Chariots of Fire

Yep! Spad XIII C-1

Your comments are very much appreciated, everybody! But we can't sit on our laurels now can we? Time to get on with the next project! Bought a 1/72 scale Revell Spad last nite. Good simple build for a change!

For example: Here is how I did the grill in brass. I heated a piece of strip brass until it was annealed and softened. Then I formed it by hand around the inside of the grill opening. The ends were soldered together and another straight strip was soldered down the center from top to bottom. Then the outside was filed to the shape of the outside of the opening. Then, beginning in the middle I soldered sections of brass rod to the edges of the brass oval and used the pieces of plastic as spacers. Once all the brass rod sections were soldered in place the ends were cut off and filed smooth with the outside oval. Then it was painted and inserted into the opening of the grill. The ring around the outside is also brass that was nickel plated. Note the curvature of the ring. This is the form the brass oval had to take as well.

Yes. An old Mill City Replicas resin casting. The grill was no good so I had to make one up. I used brass strip stock for the oval shape, a piece down the middle inside to set the individual brass rod pieces on and soldered it all together. The outside surround is brass rod that was nickel plated.

Hi, Mark. This build is 1/25 scale.

Here are a couple more shots.

Actually there are a couple of small details that I will eventually add but for all intent and purposes it is done. So here it is. Will post some other detail shots a bit later.

Continuing work on the pump. The intake and discharge manifold are now installed along with the dampening chamber that smoothes out the water flow. An oil gage and discharge pressure gage have also been installed. Here is the pump sitting in the back of the truck. On each side are compartments that will need some shelving to store oil, fittings and the hand crank for the pump.

Assume you will be using plastic half round for that? Coming along nicely!

And here is what it looks like with a bit more work and a paint job. There is still the discharge and intake portions of the pump to build and a couple more oil lines for the pump engine but it's getting there.

Well,it worked! After finally deciding on using a piece of sewing elastic for the connecting loop between the engine shaft and the crank of the pump, the whole thing works as hoped for. A couple of old watch gears help grab the elastic to hold it in place. The pump engine is now built up and the next thing will be to fit the various pieces of "tubing" for the gas line, oil line and spark plug wire. The other parts of the pump also need to be made that allow it to "work" at pumping water. The odd shaped piece of plastic is one of two sections of the shroud that will enclose the gears and elastic. AND! It fits in the back of the truck but I have no idea how the crew will fill the gas tank.

What I'm hoping to do is to run the shaft of the flywheel back to a small gear or wheel. The large enclosed wheel that connects to the crankshaft of the pump would then be connected back to the small wheel with an endless belt of some sort. Turning the flywheel would then show the pump pistons moving. We'll see.

With all of the information now available I started work on the pump. The flywheel was turned on my lathe using aluminum stock. The 3 piston pump is all soldered brass. The base is various pieces of plastic sheet and strip stock. Eventually it will be painted aluminum. And yes, the pistons do go up and down when the crank is turned. An 8x10 photo of a working pump with the model pump pieces in the foreground. The dime gives you a sense of the size of the pump. A few soldering bumps along the way but all in all it when pretty smoothly. There is only one little hitch when the crank is turned but with some oil on all the moving parts, it is beginning to loosen up. Once it is finished it won't be turning that much anyway.

Ahhh,. Just make sure it's RED!

I was able to make arrangements for a visit to see the real restored pump that will be modeled for the back of the truck. And I got a personal invitation to visit the person who did the restoration. He had several photos of the pump as he had disassembled it for cleaning and rebuilding. They are a treasure trove of detail that I otherwise could not see. The actual pump is behind glass and only two sides are really accessible. So here is the real Fitzhenry-Guptil 3 piston pump that will be modeled to go in the open rear compartment of the truck. I got started this evening turning the flywheel on the lathe. It is only 13mm in diameter, a little smaller than a dime.

Coming along nicely, Robert. Will that balsa wood come out after the cowl is finished?

That's cool. Pete shorties aren't seen much around here. Might look nice with a dump body!

Nice work! Subtle weathering always brings out the best in a model.

Here are just a couple more shots of the truck with a bit more detail added. I'll be making a short trip later this coming week to get photos and dimensions of the pump that will fill the opening in the back. Then I can complete the hose load in the top. After that, DONE!!

I have always liked the snow plow kits but the one criticism I have of them is that they put the attachent points for the plow frame way out in front. They should actually be under the truck. This would pull the plow closer in and make more realistic.

Sorry about not posting sooner! Forgot all about it. The model is 1/25 scale and is scratch built with the exception of the aerial ladder itself which came from the Ertl ALF kit. The turntable is scratch built to Maxim specs. The cab is also a remake from a KW.

Just a suggestion for holding the cab in place. Glue a small tab to the inside edge of the frame rail web about 3mm square. With the cab in place glue another tab to the inside of the cab so that it sits directly over and touches the tab on the frame. Do not glue the two together. Holding the cab in place drill a hole up from the bottom through both tabs. Insert a piece of brass rod the same size as the holes you drilled into the tab that is glued to the cab. Glue that in place in the tab on the cab only. Do the same to the opposite side. The pieces of brass rods will then be directly in line with the holes in the tabs on the frame and will provide stability and alignment every time.

I assume yours will be right hand drive as seen in the photo?

SBIF! Scratch building is fun! I'm lovin' it!