Wilton fire trucks go mini with Matchbox replicas

WILTON, Conn. (AP) - Wilton Fire Lt. Brian Elliot has been collecting model fire trucks for 15 years. He's got trucks of all sizes, from all different decades and from all over. Now, he can add a model of one of Wilton's own trucks to his collection.

"Long story short ... I was at a collectors show and I asked (a Mattel representative) how they find the trucks they use," Elliot said. "They said they were always looking for ins to departments to use their trucks."

The representative Elliot met that day in North Haven roughly a year and a half ago directed him to someone at Matchbox, and Matchbox asked to see all of Wilton's vehicles. Matchbox eventually settled on Truck 5, a ladder truck, and began working with Elliot and the rest of the Wilton Fire Department to get the truck made.

"Once they picked the truck and they liked it, they needed additional photos, details, stuff like that," Elliot said. "Their design team looked at the ladder truck, but their mold wasn't exactly the same as the truck."

Once the details were sent along and another mold was made -- fire trucks are custom built on a truck-by-truck basis, so no two are exactly the same -- the end result is a faithful representation of Truck 5, only at 1/87 scale and sold in stores worldwide.

"I think it's quite interesting. As a young lad, I grew up playing with Matchboxes. I can appreciate one of the trucks at the place I work being turned into a Matchbox," said Fire Chief Paul Milositz.

Recently, the fire department received a small number of the trucks ahead of their appearance in stores. Elliot said the trucks are starting to be sold in stores, as well.

"It's kind of cool for all the firefighters. They all have a little model keepsake of one of the trucks they use. It's not something a lot of departments have or do," said Elliot, who also noted that it would be nice for the firefighters' children and grandchildren to have a replica of one of the trucks their parent or grandparent worked on.

As the truck will be sold worldwide, it will not just be friends, relatives and Wilton residents cwith the chance to get their hands on the trucks. Kids fond of Matchbox cars and collectors, much like Elliot, will have the opportunity to own them, too.

"It's kind of a neat thing. I have one right here on my desk, as a matter of fact. Out of all the departments possible to be looked at . I thought it was pretty great," Milositz said.