Aero Chief

Donald Dickson II
OK, so I broke this out today. I am going to be going between this and the C-17. Being a retired firefighter, its kind of weird that I have never built a firetruck. This will be rectified. I plan on stripping the chrome and redoing it with Alclad. There are some bubbles, AND most of it is too bright. The diamond plating on working surfaces is brushed aluminum, NOT chrome. The bumpers, Headlight casings horns and the like are. This will be my first time ever trying this. I am planning on using bleach. Also need to find the right color red.

Choppa Nutta
Here's hoping you make a suitable disaster movie dio for it😉 😄

Donald Dickson II
LMAO In 1/25...that would be something.

Martin Oostrom
Had my eye on a (different) box of this thing a couple of times. Somehow these things look so much more capable than the ones we have in Europe.

Donald Dickson II
Martin, it is a toss up. Depends on the manufacturer. This 9ne was actually half way decent, though older. 70s I believe.

And I tried bleach to remove the chrome. Did absolutely nothing after soaking for an hour.

Martin Oostrom
Curious. Used bleach on my K100 and Honda, worked really well.

Glenn
Donald I've heard (not tried it myself!) that a product called "Mr Muscle" an oven cleaner can remove chrome pretty well comes in a spray can. I guess you have something like that stateside? I know brake fluid removes paint well but not sure about using it on chrome? 🙂

Choppa Nutta
😄

Glenn
Classy Choppa!

Choppa Nutta
Sorry, I was going for funny 😄

Glenn
You and me have the same bad taste! Hey that's the cover of a Laser Disc!!! Really who brought one of those? That's funny! Did you see Augie's Mossy Mig-15 and what i said, Oops! My Bad! 🙂

Donald Dickson II
Dude! I love that movie! And its actually not too far off.

I am wondering if Easy Off will do it. I use that to remove paint on clear parts...

Choppa Nutta
I vaguely recall someone using baking soda or caustic powder or something to remove chrome
but I might be wrong, as for the bleach try again and use an old toothbrush to scrub it clean.
Anyhow found these vids, first one uses "Super Clean",
apparently "Easy Off" is a bit messy, as well as being a brand of under garments for ladies 😉 😄

Anyhow, back to the diorama you're gonna make for this beast 😄
perhaps a section of road and a suitable backdrop might suffice as well as being shelf friendly ! 🙂

Youtube Video
Youtube Video

Choppa Nutta
With a little bit of photoshop this could be added to for a wider image for an easy print out backdrop,
how long is the model ?

[img1]

Bryn Crandell
Going to have to watch this one as well. Also a retired firefighter. Still serving at our training academy. I have the Snorkel, ladder, pumper and Rescue van.

Donald Dickson II
Choppa, the bleach did NOTHING. LOL I mean it was exactly the same an hour later. Not sure brushing it would help, but I shall see. I will have to look on the box and see what the give for measurements. And thats not a bad idea for a backdrop kind of thing.

Bryn, awesome brother! I blew out my knee, so any kind of fire dept activity was pretty much thrown out the window. I did 12 years before that happened. Where are you?

Choppa Nutta
I was thinking brushing the chrome night help loosen and remove etc. 🙂
Anyhow plan B it is then .....
If you've already got some easy off test that I guess

Glenn
That stuff in the youtube video sure seem to work well. But i guess it depends on the quality of the chrome. If it was true nickel plated chrome it most likely wouldn't harm it at all.

Choppa Nutta
Yeah that Super Clean really seemed to work well, but it seems Don's is quite different in some way,
interesting to see what he tries next 🙂

Donald Dickson II
OK, wow. I dont know what they did to chrome these parts, but its tough! So after having soaked a couple trees in bleach for an hour. Nothing. Right. Spray one down with Easy Off oven cleaner. 20 minutes later, nice sparkling CHROME. Not a bit of it gone. Right. So I grabbed some Simple Green and that Super Clean today. After submersing the tree in the Super Clean and agitating it for a good five minutes...NOTHING. I mean WTF????? So I grabbed my MPC General Lee kit, took the chrome tree from it and threw it in the Super Clean with the one from the fire truck.

