Superfast Casting # 35

[Matchboom]

Hi all. Need some vocabulary help here, for cataloguing purposes. How would you describe upper left and right "boxes" on this 35A rear panel, which were obviously modified after about 1 year of production ?

[johnboy]

There's a link here with quite a bit of discussion about this model, but I don't know the function of these boxes on the real vehicle. I think of them as angled and flat enclosures, but it would be nice to know.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=926&start=70

[GHOSTHUNTER]

What looks like twin divided boxes at extreme top left and right of the metal section are recessed light units or storage area for hoses, these are hoses with built-in connectors and Lesney could have actually had these detailed, so a superdetailer modeler would paint the background matt Black and add a short section of tubing to represent the hoses in storage.

The protrusions lower down on the Silver-Grey plastic moulding are a mystery and it seems Lesney decided to modify the tooling of this item to change it into an angled top surface, preventing the Fire Crew from balancing their cans of Coke there while fighting Fires...

GHOSTHUNTER.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I have taken the liberty of saving the picture by "Matchboom" and adding rear light units to those top corners.

rearpanel35a.jpg (50.13 KiB) Viewed 2169 times

As you can see it works but is limited to regular tail and brake light and turn signal light, no room for emergency Blue lights, so I still think they are storage holes for hoses.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[numi]

PM for Oliver. Urgent response would be appreciated.
Regards numi

[Matchboom]

Thanks for your replies. Until firemen come at our rescue with technical explanations, I guess "flat or angled boxes" or "tool boxes" can do. Concerning small twin divided compartments above plastic panel, I'd say "supply hose storage" rather than light units, but it is to be confirmed. Truck sure looks good with additional rear lights. I searched the web about fire engines equipment and read this : "Supply hose storage is usually located so hose is deployed out the rear of the pumper, and storage area may be divided so dual lines can be deployed at any time". Remember these areas are open (not filled) on the famous silver Merryweather prepro shown below.

Bottles on left and right of panel should be fire extinguishers, right ? Any suggestion for the T-shaped tool in the center ? As for the massive box sitting low, is it the pressure pump (with valves and controls) ?

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Interesting the Silver-Grey model does seem to have been designed with those top areas as open, simulating hose storage and I had a quick look on the Net and found the following picture...

Meryweather Fire Engine..jpg (94.7 KiB) Viewed 2148 times

...and sure enough this vehicle has hose storage at the top. The left side is all exposed through damage, but the right side we recognize as being very similar to the model.

I think the 'T' piece is the hose adaptor, similar to this.

Twin hose adaptor..JPG (17 KiB) Viewed 2145 times

GHOSTHUNTER.

[fixer]

After reading Ghosty's #35 post in the holy grail topic I had a closer look at my one without the cills details
It also has the narrower ladder clips and small rings around the blue lights but does have the chequered roof another difference is the smaller filler cap? next to the left side grey locker
Borrowed your description Ghosty just for continuity

[GHOSTHUNTER]

Nice spotting Reg, I had not seen those detail changes myself, so that's new information for us. No problem with borrowing some of my posted info.

Ghosthunter.

[Brad Pittiful]