Taranaki Aviation Technology and Transport Museum

From the Taranaki Aviation Technology and Transport Museum. The inside of an old Fire Truck and a wall of radios. It was pouring rain for a while and the roof started to leak. I climbed in to the back of the firetruck and sketched the front seats. I also made a wall of radios from some that were actually on shelves.

Mitsubishi 4x4 van

This awesome van was for sale on the side of the road. I like how it's just a normal small van with a bunch of outdoorsy optional extras. It's over a quarter century old and has over a quarter million kilometres on it. It's also way overpriced, but I'm sure someone will buy it.

45 Tonne Crane (for Hire!)

At the Taranaki Truck Show: Sitting in the shade drawing a crane, drinking L&P and overhearing the truck drivers talk shop on their day off.

NZ Army Truck

There's a New Zealand Army recruitment office in New Plymouth. Sometimes, it will have a cool truck parked around the back. It's a type of older 1980's Mercedes-Benz Unimog with big tires and awesome tread.

International Harvester AB110

Just to follow-up Brian's excellent truck sketch, here's my rendition of a '65 International flat-deck pick-up I spotted in Ponsonby. Looking superb in fire engine red, it wasn't that long ago that you would see these quite regularly.

ORD

After the Global 24-hour Sketchwalk, I gave a presentation and lead a sketchcrawl in the afternoon. It was an event tied to the 'Homework' art show at Puke Ariki, here in Taranaki. I went out looking for something to sketch and looked at the display house that Habitat for Humanity was constructing. The group uses an old Bedford truck to move supplies and gear around. It was missing a wheel, on a jack, and was waiting for its tire to be repaired. I also noticed that it was missing the letters "B-E-D-F" so it was now an "ORD". Yesterday, on the way home from work, I went by the house to see how far along it is now. The truck was there again and another flat tire. I stopped to chat with the guys that I met on the weekend. It turns out it was the same tire. They were happy with the result of the finished sketch and I got them to hold my drawing in front of the Ord.

Burger truck

This is the front of the EKIM (mike spelt backwards I believe) burger truck on Cuba street, Wellington. It dispenses delicious burgers and you can sit in the 'garden bar' made of upcycled bus seats and other salvaged materials.

Mobile Fishmonger

The Fishmonger truck at the Saturday fruit and vege market in Newtown, Wellington.

Fire Trucks

Just some fire trucks because that's what I felt like drawing lately

Potpourri

Mixed bag - firstly today's sketch of 'Rusty Az' playing on the back of a truck at, you've guessed it, the Truck Show.

Outside the 'Social Kitchen' a selection of wild game is hanging in the window.

...and a Social Kitchen bike

Our infamous White Hart Hotel where the Highwayman once held up staff in 1893 after a year of notoriety.  He fled with a handful of coins and a bottle of whiskey.  When he was captured during another hotel holdup five months later, he turned out to be a 20 year old well-liked New Plymouth carpenter - Bob Wallath.

The Highwayman when finally caught

Optimus Prime

I just got back from my original hometown in Canada, visiting family and friends. Lots of nostalgia and memories! We drove by my old school where, back in the 80's, we discussed the details of the latest episode of the Transformers. This time (in 2014), at a hotel across the street from the school, was a real Transformer. We stopped by and checked it out. Sure enough, it was the real deal. It was an Optimus Prime that I overheard was used in the some of the driving shots in the movies. The truck had Kentucky license plates and was in town for a truck show. Lots of people were stopping by and the kids with the ear to ear grins would shout something to their parents like, 'See?! I told you it was an Autobot!' At first I thought that there were security guards walking around the truck but it turns out that they were just cops who also stopped to check it out (and to snap a few selfies).

(I protected the identity of the cop in this picture... not because he was a police officer, but because I didn't want to get a transformers fan in trouble for not working!)