Built by: Mike McMahon in Palatine, Illinois

This is the Fire Truck kit from 1968 by MPC, designed and built by Chuck Miller. I picked this kit up on eBay. It came in a water damaged box, but all the parts were there as well as the decals and instructions and in the end, that's all that matters.

I recall building this kit back around '69. I also recall that it didn't turn out too good...so it's ironic that that Fire Truck met its fate with a pack of Black Cat firecrackers. I suppose it didn't turn out too well because MPC instructions back then were quite challenging to follow and the parts aren't even numbered. Oh well, a kit that doesn't kill me makes me a stronger modeler.

I followed the painting suggestions in the instructions, so the "C" cab and drive train were shot with Testors Transparent Candy Apple Red right on top of the molded plastic. By the way...I painted this in the garage when it was 9 degrees outside. It was kind of tricky but I warmed the paint can in hot water, worked quickly and the paint laid down nice and smooth. I really like how it turned out.

Instead of painting that Cobra smallblock Ford blue, I elected to paint it flack black. I also painted the interior light ivory and gold instead of white to tone it down a bit.

When it came to the decals, I omitted the pinstriping because it just didn't fit well. I wish I could have gotten them to work because they would have looked cool.

Overall this was a fun kit to build, it had its challenging and frustrating moments, but I am pleased with how it turned out. This is one of my all-time favorite show rods because of it's simple, cool design. How about that flasher on the top of the blower? Awesome!!