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This is a 1/20th scale (miniland scale) 1968 American la France open air
“Tiller” aerial fire truck. A couple of the details have been altered since Lego
does not always match the real world.
www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=123356
The truck is steered from both the cab and rear of the trailer. This helps such
a long truck manoeuvre through narrow city streets.
The ladder can be extended in three sections to over three feet. It can go much
further, but the weight on the string that pulls the ladders out can’t hold the
tension, and the ladders slides back down. A solution to this problem is to
remove the smooth tiles they slide on and press all three ladders together, then
they will stay at full extension. It really affects the play ability of it, but
it still looks cool.
The original plan was to have the ladder boom lift using pneumatics, but it was too heavy to even start to lift it. The ladder turret was to turn by a crank, but I ended up again having too much weight to deal with. The ladder and turret kept coming apart from the main frame, so I put a Lego shaft through the centre to help hold it in place. The shaft also is used as the hitch between the tractor and the trailer.
The details of the trailer include: six different length ladders inside the
truck and one larger ladder hanging on the side. There are two portable lights,
five fire extinguishers, and a long pike pole. The truck has retractable
outriggers much like the real ones. There are also compartments for rescue
tool, high rise kits and breathing equipment. The tractor section has the famous
American la France bell and curved front end. There is a working six cylinder
motor attached to a drive shaft connecting the rear deferential. The engine
cover is also shaped much like the original. There are also air intake doors
that open on the side to cool the mid-engine radiator.
Total truck length 87 cm or 124 studs long
tractor size 46 studs x 16 studs
trailer size 78 studs x 16 studs
Ladder at full extention 122cm
Total height of trailer 19cm
Any questions just write.
Jacub
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Miniland scale Tiller fire truck
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| (...) I wouldn't give it a second thought. Your solutions were incredibly imaginative. I saw this today and flipped through the whole Brickshelf folder. It was an absolute delight to see such a great looking model. Just what I needed today. :) (...) (...) (20 years ago, 30-Mar-05, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.modelteam, FTX)
| | | Re: Miniland scale Tiller fire truck
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| (...) Jacub, This is a great looking model! This takes me back to the days growing up in Southern California; when I would always run to the window to see one of these speeding down the road with its trailing convoy of pumpers. City of Los Angles (...) (20 years ago, 30-Mar-05, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.modelteam, FTX)
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