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ATEV Information & Trading
Board - Read by collectors from across the
globe, this longtime bulletin board is the single most
timely source for news, views, notices, and reviews
related to our hobby. Says me.
Code 3 Bulletin
Boards - Entirely informative for discussion
and dissection of current (and coming) releases, the
five forums are also enormously entertaining-- notably
in threads involving "bad traders" are the
best.
Collection of Fire Engines - Fabulous
source of photos for collectors of Japanese
die-cast. These are the real rigs replicated by
Tomica, Shinsei, Bandai, et al. Tip: Use a
translation site, e.g. http://babelfish.altavista.com,
to convert the thing into quasi-readable English.
eBay -
Duh. Beyond buying and selling, the site's also useful
for previewing models. If you've only seen pre-production
photos of a particular piece, wait till someone posts a
picture of the real thing. Then decide if you
wanna buy it.
FDNYtrucks.com
and
Myers Fire Photos - Pics, pics, and
more pics of New York City and Chicago fire
apparatus. I love the "special ops" rigs
on the former and the O'Hare Airport apparatus on the
latter.
fireengines.net
-Larry Lorance has links to everything on his site, from
kit-bash photos to display ideas to collector
profiles. There's even a newly compiled Code 3
price guide for you "secondary marketers."
Fire
Truck Toys For Men and Boys - This Czech site doesn't
have an English version, but no problem! Ample pictures
and easy navigation make this is a nifty reference in
any language. Only gripe: it's incomplete, with numerous
areas perpetually "v rekonstrukci."
Google -
Double duh. The Internet's best search engine is handy
for finding pictures of real rigs, such as when only the
description of a new release has been announced.
That is, provided that the picture's current.
Mike Legeros Model Guides - Compiled
by Yours Truly, these PDF documents include a Code 3
guide that's the closest thing to a "master
list." And, for those days when you're
feeling whiny about accuracy, browse the Corgi guide as
a reminder of just how far the hobby's come along since
the not-as-good old days.
Run Clips and Video Page - Multimedia clips from
Washington, D.C. and Madison, NC to help you perfect
your siren sound. You know, for when you're
playing with your models...
And since it's the season, be sure to sample the
famous "tree fire" video from the U.S. Fire Administration that
graphically demonstrates just how fast a dry holiday
tree can ignite. Water is good.
Have a safe holiday.
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