TLF16 fire engine for Copt Hewick

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A new, more powerful fire engine has just been added to Copt Hewick Volunteer Fire Brigade.  It's a TLF16, twice as powerful as the TLF8s recently reviewed - here's a link to the review if you missed it and want the background details:http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=1389.0
This appliance is the first call appliance for all incidents in the New Town area of Copt Hewick and operates from the New Town Central fire station.  It is also automatically turned out to all fies in the Old Town to support the TLF8 from the Old Town Central fire station.  It breaks new ground, I believe, in that it is the first Playmobil fire engine to have an internally mounted pump.  Anyway, here's the pictures.

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BTW, in case anyone's confused about left sides and right sides in the descriptions on the photos, I take left and right when viewing the fire engine from the rear.

On the rear views, note the new, simplified livery on the vertical edges.

I had reservations about mounting the standpipe for the hydrant on the outside (it fouled the pump when fitted inside the doors) but I found a real-life example of a Dutch fire engine with this arrangement and copied it.

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Detailed photos of the equipment carried on the roof.

Because this appliance turns out to fire calls in the Old Town, it carries the short double extension ladder for ease of use in the narrow streets, the same as the TLF8 which is on first call for the Old Town.  The TLF16 also carried a longer double extension ladder for use in the wider streets (and taller buildings) of the New Town and for when it is called out to country areas.

Because there are two sets of ladders, the spade has to be stored under the shorter set of ladders rather than alongside the ladders as on the TLF8s.  For the same reason, the foam concentrate containers are stored in the left locker.  (In the TLF8s, there is a petrol can in the left locker.)

The roof ladder has been improved by adding wheels for sliding it up the roof.

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Now the business end of things.

The rear mounted pump has an outlet to each side.  One or both may be used. 

A length of plastic fitted into the end of the hose nozzle makes an effective looking water jet....

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...but the pump does really work, despite the sharp kinks in  the hose linking the pump to the outlets.

Thanks for your time in looking at this thread, and hope you found it interesting.  Coming up in the near future are an RW1 (a light emergency tender, such as a road rescue unit) and a TLF40.

[Little Jo]

Great Custom! 
Really nice details and everything fits so well to the vehicle. I really enjoy your customs.
Cool idea with the "artificial" jet of water!

[playmofire]

Thank you, Jochen.  I find I probably spend more time trying to work out how to fit in all the stuff I want on the fire engine than anything else, or it seems so.  I always end up having to leave some things off.  Here, there should really be a broom as part of the equipment, but there just isn't space.

The plastic rod for water is handy for displays.  Here are some photos, one of a thicker piece which fits exactly into the monitor on the 3880, and the other of a fibre optic giving the impression of a spray.  The water on the pavement round the hydrant is clear glue which has been poured on and allowed to set

[Little Jo]

  Wow, this looks pretty cool! Very atmospheric. And what a nice backdrop. Where is it from? Self-made or from model railway supply?
Your water similation is very clever. I think I must look more something similiar too.

[playmofire]

Wow, this looks pretty cool! Very atmospheric. And what a nice backdrop. Where is it from? Self-made or from model railway supply?

The backdrop is both those things.  The buildings in the distance are 00 scale backdrops stuck onto MDF.  The walls close up are 1/12 scale brick paper stuck onto MDF with a bit of angled wood on the top painted in brick red and with grooves cut in and painted off-white for the mortar.  The building is made of stiff board called straw board with balsa strengthening the joints out of sight. Again, it's covered with 1/12 brick paper. There's some grey ABS angle round the edges of the platform to represent the metal edge you sometimes get on loading platforms to protect the edges from lorries backing into them.Strictly speaking, the brick paper should be 1/24 scale for Playmobil, but when I tried that it was too "jazzy", like those spiral patterns in its effect, and distracted from the scene.  To give a fire effect, the plastic flames on the oil drums were lightly brushed over with a paintbrush dipped in matt black paint and then wiped almost dry and inside the flames were red and orange LEDs wired together  and flashing randomly.  As the oil drums were in the shade, it looked quite effective.

This photo shows the setup from a different angle so you can see the different parts of the background.

[Little Jo]

Thanks, Gordon for this additional information.