WC-54 Ambulance

[Chariots of Fire]

With the Chevy Suburban done I wanted to get back to one more military vehicle that would have been used with the Red Ball Express during WW II.  The WC-54 Ambulance is what I have in mind.  It is not a soft top truck but is built on a 3/4 ton Dodge chassis with a metal cab that is heavily modified.  So far I have made a bunch of castings since the front of the ambulance is exactly the same as the WC -52 and WC-63 which I have already done.  So here is the collection of goods that will begin the build.

The red cab in the back is a former 1/25 Dodge pickup and the engine in front of it is the same T214 that was used in most of the WC series.  Tires are 9:00x20's.  The axles are done and the steering knuckles have been made of brass and tube stock, both square and round.  Front fenders are castings as are all of the white pieces you see in the photo.  Those were made previously from Renshape masters and then cast.

The two pieces in the the foreground are the sides to the box that is behind the cab.  The extra cutout in the one on the right is for the spare tire.  I did the same to the right side one but that was a mistake and had to fill it back in.  Oh, well.  "Misteaks" happen!  Now I need to get some material to make the frame.  Brass is an option but I need to select a good piece for the web to solder the flanges to.

[NOBLNG]

I’ll come along for the ride Charles.🙂 I really like your scratch building skills and use of brass for high stress components.👍😎

[bobss396]

20 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I’ll come along for the ride Charles.🙂 I really like your scratch building skills and use of brass for high stress components.👍😎

Brass is good stuff to work with. I need to get into soldering sooner than later.

I did a lot of soldering at work using torches and hot plates for the most part.

[Chariots of Fire]

I have a small butane torch and an iron that has an adjustable heat control.  Both are useful and at the same time have their limitations.  It has been a lot of fun getting to know how to use them as it opened up a lot of building possibilities that I would have not seen otherwise.  Brass work can really come out nice and clean to represent certain parts of a model where that clean detail is really important.  One example is the brass steering knuckles shown on the photos.  Will visit the local hobby shop on Tuesday, however, to replenish my supply of Evergreen.  More sheet and strip stock are needed for the build.

 

[Chariots of Fire]

Been working on this for a while.  Lots of little things to adjust a long the way.  I found that the line drawings are not that reliable regarding shape.  The dimensions don't always measure out right.  For example it says that the total height is just over 90".  Taking away the height of the ventilator shroud it is about 86".  But the drawing does not scale, even when the image is adjusted for the correct wheel base.  It is what it is, however. 

I'm working with a diecast cab as well and that accounts for some of the inaccuracy.  The rounded top will be a challenge to get right.  Right now thinking is that it will be shaped on the outside to fit and then to make a slush mold for it so that the inside will be thin like what is in the photos.  We'll see.

[Bainford]

Cool project. Lovely work so far, Charles. The chassis is super nice, and excellent work on the grill guard. That must have been a chore.

Looking forward to watching this one come together.

[Chariots of Fire]

Not too much of a chore.  The outside of the guard was bent to shape first.  Then the bottom and two sides next.  They were then soldered together.  The individual vertical pieces and those in front of the headlights were individually placed using a template laid down on a flat surface.  A hot iron was used to coat the edges with solder so that the brass wire would adhere.  It took a while but was easy to do.

[GLMFAA1]

Why is the theme of M.A.S.H. running in my head when I went through this thread?

Years ago I gave my boss a diorama of the Peerless 1/35th model of the ambulance with it customized with the company's color scheme. Lost in a fire.

greg

[Chariots of Fire]

Good old Renshape!  What you see will become a master for a slush mold for the top.

Ta Da Dit Da   Ta Ta Ta...

Ta Da Dit Da    Oh Oh Oh...🤣

Edited August 16 by Chariots of Fire

[Big Messer]

On 8/3/2025 at 4:14 PM, Chariots of Fire said:

I have a small butane torch and an iron that has an adjustable heat control.  Both are useful and at the same time have their limitations.  It has been a lot of fun getting to know how to use them as it opened up a lot of building possibilities that I would have not seen otherwise.  Brass work can really come out nice and clean to represent certain parts of a model where that clean detail is really important.  One example is the brass steering knuckles shown on the photos.  Will visit the local hobby shop on Tuesday, however, to replenish my supply of Evergreen.  More sheet and strip stock are needed for the build.

 

There are also soldering materials that melt at different temperatures that allow to solder things on top of previous assemblies without disturbing them.

[Chariots of Fire]

Today I made a slush mold and cast a  top for the WC-54.  The Renshape top was used as a master.  After the mold set up I poured in some two part casting resin and sloshed it around the surface.  It took about 5 such applications to completely get the sides to a reasonable thickness but now the interior has the shape of the outside and I can detail the interior of the body.

[Bainford]

Interesting technique. The roof looks great.

[meechum68]

This is shaping up to be incredible! Your work is impecable! 

[slusher]

 greatLooking, build you have have going awesome!

[Chariots of Fire]

Made some real progress in the last few weeks.  It took a while but the effort was worth it.  The top needed some adjustment and the body sides also needed modification for height and length.  With that accomplished work on the body interior commenced.  There just was no way to get the details inside with the top glued down but with them now complete I can do that.  The dark red linoleum floor has since been added but is not shown in the photos below.

Stretcher brackets, compartments for emergency supplies, arm and leg splints, interior lighting and support brackets were all done for the body and top.

The seats are folding type.  The one on the left is up since a stretcher will be supported on that side.  The one on the right will stay down.  The straps near the floor are for securing loose materials.  The two loops inside the top are the other stretcher support brackets.  Rope ties from the stretcher will be hung from them.

The top is now ready for final installation.  The cab doors have been hung and fitted.  The last remaining bit of body work to be done once the top is secure includes feathering in the top with the windshield and filling in the two areas where the curved wrap is above the doors.  The drip edge will be installed along the joint between the top and body sides.

One last detail is the air vent in the top.  It is made of 3 pieces of soldered brass with a photoetch mesh inside.  There is a fan also inside the opening that can be seen from the top and from inside.

[BK9300]

It’s a treat to look at all the details you have added, and the ceiling fan looks remarkable.  Very small item to craft so precisely!

[NOBLNG]

Amazing amount of details you’ve added Charles, and really nice work grafting in that chunk of diecast cab.😎👍

[Mark W]

Absolutely beautiful scratchbuilding and detail work.

Would love to see a video of your soldering technique.