The Austin K2/Y, or “Katy,” ambulance was used by most of the Allied forces during World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Austin built over 13,000 K2/Ys. They continued service even after the war and saw use in Korea.
Airfix’s new 1/35 scale Austin K2/Y ambulance kit features a full interior for both the cab and ambulance sections. Options include two types of headlights, stowed or unfolded rear steps, and the rear doors may be posed open or closed.
Decals provide markings for five different vehicles. While only four are shown in the full-color painting and marking guide, the fifth set is for the K2/Y ambulance featured in the 1958 movie “Ice Cold in Alex.” Besides the excellent painting and markings guide, the instructions feature large, clear assembly diagrams. Sadly, it only calls out Humbrol paint numbers and no color names are listed anywhere.
The chassis builds straight and true, with a little care. I left off the wheels to make painting easier.
Before assembling the cab and rear section, I painted the floor panels Tamiya Deck Tan (No. XF-78). When dry, I streaked them with artist oils to simulate the plywood in the rear and oak in the cab.
After the wood areas had dried, I painted the cab interior a custom tan mix of Tamiya Dark Yellow (No. XF-60) lightened with about 35% Flat White (No. XF-2) over a coat of hairspray so the paint could be chipped in the traffic areas. The interior of the rear section was sprayed a cream color (white with a touch of dark yellow). I painted the stretchers, seats, and rolled-up cab door panels Tamiya Khaki (No. XF-49). Details in the cab and rear were picked out with various Vallejo paints.
I painted all the exterior panels with my custom tan mix and then applied a gloss coat to prepare for the decals. Of course, I had to do “Katy” from the movie “Ice Cold in Alex.”
The kit’s decals are well-printed and thin. However, the large red cross for the roof, as I suspected it would, proved difficult to manage. One edge curled under, and my attempts to straighten it only made things worse. I had to abandon the decal and resorted to painting the marking with Mr. Color Super Italian Red (No. C158). If I had it to do over, I would cut the decal into two or three sections first. With the decals on and dry, I flat-coated everything.
Ejector-pin marks cover the wall separating the cab from the rear. After filling them, the cab side was painted tan, and the rear side cream, as was the door.
When adding the inner wall to the rear roof section, make sure you don’t accidentally attach it backward. Add the cab roof before the long roof in the back. Neither needed putty with a close, tight fit. Lastly, I added the wheels and doors.
I spent about 22 hours building the Airfix 1/35 scale Austin K2/Y ambulance and was impressed with the kit’s fit and detail. The model matched the dimensions I found on the internet. While it is not a kit for a beginner, I think any modeler with a bit of experience could produce a fine replica from this kit.