Now, the back side of the MPC chrome stripped away within like 30 seconds. The front remained, but is slowly being removed. By now the tree from the fire truck kit has been in the stuff at least 10 minutes. One part finally has a small area where it is coming off. So I put the lid on the container and left it there. I will go back in like an hour and see whats what. I have a coil to change on my Expedition anyway. LOL

Choppa Nutta
Well that's good news that you've made some progress getting the chrome off,
maybe it needs leaving overnight ? 🙂

Robbie
One thing you can add to your list of things to strip chrome, try soaking in brake fluid. Worked on some of my old AMT car kits. Disclaimer - be careful.

Donald Dickson II
Robbie, yeah, I know that works. But rinsing brake fluid off in the sink is not a good thing. LOL

So the purple stuff works. Just not as fast as in the video. At least not on the stuff for the fire truck. I have one more tree of parts to strip. The rest are air drying after I rinsed the hell out of them.

Choppa, on another note. This is a fire truck. We do NOT allow weathering to happen to our apparatus. The only things that show any "weathering" are ladders and walking surfaces. So no dirtiness on this one.😉

Greg Baker
I'm fascinated by the chemistry experiment that's going on with this one...

Choppa Nutta
Lol I didn't say a thing Don !! 😄

and as for the chemistry experiment Greg, it's like an episode from Breaking Bad😉 😄 😄

Donald Dickson II
Choppa, I was heading that one off at the start. LOL😉

Greg, I AM interested as to what these compounds do that makes the chrome completely disappear with no trace.

Greg Baker
Best not to know... that way none of us have to lie to the police later...

Donald Dickson II
LMAO

Glenn
Umm.. how about sulfuric acid. Oh no wait that's for dissolving body parts i think? Maybe some Alien Blood would do the trick! 🙂

Donald Dickson II
LOL Pretty sure that would put a dent in the plastic as well.😉

So, got everything stripped. The last pic is after about an hour and a half. This was some stubborn chrome. Got to give them credit for toughness. So now that that is done, I can actually start work on the model. Next step is to shoot some gloss black on those chrome parts then get into the actual build. I believe it starts with the chassis and suspension.

Donald Dickson II
OK, all the parts to be metallic are primed (I think). Put together the bulk of the engine and sprayed red. Its not as bright as it looks in the pic, but I DO need to darken it a bit.

Greg Baker
It could be the lighting in the pic, but yeah... that doesn't exactly scream "Fire Engine Red" more like... pink with delusions of grandeur... 😛

Donald Dickson II
ROFLMAO Yep, that it does. Its Testors dark red, trust me. I gave it a black was and that should help. Will take pics once its all the way done.

The search will be on this weekend for a nail polish that is the correct red for the body of the truck. If I dont go neon yellow.

Greg Baker
Nail polish, eh?... well it wouldn't be the first time I've haunted the cosmetics aisle hunting for modelling stuffs either...

Martin Oostrom
It looks like the white plastic is showing through the paint. Perhaps a grey primer is all it takes too save your manhood from being mocked for ever? 😉

Greg Baker
Hey now... I never mocked Donny for his choice of colours... real men can wear pink. Unless, of course you were talking about the fire engine itself... 1/25 scale is pretty big... might be compensating for something... and well, let's not even mention the fact that he's also working on a C-17...

Donald Dickson II
You know what? You can both kiss my manly butt.😉 LOL So joking.

Actually Martin, I believe that is indeed the case. I will be making sure to prime the body parts to avoid the same issue. The engine looks good with the black wash on it.

Greg, yep. From what I have see a lot of car guys use nail polish. Good glossy finish and colors you cant find in model paints. And cheap. So gonna try it.

