TWH 1:50 Seagrave Tractor-Drawn Aerial: Aerial Act

TWH 1:50 Seagrave Tractor-Drawn Aerial: Aerial Act

Fire apparatus collectors are a serious bunch, especially when it comes to authenticity. That’s a no brainer; this is a crowd that depends heavily on things being right where they should be, in their day to day lives.

The good news for smoke eaters is that TWH hasn’t missed a trick on its Seagrave Tractor-drawn Aerial. Built on a scaled-down Marauder II Chassis, the rig qualifies as one of the most stupefyingly detailed images yet from this maker. And that’s saying a lot – this is the same crew that makes 1:50 cranes and drag line mining machines measuring several feet in length and height.

At 13.5 inches, this replica of a 2008-vintage apparatus from the Redwood City, California Fire Department has incredible size-to-scale resolution, with none of the myriad handles, railings, chains, photoetched grates, or brake and battery cables looking too big-boned. The painted diecast body is topped with a ton of diamond plate on its upper surfaces; bring a magnifier to peer through the windows both in the cab up front and the steering booth at the very rear, and you’ll see a full interior, complete to the map rack atop the engine hump. Tilt the cab for a look at the engine itself – a giant, nicely plumbed and wired Detriot Diesel with an Allison auto trans behind. Turn the whole beautifully decorated thing over for a full-on chassis and drive train that’s complete to the brake hoses.

It takes a little doing to assemble the trailer to the tractor, thanks to its pin-in-hole assembly, but mounting the side mirrors and the slip-in accessory pavement plates is a snap. The resulting display, especially with the outriggers extended and the ladder pulled to its full 22-inch length, is wildly impressive. Add in the tiny safety markings all over, the “Seagrave” on the truck’s mud flaps, and the eyelash-thin windshield wipers at both ends (not to mention a neat little included booklet on the Redwood City gang), and you’ve got the makings for some serious fun in scale.

www.twhcollectibles.com

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