Chariots of Fire

Get your measurements of the length x width of the body floor. Square that up. Do you know how to use a couple of drafting triangles to get good right angles? Same technique for the back and sides. Photo 1 shows how to get right angles using a simple square. Photo 2 and 3 shows how to get parallel lines. First you place the bottom triangle on the line you have just drawn. Hold firm and place the second triangle up against it on an adjacent side. Next you hold the left triangle firm and slide the first triangle along it until you get to the point where you want to draw the parallel line. Want to make a line perpendicular to the two parallel lines? Choose a point like in the next photo and place the edge of the right hand triangle up against the line with the point on it. Now hold the left triangle firm and slice the right hand triangle down until the right edge is at the point in the next photo. Draw a line against the far right edge of the right hand triangle and it will be at 90 degrees to the two parallel lines. NOTE: The two edges of the triangle you are using are at right angles to each other so that is why it works. Use this technique to make the bottom, sides and back of the body. All you have to do is choose your dimensions. If you are working in 1/25 scale get a metric ruler that measures in millimeters. If you measure the real body in real inches there is no conversion necessary. For example a body length of 108" would be 4.32" in 1/25 scale. Since there are 25.4 mm in one inch there is an insignificant difference so that 108" would be 4.25". The difference is only 0.07"! Can't hardly mark that with a pencil! So just mark off 108 mm and there you have it!

The white stripes are actual reflective tape. I got some from a friend who worked at a municipal maintenance shop. I need to do the same thing across the bottom of the cab doors.

This weekend provided some time to get some additional work done on the Loadstar. The tank and body are still separate pieces which made painting them much easier. The tank was painted first and set aside. Then the front and side panels of the body were painted red. After the red was dry it was masked off and the rest was painted with engine black, a semi-gloss. Finally the treadplate deck was painted with chrome silver. I added the trim rings to the rear tail lights and now have to drill them out for the lenses. Next up will be to finish the front bar work that is still hanging out in space. In the top photo the winch cable is just hanging for now. It will be set in place once the bar work is done.

Why not scratch build one? There are plenty of images you can find on line for that sort of thing. And they are a dime a dozen out on the streets so they could be photographed and measured up. A bunch of rectangular pieces for the most part.

That's going to be a LOT of truck!

Hi, Tom. I think they are Howe/Coleman front ends. And yes they were tough trucks. Several towns around here had them as brush trucks. They graduated from Loadstars to the "S" series and now to the Workstar series of IH rigs.

Body work continues to progress with side panels completed and the rub rails nearly completed. I did some drawings based on the measurements and photos of the actual truck and printed them out for each side, reversing the image so that it would be the same. This gave me templates from which to work. Even with that, there were some minor adjustments to be made. Things never work out exactly as expected but so long as things are within reason, certain changes can be made. Tubing is never the exact diameter as the real thing and it is not easy to get measurements along tubing that is bending in all sorts of directions. Nevertheless things are taking shape. The front bar is hanging out in space for now. The front bumper needs to be constructed and set in place In order to make the connections between the two surfaces. I'm thinking another trip to see the real truck is in order because there is a winch that needs to be built to size for the bumper. Treadplate has been glued along the sides between the rub rails. They are solid for now. Eventually they will be opened up as compartments with "D" locks. I'll use the same "D" locks from Don Mills Models for the tail lights also. If you drill out the centers and replace the center with a piece of red clear and white clear you have lights with nice round trim rings. The treadplate will be drilled out for the lights and the locks for a flat fit. The hose bed goes on top of the tank. There is also a filler for water and one for foam. I used 1/16" diameter rods for the upper grab rails. This not only adds some stiffness but some strength also which will resist the chance for these small rails to break. Similar rods will be used over the top of the cab and to the upper bar at front. At each end of the rod I ground it down to a smaller diameter using my Dremel with a cutting wheel. I rotated each end of the rod until I got a pin like end and then drilled holes in the mounting points to insert the pins in. The rods are now pretty secure and have nice neat connections. The body has been built up as one piece, making it easier for painting. The tank is still separate making it easier to get a nice paint job on it as well. Between the tank and the back step is where the pump/engine will be set together with all of the plumbing for the hose lines. Here's a look a the underside. The compartments have not been boxed in yet.

