I thought I read some where somebody said they would like to see some more fire trucks, well at model express they got 4 ladders, and 2 pumpers, so they claim.
All of them are AMT though except the one ladder is RVG it's a Mercedes Benz, then all the AMT's are American La France at
http://wwwmodelexpress.net/cgi-bin/modelexpress/shop/index.html

now this is the address for their home page, the address with all the trucks on it is twice as long as this is, so that is why I gave you the home address, just look for fire engines and click on it, they should come up what they have.

They have a pretty nice collection of classic carkits and firetrucks.
Lots of carkits I remember from my childhood. Kits I never got the chance to buy.

ther are 3 kits in that line

all are based on the an older american lafranch chassie

a pumper
a ladder
and and aerial platform

and revel made a peterbuilt based on a semi

yeah, im looking for a firetruck, to hose down the wife so she doesnt spontaneously combuste once she figures out where $78.88 went to.

To anyone who has ever tried the old American LaFrance Pumpers and Ladders, have patience: good news on the horizon from Trumpeter.


Patrick

The Scale Firehouse has a pretty good list of the fire apparatus kits that have been made. Many are out of production currently but at least it does show what is out there even if you will have to watch ebay and such to find many of them.

Scale Firehouse Kits list

I don't know how good it is, but they claim that one, circa 87, with the snorkel boom on it, has a 8-71 Detroit engine in it, made by AMT. Where as none of the others even mention an engine.

I don't know if anybody had trouble with the other address, but I did, so I found a shorter one, this will take you to the 1000 pumper, then on the left side in trucks, and trailers click on fire, and rescue, then it should bring up all the fire trucks they have, with the prices.
http://www.modelsexpress.net/cgi-bin/modelexpress/shop/AMT_6669si.html

Why they have such long addresses, I guess to keep people like me from copying them down

All 3 of the AMT/Ertl (AMT, Matchbox etc) American LaFrance kits have the turbocharged Detroit Diesel 8V71in them. Once the kit is done you really can't see it and it would be something of a chore to open up the cowl so you could, which is really too bad since it is a nice motor that could be well detailed.

I agree. I am putting together the AMT ladder truck right now. And to be honest with you I don't think it is a very good kit. I have had to do alot of sanding (I think alot more than I normally do) just to make some things fit. I also don't think that the ladders on the sides fit too well.

And the last thing I really really don't liek (there are others but I will stop there) is too many chrome parts. I hate the chrome parts that come already in the package. And then if they wanted to put that many things chrome, then make everything that is chrome on the real firetruck chorme on the model. But NOO!!! they don't, and do you think I can get everything that needs to be chrome to look the same? No I can't, maybe other people out there can but I can't.....LoL.

I am going to be building an ambulance next. I bought an EMS box from Fred's Custom Models. Looks really nice. Nice resin casting, and he sends it already primed. I also bought a F-350 Extended cab truck that I am going to be putting the box on. So I have alot of work ahead of me wish me luck.

The first thing I did when I started the pumper was toss all the chrome into a vat of castrol super clean (it strips the chrome without hurting the plastic). The chrome is annoying, partly because as you said they don't chrome everything that should be, and worse there is very little is chrome on most fire apparatus, newer vehicles have alot of aluminum diamond plate and older vehicles typically has steel tread plate painted silver or black. About the only things that should be chrome are the bell, some trim and the ALF emblems.

Good to hear you had a positive experience with Fred's, I've had my eye on the Pierce cab, but some of the horror stories I've heard have made me nervous about ordering it. When I first got hired as a career firefighter I was assigned to an 88 Pierce Arrow engine, it would be fun to build it some day.

Hello all,

build the pumper truck (American la France) of ERTL not an easy kit to do but worth ding it.


Warm regards,


Frank Damen

I haven't heard anything bad about Fred's. In fact I have not heard anything good about him either. I posted a question in the FSM forums and one person gave me a link. Didn't say anything good nor bad about them. Just said you might give him a try.

So I emailed him with a couple of questions I had. He answered them within a couple of hours (which I thought was pretty good). About a month later I emailed him and told him I was wanted to buy his AM-1 model. I sent him the money and I received it in a couple of weeks.

He told me he had 6 orders for the AM-1 model, and he had to cast some more boxes. I didn't think that was too long wait. Now I don't know maybe someone will think differently, but this is my first resin project. When I opened the box my ambulance box was nicely packed. Nothing got damaged in the shipping. I thought it was perfect.

I really want to build a complete inside for my ambulance, but I think I am taking on too many frist with this project already. Besides first time using resin, this is also my first time using an airbrush. Plus this is my first time doing any kind of conversion. So I think I have my hands full for now.

But anyways I had a great experience with Fred's, and I would tell anybody to try him out.