Frank Hope

[Frank Hope]

Hi all,

Greetings from Bury, Manchester, UK.

I came across this group whilst looking for a particular model,  so I thought I would join and bore you all to death with this story!

Many years ago when I was a young lad (about 15) i went and bought from the hobby shop a FROG Dennis Ambulance kit. This I took home and started to build. Howevr my modelling skills in those days were not as good as today and the kit never got finished and eventually it was thrown out.

On leaving school, I worked in a few retail shops and ,as a volunteer, joined St.John Ambulance. This interested me so much that in 1970 ( I was 20)I applied for and was accepted into Lancashire Ambulance Service. And apart from a short break that is the career I followed to my retirement at 65. Unfortunately I could not work any longer due to problems with my back and feet caused by  the lifting at work.

Now for years I kept looking at irregular periods for another FROG Dennis Ambulance kit, always missing out when one came up for sale.

Last Tuesday (12th) was my 70th Birthday and a Dennis Kit was being auctioned on eBay and my wife said to bid on it and she would buy it for my 70th Birthday.

So I bid on it and was beaten at the last minute by a higher offer. I think it sold for £340.

Needless to say I was very disappointed. What a fabulous birthday gift it would have been. And of course after every one is sold, there a fewer than ever of them and the price goes up. Still I keep on looking. You never know!

Now an inquiry. I have tried researching this type of Dennis ambulance on the internet but so far I have been unable to find any Dennis ambulance that looks like the FROG model. There are lots of Dennis ambulance images, but all have very small radiator grilles set low down and look nothing like the FROG model with the large chrome grill. I don't know where FROG got the design from for the kit so if anyone can point me in the direction of an image of a Dennis ambulance as per FROG design I would be very grateful.

Regards to everybody.

Frank Hope.

 

[Troy Smith]

Hi Frank

Interesting introduction,   not sure the best place for a kit type question like this.

@TonyW  is good on vintage kits.

not an area of interest,  but many Frog moulds ended up in Russia, and have taken on a new life and fanbase there...

a google gets this

http://retromodels.ru/gb/category/frog/

 

 

I suspect from lack of search hits this was something that did not get reissued.

@adey m  started a Frog thread

 

and maybe able to add more

 

a look here 

http://www.onethirtysecond.co.uk/resin/Frog.php

 

list the ambulance, but looks like it wasn't reissued in Russia, hence the ebay price....  

 

If you, or someone you know does Facebook,  this would be a good place to ask

https://www.facebook.com/British-Ambulance-Preservation-Society-999702060184924/photos

 

HTH

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Hello Frank... from Chicago USA. 
 

Dennis

[Steve86]

Hi Frank interesting tale, welcome along!

[Faraway]

Good morning Frank. 
From a sunny Somerset.

Jon