What they all said! Pretty nice! Color is outstanding and the execution of the build is first class.

With the cab and chassis done I began the body buildup. So far it is made in three pieces that can be painted separately before assembly. With all of the ins and outs of the body pieces it would be impossible to get the paint in all the right places if it was assembled first. The sides will be built of treadplate with additional 1/8" diameter tubing along the bottom. Compartments for equipment are part of that assembly. Getting the fit right on each of these three pieces was important so that when they are finally put together the will look as if they were painted together. The tank will have a hose body above it along with the water fill and foam fill. Behind and below the tank will be the pump/engine for pump and roll capabilities. Lots of plumbing will be needed as well. Next up will be the front bumper. It may look a bit odd with the rest of the bar work as it is a left over piece of construction when the truck was first constructed by Maxim Motors of Middleboro, MA. When the truck was rebuilt a few years ago the bumper was retained but all of the rest of the bar work was made new.

See my avatar to the left? That is a 1928 Pierce Arrow 7 ton dump. The real one is in New Jersey. I modeled it when it was still at a truck museum in Connecticut. Here is the model in front of a photo of the real truck at the museum. The truck in the photo above is probably a much earlier version around 1918 or so but they carried many of the same features forward. The plate on the side of the hood says Pierce Arrow.

Hi, JB: Dave Natale is a great guy to deal with. He is apparently really jammed up with projects right now. If you place an order with him he will do all that he can to fill it in a reasonable time. I did the IH Loadstar master for him and when I e-mailed him to find out how things were going that is when he said he is real busy. The Loadstars were actually out of stock as well so be a little patient and I'm sure he will follow through with an order for you. AITM always had a spot in the vendors room at NNLEast and it is always busy with customers.

The IH Loadstar cab and chassis are done. I paid a visit to the local firehouse where the real rig is located and got some measurements of the body and bar work. The side view is drawn up. Now I need to get the right tubing for the bars. The body will be built up in sections. There is the platform that the tank sits on together with the forward protection for the crew, the poly tank and the hose bed that sits on top of that. In the rear is a separate panel that hides some of the plumbing. On the sides are compartments that sit between the top and bottom side rails. The side plates and compartment doors will be treadplate. In the meantime here are some photos of the completed cab and chassis.

I like the S series kits too. You are right. Frames are way too long for most uses.

Work continues. Engine compartment is now done. Once the hood goes on much of this will be hard to see. Cab interior is finished as well except for the rear window. That's next. And here is the underside. That will get partially covered as well once the skid plates get installed. They are put on front and rear to protect the radiator, oil pan and differential. Stuff in the middle is pretty high off the ground so it rarely gets covered. Once in a while the exhaust system gets ripped off but that is easily fixed.

HI, Dave. Interesting you are working on that! I have a 1/25 scale workstar grill that was made up by Shapeways. I've not used it yet as I am still contemplating the hood that would be needed. Looks like you might beat me to it!

It's got paint! I think that for every rig I have done there comes a point where you say enough already! Time to paint! So that is what happened this weekend (with no Pats game to watch) There will be this coming weekend, though! Ok, enough of that, too! I've used Duplicolor gray primer on the parts and Duplicolor #398 bright red for the color coat. I like this paint as it is a very fine pigment and goes on nice and smooth. Since it is so fine, several light coats are necessary to bring out the full color. It is also very easy to polish out. I used a #2 Molotow chrome pen for the headlight trim rings. Interior of the bucket is just Model Master silver. After the paint is really dry I'll use some two part epoxy to set the headlights themselves. The windshield wipers are just bent pins soldered together. I used some of those little fusion beads as a nut at the base of the wiper. There are still some decals to put on the hood and on the front of the fenders. I also need to trim the edges of the dash just a little so that the doors will close without binding. Always a small fit issue when opening doors and setting them on hinges. The hood is hinged. Once it is secured I will be able to open the sides butterfly style and hold them up with rod that is on the cowl.