Donald Dickson II
So, the engine is done. No matter what, I can NOT get a pic where the actual color shows. The lighting just makes it look pinker than it really appears. Trust me, it is more red. LOL

The frame is done. You can see how long it is. The model is going to be rather large.

Choppa, to answer your question before, the box says over 22 inches. So just shy of 2 feet long.

Choppa Nutta
Quite small then ......... 😉 😄
Anyhow, you go girl !
Pink power all the way !! 😄 😄 😄
[img1]

Greg Baker
LMAO

Spanjaard
Curious to see how this turns out. Hopefully red at the end 🙂

Choppa Nutta
Perhaps a dark brown oil wash might calm the pinkness of your engine ?
or maybe a little less viagra ??? 😄 😄 😄

Tim Heimer
Choppa how do you get an image on here?

Tim Heimer
Hey Don, just say it was breast cancer awareness day!

Donald Dickson II
As I said, it doesnt look like that in person. I did a black oil wash on it, which you cant even tell in the pics. Though it really doesnt matter as you wont see the engine once the thing is completed. Its just the principle. LOL

Choppa Nutta
No Don please don't ! women get enough "awareness days" as it is, maybe say prostrate cancer awareness day because men suffer that far more than women suffer breast cancer !! 😄 😄 😄

Tim, regarding how I post a picture up in a comment like that, I find an image online, right mouse click it, copy image location and then simply paste the link in my comment , hope that helps 🙂

Tim Heimer
Thanks Choppa. Don you know we're just teasing you!

Choppa Nutta
yeah, we love you really Don😉 😄

Donald Dickson II
LMAO Oh, believe me guys, this is nothing. The firehouse is brutal.😉

Donald Dickson II
I posted pics of two paint jobs I like. It would be with the box decals no matter what.

Choppa Nutta
Oh believe me Don I haven't started ... I haven't even warmed up !! haha 😄 😄 😄
Anyhow at least that pink engine will match your pretty little dress haha 😄

Donald Dickson II
Nope. My dress is purple. 😛

Choppa Nutta
hey what a coincidence ! same colour as my helmet 😄

Donald Dickson II
The one for the bus????😉

Tim Heimer
LOL!

Tim Heimer
I tried...…….

Choppa Nutta
it's special kind of holiday😎

Greg Baker
OH, my...

Tim Heimer
Don, I honestly can't wait to see this truck come alive! I've seen your planes and what you do with them!

Donald Dickson II
ROFLMAO Choppa. Do you lick the windows too???😉

Timothy, thank you sir! I very much appreciate the compliment. 🙂

I am thinking I will go with the red and blue scheme. Those colors are far easier to get than that lime green.

Tim Heimer
Is it something like Sublime green?

Peter Hardy
And I thought some of my threads were weird! You blokes are ................ Out there!

Donald Dickson II
Timothy, I honestly dont know.

Peter, you can say weird. We wont mind.😉

Peter Hardy
Ok, you and Tim are weirdly amusing!

Tim Heimer
Hey! We resemble that comment!

Donald Dickson II
Notice he conveniently leaves Choppa out of this????😉

Martin Oostrom
Choppa is a known quantity. No need to elaborate on him 😉

Choppa Nutta
haha, I feel almost loved !! 😄 😄 😄

Peter Hardy
Don't assume anything Choppa!

Choppa Nutta
I won't, your inference was quite clear ....

Donald Dickson II
OK, so last Sunday, as in the 7th, I managed to get food poisoning. So all last week was spent being miserable and in the bathroom a good bit of the time. So nothing was done on either project until yesterday. Yesterday and today I got most of the suspension on the frame and dry fitted the pink (it really isnt in person. But I know to accept the fact you all are going to insist it is. LOL ) engine. Again, not going to do a lot of weathering as I want this pretty much to be a brand new piece.

Greg Baker
Why didn't you just move the modelling bench into the bathroom? 🙂

Tim Heimer
Those engines don't get weathering really, the way they keep maintenance on them. Now the hoses they get dirty!

