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GMC School Bus
Debut Series 1-100: City Action
Produced 2009-2013 (Original) / 2015-2019 (Retool)
Number MB768 (Original) / MB998 (Retool)
Scale 1:64
GMC School Bus - 2028ff


Model History[]

The original construction was a metal cutaway van chassis with the rest being plastic. In 2015 it was retooled to become entirely plastic.

This model appears to be based off the Micro Bird by Blue Bird. Although the headlights and warning lights are not painted, the side marker lights are. The door is not part of the body, but part of the clear window glass. Unusually, there is an emergency exit door on the right hand side.

During the 1960s and early 1970s, small school buses in the United States and Canada were heavily derived from production vehicles. Along with full-size vans to be bigger or smaller than pickup trucks & SUVs such as the Dodge A100, the Chevrolet Van/GMC Handi-Bus, and the Ford E-Series, large "carryall" SUVs were also used (such as the Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Caryall and International Travelall). To increase the safety of small vehicles transporting students, bus manufacturers chose to design a bus body that mated a production vehicle chassis with a body designed with the same reinforced internal structure of a large school bus.

In 1973, Wayne Corporation introduced the Wayne Busette, the first school bus to successfully use a cutaway van chassis with a school bus body. To increase its stability over a van or an SUV, the Busette chassis (the Chevrolet/GMC G30) utilized a dual rear-wheel axle.

As a response to the Busette, Blue Bird designers sought to develop their own body for a cutaway chassis. Dubbed the Micro Bird, the body distinguished itself from the Busette with several key features, many of them geared towards aiding the loading/unloading process. Rather than use the stock van door as part of the entrance, Blue Bird designed the Micro Bird body to utilize a standard school bus door, the same design used on Conventional and All American full-size buses. Ahead of the entry door, two windows were added, further aiding visibility; to this day, this layout is copied in virtually all cutaway-chassis buses. While the Busette was designed with its own body from the ground up, the Micro Bird shared the design of its body with the Conventional; the key change was its narrower width to properly fit the van chassis.

At its launch, the intended markets for the Micro Bird were districts transporting small children or special needs students (the Micro Bird would become popular with the "Handy Bus" option, fitted with a wheelchair lift).

Card descriptions[]

  • School's out, but the fun of marine biology camp is about to begin! You're excited to explore the tide pools as the bus takes off towards the coast. With plenty of room for all your belongings and all your buddies, the GMC school bus is the reliable ride to take you on your next adventure!
    —From the 2010 City Action card
  • You are finally in sunny California on the trip of a lifetime. After a day of sightseeing in Hollywood, it's time to jump into the GMC Bus for a tour of the biggest houses in Beverly Hills! The GMC Bus is the perfect mode of transport, offering good-size windows for taking pictures and plenty of space for all the eager tourists! Time for some serious stargazing!
    —From the 2011 City Action card

Versions[]

The GMC School Bus has been issued in the following versions:

Col # Year Series Color Tampo Base Color / Type Window Color Interior Color Wheel Type Toy # Country Notes / Variations Photo
MB42 2009 1-75/100: City Action 2/11 School Bus Yellow Metro School District Unpainted / Metal Smoke Black Ringed Disc - 1288cf
Black
N5444 (USA)
P6402 (ROW)
Thailand Base Code(s): B27, B39 0942-ShortBus
MB62 2010 1-75/100: City Action 5/15 School Bus Yellow Fort Summer Unified School District, school bus tampos Black / Metal Smoke Black Ringed Disc - 1288cf
Black
R4977 Thailand Base Code(s): C24, C25, C26 City Action GMC School Bus
N/A 2010 5-Pack: City Action White Child Care Learning Center, Red & Black tampos Black / Metal Smoke Black Ringed Disc - 1288cf
Black
R0605 Thailand Base Code(s): C39, C51 Images-23
N/A 2010 Promotional Dream Halloween White Ghoul Bus, stitches Unpainted / Metal Orange Chrome Ringed Disc - 1288cf
Clear
Thailand Base Code(s): C36 ´184-OVP-2010-Halloween
MB62 (USA)
MB44 (ROW)
2011 1-75/100: City Action 3/14 Metalflake Sky Blue Stars, #1 Star Home Tours Unpainted / Metal Smoke Gray Ringed Disc - 1288cf T8934 (USA)
T9313 (ROW)
Thailand GMC Bus on card.
Base Code(s): D23
CityActionGMCBuslightblue
N/A 2011 5-Pack: City Life Turquoise MBX Science Center, Visit the Science Center for Info, Classes available for all ages, etc Unpainted / Metal Smoke Black Ringed Disc - 1288cf V0312 Thailand Base Code(s): D36 GMC School Bus-5pack
MB120 2012 1-120: MBX National Park 10/10 Cream Yellow National Park Cliff Tours, etc Unpainted / Metal Smoke Black Ringed Disc - 1288cf W4802 (USA)
W4922 (ROW)
Thailand Base Code(s): E20 Minibus
MB39 2013 1-120: MBX Adventure City Orange Metro School Bus, Charter District #2 Unpainted / Metal Smoke Gray Ringed Disc - 1288cf Y0719 (USA)
Y8945 (INT)
Thailand Base Code(s): E48, E49, F01 School Bus 2013
MB998 - Modified Model
N/A 2015 5-Pack: City Adventure Blue Get on the fun bus!, SUPER STAR, HOLLYWOOD TOURS Unpainted / Metal Yellow Tint Dark Gray 483px-Ringed Disc - 1288cf CJM08 Thailand Base code(s): H27, H28, H30, H35, H39, H42 GMC School bus (5 Pack-2015)
N/A 2016 5-Pack: City Silver City AIRPORT SHUTTLE Blue / Metal Smoke Black Imagen1 DJY04 Thailand Base code(s): J13, J14, J20, J33, J34 GMC School Bus
MB18 2018 1-125: MBX Service 5/20 Blue See a Celebrity!, SUPER STAR, HOLLYWOOD TOURS Unpainted / Metal Yellow Tint Grey 483px-Ringed Disc - 1288cf FHH67 (USA)
FHK50 (ROW)
FHY13 (PG)
Thailand Base code(s): L23, L32 GMC School Bus (2018 1-125 MB18)
MB97 2019 1-100: MBX Service 1/20 Yellow Metro School Bus, Charter District #4 Unpainted / Metal Smoke Grey Black Rim Ringed Disc - 02156bf FYR86 (USA)
GFC81 (ROW)
GCJ13 (PG)
Thailand Base code(s): M32, M33, M34, M37 GMCMetro

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The front cab is based on the 2003 to present GMC Savana van. It is also sold under the Chevrolet brand as the Express.
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