Sun Star 1:24 1925 Ford Model T Fire Chief Tourer

You may recall a review I did on the 1:24-scale, Sun Star, 1925 Model T Ford. You may also recall that I also have been doing a series of reviews on Yat Ming’s 1:24-scale pumper fire trucks as they come out. Well, here’s a natural: the 1:24-scale, 1925 Model T Touring car, by Sun Star, done in a Fire Chief version. Consider this—you have a collection of pumpers—what could be more appropriate than to display them with a neat little fire chief’s car of the same vintage?

This Sun Star rendition retains the same DM-matching quality as did the runabout, but with fire department accessories. There are fire extinguishers on the left and right running boards, along with yellow-painted (non-opening) toolboxes (which imagination could fill with first aid and other fire-associated supplies). There are also what appear to be two brass nozzles mounted on the left, by the driver, as well as a brass, pump-action, hand-held, carbon tetrachloride* fire extinguisher on the right. The body’s painted in (a somewhat “orangey”) red, with black fenders. Cowl-mounted, red-lensed lights, a windshield-mounted spotlight, a front-mounted siren, and appropriate fire department decals complete the picture.

Let me recap some of the features I described in the prior review. “The top is hard, textured plastic and is fixed, with no top-down option. The seat is hard, molded plastic. The engine is a simple, molded, nearly featureless part. The dashboard gauges and switches are molded in as well, with little detailing to highlight things (the 1:1 car’s dash wasn’t exactly a symphony of detail, by the way). The undercarriage detailing isn’t that crisp, but manages to hit all the high spots, except for two missing bracing rods. Sun Star put in the detailing where it counts and little surprises like the spot-on radiator cap, wheels and hubs, steering wheel, foot pedals, hand brake lever, rear-view mirrors, and windshield wiper hardware compensate nicely. There are also little touches of paint here and there, where you least expect them, to highlight the detailing. This is not some $2.98, K-B Toys, lump of plastic for the kid to grind into the carpet. I feel Sun Star offers a whole lot for the minuscule price tag, much like Henry Ford did with the original T.”

All in all, this little touring car will add that extra touch to any collection of fire department rolling stock, especially if you’re looking to do a diorama. Considering the price, why not?

*Carbon tetrachloride is a non-flammable liquid derived from the reaction of chlorine with carbon disulfide, methane, or other carbon-containing compounds. It was used as a refrigerant, dry-cleaning fluid, solvent, insecticide, and anthelmintic. It was also used in small, hand-held fire extinguishers years ago. We actually had one of these. However, carbon “tet” produces an extremely toxic gas when exposed to air. That’s why butterfly collectors used it when they wanted to kill them for mounting. DO NOT consider using the stuff to put out a fire, since the resulting gas produced could knock you out! It’s hard to believe today that it was actually used for such purposes.

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