MOC: FDNY ladder truck

[Ralph_S]

A few weeks ago I completed a new project. I have a thing for fire engines and have built a few before. Ever since I bought the monster dino I've been thinking about building a vehicle that can be remote-controlled with power functions. A new fire truck seemed to be the ideal choice, because they tend to have a fair bit of room inside. I chose to build a ladder truck as used by the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

I'm not normally much of a technic builder (and this isn't a technic MOC) so I had to scratch my head a few times to make it work (and it's not nearly as clever as Lasse D's Coca Cola truck), but I'm happy with how it turned out -certainly in the looks department.

I also took a photograph of the chassis, whilst under construction:

It's driven by a single XL motor built into the back and the steering is done with a small motor and a transmission with a friction gear and a wormgear.

I hope you'll like it too.

Cheers,

Ralph

[Buttons]

I honestly think that that is Legoland miniland worthy The best model team MOC I have ever seen to date.

Instructions?

[Guss]

nice fire truck very detailed !

[Yeow]

I like how the rear of the truck is designed, very nice!

[AgentRick]

Oooohh, does the ladder extend?

[Lasse D]

I saw it when you added the pictures to Brickshelf, but it's first now I can comment on how great this model is. The greatness resides in not only the overall looks, but also the details that you might miss, such as the way you connected the ladders in the top, the wheel arches that are ½ stud out and the techniques used to create the windscreen. This is even better than Miniland vehicles because it's smaller and uses real LEGO for the functions.

The use of Power Functions is invisible as far as I can tell. Great job on achieving that. I reckon it drives like this truck: (

)

And you even added a couple of firefighters in the same scale

[legotrainfan]

Wow, that fire truck is amazing! How long did it take until it was completed? I also love the very detailed back of the vehicle!

[Captain Green Hair]

Again you did an outstanding job there!

I like the simplicity of your driving system, it looks like something i could do!

The external detail is amazing, first time i saw the thumbnail on BS i thought it was a real life reference picture.

Any chance of a video to show us how smooth it drives with that single motor?

[Ralph_S]

I've thought about making a short video, but my camera is really not very suited for that. I've been having so much fun with it that I need to get new batteries. The truck in the youtube video is built by a builder from Russia or Ukraine (ZED) and his truck was certainly a bit of an inspiration for mine and I know that in turn, the design of his truck was inspired by some of the other trucks that I've built over the years. It's funny to see how sharing pictures on brickshelf can lead to all kinds of things all over the world.

My truck is probably quite a bit heavier, so it's not as nippy as ZED's. I think it's interesting to see that he does a lot of U-turns with it, because the kind of steering set-up on mine seems to be excellent for doing that as well, but not as good in a straight line because it is a bit tricky to centre. I don't intend to make instructions -I never do. I'd rather build something new than slaving behind a computer with L-pub or something similar. It took me about two weeks to build, with an hour or two every day and a bit more during the weekends.

The ladder on the truck can be extended:

I built a few figures to go with my vehicles a few years ago, but at the time wasn't too happy with them. There was a Eurobricks hotrod contest (in which I did poorly, BTW) a few months ago, however, that stipulated building a driver with the vehicle. Since my cars and trucks tend to be much larger than minifig scale, I had no alternative but to once again build my own figures. At the time I didn't really like the idea, but adding figures to MOCs makes them come alive a bit more, so I've kept doing it since. My figures are slightly smaller than the figures built for Legoland, but big enough to have some fun with and to be able to add some character.

A few examples:

My latest MOC. A trike for a build challenge on Lugnuts on flickr

A 'fifties Edsel Bermuda wagon and a typical 'fifties family to go with it.

Sonny Crockett and his Testarossa from Miami Vice.

Cheers,

Ralph

[simonwillems]

I am a big fan of your work, all the helicopters, airplanes and cars look so true to life and well scaled. Just beautiful, like this new firetruck.

I like the way you made the ladder with all those plates and that it is still possible to extend and function, where most models shown at the Legolandparks are just static models with no functionality.

....his truck was certainly a bit of an inspiration for mine and I know that in turn, the design of his truck was inspired by some of the other trucks that I've built over the years. It's funny to see how sharing pictures on brickshelf can lead to all kinds of things all over the world.

I must confess that I once was heavily inspired by one of your models when building this policecar....

[Ralph_S]

I am a big fan of your work, all the helicopters, airplanes and cars look so true to life and well scaled. Just beautiful, like this new firetruck.

I like the way you made the ladder with all those plates and that it is still possible to extend and function, where most models shown at the Legolandparks are just static models with no functionality.

Obviously the models in the Legoland parks are built with rather different requirements in mind. If I were to build something that would be outside on display I'd probably do without the functionality as well. I came up with the idea for the ladder a few years ago, when I built a Los Angeles Fire Department tiller truck. I wanted it to be not too bulky and yet be able to extend. I first considered going for the type of ladder from the fire engine from the Ultimate Lego book (that having seen your brickshelf folder, I am sure you know), but I didn't have the parts to build or like the look of the diagonal struts in that. At the time, LEGO still sold bags of assorted white plates via shop@home and they were the solution.

I must confess that I once was heavily inspired by one of your models when building this policecar....

I remember seeing that when you first uploaded it. I thought I saw some similarities, although yours is wider. Likewise you may have seen my Chevrolet Bel Air, the colour scheme of which owes a lot to your model :D

Cheers,

Ralph

[Laureano]

amazing truck...

congratulations for your work

great moc, thanks for sharing

[Buttons]

I bet you work at one of the Miniland parks or al least you live very near one and make regular visits because you cars aswell as being lovely are also very similar in build style to the cars of said land.

[Ralph_S]

I'm flattered about the comparisons with the cars in Legoland, but I certainly don't work for one. Since about two years, I've been living fairly close to Legoland Windsor (about an hour's drive away) and yet have only managed to visit twice. I think they may have a somewhat similar style because I've been influenced by the Legoland cars in The Ultimate LEGO book (of which I bought a Dutch version several years ago).

Cheers,

Ralph

[zeki]

this looks amazing! I like the size and everything. Good job

[Buttons]

I've been influenced by the Legoland cars in The Ultimate LEGO book (of which I bought a Dutch version several years ago).

I have a English version of that book yet I am still hopless at builing car/truck bodies.