Seagrave Tractor Drawn Aerial - Redwood City
The "Redwood City" decorated Seagrave Tractor Drawn Aerial is the second release in a new range of highly detailed fire and rescue replicas of Seagrave equipment by TWH Collectibles. The model is 1:50th scale and captures every detail from the actual "in-use" truck with the Redwood City fire department.
The marauder II chassis and cab have been meticulously replicated in fine detail. The roof sports an air conditioning system, complete with painted fan blades along with a coloured, full length light bar and two flexible radio antennas. Other details on the cab exterior include the proportionately scaled grab rails, diamond plate foot wells and front fender, complete with diamond plate surface and small coloured light lenses.
|
|
The decking of the tractor uses accurate patterned diamond plate throughout with photo etched grill panels giving a true life-like appearance. Rubber guards are fitted behind the wheels, complete with printed details along with the large tank and coupling for the aerial chassis.
|
|
The chromed metal, self fit rear view mirrors are fitted into the holes in the cab frame. What makes this model so impressive is the detailed paint work. Tiny markings, covers, fasteners and trim have been highlighted perfectly creating an amazing level of realism throughout. |
The fine textured photo etched front grill is amazing with replicated Seagrave logo and silver painted surround. The large front windows, complete with wire windscreen wipers allow the cab interior detailing to be appreciated. The cab interior has been fully replicated and is visible through the glazed windows. The rear wall of the cab has small windows providing more light to iluminate the interior details including the crew seating and structural detailing.
The console mounted cooling fan, grab handles and steering wheel are prominent with contoured seats, complete with seat belts and driver's console all accurately reproduced.
The underside of the tractor shows the exhaust and transmission, complete with driveshaft to the rear axle. TWH Collectibles are well known for the level of detail added to each model and the Tractor Drawn Aerial is no exception, showing the incredible amount of engineering that has gone into this replica. The tyre tread pattern is visible and looks very authentid with working steering of the front axle. Air tanks, flexible hoses and the replicated power and transmission systems are all visible, even down to the angled underside lighting holders.
The cab can be tilted forward to view the fully detailed engine and transmission at the heart of the chassis. The front wheels have working suspension and steering with accurately moulded rubber tyres fitted to the hubs. The battery housing has moulded batteries with flexible wires visible on the underside of the chassis. A small arm pivots up to hold the cab in the raised position, allowing a good view of the engine block and exhaust pipe work.
The rear chassis is amazingly heavy, similar to the New London version and this provides a solid base to keep the model sturdy with the ladder at full extension. Unlike the New London aerial, the Redwood City features an A-Pattern stabiliser system where the two pivoting pads are mounted to angled sliding legs which provide additional support. these are stiff enough to hold the chassis in position when disconnected from the tractor.
A nice touch on the model are the two small plates which are stored in the holders on the underside of the chassis and are placed under the stabilisers to give a larger surface area. Even the rope handles have been added, demonstrating the extra level of detail TWH adds to each model.
The rear of the chassis is again constructed of diamond plate panels with accurate placement of the chromed storage door handles. The rear wheel has a steering linkage which would be controlled by the fireman in the tiller cab and the degree of steering is pretty good. flexible rubber mud guards with printed logos are fitted to the wheel arch and the tyres have a detailed tread pattern.
|
|
The side compartments are laid out a little differently and the dimensions of the rear chassis are smaller than the New London version.
Self fit rear view mirrors also need adding to the tiller cab. The various lenses fitted to the model are contoured and really add to the realistic appearance. There are also red and amber beacons on each side of the cab along with rear facing work lights and four floodlight housings mounted to the upper deck surface.
|
|
Access to the rear tiller cab is via ladders fitted to each side of the chassis. The steps are made of fine, photo-etched panels which have a textured anti-slip surface and look very authentic, as do the light clusters integrated into the ladder frame. |
|
|
|
|
|
The ladder can be rotated authentically and has scaled metal safety railings fitted to the base, along with a fragile safety chain. The hydraulics that raise the ladder are relatively stiff but do tend to slowly drop over time when the ladder is fully extended. |
The side plates display the name of the fire department and also act as storage for the removable ladder. The four stage ladder is highly detailed with an all metal construction. The tip of the ladder is painted orange with silver lights and several tools fitted to the sides. This version does not have the underside water feed and it can be difficult to keep the ladder fully extended, especially at a steep angle and several small pieces of blu-tack are ideal to help keep the ladder in position. The ladder rungs have been nicely replicated and have an authentic pattern and structure cast into them. When extended, the steps line up, just like the full sized machine
The Seagrave Tractor Drawn Aerial replica is an amazing piece of engineering and has fully captured all the detail and realism of the full sized ladder. Each new release from TWH Collectibles raises the bar a little further with the sheer attention to detail and finish and yet again, the Redwood City TDA is one of the most realistic looking models that has been released to date. The model is securely packed in a two section polystyrene carton with printed outer cardboard box. Several brochures are supplied in the box giving details on the TDA design along with a history of the Redwood City Fire Department. Assembly instructions are also supplied.
Seagrave TDA "Redwood City" Model Specifications |
|
Model Dimensions Length: 14.5" / 368mm |
Box DimensionsLength: 14.25" / 362mm |
Versions produced - TWH094A-1152, Redwood City Engine No 9 (1500 pieces) |
|
Save 10% & More - Order From:
