hooknladderno1

Drew, I assume that you weren't referring to Fred's Custom Models, a fire and emergency apparatus resin caster? He had some neat items, but his business practices left something to be desired... He had a reportedly had a stroke about 5 years ago or so. He eventually passed away I believe(?). His line of products was never picked up or sold to the best of my knowledge. Just wanted to clear that up if that was who you were talking about...

Thanks Guys!

Dave is correct. They were privately released by "Depot G". The particular box that I have contains both the tanker and stake body trucks. On a side note, I have been looking for someone who may have one of the Yat Ming 1/24 Maxim Fire Engines. The wheels/tires from that could be cast and would be perfect for a conversion such as this: The wooden spoke wheels certainly give the AC Bulldog a different appearance.

The subject line is pretty self explanatory... Many forums have this ability. I have been unable to find such an option here. It may be something that I have overlooked, or the administrators have chosen to not include. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dave, Any idea if the ProStar will have the long wheelbase as on the LoneStar? My plan for my first will be an elliptical tanker. The long wheelbase works great for conversion to a day cab with pump panel and tanker body with compartmentation. . Look forward to any updates and the actual release of the ProStar! Thanks Dave and Moebius for bringing these kits to us!!!

Dr. Cranky, Great thread and answers by all! As I build mostly scale emergency vehicles, I guess that I do a liitle bit of everything. I am attempting to scratchbuild tires and wheels for a P-19 airport crash truck. While I would love to have a lathe and mill, I do not have the funds to do so. So, I used the poor man's lathe, a drill, bolt, washers, and nuts. So far, so good. I am working out how to do the irregular tread design now. Don't know what you would classify this project as - cab, tires and wheels are resin, everything else is scratchbuilt. This next one is a kitbash, as it began as the Jurassic Park Hummer, with heavy modification and fabrication... All are ongoing projects... I am "engineeringly challenged". I do have a big fear of making mistakes - along with a pile of models to prove it. But, seeing and communication with other builders has given me the courage to try as well as not being afraid of making a mistake. I have also learned that sometimes things turn out a little different than what you planned on when you started. This is such a project...From this: to this: I am really enjoying the MCM forums! Keep up the great work fellas(and gals if there are any posts that I have missed)!

If you do use the CA+ glue, you can use the "debonder" to break the joints AND soften/remove the glue residue. It is fairly inexpensive, and available at most hobby shops. HTH.

Thanks Guys, Dave, I have you to thank for the higher sides on the tanker body. I agree, it does look better.

Great trailers! Does anyone who used Ken Smith's techniques know if the AMT D8 bulldozer will fit? I had originally bought the AMT lowboy for it, but it was too narrow. The D8 is way too wide, even as a "WIDE LOAD" cargo. I had wanted to convert it into a fire service trio. Thanks.

Well, few projects ever go as planned. One thing that I learned was to do just like manufacturers do on the 1:1 trucks - build the frame first, THEN the body... Lesson learned... A friend was building a fantastic elliptical tanker. I followed his techniques and progess with great interest. We discussed them, and he said "Sometimes things turn out differently than we planned". The lightbulb in my head suddenly went off! I was going to turn this project into an elliptical tanker! So, I sourced the tank from a 1/32 scale New Ray fuel tanker body. The great thing is that these are pretty cheap, and they are already chromed. Now, I just couldn't leave well enough alone - I had to narrow the tank just a little further to allow for equipment like a portable folding tank to be stored on the side. This process took a while. the ends were cut and narrowed as well as the cat walk removed from the top. I decided to say the heck with the chrome finish - Alclad will take care of that when the time comes... I made up different templates for the tanker body sides. You can see above, one was low, one was higher. I decided on the higher one. The project sat idle for a while as work, family illness, and house chores took up most of my time. When I dug the tanker out, I began where I had left off... After careful consideration, I decided that the space for the pump panel was too narrow. So, I removed the forward bulkhead, cut the tanker body sides evenly, and added a small angled beavertail to the sides. This looks a little better. In the final picture, the tank is not yet secured to the chassis plate. Thus, the tank does not mate with the bodywork at the rear. This is where the project is at this time. I hope to be able to resume work on it soon. I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!

Hey Guys, This is another project from my Lums Pond Station of the Bear Fire Dept. I posted a few others in the Pickups/SUV section. Now these guys like their trucks bright and flashy, so be forewarned... This project began as a Mack R cab on a dual axle tanker body. I wasn't happy with the "outdated" look of the Mack R, so I decided to try an RD resin hood from Plaskit. This is a mock-up of what it looked like. I was happy with it, so I attached the hood to the cab and painted the unit. This is what the beast looked like when it was together: Now don't let the pictures deceive you. What the pictures don't show is that the tanker body was narrower than the width of the wheels... I muddled over this problem for some time. I was really happy with the back of the tanker body and couldn't bring myself to cut it up... I received several great suggestions on what I could do to solve the problem. I finally decided to dig out a virgin chassis from a sealed kit. It was extended and painted. This was the result:

Here is another unit from my Lums Pond Station. Now I did warn you that these guys like their apparatus bright and flashy! This truck started out as a CSI Miami die-cast painted silver. It was disassembled, sanded, primed and painted with Tamiya rattle can white and bright yellow. All of the graphics, logos, and striping were custom printed by me. The lightbar is from the Lindberg Crown Victoria kit. Please ignore the space between the grille and the front bumper. I misplaced the screw, and have to find one to fit... Some minor details still remain to complete. The number "4" on the maltese crosses(as on the Hummer brush truck), interior and exterior detailing and some exterior emergency lighting. This was started long before thel plastic version was released. Hope you like it! I would appreciate any feedback!

