by Larry LeMasters
Note: This feature is in the Sept. TT&C 2012 issue.
Note: This feature is in the Sept. TT&C 2012 issue.
 Roll-off box, 40-yard, rolls off of truck. Box was scratch built by Mike Marchini. The truck is a DM Mack. It took about 150 hours to build these, and Marchini has sold similar ones for $1,500.  Mack Model B truck with chrome grille from the 1960s. Marchini built this for Ferrara Brothers.  CAT 325B model excavator. This is a 1/25 scale English model. It took 100 hours to assemble this model because each track had to be drilled and attached separately.  Chevy SR5 pickup with Snap-on toolboxes. The boxes are salesman boxes and are about 1/34 scale. Other stories in the Sept. TT&C 2012 are: • The Logs Must Roll! by Richard Marmo • Anthony Ricchio The Garbage GURU by Larry LeMasters • Collector Update Checklist by Ray Crilley | When you first meet Mike Marchini, one thing stands out—he is a New Yorker through and through. He lives in Queens and has devoted his life to the sanitation business. He’s a garbage man, who speaks with a strange but wonderful New York accent. “I went to work for my father’s, Anthony Marchini, company—Atlas Sanitation Inc.—when I was about 6 years old. I’ve been working in garbage ever since then, and I’m 73 years old today. Dad specialized in picking up garbage for large hotels, paper box companies, UPS and other large companies throughout New York City. “I worked my way up through the company, eventually becoming owner and CEO of Atlas Sanitation. Today, my son, Michael Jr., runs the company, so we are third-generation garbage men, and the future only looks bright since the fourth generation is already being trained in the family’s business.” Marchini doesn’t remember the exact age when he started collecting. “I was very young, perhaps 9 or 10, and since I hung around trucks all day, I wanted a truck model. My first model truck was an Army truck made out of thin wood. It was a cheap little thing, but I loved it. I wish I still had this model, but it was lost a long time ago.” Marchini has about 250 trucks in his collection. “I quit counting awhile back, but it seems like a large collection to me. I have a variety of sizes and shapes, and my models run from die-cast to wood, plastic and resin. “I don’t have a favorite scale, so my collection covers 1/8 scale, 1/25, 1/34 and 1/50 scale. Some of my collection is stock, but I have customized items, especially if a customer asks me to do so, and I have scratch built most of the trucks I have.” Marchini continued working for Atlas Sanitation and attended school part-time to learn drafting. He used his drafting skills to design model trucks that he wanted to cast build. “A good design is always the place to start, so I detailed my drawings to make sure everything would fit and be perfect.” The majority of Marchini’s models take about 150 hours to make, including casting, assembly and painting. “I’ve made a few of the models to sell, and people still ask about buying models from me, but I don’t sell many. I did sell a roll-off 40-yard box truck a few years ago for $1,500.” Beginning modelers think that selling a scratch-built model for $1,500 is a lot of money, but when the cost of material and time spent is factored into the price, modelers, such as Marchini build models for enjoyment, not for money. The majority of Marchini’s trucks are Mack trucks. “I especially like Mack Hayes trucks.”  Want to read the rest of the story? It's available in the Sept. TT&C 2012 magazine! Call (701) 883-5206 or (701) 883-5206 to purchase or order online at: http://www.toytrucker.com/past-issues.html |
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