More work on the security runabout.
I changed “Police” to “Security” because “Police” seems to carry a more pronounced undertone of professional badassery, leading to talk of stuff like terminal-storming and plane-boarding SWAT teams in the comments of the previous entry, which isn’t really what I had in mind for an out-of-the-way spaceport with aging equipment and facilities. I was thinking more along the lines of a private security company providing staff for the spaceport, and they wouldn’t really have anything heavier than what a patrol officer would typically carry.
The other point of discussion was the color scheme. Initially, I had the runabout done up in a half-Battenburg livery because I like how it looks on fire/rescue vehicles. For example, this fire truck:
And this incident response truck:
I liked the idea of tying in the security vehicles with the rescue vehicles by putting them in a Battenburg livery, but the thing about Battenburg is it’s kind of an acquired taste. Okay, enough babble. Here’s a roundup of the potential candidates:
This is the original, in half-Battenburg livery:
This is the current version, which I modified from half-Battenburg to full Battenburg by scaling down the checks to half size.
This is an alternative take on the above, with white and blue instead of the neon green/blue scheme. This one is a bit more toned down.
This is a variation replacing the Battenburg checks with chevrons, sort of like a spacey take on the basic Battenburg scheme. Original yellow-green and blue here:
As above, but in the toned-down white/blue:
Next up, these are more conventional and…kind of boring alternatives which I’m not quite as keen on. This one is a basic silver/blue paint job:
This one is a variation that adds a third color, a red stripe above the blue. I like it better than the one above, but not as much as the Battenburg/chevron variations.
I’m putting this all out for discussion. Which scheme do you like best, and why? Please don’t say something like “All of them!” because that doesn’t really help narrow things down. 
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Rock On! I get it. ‘Security’ is a much better term for what you are envisioning. with that said…
– This is a variation replacing the Battenburg checks with chevrons, sort of like a spacey take on the basic Battenburg scheme. Original yellow-green and blue here:–
I like the chevron yellow-green and blue version. Highly visible, yet separated from the ‘rescue/fire/ambulance’.
I just have to get over the urge to paint up 12 overweight mall cops with orange hair, red noses, and big shoes.
Love the chevron style in in white and blue, although the smaller checkers (in the same colors) come in at a close second.
And yeah, I love the “security”. That gives the impression of a guy with a potbelly and a can of mace instead of a police officer with a gun and a mustache (in Belgium, you have to have a mustache before you can join the cops
)
I like the second Battenburg with the smaller checks. It’s a really distinctive style that draws the eye and says “professional officialdom”. The chevrons are kind of distracting and make me think of Nascar ads, the plain security is dull but fitting, more like Joe Schmoe brings his own car to work and puts a security sticker on the side and detachable lights on the roof. The red stripe version reminds me of delivery vehicles.
Eric
Incidentally, I like that original fire truck you show. I think mostly because it uses only 2 colors. The yellow of the truck is almost the same as the yellow of the checkers. I think one of the things that rubs me the wrong way in these new schemes is that they are mostly 3 colors. By putting the checkers on a grey car, they stand out a lot more than when the car was say yellow (or even white), with blue checkers on it. (and yellow/red for the fire truck, white/red for the ambulance)
@Eric, I think you hit the nail on the head with your idea that the plain striped version looked like someone is using their own car. In an out of the way spaceport, that would make sense. Particularly if there were some unmarked ones around also.
I’m not a big fan of the Battenberg scheme. Don’t really know why; I just don’t like it. (I suspect that it’s just too garish for my taste. And yes; I *know* that being garish (“distinctive”) is the whole point!)
I like the chevrons somewhat better; especially the white & blue version.
But my first choice would be either of the final two options.
(Maybe you could save the checks for the “real” cops?)
I do appreciate your approach re “run down, out-of-the-way spaceport”, BTW. Neither Han Solo nor Mal Reynolds are going to be showing up at the big, shiny, well-equipped ports any more than they have to.
(And, of course, nothing guarantees that the over-weight, over-age fellow in the clown car isn’t a grizzled old marshal with tons of experience (and levels) and an enormous gat on his hip. I remember one such showing up in one of Raymond Chandler’s novels, though I can’t remember which one off the top of my head.)
i lke the original bright chevrons.
Whichever you go with, I like the fact that all three emergency vehicles are tied together… Battenberg (I like the smaller squares better) or chevrons but keep the same design for all three. I like the ‘one of the colour is the base colour of the vehicle’ on the fire truck and ambulance but on the security car it looks a bit meeeh to me. As for the the plain versions, me don’t like: too… Plain!
Good move to replace security by police. Consider making it “spaceport security”
What about some spaceport logo to tie all these (emergency or not) even more together and emphasis the private character of security.
It’s a real head-scratcher, how does one come up with a subdued Hi-Viz colour scheme? Does it have to match the other Emergency Vehicles? (For me, that would be a “yes”) The final choice is going to depend a lot on the back-story for the individual Spaceport.
This is where I switched into “Captain Over-thinker” mode and wrote a huge rambling treatise on all (and I do mean “all”) the various alternative scenarios. However, since even I fell asleep twice trying to read it back, I’ve opted to let you decide on your own colour scheme and rationalise it any way you want (It is your web site after all).
For preference, I’d go with the neon green/blue full Battenburg (I was going to say “traditional” Battenberg but, for me, that would be pink/yellow sponge cake wrapped in marzipan…not the effect we’re looking for)
Generally security would be carried out by contract or employees of the spaceport. So, whilst I like the Euro style Battenburg schemes, I would opt for blue and white checkerboard as blue seems to be the almost universal colour for security uniforms and equipment across the globe.
Lots of great feedback to contemplate! Thank you, everyone!
I think I managed to factor in a bit of everyone’s preferences into a new pattern that combines elements of the chevrons with elements of the squared blocks, so I went and posted a second roundup this morning.