ROADBLOCKERS Kit Bash
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What is a Kit Bash? Opinions differ depending on who you talk to. The term "Kit Bash" is from our model railroad friends. A kit bash is where you take parts from more than one kit, and combine them in to one piece of work. Some scratch building, new paint and new decals are all part of a true "Kit Bash". Removing parts, creating old weathered "beater" type of vehicles, modifying the basic shape, are all part of true "Kit Bash's." Stripping the markings off of a die cast and adding new decals is not a "Kit Bash" although you see plenty of those on the auction sites. That practice is known as a "redecoration". New paint and new decals is a not a "Kit Bash" either, as no new pieces or parts from another piece were used. That practice is a "custom" piece. True "Kit Bashing" requires a degree of skill, great patience and parts from more than one source. Here you can view true "Kit Bash" pieces from my collection, as well as some great work from others on my "Guest Page". A great place to see additional kit bash projects from all over, and to share ideas and information is at FireEngines.net Click on the link to go there and participate in these great forums.
I have been getting requests lately for tips and "how to's" on fire department related dozers. Too bad there is nothing readily available in 1/64 scale. I have been making my own. Hopefully you can learn how or pick up some tips by looking at these photographs. The dozer above is an older Ertl International TD20. It is not readily available but you can find them on Ebay from time to time. It is 1/64 scale. I have converted this to a Los Angeles County Fire Department dozer. The first thing I did was take the dozer apart. This was accomplished by drilling out the three mushroom (see arrows) fasteners on the right side. I used a small enough drill bit, so that a lip remained for a screw to rest on. Once the dozer was apart, I drilled out the three studs that were mushroomed. The basic body consists of a right, left and top deck. I removed the roof (ROPS) and will discard it, as I will building one from scratch. I used very small self tapping screws to hold the dozer together, then used super glue to keep them from moving. Then filled in the holes with UV activated body filler. I finished it off with automotive scratch filler.
Above shows the two halves together, trapping the operator's deck. I have also added some diamond plate to the floor and top of the fuel tank. I scratch built the new ROPS from Evergreen plastic. I used 5/32 channel for the sides and rear, and .100 X .100 strips for the side supports. The roof is Plastruct diamond plate.
Above right shows the new ROPS glued in place. At left is the first shot with primer sitting on the lower assembly.
In the photo above, you can see the dozer is now painted. The details have been added, and decals have been applied. The hand levers are visible now, as is a fire extinguisher on the left deck. I added a resin cast tool box to the rear from a Code 3 squad truck. The protective screen on the rear is made from a grease splatter screen available in the house wares sections of stores. At this point, all construction and detail work is finished.
The completed dozer. It has been weathered and all of the details picked out. I added a rolled up tarp on top of the tool box. The tracks are from a 1/48 scale tank, and look very realistic. The photo on the right shows the completed dozer sitting on a Forces of Valor 1/72nd scale tank transporter that has been highly modified. More photos coming of the transporter rigs.
The photos above represent a Johnny Lightning 65 Chevy cab and a squad body from a Code 3 collectibles Squad 51. I cast the squad body in resin and the photo on the right shows the almost completed truck. I have to paint the grille area and slam locks. The roof lights were made from spare parts, and the wheels and tires are from a Boley HO scale truck. Decals are from my LA County sheet.
Another work in progress, this is an old Boston Ward LaFrance engine which will become a derelict. I have previously painted the pump panel red, but decided not to use it. It was stripped of the red paint, and most of the lime green. The driver side door has been removed, and the front cabinet door has also be removed. I removed the pump panel, and have fabricated a representation of a pump, complete with plumbing. The large intake pipe is a piece of a coffee stirring stick, and the two discharge lines are cut from a hollow plastic Q-Tip handle.
In the above sequence of photos, you can see how the interior has been modified. I have removed the fan and bar from the dashboard. I repainted the dash red and added some gauge decals from a race car decal sheet. I have ground out most of the padding on the seats and weathered them with dark gray, light gray and flat white paint. I have made sure that plenty of bare metal shows through the paint by dry brushing lots of silver paint on points that would show wear.
