I've been reading the history of VMF-214 'The Blacksheep Squadron', and took great fascination with the exploits of Major Greg Boyington, the outfit's Commander for just under 2 combat tours. Boyington was a renegade of sorts, he seemed to bring new meaning to the phrase 'He did it his way'.
He also got himself placed 'In Hack' for at least one ten day period, at the hands of his arch-nemesis 'Colonel Lard'. His loyal pilots smuggled him contraband, and a loyal friend up the command chain got him out of his punishment before it had completely expired, but Boyington once stood in hack... I once did, as it was a punishment handed down by the moderator of an online community I have since left.
But since I've left the community permenantly, I've also gotten out of Hack. But one Black Sheep remains, and this will be my little contribution to a little anarchy in the world - A little place to see what the influence of others on me (and a great influence it has been) has helped me to become. The Black sheep were once the terrors of the South Pacific in World War II...
With a little luck, maybe I'll one day be firmly considered a terror of the diecast world.
This is my very latest acquisition from Jaydeez. I don't consider it to be a model, or a toy truck. This is nothing less than artistic expression - the work of Steve Nasburg. I purchased the loader, and asked him to design a truck to haul it, and this is what he came up with, and... It's visually stunning, to put it lightly... The trailer is the VERY FIRST 1/50ish Lowboy of its design available from Jaydeez, customized by Steve. The Tractor, which I believe is a Tonkin product, has been customized extensively, as has the escort pickup. It's... It's just a lot to look at, is what it is... Words can't describe it, but that's why I put up a picture. *Grin*
This is my newest Code 3 collectibles model. It's an American LaFrance fire truck, a replica of the only one presently in use by the FDNY. It's my understanding that this truck was donated to the FDNY after 9/11 by American LaFrance. I'm uncertain whether she's an active rig, but I really don't think so, as FDNY is very persnickity about keeping their rigs uniform for training and staffing purposes. I read an interesting post that indicated the actual rig had been shipped to France for viewing at a national celebration, as an 'Olive Branch' to try to heal some of the hard feelings between France and the US...
I bought this particular rig for its collectibility, but the shape and body of the cab lends itself to customization. I have it in mind to try to make a city service/delivery truck using one, and Steve Nasburg of Jaydeez is also working to customize one for me to fill a different purpose... Should be exciting to see what comes up. *Smile*
These are old Ertl Models - White/GMC trucks. I'm not sure of the manufacturing history of the real trucks, where Volvo fits into the whole picture, but I know that all of the White/GMC trucks we have at work have Volvo motors. *Grin* We have at work... I guess that explains the bulk of my interest in having these trucks... We have them at work, so now I'm playing with them here...
The two single ones in from came from Griff @ Jaydeez, and the one behind is a recent ebay acquisition. I'm very confident in saying that if you pay more than ten bucks to purchase one of these trucks, you've paid too much... They're very available, and very inexpensive. It's an easy mold to get apart, and an easy mold to do things to. The simplicity of the model leaves a lot of room for add-ons and various details... Whenever I get to it down below, I'll tell you about a project I'm just finishing up with one of these. In the mean time, more factory Volvos are inbound - I'll try and flash some pics when they come in.
This is another recent ebay acquisition, and an affordable one at that. It's an old model, and one might wonder why I bought it... I guess I look at it, and find it visually stunning. Sure, there's not an extreme amount of detail there, but I can add that if I ever get time. Models of newer combines are cool in their own right, but they're also overgrown, stramlined, rocket-ship looking things... They have no 'soul' - although they're interesting, sometimes they don't look like a 'working man's machine' to me. I can look at the model, and I can see the real thing in my mind working its way accross the field... I can smell the chaff in the air, feel the sun on my face, and hear the leaves rustling in the background.
If a model will do all that for you, isn't it worth $7.99?
This is just plain cool. I did spend a lot of money on this, and, to be honest, I think the fact that I did fostered some animosity on the board I used to be a part of. Originally, I wanted it only for the decals in the kit, but... When I opened the shipping box and saw it, I realized what I had. For a model builder to hold something like this in his hands, thats 20 or so years old, it's just... It's just plain cool. I doubt I'll ever actually assemble the model, but it's no less a pleasure to own for that. It's history - movie history, truck history, model history... *Grin* Just a cool thing to call my own.
As day two of my time In Hack begins, I've found myself doing a lot of thinking about the community I used to be a part of, all of the friends I've made, all of the people I've tried to help, endless nights of listing to people's troubles, and... Just having tried to contribute wherever I could... As I lay there in a nice, hot bath, just thinking, and remembering, a little bit of Garth Brooks music came back to my memory:
Well I guess I was wrong - I just don't belong... But then, I've been there before. Everything's all right, I'll just say goodnight and I'll show myself to the door. Hey I didn't mean to cause a big scene...
Just thought I'd toss up an in-progress photo of what I'm working on. This Ertl GMC/White is a great casting, but it lacks a lot of the details we're so used to seeing anymore - mirrors, interior, grab handles, that sort of thing. So... I'm using a DCP International 9100i as a 'Donor' and transplanting all of that stuff onto this otherwise plain cab. The trickiest part has been getting the driver's seat and consoles in place - it's all one piece, you can see I've mounted it to the bottom plate of the model. I'd kept trying to glue it directly inside of the cab, but that was proving impossible. Positioning it down here has been much easier.
