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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 |  Black |
N5444 (USA) P6402 (ROW) |
Thailand | Base Code(s): B27, B39 | 
|
| MB62 | 2010 | 1-75/100: City Action 5/15 | School Bus Yellow | Fort Summer Unified School District, school bus tampos | Black / Metal | Smoke | Black | Black |
R4977 | Thailand | Base Code(s): C24, C25, C26 | 
|
| N/A | 2010 | 5-Pack: City Action | White | Child Care Learning Center, Red & Black tampos | Black / Metal | Smoke | Black | Black |
R0605 | Thailand | Base Code(s): C39, C51 | 
|
| N/A | 2010 | Promotional Dream Halloween | White | Ghoul Bus, stitches | Unpainted / Metal | Orange | Chrome | Clear |
Thailand | Base Code(s): C36 | 
| |
| MB62 (USA) MB44 (ROW) |
2011 | 1-75/100: City Action 3/14 | Metalflake Sky Blue | Stars, #1 Star Home Tours | Unpainted / Metal | Smoke | Gray |
|
T8934 (USA) T9313 (ROW) |
Thailand | GMC Bus on card. Base Code(s): D23, D29 |
|
| 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 |
|
V0312 | Thailand | Base Code(s): D36 | 
|
| MB120 | 2012 | 1-120: MBX National Park 10/10 | Cream Yellow | National Park Cliff Tours, etc | Unpainted / Metal | Smoke | Black |
|
W4802 (USA) W4922 (ROW) |
Thailand | Base Code(s): E20 | 
|
| MB39 | 2013 | 1-120: MBX Adventure City | Orange | Metro School Bus, Charter District #2 | Unpainted / Metal | Smoke | Gray |
|
Y0719 (USA) Y8945 (INT) |
Thailand | Base Code(s): E48, E49, F01 | 
|
| 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 | 
|
CJM08 | Thailand | Base code(s): H27, H28, H30, H35, H37, H39, H42 | 
|
| N/A | 2016 | 5-Pack: City | Silver | City AIRPORT SHUTTLE | Blue / Metal | Smoke | Black | 
|
DJY04 | Thailand | Base code(s): J13, J14, J20, J24, J33, J34 | 
|
| MB18 | 2018 | 1-125: MBX Service 5/20 | Blue | See a Celebrity!, SUPER STAR, HOLLYWOOD TOURS | Unpainted / Metal | Yellow Tint | Grey |
|
FHH67 (USA) FHK50 (ROW) FHY13 (PG) |
Thailand | Base code(s): L23, L25, L32 | 
|
| MB97 | 2019 | 1-100: MBX Service 1/20 | Yellow | Metro School Bus, Charter District #4 | Unpainted / Metal | Smoke | Grey | 
|
FYR86 (USA) GFC81 (ROW) GCJ13 (PG) |
Thailand | Base code(s): M32, M33, M34, M37 | 
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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.