Well it’s been 6 months since my last model posts on here, but I’m back in a big way today. Earlier I shared the formation of my HM Coastguard and RNLI collection, in a bid to represent the full range of 999 services in Scotland. However we now move on to my Ambulance Service “fleet”. This has a special meaning to me, as I worked as both an Emergency Call Handler, and frontline Emergency Ambulance crew. Likewise, having served as a Special Constable, my Police models are also extra meaningful to me but that’s for later…
Given this, my intention has always been to have model representation, ideally in 1:76/1:72 scale, of Ambulance and Police in Tayside & Strathclyde from 1990 to present day. I now feel satisfied that I have achieved this goal in regards to SAS. Furthermore I now have depictions of the Accident & Emergency, Patient Transport and Air Ambulance sections of the Service, in addition to the Training Department (with the Driver Training Unit, based on the vehicle I trained in, but not pictured in this shoot, see my SAS folder).
1) Eurocopter EC-135, G-SASA. This was a 1/72 scale, German military model which I have adapted. Unfortunately it proved very difficult to try and disassemble this model, or to remove the glazing. Masking tape wouldn’t stick, and so I just spray painted the whole thing yellow, and did the windows in black. The two crew figures are part of a Lifeboat crew set (see post 1 from earlier today), I’ve painted them into red overalls with black life jackets and flight helmets. One has a tiny waterslide transfer with “medic” on their back. I made a very basic layout to display the helicopter, drawing a landing pad and making a windsock out of paper and a spare piece of metal.
2) The DAF Ambulance is a 3D print body shell only from eBay. I painted and glazed myself, finishing with transfers.
3) The Ford Transit is based on a few real Transit Customlines used by SAS. With an extra high roof, and unusual rear blue light set up, I’ve done what I could with the available models. The base model is a 1/72 Cararama Transit. The only 1:76, high roof Transits available are too modern.
4) The Land Rover Discovery represents the first Paramedic Response Units, from the early 1990’s. At this time Paramedics were still becoming established. A TV documentary simply titled “Paramedics” happened to follow the training of Paramedics, and their gradual roll out, starting with single crewed PRU’s using the Discovery.
Some of the show can be seen here, if you’re interested. vimeo.com/112286619?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Lw5_CrGfC...
