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Here is a photo of the Aerial Ladder. This structure connects directly to the Deck, and the ladder bucket rests on the Boat Deck.
I decided to build the Aerial Ladder using Celtec (or Sentra) and parts from a model 1995 Sunoco Fire Truck purchased at auction on eBay. Celtec is a PVC material in sheet form that is a wonderful material for model building. You can saw it, sand it, drill in it, bend it (with heat), glue it, paint it and even submerge it in water as it is waterproof.
I get all of my Celtec from a local company; Norva Plastics, Inc. (visit their web site from my Links page). The company has a very large inventory of this material in various sizes and colors, and the people there have always been very professional and helpful.
If you are a model builder, I recommend Norva Plastics, Inc. for all of your Celtec needs!
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I´ve been very successful purchasing items at auction on eBay, and this is one more example. This model 1995 Sunoco Fire Truck, complete with aerial ladder, cost me $1.98 plus shipping.
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I was originally hesitant because the seller said the item was being offered "AS IS", but I placed my bid anyway. I figured the lessons to be learned about the construction of an aerial ladder were well worth $1.98. To my surprise ... the ladder is the perfect scale for my boat. And ... it works!
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Here is a close-up view of the extension and bucket. I´ll have to remove some bracing ribs to be authentic, but that´s a simple operation with my Dremel ® tool.
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I almost forgot to tell you ... the seller shipped me this item complete with batteries! And ... guess what? I have an added bonus of lights and a siren. Yes, that´s right! The cab lights flash and the dual-tone siren actually works as well.
This eBay purchase was a great decision!
Now it´s time to remove these items from the fire truck and begin altering them for my use in the boat.
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