WC 54 Dodge Ambulance

I wanted to build this with the rear doors open, and it took some time to find photos of the interior. The kit's interior is quite accurate. I thinned the litter braces and repositioned them to accept the litters from Verlinden's M*A*S*H set conversion set. Handle straps were fashioned for the ceiling. The entire interior was painted and equipped before the rear compartment was glued together. Likewise, the front cab was completed and the seated Yanks medic was installed. It was a real challenge to get his hand properly placed on the steering wheel, and I ended up lengthening the steering column slightly to accomplish this. The chained wheels are from The Tank Workshop. More detailed information on the building of this kit can be found in my article Building Italeri's Dodge Ambulance.

The most significant error of this kit is the lack of door handles - anywhere. I created these from plastic. There is no Eduard set for this kit, so I used a combination of pieces from other photo-etch sets and homemade doodads. The decals are from the kit, Pre-Size, and Archer.

WC 62 Dodge "Beep"

The Beep was a standard part of a medical motor pool. Wounded either sat in the back, or litters were laid across the compartment, resting on the wooden backrests. There is an interesting photo of one near the Siegfried line in U.S. Army Photo Album 1941-1945 by Jonathan Gawne.

This was one of the first kits I built when I returned to modeling in 1990. I picked up the Italeri kit (originally from Peerless Max and now seen under the Bilek label) when it was reissued a few years ago, and completed it before Skybow's version hit the shelves. It's a decent kit, though like all of the Italeri Dodge vehicles, the chassis is fiddly. I used Eduard and Tank Workshop on this kit as well. A new rolled-up tarp was made out of lead foil.

"Between Life and Death..."
The Battle of the Hürtgen Forest
Evolution of the Diorama
M3A1 Halftrack
Dodge Ambulance and Beep
Willys Jeep, 2.5 Ton Cargo Truck, Trailers
The Figures
References