Chicago 1967 Mack MB/Pierce/Pitman 50' Snorkel Squad 1 - Original

Well, when the set of Chicago Mack MB/Platt Manpower Squads came out, I delved into seeing pictures of the units. Included in the photo array was a picture of a Snorkel Squad that was also based on a Mack MB chassis. "Man!", I thought, "If Fire Replicas makes a model of that, I'll buy it, for sure!" Look what happened. What a great subject for a replica. It was a novel idea at the time to equip Squad Companies with elevating platforms & obviously a successful innovation, since Chicago continues to equip their Squad Companies with "buckets" to this day. Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Quinn was inspired to adapt: "cherry pickers" to a firefighting role while watching tree trimmers working from a "giraffe" & quickly saw the potential for firefighting applications. You'll notice the tribute honouring this brilliant idea, since his name is on the lower boom. This model wasn't even scheduled to arrive at Fire Replicas until later this month (late March, 2025). So, as a nice surprise, it arrived early. I chose the 1967 Mack MB/Pierce/Pitman 50' Snorkel, with the original paint scheme. Fire Replicas also offers a second version with an updated paint scheme. The main difference being that the original has the upper half of the modular crew cab painted black, while the updated version has a modular crew cab painted all red. I just think that the original paint scheme looks more: "Chicago", although the updated version is also consistent with the high standards of accuracy that we've all come to expect from Fire Replicas. As always, I'm really pleased with my latest acquisition & would highly recommend this model to anybody interested in a piece of firefighting innovation that is still being seen in updated versions to this day.

This is a fantastic replica of Chicago's SS-1 based on the MB. This was a very busy truck in Chicago and Fire Replicas nailed the details.

This model as well as all of the Fire Replicas models is amazing. The attention to detail is fantastic. Looking forward to the release of the rest of the series.

This model of SS-1 is off the charts. Can't wait for shipment in March. Would like to see the puppy 2nd rig of SS-1 A next to make it a full model set of SS-1 Outstanding quality 5 stars across the board.