Chariots of Fire

Thanks for the comments, guys. Much appreciated. It was a lot of fun bringing the build to the Forum.

I like the combination of the IH cab with the body from the Peterbilt kit. Nice work! But that guy loafing in the crew compartment? Better get his butt in gear! And I think the pump operator (PO) charged the line a bit to soon!? It adds some real life experiences for some of us!? Eh, Danno?

What excellent work! Beautifully finished to look faded but well taken care of. That's not easy to accomplish without some practice.

Ok. Here are a few more. 1/32 scale Volvo and two Monogram Mack bodies spliced together. At least a 30 year old build. Mack AC pumper using one of the 1926 AC kits. Scratch built body. Was part of a series of 6 AC rigs built by 6 different builders and showcased in SAE several years ago as part of a fictional story of the life of the AC in the Village of Tremont. Just some fun with a Modelhaus cab and some Evergreen sheet along with a portion of a Mack AC tank. Front mount Darley pump is scratch built. This rig was designed and patented by one of the District Foresters of the Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation in 1939. Locally it was known as "the Sled" for obvious reasons. The nose is a resin copy of the open cab 1938 Ford pumper from Signature and the cab itself was a Ron Cash casting. The rest of the construction is scratch built. It was in use at the same time as the Ford Woodie was in use as noted in the photo above. Here's the Detroit FD 1962 Seagrave that Greg Smith mentioned. It is a Mike Eisbrenner resin casing modified with a brass hood. Both the hood and doors are hinged to open. The number 97 above the small pump panel indicates the year it was built. The photoetch Seagrave script on the nose and rear fenders are old McKeans pieces.

Man!! Who's that ugly guy behind the table! Tell him to take a smiley pill!?

Here are some others. Some build a long time ago and some are more recent. This one was built using the Matchbox rig as a pattern. I used Scotch reflective tape on the larger one, made up decals on the ALPS printer and painted it with a bright yellow/green that was most difficult to polish out. The brush truck is a 1/32 scale piece built using the old Renwall military wrecker kit. The local FD still has the real one in service. The Loadstar dump has been posted before. AITM has the master for the cab in resin. Some day I'll build a plow to place beside it. This Ford cab is an old Pinecrest resin casting. Actually only the nose is the cast part as I blended it with a kit cab. The body is scratch built. Truck was done using photos of the real one probably 25 years ago. Back in the 1970's mini pumpers with large diameter hose was a popular way of extending water mains and "hydrants" to rural areas. They were fast attack and were quite the hit in some New England areas. Now the LDH is carried on most full size pumpers. Here's another early model, 30 years old or better. Having just gotten back into modeling this one was built with a kit cab, the body from the Cooter's wrecker kit and with the rest being scratch built. Note the Mack rear view mirrors and the AMT decals! I don't remember how the windshield got replaced with some sheet plastic. Not a very good fit. I remember the black Testors paint being so soft it was almost impossible to polish out. A more recent build of a WW II Class 1000 trailer pump. Powered by a Dodge 6 cylinder engine the Hale pump was rated at 500 GPM. Another early attempt at making something out of something else. This Maxim is 1/32 scale and uses the Monogram Mack CF snap kit as a basis. Remnants of the Mack cab are still visible. Again, probably 30 years old now. Note the use of the Morton Grove decals. This rig won the Cavorley award at NNL East back in 2003. Started from the Stutz Bearcat kit and was modified heavily to form an early 1917 American LaFrance that is still workable but in need of a facelift. There are parts in a cardboard box in the hose bed along with the hood. Nothing special here; just an exercise in painting the wood panel sides of this Ford woodie. Massachusetts used cars like this in the late 1930's and 40's as part of a regional fire protection program for the District Wardens. Two Chevy trucks. The one on the left I call my 5099 as I blended the nose of the 1999 kit Chevy with the nose of the 1950 Chevy. I use it to haul the 1917 ALF on a gooseneck trailer. The one on the right is a model of my father's first surveyor's truck. His was a 1949 version. Duplicolor light green paint with a dark green belt under the windows. This last one is another Pierce engine that was done back in the 1990's. It is still locally owned. It was build using a Pinecrest nose created by Bill Eichhorn and two Ertl kit cabs. The body is scratch built from photos and measurements taken of the actual truck. Anybody else got some collection photos they would like to share? ?

