Chimpion Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Here's a topic placeholder for my entry. I've taken the sprue photos and will upload them this evening. There's a LOT of plastic, much of it very thin. It does look like it will be easy to build several sections (engine, chassis, ladder, turntable) in parallel, which will give me a fighting chance of getting it completed on time. I plan to put the first few pieces together over this weekend. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Looking forward to this beauty, I don't think I ever seen one built. It was first released in 1980. Welcome and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 I had to google this one, goodness me it should look epic when you finish it. Good luck. Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Epic indeed, count me in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 Interestingly thís box isn't listed on Scalemates. I picked it up on E-Bay three years ago for €7,27 plus postage . It seems complete and undamaged. There's a lot of plastic inside : 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 Not sure if these are loose parts or bits of sprue : I hope it's sprue as the sink marks are huge. It'll sit nicely next to these when finished : 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 First parts assembled. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Hi, This should be good - I sawe it in the 25 anniversary catologue - the one with the Renault TN6C Paris bus on. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Ooh! Nice choice. Who doesn’t like a nice red fire appliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherry268 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Looking forward to this, I'd love to do one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimbledon99 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 My Dad's a retired Fireman (they weren't called fire fighters in the 70s / 80s ) and I built the 1:16 Escape for him some years ago; it's still in a cabinet in their house! Anyhow, as such, this build is a 'must watch' for me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 There is something very satisfying about discovering you have a kit that isn't on Scalemates, so I'm afraid you now have a duty to add it to Tims database, along with the appropriate bragging rights that come with it. This build is going to be a bit special thanks for bringing it to the GB. Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 I've found the first problem. There should be a pin on each side of the chassis to enable what look like pump levers to be attached, melting the pin to hold them in place. The pin is missing on one side. I was tempted to just glue it, but thought that as I'm being watched I should make an effort. So I cut the end off a resistor leg and promptly dropped it on the floor. Worried about what it might do to my foot if I trod on it, with the aid of the torch on my phone I eventually found it. Long before that I found a long-lost 1/72nd-ish headlight - now I have to work out which kit is missing a headlight! Combined with a spare bit of plastic (sprue ejector pin?) and some super glue I've ended up with this. It's still a bit loose, but once painted it'll hopefully tighten up a bit - if not I'll address it later. Current state of the chassis shown below. I'm not convinced I've got it completely aligned, but there wasn't much play in it - the fit was very good. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Good start, looks like it's pretty straight. I know of parts that I dropped and never found... I wonder where they are sometimes... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimbledon99 Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Looks straight to me too. The chassis on my Bentley has a slight twist which I'm hoping will pull out when other parts are fitted but it would appear your build doesn't have that issue 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 @wimbledon99I have a Bentley stalled for a year because the body panels are too warped to fit together. Maybe they'd fit on your chassis? 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Where does Bonneville fit in all that? Is it the town it is meant to operate from? Great progress so far! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wimbledon99 Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 17 hours ago, jean said: Where does Bonneville fit in all that? Is it the town it is meant to operate from? Great progress so far! JR Sorry to jump in here but it had me wondering also. I don't believe there's any link to Pontiac hence as there is a 'Monte Carlo' version, I'm guessing that it is indeed depicted as stationed in the town of Bonneville. I'm sure someone will confirm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 2 hours ago, wimbledon99 said: Sorry to jump in here but it had me wondering also. I don't believe there's any link to Pontiac hence as there is a 'Monte Carlo' version, I'm guessing that it is indeed depicted as stationed in the town of Bonneville. I'm sure someone will confirm Hi, you may be right considering the mountains in the background on the box art. The mountains in question are a lot taller and mean-looking than the ones overlooking Bonneville, but I guess the idea is there. Great mushroom picking by the way in these mountains! Not to mentions a few beautiful fields in the valley where to put your glider down when unable to get back... But I never saw a single fire engine there... JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Hi, yes, it would appear this is really Bonneville, in Haute Savoie. Here are a couple of photos of that fire engine in the Bonneville fire brigade museum. It would appear they bought it from Monaco in 1968, as they did not have a truck left over from the old days. Anyway, just to prove that it exists! This project is real fun. Enjoy! JR 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 @jean Many thanks for the photos! I now have the wheels built and ready for painting and the front axle assembled. I managed to snap the pin off the bottom of the steering column and am struggling to replace it. More build photos soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Interesting entry! What an amount of parts! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 Here's the front axle. It's a tricky assembly with very flimsy parts (probably nicely to scale, but being made of plastic they lack rigidity and strength. The steering joints are all made by melting the plastic - for the last joint I had trouble getting the pin through the hole and broke the pin off. I've rescued it using a similar approach with a thin metal pin as above - this time I couldn't use a small bit of plastic as it would then be too big to allow the bodywork to fit (glad I thought to check!). I've bodged it by supergluing a few bits of flash around the end of the pin (fortunately I had a fair bit available on one of the red sprues!). I'm not looking for a strong movable mechanism, but I would like to be able to position the angle of the wheels at the end of the build. It'll all be hidde under the bodywork, so it just has to stop the link falling off. I also found the fit of the axle to the chassis wasn't great - I've had trouble getting it to bond and have had to re-cement one side more than once. I pushed down a bit hard trying to get a good bond the last time, pushed in the wrong place, and snapped the steering cross bar off at one end (see above about it being flimsy). It's all back together now, but I'm going to try to avoid touching this assembly except where absolutely necessary. I'm dreading trying to get the wheels on. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 I've made good progress on the engine. The start of the ladder frame is visible in the background. I've also been plagued here with the carburettor and air filter regularly falling off. I still need to touch up the paint in places. I added the spark plug cables - these are not part of the kit. The decal was surprisingly well-behaved - I've had trouble with old Heller decals in the past. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 Time for an update. I've been short of modelling time recently, but have made some progress. I always planned to do the bulk of the build over the Christmas break, so I'm still on (my admittedly slow) schedule. Here's a summary of where I'm at : The chassis is half-painted (airbrushed with Revell Aqua gloss black) but also needs at least one more coat on the part that's already done. I've added the pedals, levers and seats to the body section. I was forced into starting this when I accidentally knocked one of the pedals off the sprue and was worried I'd lose it if I didn't put it somewhere safe. Where could be safer than in its final resting place? I've built and half-primed (Humbrol 01 acrylic airbrushed) the start of the turntable assembly, and tonight I started the ladder. It has some incredibly thin sections, and I had to repair a couple of them. The first part has gone together OK though : There are two or three more sections like this. I hope they'll fit together OK once painted - I may have to be careful to make sure I get only thin coverage. The eagle-eyed among you will also spot the firewall with two horns attached. I'm back in more or less 100% working from home and we have a curfew here from 8pm every evening so I'm starting to find a bit more time for modelling, although this is one of (too) many kits I've got started. Andy 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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