The photo above shows the basic truck back together. I have drilled out the pump panel where the gauge's would have been. The pump is in place and basic weathering has been started. This truck will have a flat front tire on the driver side, so the running board assembly has been cut at that point, and the frame has been twisted so that the truck will sit with a natural lean to the left once the tire is flattened and installed.
The photos above are of the old Matchbox Snow Trac. I have several of these in both the raised lettering version (right) and the smooth side version. All of them are missing the tracks. This is an easy kit bash to do, and the results can be very satisfying. First thing I did was drill out the mushroom on the bottom to separate the chassis from the body, and drill out the stem for a screw to hold the chassis later on. Then it was just basic repainting and decorating. The metal axles had rusted over the years. I cut them off and made new ones with piano wire. The chassis was painted to match the body, as was the prototype. The bogies were painted and weathered using actual Snow Trac photos for reference. The headlights are 1/43 scale spotlights that I made, and have jewels inserted in to them. The grille's were painted black per the prototype.
The Snow Track above was painted with Ace Hardware brand of red spray paint over Ace brand white primer. I took the windows and polished out the scratches from years of wear. The light on the roof is a clear dome from the inside of a 1/24th scale MX 7000 that Lindberg included in their kits painted with Tamiya clear blue. The decals are from various Roadblockers fire decal sheets. The "rescue" on the side and the chevrons are from my Chicago sheet. The "rescue" on the front and rear is from my LA City sheet. The star of life emblems are from my generic sheet.
The yellow Snow Trac was done the same as the red one as far as construction goes. The "search & rescue" decals are from my LA City sheet. The star of life on the roof and the numbers and letters are from my Chicago sheet. The antenna is from a die cast tank. The lightbar is from a Code 3 fire truck.
Above photo shows the two kit bashes and the original. These Snow Tracs can be found on the auction sites and generally are pretty cheap. Not sure on what to use for tracks. I will post more photos when I find suitable tracks. I have more in the works, including an arctic expedition version.
These two heavy rescue trucks are both works in progress. The orange one, known as "The Great Pumpkin" is a Code 3 Pierce Quantum cab from a Winter Park engine, and the rear squad body is from the NYPD squad truck. The maroon truck uses the E-One cab from a Boston E-41 and the rear squad body from an FDNY 1st series Saulsbury rescue.
Above is a Norscot 1/64 scale Cat D6H. I have added new ROPS (roll over protective structure) made from Evergreen strip. I also added some diamond plate protection on the roof and a diamond plate shelf on the rear to hold the tool box. The tool box is from a Code3 ALF tower. After new paint I added some decals from a racing car sheet to the cab area.
I added Department of Forestry decals to the exterior and some protective screens around the ROPS. The tracks are from a 1/72 scale model tank, and were already weathered. I also added lights to the front, the top cross member of the ROPS, and on the rear. The original CAT emblems were saved, and cut down and placed back on the sides and rear. Once completed, I weathered the dozer to show plenty of use. The photo above shows the completed forestry dozer next to a stock version.
The photos above show a cab from the Super Pumper System, with the fifth wheel and frame assembly from a DCP Kenworth mated together to construct a dozer transporter.
This is the left over Freightliner cab and the rear of the DCP Pete. It is also a dozer transporter.
This is an AHL Mack CJ that will be mated with a Crown body. Body is a medium maroon with gold frost fenders.
This is an AHL GMC T-70 cab that has been mated to a Code 3 Mack C pumper body. The roof light is from a Code 3 Crown pumper. I made the bumper in the photo on the left from Evergreen strip, and covered it with aluminum foil. I decided that I didnt like the bumper I made, so I used the front bumper from a Code 3 Ward LaFrance instead. I left it in the silver paint it came with on the Christmas version. The steps on the cab were painted silver, and extra pump panel details were painted as well as the subway straps on the rear.
This is the membership tanker. I cut off the front cabinet and have mated the tanker body to a DCP Peterbilt 379. Its a work in progress.
This is the Mack CF cab from a Coaldale tower ladder mated to the Pierce rescue body from a Tallman rescue. The Tallman front bumper was also used.
