Normal Snorkel
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:10 pm
I wanted to take a Fire Replicas change over to the next level. A long time ago Normal had a Seagrave snorkel, you never know maybe they will get one again.
The FR Chicago Snorkel and FR Chicago Engine make a perfect match with paint, so no painting needed, just cut and remove decals. The snorkel boom can be pried off easily, however you don’t want to grab the boom because you could snap some parts. Once the Boom is off you can remove the chassis, and interior. From there I cut the trucks right behind the cab and body, I have to be honest the detailed molds that separate the cab and body make a perfect cut line. You can see the truck is all one piece. The Snorkel was first once I realized I had success on to the engine. Basically following the same cut pattern.
With some sanding I can get both parts flat so they will be easy to glue together. Decal removal was done next, I was not going to remove the lower strip on the Squad this time, which means I have a high stripe on the cab and a low strip on the body. As far as the decals again InQuarters and Micro-scale Letters. The Normal door and boom were custom from InQuarters and fit perfectly. The white letters on the box Microscale. The numbers etc InQuarters Boston sheet. The White letters go on letter by letter so the town name was all I planned on. I used Future floor wax to seal the decals and it also covers the few minor scratches i made taking the decals off.
Once the decals are done it was time to glue the Cab to the Body. I use Liquid Nails clear adhesive to do that, it sets slow so I can adjust the truck if it is not lined up perfectly. I also use a level to make sure everything is level while the glue dries. I changed the height on the turntable so I did not have to cut the roof of the Spartan cab. The turn table now sits on one of the Milwaukee rescue cabinets. I added some gauges in the rear where it said Chicago Fire Department.
The FR Chicago Snorkel and FR Chicago Engine make a perfect match with paint, so no painting needed, just cut and remove decals. The snorkel boom can be pried off easily, however you don’t want to grab the boom because you could snap some parts. Once the Boom is off you can remove the chassis, and interior. From there I cut the trucks right behind the cab and body, I have to be honest the detailed molds that separate the cab and body make a perfect cut line. You can see the truck is all one piece. The Snorkel was first once I realized I had success on to the engine. Basically following the same cut pattern.
With some sanding I can get both parts flat so they will be easy to glue together. Decal removal was done next, I was not going to remove the lower strip on the Squad this time, which means I have a high stripe on the cab and a low strip on the body. As far as the decals again InQuarters and Micro-scale Letters. The Normal door and boom were custom from InQuarters and fit perfectly. The white letters on the box Microscale. The numbers etc InQuarters Boston sheet. The White letters go on letter by letter so the town name was all I planned on. I used Future floor wax to seal the decals and it also covers the few minor scratches i made taking the decals off.
Once the decals are done it was time to glue the Cab to the Body. I use Liquid Nails clear adhesive to do that, it sets slow so I can adjust the truck if it is not lined up perfectly. I also use a level to make sure everything is level while the glue dries. I changed the height on the turntable so I did not have to cut the roof of the Spartan cab. The turn table now sits on one of the Milwaukee rescue cabinets. I added some gauges in the rear where it said Chicago Fire Department.