Donald Dickson II
Timothy, believe me, I know! LOL The undercarriage is the dirtiest part of a fire truck.

Choppa Nutta
It really is quite a beast of a vehicle hey, I bet it was quite challenging to drive 🙂
didn't realise the engine sat quite so far back on the chassis ...

Donald Dickson II
I never drove one of these exact ones. I did drive quite a few very large straight ladder/tower trucks though. A large percentage of fire trucks are really mid engine vehicles. I cant think of a single one I ever rode that was built after the mid 70s that had the engine forward.

Choppa Nutta
it's a sensible place for the engine (no matter how pink it is😉 😄 )

Greg Baker
OOoooooooh....burn!

Bryn Crandell
It's a bit of a beast to drive. Long and wide turns are a must. Overall a fun piece of apparatus to drive and operate. Agree on the undercarriage. you can make the engine look good but if you crawl under the truck it has a bit of road grime. Unless you have a chief that is a clean freak.

Donald Dickson II
*fingers in ears* nananananaananananana I cant hear you Choppa.😉

Greg, burn...fire truck...I see what you did there. LOL

Bryn, I can imagine. The last truck I drove was 110' heavy duty Seagrave straight truck that was like 45 feet long. That took some wide turns. Not to mention the idiots doing the purchasing put 6V92s in them. For a 60,000 lb vehicle. Talk about a pig.

Choppa Nutta
yeah but you can still read haha 😄
anyhow that's nearly 30 tons !!
never seen a road vehicle that big ... I bet it took forever to stop ....

Donald Dickson II
It took forever to get going. The engine I mentioned is severely under powered for that size vehicle. It was certainly a beast.

Donald Dickson II
OK, so I found a pic (I actually have not a single pic of me when I was in the FD. Not one. Nor of the fire trucks I rode/drove) of the ladder truck I drove. That is it after it had been transferred to another station.

Choppa Nutta
it's a beast indeed !! fire engines in the UK are much smaller
shame you didn't get any photos of you in it but I guess at the time one never thinks to take a selfie
(unless you're a self absorbed millennial of course😉 )
You'd think that it might be an important design requirement for for an emergency vehicle to get to the emergency site quickly....

Donald Dickson II
This was also before smart phones and digital cameras everywhere.

Here is the thing. We are not allowed to go blasting down the road. Most fire trucks are governed at about 70 or so. That being said, if they are properly powered, they can get to 70 really effing quick considering their size.

Choppa Nutta
Yeah I was thinking more acceleration than top speed .... at least it wasn't horse drawn hey😉 😄

Donald Dickson II
OK, the chassis and engine are done. Started painting body pieces. Going to do the red white and blue scheme. I painted the white band on the cab first. I will tape ove rit once it has set for a day or so, and that will give the sharp line between it and the red. There is a chrome strip that is molded into the cab part that will delineate the blue and red. That will be fun painting that narrow little edge. Pffftttt.

Tim Heimer
Or you could use that chrome markers they have, Imho they work very well. For what it's worth. you'll still need to tape it.

Donald Dickson II
Hmmmm, I will have to see if I can find any.

Tim Heimer
Molotow liquid chrome. 2mm tip # 703.102. WWW.molotow.com

Bryn Crandell
You can also order a refill bottle of that stuff. It can be applied with an airbrush as well.

Wim van der Luijt
funny...I was looking at buying one of those for undercarriage legs of airplanes...seems to be very good stuff

Donald Dickson II
OK, so I pulled a Martin last night and had to walk away from the bench. (Sorry Martin, I couldnt resist.😉 ) I had the white stripe painted on the cab. It looked good, but needed another coat. No biggy. Well, somehow some red paint managed to get into my air brush. Mind you, I am using rattle cans for the red and blue. So I have no freaking clue what happened. But as I sprayed the "white" paint, I got pink. Yes, real actual pink. I am surprised you all did not hear my tirade. It was rather impressive, believe me.

