Wednesday 24 September 2014

Poundland Fire Engines

Following on directly from my last post, here is a review of a couple of fire engines I recently bought at Poundland. I have photographed them alongside the three converted firemen that I reviewed last time. After all, what use are firemen without a fire engine?
The first thing to note about these vehicles is that they are made of plastic. However, they are quite detailed and are almost the right scale. They are a tad too small but they are acceptable enough for me.
I have a few great fire engines in 20mm scale but until I bought these, I had none in 28mm scale. It seems odd that no one makes proper 28mm scale fire engines in card. I know that Finger and Toe Models make an airport crash tender, which is close but not the same.
The cab detail is well done apart from being moulded in silver plastic. I may repaint it black if I remember to but more than likely I'll just leave it as is. Note that driver sits at the left of the cabs (facing front), which makes these ideal for an American or European setting but not so good for a game set in the UK. Although to be honest, such a detail could easily be overlooked.
As you can see, both vehicles share the same chassis and front cab. It is the rear details that make them so different. The one at the left is fitted with six storage bays (three per side) and has a few portable ladders on the roof. The one to the right has a large turntable ladder. The turntable does turn and the ladder is extendable (see photo below).
A few stickers have been added to the models but whoever stuck the sticker on to the rear of the vehicle to the left was rather slipshod in their application. Because of the way they were packaged I didn't notice this until I got home. They are stuck on too well for me to reposition it so I'm just going to have to live with it. A shame as it is distracting.
For just one pound each, I thought these were damned good value for money. In case you're wondering which came first - the firemen or the fire engines - it was the vehicles.
Finally, here is a photo of the turntable ladder at its fullest extension. The cradle is too small to fit a figure on a 25mm or even a 20mm diameter base but if you had a suitable figure without a base he could fit in.
Okay, so I'll admit they're not the best fire engines on the market but you can't argue at their prices and they help fill a gap in my vehicle collection and that's plenty good enough for me.

25 comments:

  1. Poundland, a veritable treasure chest of wargaming goodies, if you're prepared to look and use a bit of imagination. Good find. Are you going to 'rough' 'em up a bit with a paint job?

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    1. I have thought about "roughing them up" Bob, but it all depends on time and whether I remember. Translation - probably not!

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  2. As you say for the price nice buys. It does make me wonder what you will do when you have all the figures for modern zombies you will ever need. What will come next? Victorian zombies?

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    1. Victorian zombies? Possibly. Wild West zombies? Definitely. Sci-fi zombies? Also, definitely. In fact I have already started on both genres!

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  3. I think they are good enough for gaming, they don´t have to be "works of art".

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    1. Quite right, Toni, and for this price you wouldn't expect works of art.

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  4. I remember these models and even if they are a tad small they are usable. Shame tthat you can't geyt a figure in the cradle, but I suspect even with a 20mm diameter base you couldn't. The fire appliances I got from Poundlandworld were slightly better scaled for 28mm figures and I could just get a figure on a 20mm base to fit.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. If I see something better when out on my shopping trips I will purchase them. But for now, these will suffice.

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    2. There are quite a few paper/card models offire appliances available on Papermu's site if you use the search function to find them.

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    3. That's true, Joe. But I haven't found any in 28mm scale.

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    4. Surely they're very easy to rescale ?

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    5. I dunno, Joe. I've never tried it before.

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  5. Nice find! They look the part to me and from a distance on the table will just blend in perfectly. Shame you can't remodel the cradle or something.

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    1. You're right, Simon. They do look good from a distance. As I said, they're not perfect but they are acceptable.

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  6. I'd like to see then grubbied up a bit, especially the wheels and the driver/passenger compartment.

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    1. I have conflicting views on "dirtying up" fire engines. On the one hand, mud splatters and grime does look cool. But on the other hand, firemen keep their vehicles spotlessly clean. There are arguments for and against, Hugh.

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  7. Good find Bryan.
    Poundland/world stores are an oasis of cheap gaming buys.
    I have seen fire engines/tenders in paper, just can't remember where.
    Would firemen have time to keep their vehicles spotless during the apocalypse?

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    1. Thanks, Bob. Poundland/Poundworld and others of their ilk are always worth checking out.

      That's a good point about firemen finding the time to keep their vehicles spotless in an apocalypse. Probably not.

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  8. They are a tad on the small side as it was pointed out, but for the money you paid for them and knowing how much there "is" to choose from, they are perfect. And if you ever get more suitable ones, you don't lose much.

    I can totally relate the irritating feeling that label is giving you. It's horrible and once seen can not be unseen.

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    1. Thanks, Mathyoo. That misplaced label is annoying. I tried to peel it off but it began to tear so I'm just going to have to live with it.

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  9. Nice find. It is not often fireengines can be found for small money.

    I need a fire engine or two as well.

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    1. It always pays to keep on checking out the cheap supermarkets, Johnny.

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  10. Close enough and hard to argue at £1 each!

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