Craft, Vehicles and Equipment: SPV (Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle)

LATEST UPDATES: APRIL 20, 2025: FAN FICTION: "Easter Bunny Trouble", by Cwissy /// MARCH 17, 2025: FAN FICTION: "St Patrick's Day Dream", by Cwissy /// MARCH 9, 2025: FAN FICTION: "Only Acceptable Course of Action", by Shades /// FEBRUARY 14, 2025: FAN FICTION: "Many Ways to Say it And Some of Them Involves Words", by Shades - VALENTINE DAY FAN FICTION: "Five Very Important Words", by Shades - "The Valentine Tiger", by Cwissy /// JANUARY 30, 2025: CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE ENDS! Reposting of 10 stories from the first decade of Spectrum HQ: "The Gift of Oneself", "Darkness of the Mind" and "Christmas Lights", by Marion Woods - "I'll be Home for Christmas", by Tiger Jackson - "The Spirit of Christmas", by Alan J. Porter - "The Society for the Prevention of Bah'Humbug", by Sage Harper - "Twisted Trinity" and "The Vigil", by Skybase Girl", "Underground Heroics", by Kimberly Murphy - "Have You Got a Light?" by Marizel /// DECEMBER 31, 2024: CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE: "Spectrum Reconstructed!" Unofficial 2025 Captain Scarlet Calendar, by Clya Brown, with the collaboration of Chris Bishop, Caroline Smith and Hazel Köhler /// DECEMBER 25, 2024: CHRISTMAS FAN FICTION CHALLENGE: First stories posted: "Duty of Care", by Shades - "The True Spirit of Christmas", by Marion Woods - "A Christmas Modelling Bee", by Cwissy /// DECEMBER 1rst, 2024: CHRISTMAS FAN FICTION CHALLENGE now launched! See the page for information on how to participate! /// NOVEMBER 13, 2024: HALLOWEEN FAN FICTION CHALLENGE: "Kokkino", by Sharn - New arts posted on the HALLOWEEN IMAGES page /// NOVEMBER 3rd, 2024: HALLOWEEN FAN FICTION CHALLENGE: "Secrets", by Shades ///

SPECTRUM VEHICLES

Spectrum logo

Cloudbase

These fast, rocket-armed, heavily armoured and amphibious SPVs constitute the major part of Spectrum's land-based combat section, designed to cope in any emergency.

Based on the Word Army Air-Force "Zeus" combat tank from 2064, the SPVs are armed with a single ground-to-air rocket launcher. These tank-like machines are powered by a removable power pack (with Molecultion batteries for electricity back-up when the power packs is removed, for use as the SPV hover pack, for example), for the electrical systems giving the 20 wheeled (as 10 sets of 2 wheels) SPVs 6-wheeled drive (actually 12 wheeled power, from the 6 sets large, twin wheels). SPVs also possess twin sets of caterpillar-tracks, to assist with extra traction in driving over rough terrain, climbing steep surfaces, etc. The SPVs are 25 feet long, weigh approximately 17,920 Lbs (8 tons) and have a top speed of 200 MPH. Entry/exit of the SPV is via a hydraulic hatch, complete with a single "bucket" seat, which slides outwards form the side of the vehicle. They are a three seaters vehicle (one at each driving position, and one sitting in front of the selector panel between the twin driving seats) constructed at a World Government research establishment in Stockholm, Sweden.

All Spectrum vehicles use a special form of fuel of which every drop is distilled from the ultra-sonic refinery at Bensheba (for land propulsion) and twin aqua-jets mounted at the SPV's rear (for water travel), with a 500 gallon fuel capacity and 25.7 MPG limit, giving a SPV a range of 12,850 miles without refuelling. The SPVs are made form hardened Fleetonium allow (with internal "roll-cage" and bracing) and are silvery-blue in colour. Standard accessories carried by an SPV include twin parachute ejector seats, and removable SPV power pack. The SPV is manouvered by the driver sitting backwards in aircraft type, bucket-seats (facing the rear of the vehicle for safety reasons, watching steering through monitors above the steering bars and controlled by reverse differential, cylindrical hydro-pneumatic steering. With a magnetic-disk, reverse-thrust braking system. The control panel on the left side steering bar allows the raising/lowering of the rear caterpillar tracks, smoke ejection, etc. and the control panel on the lect side steering bar allows the firing of the SPV rocket. SPV also carry a complete set of all coloured helmets, one for each Captain, for some form of interchangeable pack which they move from vehicle to vehicle.