So, I had to strip the lower half down as you can see. I re sprayed the gloss black. Then I then got up and left it. I went back tonight after having had 24 hours to calm down. I sprayed the stripe again. And managed to mar the paint AGAIN. I also sprayed the white stripe on the compartment doors. That went well. So I sanded the spot I screwed up and decided to continue on and spray the blue. I figured if I got up again and walked away, I would not come back for days. The blue went down just fine. I then painted the handles on some of the doors.

So tomorrow I will go back and try to fix the stripe. Third time is the charm, right? RIGHT?????

Spanjaard
i wish you good luck Donald, and patience 🙂

Greg Baker
What you need... is to add some LED lights and some teeny tiny little motors... THAT'll fix you right good.

"Where's Don?"
"I dunno... He just picked up a rattle can, said 'don't wait up' and then walked out the front window..."😉

snicker... pulled a Martin.... hee hee...

Martin Oostrom
This comment might get some legs. Pulling a Martin 😠
But the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a compliment. Don't smash the model, walk away and persevere. I kinda like it 👍

Peter Hardy
3 more applications of white paint and you will be fully qualified to paint a Ducati! Feel your pain Don!

Tim Heimer
yep! we've all been there!

Tim Heimer
Don, you really need to put some lights on that! Flashing ones, head lights, the whole shebang!

Donald Dickson II
Thank you guys for your kind words. 🙂

Greg, Tim, I AM considering lights. When I go down to the table tonight I will look at the parts and see how feasible it will be. No motors. BUT, if I could figure a way to motorize the boom...

Martin, it IS a badge of honor! And you do know it is friendly joking. 🙂

Peter, I may get there. LOL

Tim Heimer
There's kits, 9volt battery and fiber optics. they come flashing, on and flickering. or small leds. I used both on the enterprise I did. let me see the pieces for the boom and how it mounts, maybe I can help. That would be too cool!

Tim Heimer
Is it your camera or do you need to go a darker red?

Greg Baker
If I can get two lights and two motors into a 1/144 DC-3... you should have room leftover for the swimming pool in this monstrosity. 🙂

I'm happy to lend a virtual hand if I can as well, but a man of your talents should be able to pull this off no problemo.

Donald Dickson II
Tim, the lighting does not do well for red for some reason. But it IS a brighter red.

And, again, NOT happy with the result with the red on the cab. So time to strip it again. *sigh* I think I may need to spray it into a cup and thin it and use the air brush. It did fine on the compartment doors, but not so much on the cab. Not sure why. But it definitely filled in the emblem on the front, and that wont work. I am determined to get this just right. No thats good enough on this one.

When I get to the point of doing the boom, I will lay it out and take suggestions. Tim, do you happen to know a site that has those kits?

Greg, thank you for your confidence in my abilities! I take that as a great compliment. There is plenty of space for wiring, its whether there will be space in the headlight fixtures and the response lights (which there are pitifully few of) for the bulbs.

I was thinking of taking a trip to Walmart and looking through the toys to see if there was something with lights and sirens that I could remove and use.

Martin Oostrom
A pink fire truck with flashy lights? We should be able to get Choppa or Greg to go overboard on this....

Keeping my fingers crossed for your cab Don!

Tim Heimer
Don, he is on Ebay, seller name me80. He is a great guy to work with, answers questions, ect. me80 wholesale fiber optic fiber. There are small tricks to using fiber optics. if you go this way let me know. Also there are some real small leds that are freakin bright for areas that you might need. I have some in the dash of a 1/25 scale car! Also pay attention to fiber thickness, the thicker is better but depends how many lights you are trying to light. Tip: if you use a lighter and heat the end until it mushrooms it increases light output. Sometimes you can form them when still hot to conform to a roof light with a little filing or sanding and after a little polishing. Wishing you the best for this project!

Tim Heimer
O.k after looking again, if it was me.....2 small leds 1 for each headlight, can't tell about spot lights. 2 fiber optic flashing units to get the alternating flash effect. maybe a small led in cab. I'll check my supply and see if I have 2 or 3 for you.

