Simon Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) Hello everyone I'm converting the Airfix K2 Ambulance from their RAF Emergency set into a N.A.A.F.I. tea van. I've not done much armour or vehicle modelling since I was a teenager, which was a LONG time ago, so I'm curious as to how this will work out! I'm doing this alongside my 1/72 Minicraft Liberator built, as a bit of a diversion. I've no scale drawings, no measurements - it's all done by eye and guesswork, so 'rivet-counters' might like to avert their eyes now... First job is to amend the cab: The Ambulance cab looks too wide, so off with the bits marked, and it looks like this: The kit's radiator grille is somewhat sparse: So, I took off with the vertical bars, and put some brass mesh in place: I've replaced the bars, and added the crank starter aperture: Like the radiator, the kit's wheels are pretty basic, so I've got some nice white metal ones from Wee Friends, which look great: On to the canteen area, and I've made the cab's rear bulkhead, marked out a tiled floor area, and started on the cupboards and drawers: This the rear bits tacked in place with Blu Tack for fit: The cupboard handles need sanding back once the glue has properly set, and next up will be the worktops and tea making equipment. Once that's done, it's back to the cab, which will need a new curved roof, doors, seats and controls. Then the body sides, roof and rear door... Cheers Simon Edited July 4, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghorn Leghorn Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Ah, takes me back to all the Airfix vehicle sets that I used to butcher many moons ago Looking really good though, nice metal wheels as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This is looking really good Simon. I will definitely follow your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 This looks like being an awesome project! ! Following with much interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) More progress... Rear cupboards and drawer sections have been painted, and the tiled floor done: I've bought set of etched brass steering wheels from Dan Taylor Modelworks, and they're just great: Bit of an improvement over the kit's steering wheel...!! I've also made a new gear lever: It's just a bit of plastic rod, with the tip dipped in some thick-ish paint, left to dry then repeated a few times to build up the round end. Again, it's a bit more realistic than the kit's one. Cheers Simon Edited July 4, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP42 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Oooh, following this! Oddly enough, I've recently (almost) completed a Liberator as well as a NAFFI tea wagon, though mine was a conversion of a (Wills?) tea cabin. Mine's nothing like as good as yours, but it was a fun diversion and I intend to park it in a bomber diorama somewhere. Really enjoying your build, will watch with much interest! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Looking good, could this be a NAFFI van? Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Looking good, could this be a NAFFI van? Colin NAAFI, hopefully, not NAFFI...!! Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP42 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 ...actually, mine is a WVS tea van, the 'Royal' bit coming later.. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McYellowbelly Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Seem to remember this conversion(with drawings) in an Airfix Magazine Guide...Military Vehicles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Great stuff.....Two lumps in mine please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP42 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Any news on this build? I was really enjoying it! Meanwhile, here's my pretty substandard effort. It's an adaptation of the Wills 1:76 kit (I think) and some 1:76 figures I bought from China which are a tad under-scale (the tea ladies are teenagers, that's my story and I'm sticking to it). It's still a doodle (not really a 'work') in progress and there's stuff to do but it kept me amused one afternoon. Accuracy wise it's a 'sketch' of what might have been seen on a busy bomber base. I bet some bases had temporary tea cabins if not entirely wheeled, motorised and mobile. The kit came with wheels but I lost them and the extra height would have looked silly. Front removed. The mother of all loaves! ..and a nice stove/cooker...thingy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Any news on this build? I was really enjoying it! Me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Apologies that there hasn't been much progress as work has got in the way for the last couple of weeks - sorry! Hopefully there will be some progress to report soon... Cheers Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HP42 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Oh, when you're ready, no hurry. This is a hobby done for pleasure and nothing else!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad's lad Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Any progress on this Simon? Did your decals ever turn up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtney Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Very nice sir - something similar is covered way back when in the Airfix Book by Gerald Scarborough - Military Modelling. A lot of his conversions have been produced in kit form. Oxford diecast do a 1/76 Naffi Van - a Bedford I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Apologies for leavin g this so long, but my Liberator build has been taking up all my modelling time. Anyway, there is some progress to report. I've been double-checking my references, and it seems the Canteen vans were longer that the ambulance version - they look like they have a longer body aft of the rear axle. An educated guess, and this is what I think need to be added on the rear of the body: Of course this makes the stuff I've done for the kitchen area too short! Bit of a pain, but not the end of the world - here is the new floor masked and ready to be tiled: and the new cupboards ready for the drawers etc. to be added: I've done the cab doors too: The other thing I've noticed that are different are that the canteen van's radiator has horizontal slats, rather than a grille mesh on the ambulance, and the wheels are different too - the front wheels are different pattern, and the rear axles have two sets of twin wheels. These photos show the differences: K2 Ambulance: Canteen van: The radiator hopefully won't be too much of a problem, but I'm really struggling with the wheels. I thought maybe the wheels from the Airfix Opel Blitz may do, but they too small in diameter and too narrow. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be grateful! Cheers Simon Edited July 4, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hi Simon Are the wheels off the fire truck that's in the same box as the K2 any good ? Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 How about the wheels from the Airfix Matador? I am pretty sure I have read that the wheels are too small for the Matador itself but about right for the Austin K2. Nice looking model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofrog Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Nice work Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the replies folks. The K6 wheels aren't the right pattern, and the Matador wheels are too big, however I think (he says, hopefully), that the wheels issue may have been sorted. I saw that Langley Models do some wheels that are about the right size, and look like they may be the right pattern too: front wheels and twin rear wheels, so I've ordered some and I'll see what they're like when they arrive. Meanwhile, there's been more chopping and changing. The problem with not having any drawings is that everything is done by eye, using whatever photographic references I can find. I noticed that the cab rear wall is too far forward, meaning that the cab doors are too narrow. So the cab rear wall has been moved back a couple of milimetres, and the cab doors re-done: Here's the older narrower door bottom left, new size above it, and I'm having the driver's door open, so the door and frame on the right are separate: That also means the rear body sides need changing too. Here's the old LH body side (with the serving hatch and various inside bits marked in position), with the amended RH side (with the window marked) below it to show the changes in the length and wheel arch position: The rear of the main body needs extending, so I've added an extra section to the rear of the floor: All of this is very much 'best guess' with regards to dimensions...! More soon, Cheers Simon Edited July 4, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) A quick update today... The wheels from Langley Models have arrived. Here are, from left to right, two of the Airfix kit wheels, the Wee Friends (Friendship Models) K2 ambulance replacement wheels (front wheel above and single rear under), and the Langley Models 13mm Leyland ones (again, front wheel on top, twin rear ones underneath): The Langley wheels are a bit more rough and ready in the casting, but after a tidy up and a coat of primer, they look much better. They'll be fine after some paint and some weathering: Meanwhile, I've been putting together the rear kitchen area - it's like deja vu all over again Wooden worktops, with hole for a sink unit: Here's the sink made from a section of drilled out plastic rod: and the top and sink test-fitted: More soon... Cheers Simon Edited July 4, 2017 by Simon relinking images from Photobucket to Flickr 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stesca Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Looking very good, nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofrog Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 This is one lovely job Simon I really enjoy this buid Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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