Below is a Baltimore Mack C model cab mated to the Patriot series Mack CF/Pirsch ladder truck. All the modifications are as in the text below. I removed the cab roof using a jewelers saw. I cut the windows on a slant and polished the edges. I removed the driver side running board. All ground ladders were left off. The roof beacon was re-mounted to the top edge of the windshield. Then all components were weathered. The last fly section of the aerial was left off, to more closely resemble a ladder truck.
This is a Crown Snorkel using the LA City Crown and the rear from an early LA City Seagrave with the boom from a Chicago squad. Extinguishers from several models were added. An electric cord reel from an early TDA was added to the top right. A power fan from a later model TDA was added to the rear step. The side flood lights are from a Yonkers Mack. The tool box was scratch built and cast in resin. The portable monitor is from a Mack C. The cross lay hose loads are from a Chicago Backdraft WLF. The red and yellow rotating lights are from an H.O. scale set from Roco. I also added diamond plate to the rear above the left tail lights and above both boxes on the running boards.
This is a Code3 Mack C cab and an extensively reworked Aerialscope body. The cab started as a Baltimore. The Balto cab is just right for the FDNY Mack's. It has the correct headlight arrangement, the correct mirrors, and the correct grab handles for this period Mack. You can find most every version of Mack C cab apparatus somewhere in the FDNY inventory. The Aerialscope body was taken from a Coaldale Mack CF. The body was reworked to represent an earlier version with fender compartments. The front bumper was cut away to allow placement of the outriggers. I used the rear outriggers on the front, and the front on the rear. This was much more accurate for this piece. I also added a custom made equipment box, some hose on the deck and compartment top on the passenger side, and extra's such as fire extinguishers and electric reels, as well as a pike pole holder on the driver side.
I have taken a Boston Ward LaFrance and will convert it to an open cab. The first picture shows the initial cuts in the roof before final file and sanding. The next photo shows the cab has been filed and sanded to the proper dimensions. The cab and pumper body have been stripped, and the plastic interior and pump panels have been sanded.
In the above photo, you can see the plain dash has been decorated with decals from an auto racing sheet that had plenty of gauges. The cab has been painted, and the body molding has been applied using silver decal that has been cut in to strips.
This truck started as a Code3 Mack CF four door from Yonkers. It will be done much the same as the trucks below. I cut the rear doors and roof off, and sanded to the correct shape of a canopy cab Mack CF. I added diamond plate to the engine dog house. I have cut out the hose bed and will modify that as well. More to come.
More shots of the Yonkers Mack CF. All that is left is to paint the tail lights and the top cab marker lights.
The photos below are of a Code3 Crown from L.A. County. I did the weathering and detail the same as the old Mack featured in the article below the photos.
Here are some photos of a kit bash, making the new look old. I took a Code 3 Baltimore Mack "C" and converted it to a worn out truck sitting out back. The modifications are numerous. See if you can find them all.
The first thing I did was completely disassemble the truck, and put all of the parts in plastic bags. I started with the interior. I used a Dremel Tool, and ground the bottoms of the seats to make them look saggy and worn through. I actually ground away all of the plastic on one of them. I painted the seats flat black. Then I started weathering the seats using light gray, dark gray, and finally some final dry brushing with flat white to pick out the details. I drilled out one of the gauges on the dash, and drilled some small holes in the dash to simulate where a radio may have been mounted. I then painted the dash, floor and dog house red. When the red was dry I used Testor's dull coat to make it all flat. I gave most of the parts a wash of flat black. I then used basic weathering techniques to show where paint may have been rubbed down to bare metal. I used silver for the metal look, and plenty of rust dry brushing. Again I picked out the final details with flat white. After reassembling the interior, I moved on to the bumper/grille assembly. I wanted to have a flat tire on this truck, and knew that I would have to cut the chrome pan assembly to make a separation between the cab and pumper body so the truck could be posed with a lean. I used a soldering iron, and made the dent in the bumper. I also drilled out the hole where one of the headlights was, and one of the parking lights, to simulate them being missing. I also drilled some holes in the bumper and running boards to simulate where equipment had been mounted. I weathered the bumper assembly with a flat black wash and rust dry brushing.