Donald Dickson II
OK, the only way the spots would happen is fiber optics. And no way could I run them through the mount. I think they are a no go.

I grabbed some fiber optics and a source light at the train shop here. Just something to use to experiment. I was thinking two LEDs per light because there are two lights per housing. The response lights are meh. Only 4 for the whole unit. I need to try to find more.

So, while the cab is soaking and having the paint removed, i started on building the body. They way it goes together, I could detail the individual compartments if I wanted to ( I am NOT. That would make this a REALLY long project, and since I let a certain trouble maker influence me into lighting this thing, that is enough work already) OR it will be a perfect area to put wiring and the like.

Tim Heimer
I know nothing!

Peter Hardy
I'll be your friend Tim!

Tim Heimer
Thanks Peter! LOL

Greg Baker
Light it up!

Wait a minute... troublemaker? You're going to hurt Tim's feelings. He's very sensitive to such things...

Tim Heimer
Don't worry Greg, I can always blame it on you and those damn locusts! LOL

Donald Dickson II
LOL ummm, I meant Greg when I said trouble maker. Though Tim would work as well.😉 LOL

Greg Baker
Oooh... well, you can certainly understand my confusion. Considering my helpful nature, that's such a non-sequitur statement to make. Tim on the other hand... well, that guy is big city trouble.

Anyway, about those cargo doors on your C-17...😉

Donald Dickson II
ROFLMAO And I rest my case.😉

Greg Baker
Dust... dust... heya... where's this one at Donny? I've been toying with the idea of a B-52 and/or a C-5 and I was thinking "didn't Don do one of those..." and when I went hunting through your albums to see, I found this little gem still awaiting its time in the sun.

Donald Dickson II
LOL Its languishing on the bench. I will likely be messaging you for info once I get back to it. I really have zero clue aas to how to do any wiring or where to even get appropriate lights.

Donald Dickson II
Oh, it was a C-17. I dont have a 5. I want one, but no way am I paying about 100 for that Roden kit

Greg Baker
No worries. I'm standing by to help... and then Erik can tell us both what I did wrong.😉

I've been looking at that Roden kit too... but it's $200 on the shelf here in Seoul, and about $80 + $50 shipping on eBay. Oh well.

Donald Dickson II
Wowzers! You found it for 50 on ebay???? I'm gonna have to look again.

Donald Dickson II
I just re read that Greg. 50 was the shipping. LOL I was getting excited there for a sec.😉

James, welcome! I will apologize in advance. This one is kind of dragging.

Donald Dickson II
I did some more paint work on the cab. Nothing picture worthy yet. BUT I AM working on it. LOL

Greg Baker
Provide proof...

Chris Greathouse
I love fire trucks, I'm on for the ride.

Peter Hardy
Evidence is required or no prizes!

Donald Dickson II
Alright, I warned you it wasnt much. LOL I gotta go back and redo the white part. And rechrome the emblem. That should be fun.

Bob Hall
Right On ! Guns and Hoses ! Killer Work as always !

Donald Dickson II
OK, the cock pit is done. Not quite as impressive as a jet.😉 Cab exterior done for what I will do for now. Now I need to figure the lighting.

*clears throat* Oh Greeeeeeggggggg...How would you go about doing the head lights and turn signals?

Greg Baker
Uhm. Probably with lights. 🙂

Donald Dickson II
The wisdom! I am blown away! LMAO I mean like would you use bulbs of some sort or fiber optics. That kind of thing.

Clint Mecham
From first hand experience....good job on the truck. They are work trucks and as such are kept simple.

Donald Dickson II
Yep. Every one I ever rode, even the show pieces the volunteers bought, were pretty basic. Though the ones I have seen lately are like Caddys in comparison.

Clint Mecham
Very true. The newer Seagraves and Rosenbauers we use are sure not the old Crowns and Mack's I started with.....