Still making some progress. The doors have been done and are now prepped for paint. They fit well into the cab door openings. The top hole for the pin has been filled in on each side. The dashboard and seat are now complete and the floorboards now have the gear shift, handbrake, all wheel drive and winch levers in place.

Thanks, Rick. Believe it or not most of the front axle components are just from pieces picked up in the parts box and used to advantage based on photos of the actual truck. I did make the steering tie rod out of brass stock and drilled out the ends for pinning. The axles themselves are from the Ertl ALF kit, modified to fit this project. The front one was rebuilt so that the pumpkin would be off set. The steering parts are a combination of plastic for the steering box and brass tubing for the connecting arms, etc. The front axle steering knuckles themselves are also brass. I showed them in some of the photos posted earlier. U-bolts are brass wire along with a piece of plastic stock drilled for the u-bolt ends.

Work continues. The firewall/floorboard piece is ready for installation. Been attaching some details to it so that I can make sure it all fits under the hood. Space is really limited. Hood pieces have been given an initial coat of paint but are in need of sanding and more coats. Chassis work is complete and some light wearing/weathering has been done on the underside. Will post a pic of that later. I also found some nice detailing stuff on line. Fusion beads are tiny hex head open detail pieces that are great for wiring connections and fuel lines. They cannot be crimped and actually shatter if you try it. But you can get a couple hundred of them for cheap money and they will last a lifetime. They are hard to see in the photo but when all is said and done they do add some extra pizzaz to the detail process. The wire pieces in the foreground I found at Michaels craft store. Great for spark plug wires and other things. I have some holes in the firewall where some of this wiring will go. Adding fusion beads right at the firewall completes the look. So far the battery, brake master cylinder and an electrical box have been added to the firewall. There are also two arms that when extended will hold the hood sides open.

I agree, Jacobus. I have had some tires and other small things printed by 3D and it is fine because of the texture of a real tire is not perfectly smooth. I think we will have to wait a bit for the process to be perfected to the point where things like cabs will be printed smoothly or without a lot of preparation. The smaller the layers of material put down, the better the surface but that increases the time for printing and raises the cost of the work. As for me I will stick with kits and scratch built resin castings for now.

Shapeways U-joints came in today. Now I can get the driveshafts completed and installed.

The Yat Ming '38 Ford fire truck had these tires and wheels as well.

More work on the Loadstar project. The frame is now done except for the driveshafts. I'm waiting on some 3D printed U-joints for the shafts and as soon as they arrive I can complete that portion of the drive train. Engine is complete with the exception of tying in some of those "wires" that are sticking up in the air. They will be run back to the firewall eventually. The front end is steerable and the drag link moves back and forth. The rig also has power steering and that linkage is included. The cab can be set in position with the floorboard/firewall temporarily taped in. It's a tight fit for the engine and fan but it's there. Even in the real rigs the fit was tight.

It helps in making sure that the frame sits level when the axles are attached.

Work continues on the front end. The front axle has been secured to the springs with U bolts and plates. The hubs have been secured to the axle housing and brake drums have been added along with the tie rod and connections. The Tie rod ends are made up of brass tubing and some square stock. A few days ago I got some mud/snow tires from Shapeways that I had ordered. They are a scale 38" outside diameter and with a 21" inner diameter. Having ordered two, I made up a mold and cast a set of 6 for the truck. Goodyear and 10.00x20 are raised on the sidewalls. I used Micro-Mark two part mold rubber and two part resin to cast the tires.