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Master View
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SHADO MOBILE
A FEW NOTES:
(introduction)
In making these drawings, I had the privilege of working with some of the
people directly involved with developing very similar tracked vehicles for
the military. Rest assured the design conclusions presented here for the
SHADO Mobile were
arrived at through careful study, from the expertise and help of
knowledgeable engineers in the field. After this process, I can say the SHADO
Mobile seems more realistic than ever, and I hope it does the same for you.
1. The Mobile was obviously intended to traverse a variety of natural and rough
terrain which includes "fording" shallow rivers, streams, lakes etc.
The multitude of "venting" along the upper portion of the hull
strongly
suggests that these vents allowed the Mobile to intake air for it's various
systems while partially submerged in several feet of water.
2. The large grated area above the cab was a logical choice for the engines
intake as well as intakes for other equipment, environmental and armaments
which would need fresh air for cooling etc.and it's position above the cab
works in line with the other venting at the top of the hull, away from
encountering water and debris.
3. .It became necessary to incorporate two A.P.U.-Auxiliary Power Units, or
more commonly known as "generators" to accommodate the various weapon
systems and communications arrays. Existing "venting" for intake and
exhaust presented themselves nicely for this purpose.
4. . The equipment situated at the very top of the cab can be explained as the
emitters, antennae and arrays common with infrared, radar, GPS navigation,
communication, spectral imaging and so forth, that would be vital in tracking
and combating Alien spacecraft, and directing the weapon targeting for such
encounters.
5. The various shaped lines on the side of the hull indicate access hatches for
the various systems, and storage of other equipment. In close-ups of the Mobile
in action on the TV series, you can sometimes make out the wording of the
labels on these hatches.
In future instalments, we'll explore the facility where the Mobiles are
stored and maintained, and we'll explore details of the hull openings and their
operation. We'll dare to be bold and reveal what the second generation of SHADO
Mobiles would have looked like. The SHADO Mobile presented a fascinating and
fun challenge in reverse engineering. These configurations represent one
opinion, and are meant for casual enjoyment only, and to add a
sense of reality to the vehicle seen in the series. Great steps have been taken
to assure accuracy and feasibility using known technology and engineering. The
dimensional figures in feet were derived at through careful scaling of the
plasticine figures present in the cab of the original studio model which was
photographed by ITC and reprinted in several books over the years. It became
apparent those particular photos were badly underexposed, but after digitizing,
brightening and enlarging them, amazing detail was
revealed.
-John Goode
March, 2000
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