Del Prado / World Fire Engines Frequently Asked Questions Compiled / created by Mike Legeros  Contents What are these models? Where can I see a list of all models? Where can I purchased either the series or individual models? How much do the models cost? Are different models released in different countries? Where can I see pictures of the models? Where can I see pictures of the models taken by collectors? Do any of the models use existing molds? And how detailed are the models? How do the models compare to Code 3, Corgi, or other brands? What does the packaging look like? What kind of fire engines are modeled? What era of fire engines are modeled? What are the scales of the models? How accurate are the scales? What countries are represented by the series? Q: What are these models? A: Del Prado, a company in Spain, produces "subscription models," where a different car, plane, train, etc. is released each week. Each World Fire Engines release includes the model, a plastic display base, and a "magazine." The magazines are several pages long and relate to either the vehicle itself or a larger topic, such as the history of firefighting. They also include a separate, single sheet showing the specifications and a photograph or drawing of the actual apparatus. Q: Where can I see a list of all models? A: View my PDF format Del Prado World Fire Engines model guide. Q: Where can I purchased either the series or individual models A: The series is or has been available in several countries including Japan, Italy, Germany, France, England, the US, and the Netherlands. The series has varied in number of issues in these countries, from 64 in Japan to over 130 in Italy. The individual models also appear quite frequently on eBay, mostly from European sellers. They are also being imported to dealers in the US starting in the fall 2006, including http://www.awesomediecast.com/ and http://www.westchestercollectibles.com/ Q: How much do the models cost? A: Subscription prices in Germany and Italy are about $12. Imported models sold by dealers in the US are about $25. The price for resold models on eBay vary wildly. Q: Are different models released in different countries? A: The Japanese series contained three models that were not released in other countries due to licensing issues. A special series, separate from World Fire Engines and consisting of specialized apparatus such as planes and boats, is available only in France. Not all models are available in all countries. Also, different numbering is used in different countries. Q: Where can I see pictures of the models? A: View my PDF format Del Prado World Fire Engines model guide. Q: Where can I see pictures of the models taken by collectors? A: Check eBay. Or visit http://www. legeros. com/toys/gallery and select any file beginning with del-. Or visit http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/dai-sfireengine/de1.htm. Q: Do any of the models use existing molds? And how detailed are the models? A: The 1939 Bedford, 1939 Leyland, 1907 Seagrave, and 1947 Citroen appear based on Matchbox Collectibles mold, some of which appear re-painted or re-lettered. The 1912 Christie appears based on a Road Champs mold. The 1924 Ahrens Fox and 1948 Mack appear to be based on their larger-scale Franklin Mint counterparts. The 1950 American LaFrance might be based on a larger-scale Corgi version. There's also a considerably disparity between the details in the molds. Notice the mirrors, for example. Some are thin plastic, some are thicker plastic. Some are molded as part of the chassis and painted silver. Perhaps different design teams worked on different models. Some of the releases have moving parts; some have none. Others have noticeably hollow parts, such as the boom on the 1990 Leibherr crane, which is solid on only three sides. Q: How do the models compare to Code 3, Corgi, and other brands? A: They're more detailed than, say, Siku, Solido, or Tomica. Some of the releases are probably on par with Corgi. One or two might be on par with current Code 3, but I'd have to check more closely. For the models that I've seen in person, I'd rate them as: Japan # Description * to ***** 2 Morita MAF-125A *** 4 2002 Morita FFA-001 *** 7 1924 Ahrens Fox *** 8 1985 Morita *** 9 1996 Robo Fighter *** 10 1970 Seagrave K ** 12 1995 Morita MSR-I ** 13 1948 Mack *** 14 1995 Morita **** 15 1945 Metz Unimog S-404 *** 16 1997 Mercedes Rosenbauer *** 17 1992 Hummer **** 18 1960 Hotchkiss **** 19 1992 Super Fighter *** 20 1980 Berliet **** 21 2000 Iveco **** 22 1998 Renault **** 23 1984 Morita *** 24 1990 Rainbow 5 ** 25 1992 CCF Iveco **** 26 Autopompe Dong Feng *** 27 2002 Iveco **** 29 1952 Magirus Deutz *** 30 1995 Mercedes / Rosenbauer *** 31 1990 Liebherr ** 32 Mini Fire Truck ** 33 1999 CCFF Renault **** 34 1995 Morita ** 35 1999 Renault Camiva *** 37 1990 VSRTT UMM BDU 11 Dil Bemaex *** 38 1974 CCI Citroen   40 Iveco/Magirus Drehliter DLK23-12nB CS ** 41 1922 "Bomb Tanque" 84 PS Delahaye ** 43 1957 EP Renault 2T5 ** 44 1972 EATT ** 45 1976 Citroen *** 46 1993 Pierce Lance ** 47 1962 Opel Blitz **** 49 2003 Nikki Sky-Arm *** 50 1952 GMC Brush Breaker *** 51 1999 Sutphen Monarch ** 52 200? Oshkosh ARFF *** 54 2003 Nikki Sky Action Ladder *** 55 1970 FPT Citroen *** 57 1985 Fourgon d'appri, Renault *** 58 1907 Steamer Durenue Krebs **** 59 2001 Janus Bi-fronte 4000 BAI **** 60 1950 PS Laffly BSS C3 **** 61 Nagano BD-1 **** 62 Air Crash Dragon X6 TA *** 63 Volvo Water Tender *** 64 Peugeot H20 Concept Vehicle ****   Q: What does the packaging look like? A: Japanese releases were elaborated boxed, while the other country releases are shrink-wrapped. Q: What kind of fire engines are modeled? A: Everything from brush trucks to ladder trucks to a tunnel response unit. See the full list at the end of my model guide. Q: What era of fire engines are modeled? A: The modeled vehicles range from antiques to modern. See the full list at the end of my model guide. Q: What are the scales of the models? A: They vary, including 1:32, 1:43, 1:50, 1:64, 1:72, 1:87, and 1:120. See the full list at the end of my model guide. Q: How accurate are the scales? A: Some are very close. Based on the spec sheets included in the Japanese issues and hand-measuring of the models, here some comparative measurements: Japan # Germany # Italy # Scale Real Scale Description 2 4 3 87 90.5 Morita MAF-125A 16     120 123.9 1997 Mercedes Rosenbauer Crash Tender 17 12 15 72 52.7 1992 Hummer Forest Fire Engine 19     87 86.3 1992 Super Fighter 327 20     72 70.1 1980 Berliet 23     87 76.7 1984 Morita 25 14 18 72 68.3 1992 CCCF Iveco 80-17 27 20 2 72 61.5 2002 Iveco Euro Fire 30     50 50.1 1995 Mercedes / Rosenbauer 33 18 25 64 72.9 1999 CCFF Renault M210-12 Camiva 34   26 64 61.9 1995 Morita MSB-20 Gyro Snorkel 35 23 27 72 70.6 1999 Renault Camiva   Q: What countries are represented by the series? A: They range from Japan to Russia to Germany to the US. See the full list at the end of my model guide. 23OCT06 Contact Mike: http://www.legeros.com/mail