I am planning to build a 1/72-scale CVR(T) Spartan, and depict it as a ‘Red Top’ Range Safety Vehicle at BATUS. Can anyone suggest a source for reference information and photographs for this project?
Also, a couple of specific questions:
(1) During which period would the Spartan have been used in this role?
(2) I gather that Range Safety Officers currently wear hi-vis vests over their combat uniforms.
Would this have been the case on the Spartans?
Thanks,
Paul
Hi! Not sure if Spartan was ever used in Range Safety role. Warriors and FV432s however were used. I read a report of a yellow Spartan with Raneg Safety.
Andreas
Paul, if you go down the Spartan road, it may well be a what if …I can’t ever remember seeing a Spartan red top. I only did my 1/35 one as a fill in on the BATUS Mk10 Dio I did.
Red tops were Ferrets, 5 or 6 warriors painted full red, guns removed (usually) and wolf landrovers with either a red canopy or red hard top… Other range safety are either Ford or Dodge 4 x4s painted white with red highlights…
Ref above and what Andreas mentioned about the yellow Spartan, it probably wasn’t Range safety … I have a niggling feeling that the Ex Comd based out of Ex Con had a standalone tracked Veh to use on the area when needed and I think that it may of been yellow, but don’t quote me on that…
Ref the hi Vis vests, that’s a more current addition due to more in depth enforcement of safety critical staff and being identifiable at all times while on the area. When I did range safety, we had the vests, but rarely used them… That was in 2003/4…
Johnny,
Thanks for that clarification.
Yes, it was probably your Chieftain/Spartan BATUS diorama that led me to believe they were really used out there. Bugger!! … I was looking forward to this project, and I can’t do it as a ‘what if’ subject, as it is for a product review for a magazine. However, there are several photographs of the Spartan at BATUS in my Tankograd book, so I will settle for that idea.
Paul
Sorry mate… I thought I’d better get in quick and mention it when I saw the thread …
Spartans were used by both med man exercise troops and also OPFOR ( who had a different paint scheme and meant to be Sov Bloc Vehs)
Johnny,
That’s a coincidence … I have just come across a photograph of what appears to be a group of OPFOR Spartans at BATUS. From what I can see, these were painted in a single colour (similar to the Salamander perhaps?) Are the camo colours on the crew’s combat uniforms typical for OPFOR?
Paul
If I remember correctly the current OPFOR fleet are normal colours, with just different ID marks on them and the Salamanders have the fake barrel and rear tanks plus a fake heavy MG on the turret top…the ones we used were an odd colour, can’t remember what it was, but it looked like a desert pinky colour, I will have a look tomorrow at work and try to set some images of them for you …
Ref the uniform… Not sure on current trends out there but they don’t look like normal issue, more of a grey/black look to them…
Another option for a Spartan would be a white UN one from Bosnia ?
Johnny,
Yes, here are two photographs of OPFOR Salamanders, with a close-up of the uniform camo …
most odd! The vehicles appear to be overall NATO green, though other images suggest more
of a grey-green colour (possibly due to different light conditions).
Of course, UN white in Bosnia would be another option.
Paul
Yes, these are the current OPFOR fleet… Basic green all over, the uniforms look like special made /ordered for BATUS OPFOR…
Personally I would probably opt for the UN white Bosnia version, something a bit different…
The Spartan’s we used and that specific colour would be a tricky one to match …, otherwise BATUS ones are the normal green and sand colour…
Frank,
Thanks for that. Yes, I have the Tankograd book on BATUS …
as with all their publications, excellent reference images.
Paul
On the subject of OPFOR vehicles at BATUS, I have been closely studying the photos of the Salamander (in my earlier post). In the photo of the parked-up vehicles, the second roadwheel of the foreground Salamander appears to be overall NATO green, though I am not sure whether the patches of sand colour elsewhere are dust/dirt or actual paint (more likely the latter). Could it be safely assumed that, at least some of the OPFOR vehicles were given an overall coat of the NATO green?
Paul
The current fleet appear to all be now NATO green. Things like old roadwheels could still be in stock that are desert coloured, and they just get resprayed/over painted as required.
Johnny,
This is exactly what I thought, regarding the patches of sand paint on the wheels.
It would appear that the shade of green now used on British vehicles is noticeably
darker than that used a few years ago.
Paul
Paint batches vary from year to year and manufacturers… I have seen so many tones of NATO green over the years I’ve given up counting …
