Introduction:
Interested in modelling the Austin K2 Ambulance? Well, until recently things didn’t look so good… Accurate Armour’s full resin kits were the only option in both 1/35 and 1/48 scale. However, this recently changed, with Gecko and Airfix releasing their 1/35 scale plastic kits in 2022. This year Tamiya announced their 1/48 scale kit. OK, the kits are out there, how about some good reference material? Enter WWP and their photo manual for modelers: British WWII K2 Ambulance in Detail.
Review:
The latest offering in Red Line from WWP covers the Austin K2 Ambulance, aimed at modelers and vehicle enthusiasts alike. Here are the basic facts on the book:
Title: British WWII K2 Ambulance in Detail – K2 Ambulances and Fire Trucks
Publisher: Wings & Wheels Publications (WWP)
Code: R094
Authors: James Baxter, Kevin Browne & František Kořán
Format: softcover (22x24 cm)
Pages: 72
Color: full color
Language: English
ISBN: 978-80-87509-92-0
Retail Price: $30 (24€)
Flipping the pages confirms the title follows the usual WWP book size, layout and style. Printed on gloss high-quality paper, this 72-page book features over 180 color photographs covering the subject in great detail, exterior and interior. The photos are large and clear, delivering a top-notch reference for modelers; there are general shots of the entire vehicle, as well as images showing the details often in multiple views. The vehicles presented in this book are photographed in army museums or private collections.
The book is organized in 7 chapters:
· History (002-005)
· Ambulance Walk Around (006-033)
· Engine Details (034-037)
· Ambulance Driver’s Cab (038-045)
· Patient’s Shelter Interior (046-055)
· Fire Truck Walk Around (056-065)
· Trailer Pump (066-071)
The first chapter, History, offers a short background on K2 (nicknamed “Katy”) development and use. Ambulance Walk Around follows, with images of the vehicles photographed during War & Peace Shows in Folkestone. These vehicles are in excellent condition, refurbished and restored to WWII wartime standard. The Engine Details spans on 4 pages and shows the 6-cylinder 3462 cc Austin D-Series petrol engine. This chapter should be very welcomed by those wanting to add extra bits and pieces to their Gecko K2 models. Next up is Ambulance Driver’s Cab which offers details of cab interior. The driver’s compartment is extensively covered, with the dashboard and instrument cluster, steering column, seats, canvas roof, spare wheel and battery bay. The Patient’s Shelter Interior provides photos of shelter walls with storage boxes, nurses seat and, of course, lower cots/stretcher racks. Interestingly, the book also covers K2 Auxiliary Towing Vehicle as used by the National Fire Service. Fire Truck Walk Around chapter shows one of those vehicles in detail, exterior and interior, as well as a Trailer Pump, providing images of a towed trailer which could pump water from rivers or streams direct to the fire hoses.
Conclusion:
British WWII K2 Ambulance from WWP is a very impressive book that follows the exceptional photo reference standard set by the company: the book consists of over 180 large full color high-res photos covering the heavy military ambulance, and its fire truck variant, in great detail inside and out. The information supplied is kept short and concise; the intro gives interesting details on the origins of the vehicle, while the captions provide explanations of various details presented in the photos.
Finally, this is a perfect book for all those interested in going an extra mile with Gecko and Airfix K2 offerings.