Chariots of Fire

To whom it may concern: I am the originator of the W300 and W500 that Oldr-n-dirt is referring to. Here are photos of the first pop of the W300 that Tom Coolidge did. The same master would be used this time. And the W500 was done using a casting of the W300 as a starter. As you can see the rear window is much larger, the fender flairs are bigger and the grill is altogether different. Both of these trucks went on to become fire apparatus models.

What is that? An old Bridgeport??

Tom: Don't forget to add water to the drum? That's pretty cool!

Check out the Tutorials on the Scale Firehouse. I think there is one there.

Another source of good connectors is Fusion Beads. Different colors and sizes down to 1mm.

I'm a scratch builder and have been for quite a while now. When I started back into building models I was hooked on the fire apparatus models I saw in the old SAE mags and the fire apparatus builders' column that used to be there. After building one or two ALF kits it was obvious that if I wanted to do something different it would mean cobbling together different kits (kit bashing) or doing something from scratch. My interest has evolved over time to building models of actual rigs that represent segments of history, both local and nationally. Maxim Motor Company in Middleboro, MA is no longer in business but in the day it built a lot of fine rigs and supplied aerial ladders to other companies like Mack and Crown. So for me that is something that I can model from a local historical perspective. There are other historical rigs that most everyone will recognize such as Seagrave and American La France and Ward LaFrance, Ahrens Fox, Continental, Buffalo and others that are no longer around that have a tremendous potential for model building. I use many different materials in my builds depending on the particular need. Lots of brass sheet stock, structural shapes, tubing, aluminum tubing, sheet stock, Evergreen plastic of all sorts, extruded plastics, resin castings, wood, and others. I build for the enjoyment of building but at the same time like the challenge of trying something new once in a while. 3D printing is awesome but it will never take the place of hands on craftsmanship in my book. Most work is done with simple hand tools but a Dremel, Sherline lathe, drill press and band saw are certainly handy. So what do I classify myself as? Just an average "joe" who loves model building and creating something in miniature that looks like the real thing.

Soldered brass to form the frame rails. When put together to form the frame it is a very rigid platform to do the rest of the building on. Plastic frames can easily be warped and end up in a curve if they are not carefully put together. The biggest problem is spacing the frame rails perfectly parallel and in the same plane.

I agree with what others have said. The PTO for the pump would probably be a push button on the dash that is activated after the truck transmission is put in neutral. Then when the PTO is activated the tranny is put back into drive to power the pump.. At least that is the way it was done on the Pierce pumpers that I am familiar with.

They've said it all! Nicely executed from one end to the other! The way it should be!

Why clear coat it? Use some Novus plastic scratch remover #2 and the polish and you will have a great finish.

Here are the photos of the air cleaners on the engine cover.

Try donmillshobbies@aol.com. He has treadplate in 4" x 6" sheets that would be just right for the deck of the truck. Evergreen plastic sheet stock is great stuff also as are the various structural shapes and tubular stock.

I didn't know Harry personally but did a small decal project for him a while back. So to have been part of his life in a small way makes it special. It's always sad when someone you know close up or from far away is suddenly taken. We can all take comfort, however, in knowing that God answers prayer sometimes in ways that we do not understand. His ways are not our ways and we only see those things "through a glass darkly". In all things pray without ceasing regardless of the outcome.

Nice job! The yellow and black paint scheme is just right! Love the heavy weight stuff!

Can't put my fingers on the dimensions! Lost in space I suspect! But from memory they are only about 12" high. You may be able to use this as a reference for the rest of theme. I do have photos though of the actual box and will post them.

I have measurements of the actual cleaners if you need them.

Jeff will have to answer that but he is a pretty knowledgeable builder of GMC rigs. PS You should see his 1970's Chevy Titan!

Agree with what everyone else has said. Nice job. I have an issue with rear view mirrors also. The mounting brackets are always to thick and aren't made so that the mirrors look right. Now I make a lot of my mirror brackets from long straight pins or other materials that I can solder together. Then the ends of the mirrors are drilled out for the new brackets to go in. Makes a big difference in the overall appearance.

My 2016 builds (Actually I started the first one in 2016, finished this year) [/URL

What they said! Great job!

The hose in the bed is sewing elastic that was given a wash of Tamiya light tan acrylic thinned with water. It comes in two basic sizes, 1/8" and 1/4" and is white. The hard suction on the left side of the truck is plastic tubing wrapped in masking tape and painted flat black.

You seem to have got pretty good coverage over the red plastic. Not an easy thing to do.

Just a question. Did you use decal paper that is made for ink jet printers? I think it works without running although I've never tried it since I use an ALPS.

That's going to be very nice! PM me Dave.

It's been a few months now since this project started. It had its moments but we got through them! The hose bed has been filled, and all is ready to go. Thanks for all of the comments that were received during the building process. It has been fun, even with the glitches along the way.