The ambulance of the future! This ship went through the most changes because it didn't initially have a stretcher (which was just wrong!) and it's my favorite design of the theme. The new longer slope pieces are excellent for suggesting great speed, which is something I strived for in this design.
I wanted to use some of the new click-hinges pieces in a new combo, and came up with an arrangement that gave the ship VTOL ability.
When the ship lands, the engines can rotate to provide thrust and double as landing gear. The storage compartment for the droid unfolds, with the top panel bracing the cockpit perfectly.
I tried several ways to fit a second minifig in the back, but there wasn't room. However, when I decided to include a droid in every set (another parallel to an actual theme, this time with Exploriens), I knew I could put one here. The fact that the space is cramped won't bother the droid (Bender would LOVE it!), and I was also able to include the standard issue sidearm and rangefinder.
Now that the ship has landed, the body rotates forward to allow the pilot easier egress. Once the droid has been deployed and on sentry duty, the pilot can then turn around in his/her seat and have a dual-panelled mini-monitoring station. I love how in this position the ship looks like it's crouched and ready to spring!
The expert pilot is also a first-rate medic and repair technician. The android, in addition to basic maintenance and sentry duty, is also responsible for monitoring the condition of patients once they're on the stretcher. I tinkered with hinge plate arrangements for a long time before I found a configuration that had the action I wanted and used few pieces. The stretcher now sits upon a 1x8 hinge plate. A maddeningly simple solution that took weeks to figure out!
I also made it possible for the patient to have a viewscreen, so that the pilot can visually communicate with the patient. The window for the android to actually see the patient may seem superfluous, but I think it provides a more intimate connection. Even if it's only an android, at least someone's watching over you!
LET'S GET READY TO RESCUE!!