Copyright 2012 William P Turner/Poolsiderails.com
POOLSIDE RAILS
Where Paper Crafting and Model Railroading Collide
Die Cast School Bus from Siku
HO Scale Vehicles
Details abound on the new US style school bus from Siku. This is bus is so nice it makes you want to go back to school just to ride it.
Modern design HO scale school buses are not necessarily easy to come by. Certainly not in the die cast market. Matchbox made one for a while, but it was a little short by HO scale standards.
The new die cast US School Bus from the German die cast manufacturer Siku is a striking model. Painted in school bus yellow, the sharp black graphics stand out exactly like they are supposed to. The large silver grille in front makes the bus look like it might be an International, but no details are given. The wheels are nicely detailed, and the headlights and tail lights appear to be accurately painted.
At 12 ½ centimeters long the bus looks to be about 40 feet in length, which is exactly right for an American school bus. Given the lighter load (children instead of adults), the single rear axle is correct, although the rear wheels appear to be singles instead of the dual tires that would be expected back there.
The details tend to break down around the windshield. When viewed from the front,
the uber-
The folding passenger door at the right front of the vehicle is cast into the metal body of the bus and is painted the same color. The windows in the door are also painted yellow, as it would have been almost impossible to get a shot of black paint into the window frames. The net result is an enormous yellow block at the front of the cabin that looks quite unrealistic. It might have been better to leave the A frame on the body casting and molded the doors in clear plastic along with the windows.
The thick A frames and that blanked out passenger door make for an untenable driving position in the front of the bus. But that’s okay, because the large steering wheel is mounted so low in the cabin it looks as if the driver might sit on it to steer. The wheel looks right from the side, but the ¾ view from above the driver’s window makes it look a trifle low in the cabin.
These are minor nit picks, however. Offered at €6,50, the bus retails in the US for about $9.25. Mirrors and A frames aside, the bus has a very pleasant American appearance, and will fit well on almost any modern era model railroad layout.
You can learn more about Siku from our Resources Page at Poolside Rails, or by visiting Siku directly.