Cutaways

Air intake serving air conditioning and air cooling systems for rear machinery;
TV driving screen;
Instrument panel;
Rearward facing driver's seat with ejection parachute pack;
Selector panel for power pack attachments such as the thrusters pack conversion. These items are stored in the cabinets seen immediately above the selector panel, and which run both sides of a gangway down the length of the vehicle;
Driver, and live TV screen. The SPV can be driven from either of the twin positions;
Brackets connect the seat to the armoured door. To leave the vehicle, the overhead ramps are extended, sliding door and attached seat sideways till exit is clear;
The power pack, held in position by twin clamps which raise it through a sliding panel in the floor above, when required for thrusters pack or other use;
Armoured cable conducts current from the power pack to the magnetic brakes;
Hub motors;
Magnetic disc brake and support arm which pivots on the cantilevered bracket attached to the main shock absorber. The square-ended box to the left of the support arm contains the hydropneumatic ram by which the steering is effected. The smaller wheels behind are couple to turn in unison;

Main shock absorber;
A limited-travel absorber permits wheel to tilt on rough ground;
The rugged tubular chassis;
Air intake and duct serving fuel cell and forward cooling units;
Front flotation chamber contains buoyancy compartments (not shown) for amphibious work. Its curved profile makes it a useful fender at low speeds, but in the event of a high speed collision it will collapse giving a cushioning effect;
Headlight and TV camera;
Main hydraulics oil reservoir;
Air intake;
Cantilevered chassis supporting tracks and converter for the twin aqua-jets (not shown);
Motor driving tank tracks;
Battery. This is a standby connected to motors in the four smaller wheels. These provide drive when the power pack is removed and the motors in the six pairs of wheels are idle;
Suspension (is similar on all wheels except front pair).

Elevations

Graciously provided by Arthur Twosheds' DeviantArt Gallery.

Driving position

The door and seat slide sideways (1) by means of rams (2) to enable entry and exit.

The driver faces rearwards, steering by TV screen (3), showing forward view. In front of him are his instrument panel and control box (4) which slides out to the most convenient position.

(5) is the selector panel and (6) the hatch through which the power unit emerges.

The driving position is duplicated on the right-hand side of the cabin.

Chassis

The main, six-wheel drive is supplied by individual motors in each pair of wheels. Power is transmitted via the drive cogs (1) through gearing (2). Magnetic breaks (3) are similar to disc brakes but rely on magnetic forces, not friction. Rods (4) make the smaller wheels track the front wheels which steer by hydropneumatic cylinders (5).

The wheels are suspended on hydraulic shock absorbers (6) which can also be used to retract the wheels for amphibious operation. Power is supplied to the wheel motors from the power unit (7).

This works on fuel cell principles; that is the combination of air and the hydrogenic fuel generates electricity. The power unit stands on a ramp, held firm by twin clamps (8). This arrangement is used to present the power unit in the required position for other uses (see below). When the power unit is being used for other purposes the vehicle standby batteries (9) drive the four sets of smaller wheels.

At (10) the caterpillar tracks are removed to show the internal drive motor and driving sprockets.

Power unit

The power unit can also be used to power small personal vehicles or devices.

Here it is shown converted into a thruster pack, electrically driven high-speed compressors supplying air jets.

SPV power unit

Storage

The various components are stored in the back of the vehicle in drawers (A). The appropriate ones are selected by using the panel (B). At (C) is an emergency escape hatch.

SPV storage

Amphibious features

When used amphibiously the wheels retract upwards and the flap (A) closes.

Propulsion is then, by twin water turbo jets, positioned at the rear of the craft.

Caterpillars

Original plans

Caterpillars in down position.

To the left, you can see the original climbing position imagined for the SPV The insert shows how the low centre of gravity (CG) of the vehicle is ahead of the rear tracks in the upright position. The vehicle thus has a built-in tendency to fall forwards rather than tip backwards.

When that design was conceived, the seats were still facing front, but then the plans changed and for safety reason, the SPV was designed with the driving seats facing backward. Naturally, that means that the original plans for the caterpillars wouldn't work, since it would mean that the driver and his passenger would be hanging from from seats.

So the design was changed, and the tracks then were made to be retractable instead. When more traction would be needed, the driver simply needs to lower them down to the ground.

(Sources: TV Century 21 material (Annuals, books and magazines), Engale Marketing's Century 21 magazine, Issue 15, Winter 1995, Fleetway Magazines, Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons book by Chris Drake & Graham Bassett, Complete Book of Captain Scarlet by Chris Bentley… all related to TV Century 21 material.)

CLOUDBASE - ANGEL AIRCRAFT - SPECTRUM PASSENGER JET (SPJ) - SPECTRUM HELIJET - MAGNACOPTER

SPECTRUM PURSUIT VEHICLE (SPV) - MAXIMUM SECURITY VEHICLE (MSV) - SPECTRUM SALOON CAR (SSC) - YELLOW FOX

SPECTRUM DETECTOR VAN - SPECTRUM HOVERCRAFT - SPECTRUM CLAM SUB

COLOR-CODED OFFICER UNIFORM - ANGEL PILOT UNIFORM - OTHER UNIFORMS

WEAPONS - COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES - OTHER EQUIPMENT - NEW CAPTAIN SCARLET EQUIPMENT

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