Moving on to the cab. It has been extensively modified. I painted the cab red. I added the door emblems and "Engine 3" and "No 3" on the front, from my generic decal sheet. After it was dry, I again used Dull Coat to make it flat. From there, I started weathering and modifying parts. I left the siren out, and added a wire to simulate the cable left from removing it. I left off the passenger side spotlight, and added a very fine wire to the hole where it would have been mounted. I bent one of the passenger side grab rails, and cut the center out of the rear one on the drivers side, to simulate damage. I cut the front off of the passenger side air horn, and took the dome off of the roof beacon. I cut the passenger side front window to simulate it being left down, and omitted the driver side front window. I added a long crack to the back passenger side window, and fogged it over to show damage. Using the soldering iron again, I added some ripples to the running boards to show years of dents and dings. Once I was satisfied with the parts, I did the weathering using the above techniques. I then flattened the driver side front tire using the soldering iron. Once I got the desired shape, I weathered the tires with light gray, and the wheels with a wash of flat black. At this time I put the cab and interior back together, and placed it on the chassis. I had to twist and bend the metal chassis just slightly to give the truck the leaning appearance with the flat tire.
Moving back to the body. I cut out the cabinet door on the rear driver side. I made a shell for the interior cabinet, complete with diamond plate shelf. I added this to the back of the fender assembly. On this truck, the rear fenders are plastic, and fit over the FDNY version, so they are easy to work with. I filled in the holes where the hard suction hoses were, and did the same on the opposite side where the ladder was mounted. I also ground off the mounting lugs where the hose loads attached to the bed, and I bent the hose bed dividers. I added some dents and ripples to the running boards with the soldering iron. I drilled out all of the areas of the pump panel where piping would have been. I also drilled out the valves, to simulate them being removed. I drilled plenty of holes in the running boards and up on the crows nest, where equipment would have been mounted. The body was painted as above, and flattened when it was dry. Then on to the weathering. I left off the deck gun, and removed the hose from the reel. I drilled out the hose reel where the hose would have been mounted to it, and added the piping from the hose reel to the pump. I modified the hose rollers and added damage to those as well. Finally, I cut off most of the plastic on the rear light stanchions to make them sit lower on the truck. I cut off one of the bed lights, and rotated the other to face inward. I reinstalled the grab rails and bent them to show years of abuse. I painted the lens on the rear facing lights yellow. Then came the final weathering, using the above techniques. I cut one of the cabinet door latches off of the rear compartment assembly, and added that back to the truck. I sanded flat spots in the rear tires to make the truck sit lower and simulate low air pressure. The final touch, I made new hose beds. I used evergreen strip styrene siding. I used very course sandpaper and ran it over the plastic at two different angles, to simulate the wood grain. Then I painted the beds brown to simulate the old wooden boards. I made a cut in one of the boards in each bed, to simulate missing or broken slats. I weathered the beds and installed them to cover the mounting lug holes.
Here is a photo of the interior of the Bayonne tower. I have taken it apart, and painted the lime parts red. For some reason, Code 3 made the jump seats with red fire extinguishers in them, like the two extinguishers mounted to the engine dog house. They were sitting upright in air pack bottle holders. I converted the fire extinguishers to air packs by cutting the bottoms off and filing them smooth. I cut off the handles on the top and painted the tip black. I painted the bottles yellow. I added some seat padding made from evergreen strip to the seat backs, as they had none. I mounted the bottles upside down to the seat backs. I couldn't resist, and weathered the seat cushions all around, and picked out the dash details and highlights with silver and white paint. The finished model is on my FDNY decal page.
This is a Road Champs Chevrolet step van. the only modifications were new red and white paint, decals and the wheels and tires from a Boley HO scale fire engine.
This is my favorite die cast, the Dinky #288 Cadillac Superior Rescuer. I have 12 of these, from mint in the box to well worn. The red and white one is missing the rear door. I lent it to someone to cast and never got the car or the door back! I have added a four bulb beacon made from an old indicator lamp and four rhinestones. I also added the wheels and tires from an old time car in 1/43 scale. The red one has three roof lights that I custom made, as well as dual spotlights. I also added the upper body molding that goes from the back door up the side and across the roof. I finished it with wheels and tires from a Road Champs early Caprice police car.
