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This particular First Gear Mack B-61 model unfortunately includes garish chrome plated cast spoke wheels and rims, which are grossly inaccurate for any truck. Cast spoke hubs are fixed to the truck and it would be absurdly difficult and costly to remove all of them for chrome plating, and chrome plating a slightly porous surface such as a cast wheel would not work. A city government would definitely not go to this trouble and expense for a fleet truck. Collectors should stick to historically accurate First Gear models because there are plenty of them available. First Gear produced a large assortment of 1/34 scale diecast wrecker model trucks, from light duty for automobile towing to heavy duty wreckers for Class 8 trucks. The wreckers were issued in a wide variety of colors and logos, and mounted on nearly every truck make in the First Gear series. This model of heavy duty wrecker has the Holmes two-boom wrecker body. Ernest Holmes of Chattanooga, Tennessee is credited with inventing the two-boom wrecker in 1916 that essentially created the tow truck. Holmes was a mechanic and was asked to help pull a car out of a ditch, and the intense work caused him to design a two-boom wrecker which he patented in 1918. Holmes eventually founded a manufacturing company to produce wrecker bodies such as the ones on the First Gear models. The Ernest Holmes Company was eventually sold but his descendants created a new company to manufacture tow bodies to more modern designs which still exists today. In the mid-1990’s First Gear produced a number of well executed diecast models of classic trucks from the 1950’s, and one of their best is the ubiquitous Mack Model B-61. First Gear issued the B-61 in several configurations such as two-axle tractor with single-axle van trailer, moving van, fire engine, three-axle heavy tow truck, and two-axle and three-axle dump trucks. Each variant was in turn available in a huge variety of colors and logos, some representing historical companies and truck lines and some as non-historically accurate souvenir or promotional items. The Mack B-Series was produced from 1953 to 1966 and was an especially distinctive truck, featuring a small rounded cab, huge pontoon fenders, and exterior air cleaner. The B-Series was almost universally powered by the Mack-produced Thermodyne diesel engine, as a 672 cu in inline 6 or 864 cu in V8, mated to a 15-speed or 18-speed two-unit transmission (main and auxiliary). The Thermodyne produced its power in a narrow range of 1500 to 2100 RPM, so operating these trucks required continuous shifting. Having two sticks made shifting an art, using the left arm looped through the steering wheel for one and the right arm for the other. The design of these trucks pre-dates the Interstate Highways, so these trucks were made for low-speed operation such as construction rather than high-speed highway operation. The First Gear model captures the look of these trucks very well, including a tiny bulldog mascot on the radiator and large West Coast-style mirrors. The thermal shutters in the grille are well highlighted, helping to capture the look. But the chrome cast spoke wheels spoil any authenticity for this truck model.Read full review
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