Patriotism on Wheels

To honor American military members who lost their lives during the Persian Gulf conflicts, Russell Krebs, a Marine Corps veteran from Wisconsin, built a memorial truck he dubbed “Fallen Angel” in 2016, which features the names of Wisconsinites who died serving their country. Krebs drives his truck in parades and displays it at various events, such as fundraisers and auto and air shows. It even has its own Facebook page.  

The massive 5-ton truck was reworked and rewrapped in June 2018, with new graphics installed by Art City Wraps. Krebs had very specific design ideas for the truck, and ultimately Art City Wraps blended many of the concepts to craft the patriotic design. Graphics were printed on the shop’s Roland Soljet Pro III XC-540 onto 392 square feet of Avery Dennison MPI 1105 SuperCast Series vinyl with DOL 1360 3D Gloss Clear Conformable Cast overlaminate.

Art City Wraps’ owners, Joshua and Carla Marquardt, launched their Oshkosh, Wisconsin, shop in 2003. For the last eight years, they’ve turned their focus primarily to vehicle wraps and graphics. Joshua wraps and designs; Carla designs, prints, and manages production. Their two-person operation often works in tandem with other trained installers and design firms across the US. 

For Fallen Angel, Joshua Marquardt, along with Russell Voigt of FlipSide Graphics, spent about 20 hours installing the vinyl. The project presented an installation challenge because of the unusual height of the truck, as well as the decision to wrap the graphics seamlessly and horizontally.