Dennis Fire Engine 1914 - KeilKraft 1/72nd vintage kit

 

Since an old Airfix plane kit is being built here in this blog as a 1919 passenger carrier, 

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/02/de-havilland-dh4a-civil-conversion-of.html

why not build to accompany it an old KeilKraft vehicle that could have still being operated at the same time?

By the time the DH4A was flying, not even Croydon airport was yet operational; it’s not unlikely that a 1914 fire engine could have been serving the area. In any case, the simplicity (if not naïveté) of the two kits kind of makes them deserve each other. So here is KeilKraft’s Dennis Fire Engine, a kit from the 80s according to Scalemates, who also gives the birthday of Airfix’s DH4 as the late 60s. Simplicity doesn’t quite define it, perhaps simplification would be a better word, but being built as just a prop for photography context and background, it doesn’t need to be super-detailed. A little addition here and there would do. 

Yeah, great idea... molding the whole body of the model as sliced by the middle in two parts will make for great seam-filling practice. Brilliant:

First, cover the void as seen from bellow.  This is not a toy, but a scale model (well, maybe a bit of both):

Still, reasonably cleanly molded, not a great number of parts or small detail, but heck, great fun for kids (and adults refusing to leave childhood):
Let's start by painting everything in red, even if that's the color the plastic has from factory. Metal parts given at the same time a gloss black base in preparation, and ladders painted wood:

Some masking for more painting:

Added home-made lenses:

Added a seat and a couple other minor details:

It's completed now. It'll photographed with the DH4a when that is ready too. It's more or less OOB, with a few additions to make it a bit more credible in the background during photography:

To be continued...