all that additional metal. And, the "traditional" view that real fire trucks didn't need no silly tops. Eventually, health/welfare in cold climates and safety considerations prevailed and open cabs faded away. Closed cabs made more sense, of course, from both weather/environment considerations and pure stuctural strength aspects (driving an open cab fire engine over undulating surfaces generated a symphony of groans, creaks, clangs, and bangs! Picture driving a 13-ton convertible). As far as rain and other inclement weather is concerned, firefighters in open cab apparatus did what they had to do; we couldn't reschedule alarms for sunny days. Besides, we already had on heavy waterproof protective clothing and helmets with visors; who needed a roof? Ha! We scoffed at inclement weather! Even when it was 10 or 15 below zero. Did we miss open cabs when they passed? Yeah, right. They went the way of dinosaurs and won't be back. Engine 4 was the last open cab that our department had. PS: Remind me to tell you the story about passing a highway patrol trooper on the interstate in a downpour while driving an open cab '34 Ford V-8 fire engine well in excess of the limit. Hey, it was wet out there! (He just shook his head and bailed at the next exit. Firemen!)

Eh, a little artistic license. They did have a few special detail cars with Vision bars but the regular patrol units had older Force 4x and Code 3 bars. For decals, check policecarmodels.com.

See there? I said the d@#g thing was older than some of our modelers!! Jeeez, it's even older than the Moonlight Modelers Club by two years! LOL. No offense taken by your (ahem) pink glitter firetruck. It takes a sense of humor to survive a career of emergency service. Don't forget my Coddington County Fire Rod; I would have no room to complain!

Thanks for the props, guys. John, you are way too generous! Coming from you, that's QUITE a compliment! Start building again, Mark? There may be a rumor to that effect, but no one's been able to prove it. Now that I'm semi-retired (or something similar), it might just happen. Stay tuned.

"800 Hour Towing?" I've heard of 24 hour towing but 800 hour towing? That's a lonnnggg work week!

Whoops! Found another pic!

Another older build. If you are old enough to remember the mid-50's television programs such as "Highway Patrol," "Dragnet," "M-Squad," "Sky King," "Whirlybirds," and the like, then you'll remember "Rescue 8." "Rescue 8" was a TV series that featured two Los Angeles County firemen who drove a white panel truck and responded to rescue emergency calls. The show ran for about three seasons and ended in 1958. It was widely credited as the inspiration for the later series "Emergency!" The primary star of "Rescue 8" was Jim Davis, who later portrayed Jock Ewing on "Dallas." As a youngster, I never missed an episode. "Rescue 8" was one of the early influences that led me to the fire service calling. This build was conceived a long time ago (I don't want to say how long ago!) when I encountered a couple of Shawn Carpenter resin bodied models at a show in Denver. They knocked me out. I had never seen "resin" aftermarket bodies before, and these were among his first to hit the market. I immediately knew I had to have one, and I had to build "Rescue 8." I tracked down Shawn Carpenter and bought the body. It was several years later that I finally got around to starting the project. I spent hours cutting open the rear doors and weeks trying to get the hinging right. I built and fully detailed the AMT '55 Chevy Cameo chassis and Carpenter's interior tub. The idea of a fully-stocked rescue truck presented a dilemma: display it body-on and no one sees the detailed interior, yet, display it body-off and no one gets the overall effect. I settled on building it so that the body could easily be lifted off for display either way. The body was finished with a fender siren, beacon, and L.A. "can" lights from the JoHan Plymouth Police Pursuit kit. Decals were sourced from that kit, the AMT pumper kit, and a military lettering sheet. The whip antenna and AM radio antenna were scratched from guitar string and other bits and pieces. The grille was opened from behind for the proper 'see-through' effect. The shelving rack was scratched from plastruct angles, sheets, and plastic mesh. Appliances, equipment, and tools were scratched from various materials, or modified from various parts box components. Portable lighting, spooled extension cord, rope, chain come-alongs, helmets, block-and-tackle hoist, K-12 rescue saw kit, tool boxes, fire extinguishers, first aid trauma box, and oxygen bottles are stored on and around the shelving. Hobby store chain was dumped into a rescue bucket. A rescue tool, fire extinguisher, axe, and pike pole are mounted to the opposite wall of the interior tub. The two-way radio transceiver is mounted to the floor behind the passenger seat. A map book on the front seat compliments the detailed radio and lights/siren controls on the dash. This model was built prior to the common availability of aftermarket resin and photoetch sources for emergency vehicle stuff. Interestingly, I made one HUGE mistake in this build. I didn't even realize it until several years later ... when I was helping take care of the Rescue 51 truck from "Emergency!" That got me interested in its history and researching it led to recognition of the stupid error that no one else had ever noticed ~~ or at least, had politely not commented on. While there may likely be many build errors or faults, there is one big faux pas in my replication of this vehicle. Know what it is?

