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“In this final stage of Pack 7, you’ll install the rear beacon lights and the box frame roof section.“

Contents

Parts

Materials: The non-electronic parts in this stage are all plastic.

NOTE: Save any spare screws left over at the end of each stage of this build. They may be needed in later stages!

Build

Rear Beacon Lights and Roof Section

Installing the Rear Beacon Lights

Step 1

NOTE: I completed these steps in a different order than the instructions. This approach worked better for me.

Retrieve your Box Frame assembly from the previous stage. Gently remove the left-rear Storage Compartment by gripping the inner walls of the compartment, not the doors:

Step 2

Fit the two Rear Beacon Light PCBs to these locations on the underside of the Box Frame Roof Section. Make sure the LEDs poke through the large holes and the screw holes of the PCBs line up to the posts, as shown. Then, secure these Rear Beacon Light PCBs to the Roof Section with two (2) Type M screws, one for each.

Later on, I replaced both of these PCBs with my own Custom Lighting. These pictures are for builders who are using the stock parts. You may see a lot of additional wiring in the later pictures of this stage – those are all part of the custom work:

Step 3

Position the Box Frame Roof Section upside down (smooth side up) at the rear of the Box Frame, as shown:

Feed the plug of each Rear Beacon Light PCB through the top hole of the matching Storage Compartment Inner, as shown:

Flip the Roof Section up onto the Box Frame section and gently pull the wiring of each PCB cable down through the holes:

On my model, I realized that the two Stabilizer Support Plates we installed earlier might be backwards. When installed per the instructions, they stick up about 1.5mm where the Roof Section sits. This prevents the roof from sitting flush:

Since I was too far into my build to ‘break’ the side Storage Compartment Frames back off to fix this, I just used my sprue cutters and some sandpaper sticks to cut the offending edge off and smooth it down:

Make sure the rear edge of this Roof Section is flush, then pull any remaining slack from the Rear Beacon cables through:

Step 4

Next, feed the two PCB plugs through the respective holes in the back of each Storage Compartment Inner, as shown.

The small tab inside the Compartment Inner will keep this wiring neatly in place:

Step 5

Re-install the left rear Storage Compartment, making sure the wiring inside is out of the way:

Retrieve your right-hand Storage Compartment from Stage 45 and install it in the same way, once again being mindful of the wiring:

Securing the Roof Section

Step 1

Begin securing the Roof Section into place with nine (9) Type D screws.

There are five screws for the rear section. Be mindful that the center screw goes into metal. Therefore, this is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:

And, four more screws for the front section:

Finish securing the Roof Section into place with two (2) Type B screws:

These screws are driven into metal:

Installing the Rear Beacon Lights and Finishing the Rear Wiring

Step 1

Push the Rear Beacon Light Covers down over the LEDs of the PCBs, as shown.

These are a press-fit connection, but a drop of glue might be needed. Use PVA glue here to prevent the lenses from fogging up:

Step 2

Retrieve your three Cable Ties from Stage 39. On the underside of the Box Frame assembly, run all of the wiring along the center towards the front, then press the the pins of the Cable Ties into the matching holes at these locations. This will secure the wiring in place:

Connecting the Box Frame, Midsection, and Cab

NOTE: As these steps require working with large sections of the the model upside down, it is recommended to place these components on a soft cloth or foam blocks. It will work best if you can align the large assemblies to be level with each other as you go.

Step 1

Retrieve your Body Midsection assembly from the previous stage. With the Box Frame assembly upside down, align the two rounded tabs of the Body Midsection to the front edge of the Box Frame.

First, hook the L-shaped tab of the Body Midsection into the rectangular opening of the Rear Body Section Front Panel as shown:

Then, gently rotate the two large rounded tabs of the Midsection Body over the matching posts of the Box Frame until they ‘pop’ into plate:

Secure the Body Midsection to the Box Frame with two (2) Type K screws from Stage 35:

Step 2

Retrieve your Cab assembly from Stage 34. Align the rear tab of the Cab over this post of the Body Midsection, as shown.

This picture shows much of the extra wiring for the Custom Lighting I have been adding during this build:

Secure the Cab to the Midsection with one (1) Type H screw from Stage 32.

Your Cab may move a bit even after this screw is tightened into place. Not to worry, when the Chassis is attached later on, everything will be quite solid:

Step 3

Connect the plugs of the Box Frame assembly wiring to the Main Circuit Board inside the Cab, as shown.

As long as the color/pins of the plugs match the color of the socket, your model should work correctly. You may notice my two 2-pin rear yellow sockets are empty. This is because I replaced my Rear Beacon lights with Custom Lighting so the stock sockets were not needed. If you are using the stock Rear Beacons, these sockets should be filled as well (and all sockets should be connected at this point):

Checking the Electronics

Remove the Battery Compartment Top and insert three (3) AAA batteries into the Battery Box, matching their polarity as depicted:

Slide the main power Switch to the ON position (inside the left-side Storage Compartment with the ‘FAST PAK’ marking) and check the operation of your model using the buttons inside the Cab.

Remember the Cab Button-Push Tool we received back in Stage 29? This what it is used for – to reach in and push these buttons on the dashboard:

You may be able to see the lights better if the room lights are dimmed a bit. Here, my headlights and flashing right turn signal are lit:

And here, the rear tail lights are lit. On a stock build, the lower red lights would also be lit solid red. However, with my Custom Lighting, they are now controlled separately:

Thoughts

Whew, there was a lot to do in this stage! We now have the entire body of our FDNY Tower Ladder 9 attached together. However, we still have the entire ladder assembly to build as well as many small details to install. I love the size of this thing and how good it looks!

Next Up

 Stage 50 – Warning Bar, Blanket Box, Platform Brackets/Base, Piston Poles, Halligan Bar, Ladder Pipes, Emergency Lenses/Frames