Chariots of Fire

A 1/32 scale model is approximately 3/4 the size of a 1/25 scale model. (25/32)

Thanks everybody for your kind words.

Here are the photos of the engine. Not enough room in the first post. This one shows the engine installed in the tractor. At first I thought it was too small but with the radiator in place and the hood on the engine compartment got filled up real fast. The engine from the left side. It has dual ignition with two distributors and wiring for 24 spark plugs; two per cylinder. Engine from the right side. Those heat shields above the spark plugs help dissipate heat from the exhaust manifolds that are between the carbs and plugs.

I built this model starting with photos and measurements back in 2000. Finished it up 2-1/2 years later. Amazing part of this build is that all of the original gold leaf that was done by Seagrave in 1937 was still intact. So I photographed it, scanned it to the computer, cleaned up the details and printed them out on clear decal film. So the lettering and gold leaf designs you see are as they were more than 75 years ago. Tractor has a brass hood and cab doors. The windshield frames, tiller tub and front bumper are also brass. Fenders are carved from plastic porch railing stock. Rest of the tractor is plastic. Trailer is all plastic stock. Ground ladders are basswood. Tires and wheels are from an AMT ALF kit. Headlights are from a Ford Vicky kit but with the lenses turned backward so they would be flat faced. The grill is aluminum wire surrounded by the "sweetheart" portion trimmed in bare metal foil. The engine is scratch built following the V-12 that was in the actual truck and from photos in Matthew Lee's book of Seagrave history.

The F700 is available in resin from Missing Link.

I'm with Mr. Billings. Pallets or something like a stationary diesel generator or truck parts maybe. Don't think using it to carry another vehicle quite does it.

Jurgen: I agree with your criticisms. And I don't find them offensive. In order to achieve good results sometimes a lot of adjustment needs to be done and it does a dis-service to the modeling community not to point out shortcomings when it will help someone else avoid difficulties. Good looking models are the result of study and reflection of the real thing and the application of building techniques that will enhance the quality of what you start with so you can achieve the look of the real thing in miniature. The fact that some AITM castings are heavy in no way is a negative criticism. Look at what we would all be missing if companies like AITM did not exist! We still might be just building out of the box. We all learn from personal experience and the trials and errors of others who sometimes have solved the same problems we are dealing with. Keep up the good work Jurgen. I enjoy your work.

Very nicely done! Love the colors and the backdrop.

I put the chain on the jerry can, Greg!

Thanks, Jurgen: It did receive quite a bit of looking over in the "In Progress" section with over 5600 views since it was first introduced in early February. It's not the usual subject matter for a lot of response and that is ok. It was fun to do and it represents a small amount of local history. The company that built the actual truck in 1952 is no longer in business but it was located only about 12 miles (19 km) away from where I live. And I personally remember it from having been a fire fighter for many years starting at a young age when the truck was only 5-6 years old. At the time it was considered to be one of the better brush fire rigs around.

I did a 1966 W300 a few years ago and Tom Coolidge did the casting. Here is a photo of the model I did from the resin casting. I might have a spare grill or two in my stash of Dodge parts. I notice the grill on the trucks above is much larger, though than what is on the 300. Probably because of the extra sheet metal below the grill on the W series.

Would anyone be interested in one of these? 1966 Dodge W300. I have the masters which are all plastic. Rob?

When does if freeze? When uploading to Photobucket or when you download here?

Spectacular work! It looks real! Like it ought to when it's done right!

A beautiful build! That's really going to take up some shelf space. Where did the dozer come from?

Very nicely done, Pavel. Your weathering and aging techniques are exceptional. You really captured an old look.

Jonathan: I am pleased that you passed on the information. No apologies required. You fellas on the west side do things a bit different that we do back in the old east. Our terrain and vegetation is no where near as dramatic as yours but we can get some pretty intense natural cover fires on occasion. If you or anyone else has questions or would like to see some other similar rigs, both real and in model form let me know. I'd love to share them.

You have some unique builds there. Some wiring on the engine of the old hot rod would look nice. Not too many Studes are made up that way. Cool.!

Work on a 1952 Ford F7 brush rig has come to a close. Here are a few shots of the completed rig.

Just a thought on those 5 plugs. If you wrap some spool wire around a piece of small brass or aluminum tubing 2-3 times and then cut the wrappings you end up with nice small rings. Just trim the ends and squeeze them together. You can do any size you want.

And work continues. The main portion of the plumbing and rotary pump that is powered by the Wisconsin V-4 are nearly complete. Still needed are the lines to connect to the booster reels. Hard suction lines are made of plastic tubing wrapped in masking tape and painted with Floquil weathered black. Couplings are aluminum tubing. The small steps are made from aluminum sheet stock and aluminum foil embossed over a piece of plastic treadplate. This give the impression of a thin piece of treadplate rather than the thick section if plastic treadplate was used directly. The ladder is temporary. Still to be made are a wood 2 section ladder and a separate roof ladder. The tiedown still has to be made.

You can avoid the cracking by laminating thinner pieces until you get the thickness you want. Just be careful to line each successive layer up with the one under it and then trim off the excess. Works like a charm.

That's some nice work. Have you thought of running some warm water over the hood to see if it will move a bit? You might be able to get the warp out of it by taping it to a wood block and then hit it was some warm water and then some cool water to help it set.

Work continues. Had to get another can of Duplicolor #398 red today so I could finish up the ladder rack and hose reels. Been using that particular color a long time. Anyway with the hose reels painted I could put on the booster hose. It's just electrical wire that has the look of rubber booster hose. Nozzles are yet to be made up. The Wisconsin V-4 pump engine is now complete with switches, gages and decals. It's ready to be installed in place once the plumbing is ready. The ladder rack still needs the hold down bracket near the back. The rack will be installed last so it will be easier to put in the plumbing and fill the hose bed.

I used 4 mm on each side. If you go to the first page of the post you can get an idea of where the strips were added.