This is the oldest build I have. Like many, I built as a child, I built as a teenager, I built as a young adult, then resumed the hobby again later in life ... with gaps between each of those periods of building. This is the only model I have from any of my earlier eras. There are many of you who post here that probably weren't even born yet: this model was built in 1977. It's been damaged a couple of times and restored, but never rebuilt or updated. What you see is how it was finished 33 years ago! It is an AMT American LaFrance 900 Series pumper built to replicate the 1969 ALF 900 that I trained on as a young firefighter. It was built with the materials and supplies available at that time, including enamel paint, silver trim paint - no BMF, and no photoetch or resin aftermarket parts. I cut the roof off to replicate our open cab engine. The door markings were created by trimming out each individual letter from the kit's decal sheet and arranging them one at a time on the model. The hose lay was created with shoe laces of proper size. The booster reel lines were replicated with red-insulated single conductor electrical wire. It has various appliances, extinguishers, and tools from kits or scratched; all to replicate the equippage on the actual engine. I've long entertained the idea of building a new version ~~ a build with the advantages of all the new technology ~~ just to kind of demonstrate the 'then vs now' advances in modeling. Who knows?

Here's another long-ago build. It was a Lindberg Crown Victoria in period-correct Phoenix Police markings. It featured accurate PPD markings, radio and lighting equipment, radar, and LoJack tracker. The antennaes were scratched from guitar string and plastic; they represent a computer telemetry UHF antenna, two VHF voice antennaes, and a four-antenna LoJack tracker array. The push bumpers were scratched from brass strip and thin foam. I only have two pictures of this model, both table shots, no closeups and the other picture is blurry! This model was displayed once, at a COPPERSTATE Model Car Championship here in Phoenix; it won its class. A wealthy police buff saw it and decided he had to have it. He hounded me until I agreed to sell it to him for a handsome number (I actually thought I priced it high enough to discourage him. Not.) But, I've regretted it ever since. I planned to build another just like it, right away. That's been YEARS and it hasn't happened yet. Wish I had this one back. I haven't sold a model since, because I learned from this one -- they're too much 'me' and I can't part with them!

I've been reorganizing photos and images, and have a few builds that haven't been "Under Glass" before. Since I have the rep of being the king of unfinished projects, I thought I'd toss a few out here. Some of the following posts are older builds, like this one. This is a 1956 Studebaker Commander 2door sedan, decked out in period-correct Kansas Highway Patrol markings. The body is a resin All American Models mastered by Juha Airo. An AMT '53 Studebaker kit was a parts donor, supplying the engine, drivetrain, running gear, and major chassis sections. It is fully detailed with wired and plumbed engine and compartment, fuel line to the tank; battery and solenoid, generator, and under-hood siren wiring; heater hoses, etc. Paint is KHP grey over KHP blue. The upholstery features ScaleMaster pattern decals. I photo-reduced the Studebaker emblems for hood and trunk, and BMFd all the trim. The beacon was sourced from a Johan kit, the spotlight was modified from a parts box driving light, the rear deck light was parts box sourced, and the whip antenna was created from a kit CB antenna base, a map pin, a photo-etched flange, and guitar string shaft. I took this model along when I attended my first Moonlight Modelers Club meeting; the theme was "50's Cars." I joined that night, and I was more than surprised when this model was selected as the theme winner that night! I was again pleasantly surprised when this model was featured in Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine and appeared in Model Cars Magazine.

That's a helluva big kit.

Wow! Tommy, great build. I missed it earlier, but glad I caught up with it now. Excellent interior and the engine is sweet. Looking forward to the finished product.