I'm in the process of painting up the mounts I made to transplant the DCP stack, which will make it look just a touch more like the real truck. I drilled an indentation in the back of the cab, and filled it with epoxy to simulate a light that's mounted on the back of the cab, and am pondering adding airlines to this as well. Pondering trying the tilt hood with engine detail on my next model, but I'd like to head this one for the barn.
Saw this on sale today, and couldn't pass it up. Come on Ken!Ade! Ankers! Finn! Heck with it... Let's go fishin'! *Smile*
The little lady's on her feet. I wanted her done, and she's close... I still need to fit her some fuel tanks and a couple of other deatils, but it's nice to see her with running gear. It's been a lot of fun. This was a great project *Smile*.
As day 3 In Hack draws to a close, I start to realize that I'm probably done with the community I was once a participant in. I used to post there a lot, but it's actually much easier to just do it here - I had to upload the graphics to this site either way... All good things come to an end - and perhaps other things, too...
As I'm finishing up the volvo, gonna break off and do a quickie repaint. This is a cute little casting - I'm sure it's meant to be a Ford Bronco, although there are no definite markings... Gonna paint it up to go with a truck I call 'Junk'. Should be a nice diversion project...
It's nearing the end of Day 4 in hack, and quite a day it has been. I'm tired - very tired, from work. I've been left to run the place by myself tomorrow, which is cool. It's a huge responsibility, but my team will help me get stuff done. It's gonna be cool. New toys in the mail today, including a bona fide mystery... Any who... Gonna go watch AVP and then 'House MD'. I need to see a good cynic - it'll make me smile. Feeling even more like things are drawing to an end... Anyways...
I'm enjoying this little casting more and more... It's a beautiful little piece - stripped and now accepting primer. Maybe it's the simple things in life, but... This is all right... Interesting to see where she goes... A fun little project, to say the least, and very, very, easy *Smile*.
Well, AVP was a great movie, House M.D. was better still, I survived my day at work (with much thanks to my Team for taking my back). I've come to the absolute conclusion that my time with the community I was a part of has expired, and some friends have joined me in a new place. As Day 6 in hack comes to a close, so does the page... She'll immediately (and soon officially) be renamed the Sheep's Pen, in honor of the Black Sheep, my Squadron who stood by me in my time of need.
Here is a cool model. I saw this on ebay and fell in love with it. The packaging by itself is unique, the picture on the side of it is cool - it's just a sharp little truck (and it came very inexpensively to me). But mostly??? Look at that daycab... It says it's a Peterbilt on the box, but... *Grin* It's a Volvo in there - honest!
Well, it was a last minute change, but I decided to color the Bronco to match the Mountain Rescue unit. It still needs a bit of work (as do some of the other units), but... She fits in well with her new team. This was a great project, inexpensive, and very close to 1/64. Lots of fun *Grin*.
Bored... Just a spur-of-the moment idea to put some customs together for a glory shot. Ken Shearron's trailer, along with some of my work. Between him and me, there's a lot of hard work. Things like this remind me of why I do this - I get to rub elbows with some of the best in the business.
This piece is pretty common to Fire/EMS collectors, but the rest of ya'll might think it's a little bit odd. This is the cab from a Code 3 Mack CF (off of the Coaldale PA Aerialscope body). Stripping the parts off of it was next to impossible - I rushed and damaged many of the smaller pieces (But they'll fix *Grin*). Not sure where this truck is heading, but she's on her way there, I guess...
A little progress... I don't particularly care for 2-tone paint jobs, so I have no idea what posessed me to attempt a three place jobbie, but... Position here lies so... I had to re-touch the silver stripe a bit, but all-in-all it makes me happy. *Smile* Obviously, more to come, but... We're moving in the right direction.
This is a hard one. This rig was supposed to be kitbash fodder, but... I'm not sure it's going to make it. Just sitting there, she's pretty sharp looking. Plus, with the McDonald's rig I have up above, she makes a bit of a set, you know??? I don't do promotional models, but... Might have to make an exception. Time will tell... *Smile*
These 2, although being nice little trucks (and matching, to a degree) are dead where they stand... I got a Zona Razor saw that'll do mean things to these puppies... With any luck, this is the first (and last) time you'll see these two looking like this *Smile*
This is another of my hair-brained ideas. Saw this conbination (under $10) and thought the tractors could become a bi-directional custom, the trailer could be customized with a Jaydeez Wood Decking Kit (and other misc. cool stuff), and the semi tractor - the only Pete 377 in my collection - would make a funky daycab or something... Time will tell... *Grin*
Same old dance... Starting to piece the old girl back together again. Decals courtesy of Rich Krom with Roadblockers - his 'Generic Fire Department' package. Decided to mark her for Hazardous materials work, inluding a placard on top so helicopters on scene can see her designation *Grin*. More to go (a lot more), but... Pretty much, so far so good. I have learned that these Code 3 models are pretty difficult to get apart and back together correctly. It makes me miss my projects on old Ertls. *Smile*
Daycab International 4070's, although evidently uncommon, do (or at least did) exist. I searched extensively before finally locating a reference on Hank's truck pictures. This unit will likely not resemble any 'real' truck when finished, but she'll definitely be something a bit different from what everyone else has done. Cab is the old Ertl Casting, with preliminary cuts & epoxy work done. Frame is from a DCP International 9100i, and will likely have to be shortened, in order to make sure this rig looks like the real thing. Should be kinda fun... Forgive the toothpick and 'crooked Cab' - I couldn't get her to sit up for this picture. Lots to do yet *Grin*