Thanks, Brian. I'm thinking a WW II WC-51. It was the type of rig that pulled the pump trailers like the one I built a few months ago. I'll start with a brass frame and go from there.

It's been quite a busy build. Lots of little details that just piled up as the work went on. I've learned a few things during this process including the need for a bit more patience and thinking about what comes next. But if learning is not part of the experience there will be limits on what will be done for the next project. So here we are.

Thanks, Guys. I've got some others I will share in a bit.

That's what building is all about. Nicely done...all the way around!

That is one fine build! Thanks for sharing!! Love the color scheme.

Fanman asked when I was going to show what is in the show case so here are some of what's there plus some others that were done for other people. 1928 Pierce Arrow 7 Ton Dump. Real truck is in the photo behind the model. 1929 Coleman All Wheel Drive. The real one is in New Hampshire and is shown in the photo in the background. 1932 Mack AP. Trucks like this built Hoover (Boulder) Dam. One of the real trucks is behind the model. 1937 Seagrave JWF 100' aerial. 1938 Ford COE with a Fitzhenry/Guptil pump in the foreground 1953 Ford Victoria Hardtop. My first car. 1954 Maxim 750 Pumper. The thing-a-ma-jig in the foreground is for opening the cab doors. 1958 Dodge W500 Crash Truck 1940's U. S. Navy FFN-3 on an International chassis. Real truck is at Bangor International Airport in Maine, although it is olive drab color. Mack CF aerial using two Monogram cabs and two Monogram bodies. Aerial came from a Hess promo. 1/32 scale. 1962 Seagrave Anniversary Series pumper. On display at River Edge, NJ Company 2 fire station. 1992 Simon Duplex/Saulsbury Heavy Rescue in private hands in Coral Gables, FL.

Wrapping this one up. Just a couple more little things to add and it's done. Here's progress to date.

Can do that any time you like!☺️

Nah! Sans the tire chains. With this amount of weight and the blower doing all of the work you wouldn't need them. Hard to get them into scale anyway. JMHO!!?

1/72 scale military kits would be a good source for tires and wheels. Many will be the typical mud/snow type tread but you might be able to fill those in with putty and create some over the road tread that way.

I would look for a different paint and glue. There must be some sort of reaction going on there. Try using a good plastic cement (not the cheap stuff) and keep the glue off the surface you are trying to paint. Secondly, prime the plastic and use a good quality paint. What you are describing should not happen if you are using good materials.

I can't believe I didn't post the final pics! So here they are. I added oil reservoirs above the drive sprockets and put on the mud flaps. Tail lights and license plate finish off the back.

Hey, Jimmy! What's that ALF tractor doing in the background??

Looking more like a truck all the time. Noticed your use of plastic angle stock for the base of the cab sides, etc. I found that to work well also. Light duty but adds some stiffness and strength. And there will be so much detail to really show off when this is done. Great project!

Looks to me like you hit paydirt! Nice work!

I've used the plating process for doing brass. All you need is the nickel sulphate solution and a couple of D batteries to form a current. Done plenty of small parts this way. I did the headlight bezels and the bumper on this rig. It does not work on plastic itself but I suppose it could if there was a way to coat it first with a non-ferrous metal.

Agree with what has been said. Don't forget to put a release agent on if you are doing a two part mold. Wouldn't hurt to do the master either to be sure that nothing sticks in the process.

That's a lot of great work, Jeff. makes that Mack cab look pretty insignificant. Three tiers of springs on the back end? Or is what appears to be springs on the bottom like radius rods that keep the axle where it should be? What kind of load were they carrying weight wise?

Why is it that the most handsome trucks are old? Nothing these days come close to the classic looks and ruggedness of these rigs.?