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A 3 year old's request...Fire Engine.

The Clarkesville fire chief invited me to their training session tonight and I will have full rein to the engine and any other part I want to see. He also sent the door emblem file for painting! I had forgotten he is a fellow modeler. Gail reminded me so I contacted him.😀
 
OK, I took photos of the Clarkesville ladder truck. COMPLETELY different in EVERY way from my model other than they both have tires. Still, I will try to add some features to "Clarkesville" it up a little. Here is the front of it...
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Here is the front of the model...
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I had planned on doing a "build out of the box" review type thread here, but it has escalated; so it is "mostly out of the box with mods". I will add some of the lights to the front, and maybe some dials to a side panel, just because I never have and want to see if I can.

I found some photos of the motor. I have routed some lines to what I can obviously see. There are some other lines that look cool, but end at nothing on top of the motor. Here is the motor so far.
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And, that is where I am in the build. I will put the motor in, hopefully tonight, and go from there.
 
Greg Kimsey said:
View attachment 158690
Click to expand...
Fuel Filters I do believe.

My Bro-in_Law is chief over here. They just ordered a new ladder truck from LaFrance, he and several of his guys went to the factory and built out their new truck with the options and accessories they wanted. What I took from that is no two firetrucks are the same other than being red, and even that not so much. Like you said they only share the fact that they are on tires.
 
moon puppy said:
Fuel Filters I do believe.

My Bro-in_Law is chief over here. They just ordered a new ladder truck from LaFrance, he and several of his guys went to the factory and built out their new truck with the options and accessories they wanted. What I took from that is no two firetrucks are the same other than being red, and even that not so much. Like you said they only share the fact that they are on tires.
Click to expand...
CFD has their new ladder truck in the paint shop also. This one's service life is up. LaFrance also.
 
The front steering arms are in. Oddly enough, I had never heat set a pin. I used an old exacto blade and heated it with a candle. The front steering works:
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This plastic is the softest I have ever dealt with and is a pain to make the seams go away without taking half of the piece with it. I may not carry Italeri any more. Anyway, I have a lot of pieces glued up for tomorrow.
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Yes, I think those are fuel filters, and it's possible the engine is a Deutz V6. i've worked on a straightr 6 Deutz. They are air cooled, that's the fan on the front of the engine.
 
Chassis is done, I think. It is not perfect, despite my best efforts. The tires scrubbed on the right side fender. Not on the left. I trimmed the fenders to match so that neither side scrubs. Where butt joints were called for, I tried to drill and reinforce with a metal rod, to hopefully make it stronger for childs play.
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Honestly, I looked up working LED lights and working 9V siren for this thing LOL. About another $75 for siren, two rotating red lights, and 8 working head and tail lights, 5 small red "cab lights", three switches (which I would add to the side panel where I will add the dials and such), plus a 9V battery compartment. Putting it to the boss lady, but I expect a firm "no"...
Kid would lose his mind though, til it broke.
 
Cab interior. For the speedometer panel I used clear UV resin to create the glass. I painted the interior semi-gloss black, then weathered with Vallejo "engine grime " drybrush to simulate wear and dust. It is my overall "dust" go-to and it is fairly effective. I added the accelerator pedal with styrene and painted a mixture of Vallejo Metals "burnt iron" & "gold". The "CB" Mike if styrene for the talk box and the cord is extra fine black fly tying wire wrapped 30 times around a small rod, the CA glued into place. The steel plate floor board is Matte Aluminum Bare Metal Foil then a black wash added.
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Overall, I think it as close as I can get to the Clarkesville FD interior.
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Gator said:
I can print decals on my laser printer. You will have to layer the white decals to get them truly opaque. I can't do metallic though.
Click to expand...
My decals did not turn out well at all. What kind of file do you need, and do you use PayPal?
 
I have gotten a lot done since my last report. I am not sure where to begin...

I got the cab put onto the chassis. At first I misread the instructions and glued the bumper to the cab. Hmm, for some reason, the cab would not tip to reveal the motor.
20230406_183804.jpg

...look again....OOOOH, The bumper glues to the chassis! Much better.
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The stabilizers are installed but not weathered at all.
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They retract, but, without some sort of stop, they come all the way out of the sleeve when extended. I may need to figure out a stop for them or Griffin will get frustrated.

My decals did not turn out well, except for the "City of Clarkesville" along the front (because it is applied to a white background). I tried painting the decal sheet white, then printing. Also epic fail. GATOR! Help!
As for the rest of the front, here is my reference:
20230328_181753.jpg

And here is how I dealt with it...
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The centerpiece is some kind of cable TV fitting, dolled up with some PE pieces for a Ford Mustang. The "F" is from the word "FORD" and the screening is from the "grill". The headlights are opal snap buttons used in sewing. I sanded the backside flat and CA glued all in place. I am content with it.

I also got the rear deck assembled, and yes, I opened all of the doors and put shelves in the compartments, and it was way less of a big deal than expected. The compartments were there, why not make use? The doors were meant to be roll-ups, but they ended up hinged. The wide doors were cut in two. I have it initially primed in black:
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Not pictured is the door for the gas tank access, which became a pocket door and levers up then slides back into a pocket. I will get a shot of it soon.

That's it. Griffin keeps checking on the progress everyday LOL.
 
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