The Airfix Austin K2/Y Ambulance is a fantastic addition to its range and perfect for 1/35 scale military modellers.

Some of the most important military vehicles of the Second World War didn't feature huge main guns, neither were they bedecked with ever thicker armour plating, but are no less fascinating to study. 

The Austin K2/Y Ambulance was used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout the Second World War, both in the combat zones of the world and on the home front.

Built around the chassis of the Austin K30 light truck, the casualty compartment was developed in conjunction with the Royal Army Medical Corps and proved to be highly functional. Able to carry either four stretcher cases or ten seated casualties, one of the main reasons why the K2/Y was so successful was because it was so rugged and reliable, requiring only a minimum of maintenance.

The rear cabin was typically constructed of painted canvas on a timber frame, with the highly visible red cross on a white disk positioned prominently on all sides to hopefully ensure the vehicles occupants didn't come under fire. Once the K2/Y had delivered its latest casualty load to the field station, it would invariably head straight back into the combat zone, at speeds on open roads approaching 50 mph.

An extremely popular vehicle with British, Commonwealth and American troops, the Austin K2/Y was viewed as something as an angel on the troops shoulders. Hopefully, they would never need to see the inside of the ambulance, but if they did 'Katy' would be ready and waiting for them.

With over 13,000 examples built, these would have been a familiar sight on the battlefields of the world and it is thought that around fifty examples still survive to this day, some having undergone restoration back to something close to their original wartime configuration.

The Airfix 1/35 scale kit includes:

• Injection moulded plastic parts
• Waterslide decal sheet
• Assembly instructions