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George R Blair Jr
83 articles

2008 Chevy TahoeWilliamson County EMS (for the Public Service Vehicle Group)

January 10, 2024 · in Automotive · · 12 · 167

Two years ago, I moved from San Antonio to a relatively small town north of Austin, our state capitol. When Cricket (@bikequeen) started the Public Service Vehicle Group, I was looking for something to build. On Ebay, I discovered not one, but two vendors who make and sell decals for emergency vehicles, including the EMS vehicles for the county where I now live. These decals were printed on regular printers, which bring their own problems, but I figured I could work with them. The next problem was finding a something to put the decals on. I soon discovered the only Chevy Tahoe I could find was a diecast car. I bought the SUV, which was also very reasonable, from a company that makes a series of vehicles that are used by emergency services. They are painted white to allow you to paint them as required, and they have a selection of equipment and light bars so you can match your desired original.

I took the diecast apart and did some interior painting, and created a small cabinet with drawers for the rear of the vehicle. I also painted and added some 1/35 scale bags to the rear of the vehicle. There were some trials and tribulations with the decals, but all was well in the end. I sealed all of the decals with Future that I brushed on with a broad brush.

After my last marathon build of three 1/72 Hudsons, this SUV was quick and easy. It was a can't lose build, although I did try to mess it up in a couple of places. The build log is in the Public Services Vehicle Group, if you are interested.

Reader reactions:
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9 additional images. Click to enlarge.


12 responses

  1. Your EMS Tahoe turned out really nice, George @gblair. Despite the decal issues, looks to me you had a ball tweaking this diecast SUV.
    Now you can get moving on that F-16. I know what you mean about hugging the box!

  2. Great to see it here after all the transfer issues, George, have you started the F-16 yet?

  3. George R Blair Jr (@gblair)
    This looks great and I'm sure it was a nice change of pace for you. I drove a vehicle like this when I was temporarily working up, out of position as the Battalion Chief at our local fire department. My usual duty position in the department was the shift Lieutenant, but occasionally I would work up at the next level as the Battalion when he was off, on vacation, or had called out sick. Our department's vehicle was a little newer , being a 2015 model, but it was similarly equipped like your model is, with an equipment box that had pull out drawers in the back. We carried all kinds of things in these little pull outs. We also carried a regular MSA air pack that was mounted securely to a bracket, just in case the vehicle was involved in a collision, so the pack would not fly around inside the vehicle during a wreck. It would be a bad day if it hit you...

    I have been retired since 2015, and now our department's Battalion vehicle has been replaced with a newer one. I'll have to stop by now and check, probably the next time we head into town. Prior to the 2015 vehicle, we had one in service that was a 2008 model year, and it looked very similar to how your model does.

    You would not believe how many miles get racked up on these and how fast they accumulate. They are not "easy" miles either. These things are driven HARD ! I was always impressed with how reliable they were. The brakes, suspension and tires all took a beating. The engine and transmission were treated rough too on occasion.

    I commend you on this one. It really looks the part, and believe me, I have seen these up close and personal on many occasions.

    Well done ! I'll be sure to click on several of the various "like" buttons. Now you have me thinking about getting some decals and making one for myself... Ours also had "hidden" lights that were mounted inside the vehicle, just below the upper portion of the windshield and back glass in the hatch doors. Our lights were made and installed by a company called Whelen. They had a shop right here in town at the Deland Airport, so it was easy for us to get things fixed right away if needed.

    We also carried a medical bag and an AED just in case we needed to respond to a medical call independently of the other fire trucks. Occasionally I have done that too, when we were slammed and getting calls for service right and left. When I responded to medical calls by myself, it was times like this you were happy to see the ambulance crews arriving on scene. There's a lot going on, too much for a single person to deal with by themselves.

  4. Thanks, Eric (@eb801), George (@chinesegeorge), and Louis (@lgardner). This really was a nice change of pace. I think the only other diecast I have ever built was a batmobile from the original TV show. The F-16 I have on deck is the 1/72 Tamiya F-16CJ. I have a really cool set of decals for it.

    Great first-hand info, Louis. I know next to nothing about fire engines and other emergency vehicles, so I had to research the type of equipment is usually carried in the back. You will hear from me for sure when I build my hypothetical brush truck, which may follow the F-16. I also want to build a Vampire from the book/movie "The Shepherd. One of my holiday favorites. A lot of the photos of the back end of EMS vehicles that I found had some type of case with drawers full of all sorts of mysterious medical stuff. I scratchbuilt something that look plausible. I am thankfully unfamiliar with ambulances and EMS vehicles because I have never needed one so far, knock on wood. Hope all is well with you and your wife.

    • George R Blair Jr (@gblair)
      Please don't hesitate to reach out. I would be glad to help you. I have a lot of experience with brush trucks too. I helped to set up all 3 of the ones we had in our department.

      This one is BA-83. It was a brush attack truck. But we joked about it being "Bad A$$" 83 because of how tough it looked.
      Here's the last one that I helped with. We took the canvas top off the M-35 and actually formed a new top using fiberglass. Luckily for us, the guy who sold the truck had a steel hard top on another one he was selling, and he let us use it to make the mold.

      It would have been easier and better to get the metal top... but they wouldn't let us. I wanted a 5 ton truck too. But this one is only a 2.5... and that was another whole can of worms there.

      The rear step bumper was another trouble spot. It was too low... they realized this later on. Should have listened to me... You can lead a horse to water. You know the deal.

      Sandy and I have been going to various doctor appointments. I'll give you a call sometime or text if you would prefer.

      Take care buddy.

      5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

      • Thanks for the photos. I have a deuce and a half fuel truck that I think would be good to convert to a brush truck. It is still two or three kits down the road. Stay up with the doctor stuff. Derm has me doing this stuff that you smear on your face once a day and it attacks the precancerous cells. The bad stuff eventually falls off. Great idea, but in the middle of the process your face looks like you have been dragging it on the asphalt. Worth it in the end, I guess. Usually better to text, I almost never have my phone on me. Take care.

  5. That’s really cool, George!

  6. You did an excellent job on reworking this diecast into something that is near and dear to you. @gblair

  7. Fantastic job and excellent result, George! It is always great to build something different. Your build thread was, as always, a joy to follow.
    Well done!

  8. This looks really good, George @gblair
    A nice 'in between' aviation build.
    Well done.

  9. Great job, George. A well accomplished deviation.

  10. John (@j-healy), John (@jdtruby), Spiros (@fiveten), John (@johnb), and Gary (@gwskat)
    Thanks for the compliments. It was fun to do something a little different. Now, on to an F-16.

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