Spade

Spade
Production information
Manufacturer:	TurboGen
Product line:	TurboGen all-terrain transport series
Technical specifications
Length:	6.2 meters (20 ft)
Width:	3.1 meters (10 ft)
Engine(s):	M96 methane engine
Crew:	One driver; One passenger;

The Independent Wheel Drive Spade is a civilian flatbed truck manufactured by TurboGen. The latest installment in TurboGen's line of all-terrain transport vehicles, the Spade is a versatile, rugged, and rather affordable vehicle, making it very popular among colonial settlers. the vehicle is named after the Spadehorn, a bovid indigenous to Reach, which belies the truck's use among farmers.^[1]

Overview[edit]

Design details[edit]

As its name suggests, the Spade features an independent-wheel drive system, giving it the ability to traverse difficult terrain with relative ease. It is powered by an M96 methane engine which uses compound energy, capable of powering the truck for long periods of time in physically demanding locales. The Spade's flatbed can carry large quantities of supplies, and a tow cable is mounted to the front grille, adding to the vehicle's utility. The Spade is available in a wide variety of colors.^[1]

The Spade is designed for operations on rugged colonial worlds that possess only minimal infrastructure. The Spade and its sibling frontier trucks share parts – and handling characteristics – with the ubiquitous M12 Warthog, which meant that many recruits were already proficient with basic vehicle maintenance and off-road driving skills before they ever arrive at UNSC boot camp.^[2]

Spades on Reach after it was glassed.^[2]^[3]

Usage[edit]

The Spade is primarily used among heavy-industry workers and farmers who operate in rugged environments.^[1] Before Reach fell to the Covenant in August 2552, Spades were a common sight in the rural town of Visegrád, Eposz and in industrial facilities based out of Ütközet.^[4]^[5] They were also used by civilians on Tribute.^[6]

After the Human-Covenant War, Spades were a common tool of the pioneers who took it upon themselves to resettle and re-terraform worlds that were glassed by the Covenant.^[2] One of these worlds was Reach itself, where Spades were used by the pioneers as they worked to bring life back to the ruined world.^[3]

Gameplay[edit]

The Spade is a usable vehicle on the Halo: Reach. First appearing in the level Winter Contingency. It functions identically to a gun-less Warthog, although with Jorge-052 on the team, he will use his M247H Heavy Machine Gun as a makeshift turret.

It was also added to Halo: Reach's Forge in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection version of the game. In this addition to the Forge, it is referred to as "Pickup" and can be recolored to numerous options.

Production notes[edit]

The Spade was known as the "Pioneer" in early concept art.^{[citation needed]}

Trivia[edit]

In-game, the Spade uses the Warthog's entity tags. If the player approaches Jorge-052 while he is riding the vehicle, the message "Hold X to ride in Warthog" will appear instead of the vehicle's own tag. In addition, in the meta-game stats, Halo Waypoint stats, and on Bungie.net, kills with the Spade appear as Warthog kills.
The logo on the hood is similar to that of the Dodge Ram, with the horns modified to look like spades. This logo depicts the vehicle's animal namesake, the Spadehorn.
Like most civilian vehicles, and unlike the Warthog and the Mongoose, the Spade's horn can be sounded continuously.
The vehicle, along with the unidentified civilian transport craft, made an appearance in the Halo 4 multiplayer map Landfall.^[6]
- The vehicle's appearance in the garage area of Landfall is as a stationary scenery prop, and thus cannot be driven. This prop is slightly larger than the in-game vehicle found in Halo: Reach.