This is an HME cab from one of the Code 3 FDNY rescue trucks. I removed the light tower from the roof, and filled in the holes. The upper body and roof were painted black. I added the pump body from a Quantum pumper.
This is the Saulsbury rescue body from an FDNY rescue, with a Solido Mack cab. This truck was fun to build and is one of my favorites. It was painted Krylon yellow. The stripes are from my 1/43 scale Border Patrol sheet. The "Ready to Protect, Proud to Serve" is from one of my police car sheets. The large RES1CUE is from various 1/24 scale fire sheets. The flags are from a Microscale sheet. The truck is not finished yet. I am adding two light towers and two A/C units to the roof, as well as the rear roof red lights and some minor detail painting. This truck was made to match the Peterbilt Attack pumper below.
The above truck is a Code 3 Quantum and a Seagrave tiller. The fifth wheel portion of the Seagrave tractor was cut from the cab, and fitted to the Quantum chassis. The fire extinguishers were moved to the cab. The electrical cords and hose nozzles were moved to the tiller trailer. A light tower from a Code 3 F.D.N.Y. rescue was added to the trailer bed as was a stokes basket from an F.D.N.Y. ladder. The rest was detail painting.
The wrecker is a Code 3 Chicago Luverne cab and Spec Cast wrecker body. The Pumper is the Luverne body with the Spec Cast Peterbilt cab.
This 1/64 scale truck is a Hartoy Ford C cab mated to a Code 3 Seagrave body. Part of the front transverse hose bed was cut down, and a new front bulkhead was made. The cab and body were painted white. The lightbar is from a Road Champs police car that was sanded down to a more realistic size. A strip of bare metal foil was added to the area between the headlights, and two red lights were added to the foil. The fire extinguishers on the tailboard were detail painted. The decal stripes are from a police car sheet.
This is a Road Champs International mated to a Code 3 Seagrave body. I filled in the lines on the hood of the International and painted it. I added a resin cast front bumper from a Code 3 Chicago Luverne with a hose load. The roof mounted A/C unit is a resin cast piece from a Road Champs R. V. model. The pump panel was removed from the Seagrave body and the body was painted to match the cab. The passenger side of the pump panel assembly was cut off, and the pump panel was placed in the hose bed. A new plastic bed divider was made for the hose bed, and resin cast hose loads were installed in the hose bed. A resin cast hose load from a Quantum pumper was glued to the top of the passenger side of the pump panel assembly. A quartz light, and resin cast hose reel were added to the crow's nest. A drop tank was installed on the passenger side where the ladders were. The wheels are tires are from the Code 3 Seagrave. The rest was detail painting.
The above International was constructed the same as the red and white one above it. This truck features a gear storage area in place of the hose reel.
These photos are of the Phoenix Fire Department's Ladder 4, a Duplex/Baker/Aerialscope. I started with a series 2 Code 3 Tower Ladder. I stripped and repainted it, and added decals from my Phoenix Fire Department sheet. I removed the box's from the deck, in hopes that I could find a series 1 box to put on it. Not having much luck, I will have to construct all new box's for the deck. I concentrated on photos of the real Ladder 4, and have duplicated all of the plumbing and electrical lines going to the bucket. I used small wire found on a computer network cable. I have made the air tank and plumbed it to the basket on the passenger side as well. The guides for the plumbing were made with small bits of evergreen styrene. The cab is extensively modified. I used the Duplex cab with long doors, from the Indy tiller. I enlarged and lowered the windshield opening, and enlarged the side rear windows to the correct size and shape. I filled in the holes for the door handles, as they go lower down on the Phoenix rig. I had to make a new roof, to fill in all the holes from the Indy version. I added two A/C units from a Road Champs motor home. I have also added the roof lights from the FDNY tower ladder donor piece. The interior has been repainted red. The front bumper is a resin cast bumper from an Inferno. I had to make an all new deck for the ladder body. Once you remove the parts from the FDNY version, there are over 20 holes in the deck, and that would be too much to try and cover up. I used HO scale diamond plate, and glued it over the original deck. The boom sits way too high, so I had to trim the area under the turntable, and I removed the bottom piece on the bucket, to allow the boom to look more to scale. Compare with photo below that was taken early in to the project.
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