Halftracks (M3, Sdkfz.251, and others) Questions and What-if Ideas?

[Weaver]

Some lovely civvie fire dept M3 conversions here. The guy who posted them on Twitter ("X"  ) tells me that fire truck conversions of Dodge all-wheeled trucks and even a few half-tracks, were common in France in the 1950s and 1960s. Solido even did a die-cast model of one.

Posted on Twitter by @Defencejokes here: https://x.com/DefenseJokes/status/1799023991442837967
And here: https://x.com/DefenseJokes/status/1798801373942731046

[scooter]

Huh...I wonder if PFD used their's as a brush truck for what became the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

[NARSES2]

The guy who posted them on Twitter ("X"  ) tells me that fire truck conversions of Dodge all-wheeled trucks and even a few half-tracks, were common in France in the 1950s and 1960s. Solido even did a die-cast model of one.

You've stirred an ancient memory. I have a very vague memory of seeing something along those lines. It would either of been in France on a school trip in the 60's or possibly on a Dutch Army firing range in the very early 60's. I know it had lots of abandoned Shermans on it, as I've a photo of my school mate and me in the turret of one. His dad had met and married a Dutch lady at the end of the War and I went over with him when they visited her parents when I was about 8 or 9 ?

[zenrat]

Italeri do a 1/24 firefighter jeep and the hose reel(s) and other stuff might work scaleoramaed to 1/35 and fitted on a 1/35 M3.

There are 1/24 and 1/25 fire engines but I don't know of a 1/24 half track.

[Rick Lowe]

Has anyone else remembered the Israeli M3 with an open topped turret and 20mm cannon?

https://nz.pinterest.com/pin/708261478871486208/

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eQNPu6zzxaU/TGbkCRt4sdI/AAAAAAAAxtI/QawUEhH2nNM/s1600/halftrack_20.jpg

And the ones with Armoured Car turrets

https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/xqgd7j/israeli_m5_halftracks_converted_into_tanks_during/?rdt=38211

Or the Czech OT-810D with an 82mm RCL in the back?
https://www.valka.cz/attachments/9328/OT-810D.jpg

And IIRC Italeri also did a fire fighting GMC 2.5 tonner and an Opel Blitz, I think?

[Weaver]

The guy who posted them on Twitter ("X"  ) tells me that fire truck conversions of Dodge all-wheeled trucks and even a few half-tracks, were common in France in the 1950s and 1960s. Solido even did a die-cast model of one.

You've stirred an ancient memory. I have a very vague memory of seeing something along those lines. It would either of been in France on a school trip in the 60's or possibly on a Dutch Army firing range in the very early 60's. I know it had lots of abandoned Shermans on it, as I've a photo of my school mate and me in the turret of one. His dad had met and married a Dutch lady at the end of the War and I went over with him when they visited her parents when I was about 8 or 9 ?

If you put "Dodge pompiers" into Google image search you'll get loads of pics of them.

[zenrat]

A 1/76 build is of course possible using the Airfix airfield fire truck equipment and the Airfix M3 or Matchbox Meat Chopper cab chassis.