Hi Guys, Since I am a relative newcomer here, I thought that I would start sharing some of my work. This is a Hummer H1 for my fictitious Bear Fire Department. I live in Bear, but the company that provides fire protection to our area has a different name. I used a technique that I learned from master modeler Tom Sheehy. Each company in his fictitious town had their own specialty - one was a rescue company, others had mixtures of apparatus that provided special services. Each company had their own color scheme, but simliar graphics. This particular project started out as the Jurassic Park Hummer "Snagger" kit. It basically looked like this, though without the white scratchbuilt additions(That is a subject for another time...). Everything that you see in white is scratchbuilt with Evergreen styrene. Now you must know that this truck belongs to the Lums Pond Station Fire Co. of the Bear Fire Department. Lums Pond is a real State Park less than a mile down the road. The Lums Pond gang likes their trucks flashy with a "little bling". You will notice this theme on all of their apparatus... I will include a couple of in progress photos so you can better see some of the components. This is a scratchbuilt hose reels utilizing the ends from the old Aurora pumper along with bits of plastic, some electrical wire and a cast metal nozzle from Don Mills Models. This is a chainsaw and scratchbuilt holder. The chainsaw is also from Don Mills. Below is the finished project! Please feel free to ask any questions. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Truckman, I agree with you! I am looking forward to the Prostar release later this year! While the Lonestar is not really my cup of tea, Moebius and Dave have been VERY responsive with the Lonestar issues and concerns. I may still buy a Lonestar to support Moebius' efforts. Just my two cents...

Hey Guys, Here are some of my die-cast: The first on is the 2008 Chevy Tahoe - sanded and repainted to be the new Command Vehicle for my semi-fictious Airport Fire Dept. Still needs some interior and exterior detailing and emergency lighting. Bigger Satco Desert Dueler tires replaced the originals. This required cutting down the factory rims which projected into the tire. This is the CSI Miami Hummer die-cast. It was originally silver. I sanded it and painted it Tamiya white and bright yellow. The graphics, striping and lettering are custom made. Still needs a little detailing and exterior emergency lighting... Third is a Matchbox Collectibles 1946 Dodge Powerwagon. This piece was originally hunter green and black. It too was sanded and repainted. One of the local fire companies had a mid 60's Powerwagon on a D-200 chassis. At the time, they were not available. So, I used the older Powerwagon and retained their emblems, colors and lettering. Now that the Modelhaus has a resin D-300, I may try to replicate the original vehicle that provided the inspiration. Not perfect, but it was an early effort... It now sports a siren-light on the roof since these pictures were taken.

Hi Gang, My old Dremel tool finally bit the dust... I am looking for a new corded Dremel. Anyone purchase one recently that they can recommend? Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks. David

I believe Scale Finishes carries the UPS brown in their fleet colors. David

Looks good Mark! I like how you did the interior pieces. I too have had one for several years. Just haven't gotten around to building it. Look forward to following your build. Did you have to thin out the engine compartment to allow the kit fenders to fit?

John, Super clean building and great paint as well! Look forward to watching this one progress. Originally, I was not a big fan of the Lonesta - a little too radical for my taste. But you guys are doing fantastic things with them! Keep up the great work. Perhaps the Prostar will be more my speed... David

There is a "Clear Thermoform Plastic" that I believe is made by Squadron. As someone mentioned a novel, you heat and bend it. It reportedly does NOT turn cloudy with the bending ... HTH. David

Darrick, Can't wait to see your progress! I did get the resin hood( a kind fellow modeler sent it to me). I believe it is Dencon(?) Resin that casts them. This is a full photo of the grille that is on my project truck(photo from the Internet). It differs from all of the kit and resin ones that I have seen. I attempted to use the middle of a kit one and blend the ends of a resin one. I am not happy with the results thus far... Bench time has been scarce lately. When I have a chance, I hope to get some work done on this project, and will start a separate thread.

Hi Darrick, Nice PW! I am working on one as I write this. It's a '79. This unit was bought new by my original fire company, and outfitted by dept. members with fabrication by a local metal shop. The truck is still owned by the company, though relegated to a support role now as a "utility". As you know, lots to modify and correct to build an accurate '79. Grille/headlights are the biggest challenge. Did you have any problems with the bottom edge of the pickup bed curling under? I have two kits - both with the same problem... Tried warming/bending outward/cooling without much change. I'll probably place some material between the bed and the outer "skin" of the bed. Look forward to following you progress!

The blue color looks great! I really like the chrome radiator housing. How did you do that?

Thanks! I'll be anxious to see how it turns out!

Part 2: The thought of cutting up the tanker body to narrow and adjust the proportions just kept knawing at me. The project was again "shelved" for a period of time. While following the build thread of a friend who was working on an elliptical tanker, he suggested that "sometimes things don't turn out as we had intended"... The lightbulb in my head suddenly went off, and with his guidance,I decided to change gears and make this an elliptical tanker instead! A base plate was fashioned, and an elliptical tank requisitioned from a 1/32 New Ray tanker. This is where she stands today. Additional modifications included removing some material from the front of the tanker body and adding angled pieces to the rear to allow for a wider pump panel. The final photo above shows the rear tank where it meets the body. It is not aligned at this time, as the tank is not yet secured to the base plate. I apologize that some of the latter photos are a little blurry. For the advantages of being able to upload photos from your phone, you sometimes give up a little quality for convenience... Thanks for looking. Let me know what you think!