Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
Encyclopedia
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
from Gerry
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
and Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
's science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
(1967).
Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
The grey-blue vehicle has ten sets of wheels (six sets over the front, middle and rear axles which are double) and an auxiliary traction system of hydraulically lowered caterpillar trackCaterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
s at the rear. The driver and passengers are seated facing backwards to reduce the effect of impact in the event of a collision, with a large video monitor
Video monitor
A video monitor also called a broadcast monitor, broadcast reference monitor or just reference monitor, is a display device similar to a television set, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device, such as playout from a video server, IRD, video camera, VCR, or DVD player. It may or...
displaying the road ahead and behind. A co-driver has identical driving controls available, but normally mans the weaponry systems, which include a front-mounted cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
. SPVs are distributed around the world at specific Spectrum safehouses, which are disguised, often as commercial buildings. Spectrum agents can obtain access to an SPV upon showing their identification.
In the series, the SPV was realised as a 22 inch long scale model designed by Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings was a British television and cinema special effects expert, initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" television puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the 1970s James Bond films and the Superman film series.-Early years:Both Meddings' parents had...
. Mike Trim who was Derek Medding's Assistant has made his own fan model.
Toys and kits
Various toy models of the SPV have been made available at various periods since the 1960s, including the Dinky Toys die-castDie-cast toy
The term die-cast toy here refers to any toy or collectible model produced by using the die casting method. The toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber or glass details. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection moulding, but the two are rarely confused...
version, Imai and Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
models.
The Rhino
In the CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet is a United Kingdom-produced computer-generated imagery action-adventure TV series which debuted in February 2005 as part of the Ministry of Mayhem on ITV....
(2005), the SPVs successor is known as the Spectrum Rhino. The Rhino employs a far greater armoury than the original SPV, and unlike the original is incapable of travelling on water. Instead of being hidden in safehouses, they are deployed from Skybase using "Albatross" dropships. The driver of the Rhino adopts a normal driving position in contrast with its predecessor.
See also
- Captain Scarlet and the MysteronsCaptain Scarlet and the MysteronsCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
- CloudbaseCloudbaseCloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
- Spectrum Saloon CarSpectrum Saloon Car (SSC)The Spectrum Patrol Car or Spectrum Saloon Car is a fictional vehicle that appears in Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and in revamped form in the remake series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the...
- Maximum Security Vehicle (MSV)