Siku Mercedes Benz Ambulance

For each county the Ambulance is the main call to transport injured people to the hospital, yet each country has their own distinction of an ambulance.  In the U.S. the initial Ambulance was a wagon version of a Cadillac, then in the 1970's when vans became popular the van was the preferred choice.  Today those vans, and pickups, are chassis-cab models with the ambulance body mounted later on.  In other countries the use of the van is more common, especially in Europe with the Sprinter van being the most popular, but then again you'll still can find Mercedes wagons modified to ambulance duty, even today.  Siku has made them all from the first to the latest generation, so I decided to see how this 1970's E-class version stacks up.

This Ambulance shown here is based on the W123 platform (a precursor to the E-class known today).  The W123 is a very popular brand of Mercedes model that is more of a workhorse for European nations doing duty as a taxi, police car, and even an ambulance.  The model starts off as a chassis cab stretched limo of the W123 wagon, then a taller roofline body is added to the rear for the Ambulance body.  The rear doors are larger, the rear liftgate is also larger, and the interior at the rear is designed for patient, paramedics, and equipment in mind.  To move this mass it is powered by a 3.0L SOHC diesel I-5 that produces 79 hp. and 125 Ib-ft. of torque through a 5-speed manual transmission.  Even with the advent of Sprinter vans taking over ambulance duty you can still find E-class ambulance bodies still being produced for those who need a lower sitting ambulance.

For the record all Siku Mercedes Ambulance models start as a larger model, more like 1:43 scale, instead of 1:64 scale model.  This version I got is a bit playworn and a little yellow on some areas of the white paint, but otherwise is in great shape.  The front has a round metal grille with three-point star on top and to the side is square bezels with round headlights, inner signal light and flashers, and side signal lights.  Note how I added details to the lighting and trim in the grille and on the lower bumper.  On the hood my tester has the red cross logo, while the hi-roof has two round rescue lights in blue.  On the sides the ambulance is long and tall for its size with large doors, large side windows, and multi-spoke Siku wheels to work with the added heft of the body.  Note the crack in the left-side window pan as another playworn mark.

At the rear is the wagon profile with vertical taillights, liftgate with recessed license plate area, and a liftgate that opens really wide to access the rear.  For doors the front ones open and the right-side rear door opens as well.  The metal base is simple in design and has the pleasant spects located at the front of the vehicle.  The real interesting part is the interior where the butterscotch color is a nice touch and works well up front with the black dashboard.  The front has bucket seats for two, shifter on the floor, and a 3-spoke steering wheel to a detail-less dashboard.  In the back there's a third seat right next to the gurney for a medical personnel to monitor the patient.  Other personnel in the back (two of them) have to kneel on the pads at the rear.  Where the equipment would be place in this ambulance I would not know, maybe on the high portion of the roof?  To top it off is another added function to the Siku casting: the white gurney slides out of its support to get the patient and bring them back into the ambulance.  Sure the newer Siku Mercedes Ambulance models would have more details inside, but nothing can match the charm of the original Siku Mercedes Ambulance models of the 1970's and 1980's.