[zuludelta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troynos

Nice Z. Like the updates alot.

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Thespian

I'm not so sure about that. I think these are two characters that will always kind of bug you because you can never really make them be flamethrowers. I always thought using them as armorers was the most practical and true to original filecard way to use them. It's not sexy, but it's a needed job and they can fill it.

Yeah, they'll never really be as accurate updated in a more contemporary fashion as the other Joes because of the fact that WWII-style flamethrowers are no longer in use (and haven't been for over 30 years now... heck, backpack flamethrowers were already obsolete -- and largely banned via an "unofficial" mutual agreement between most NATO and Warsaw Pact nations -- by the time the first Blowtorch figure came out in 1984, and what few M2 flamethrowers remained in Army inventories in the early 1980s were used primarily for clearing brush in the tropics... I remember seeing flamethrowers being used, on rare occasions, to clear dense jungle in the vicinity of US Naval Base Subic Bay and Clark Air Base back in the day).

Still, I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to find a compromise solution that combines function and visuals in a reasonable modern approximation of the original toys' designs.

[zuludelta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scroll142

dee snider!?

Win!

Yep.

[Lifeline_MD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zuludelta

Not specifically, no. With the three single-carded, "generic sculpt," long-sleeved, green-shirted guys from the "Original 13" (Grunt, Zap, Short-Fuze) the common design theme I adopted is military green commando sweaters (as a nod to the original "greenshirt" design) and UCP or Multicam trousers and/or helmets to bring them into the 21st century looks-wise.

Ah. Looks kinda similar ironically (I noticed because that set recently arrived and is 9 inches to my left) Cool.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zuludelta

Yeah, they'll never really be as accurate updated in a more contemporary fashion as the other Joes because of the fact that WWII-style flamethrowers are no longer in use (and haven't been for over 30 years now... heck, backpack flamethrowers were already obsolete -- and largely banned via an "unofficial" mutual agreement between most NATO and Warsaw Pact nations -- by the time the first Blowtorch figure came out in 1984, and what few M2 flamethrowers remaining in Army inventories in the early 1980s were used primarily for clearing brush in the tropics and melting snow in temperate areas).

I just learned something new. Out of curiosity (and because I'm too lazy to google) why were they unofficially banned? Too cruel?

[Lifeline 71]

Zulu, I have to say I kinda like the idea of the microwave weapons for Blowtorch and Charbroil. In fact, I was just reading about that type of weapon in one of Tom Clanc's "End War" books. It seems like a very modern upgrade to those characters.

[zuludelta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lifeline_MD

I just learned something new. Out of curiosity (and because I'm too lazy to google) why were they unofficially banned? Too cruel?

The UN drafted a resolution in 1980 banning the use of flame weapons (that includes flamethrowers and thermate/thermite grenades) against civilians on the grounds of it being an especially inhumane weapon. Not very many of the big Cold War players were signatories to the resolution, though (IIRC, both the US and the Soviet Union refused to sign it, I think the UK may have ignored it as well). Still, despite not signing it, both the US and the Soviet Union and most of their allies were already voluntarily phasing out backpack flamethrowers at around the time the resolution was being floated in the late 1970s.

AFAIK, no official reason has been given by either the US or the USSR for why they were phased out, although the common reason most people assume is that it's too cruel of a weapon (not entirely true, "cruelty" was a consideration only because the use of the flamethrower could be a public relations nightmare for the armies using it). But really, "cruelty" aside (as if there was such a thing as an objectively "non-cruel" method of killing in war), the backpack flamethrower was obsolete given the nature of post-WWII military technology. It had limited range, wasteful when it came to fuel, and had limited effectiveness against modern structures and armored vehicles, and there were more effective and efficient ways to get men and materiel to burn (such as with the use of thermobaric and incendiary munitions).

[zuludelta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lifeline 71

Zulu, I have to say I kinda like the idea of the microwave weapons for Blowtorch and Charbroil. In fact, I was just reading about that type of weapon in one of Tom Clanc's "End War" books. It seems like a very modern upgrade to those characters.

The difficulty is in finding images of man-portable prototypes of the microwave ADS weapons. I've read about them, but the only reliable images I have are those of the large-ish vehicle-mounted prototype Raytheon revealed a few years ago.

[SP00K]

[zuludelta]

Glad you dig them.

[Dreadnok Twins]

Zandar's look shouldn't be tampered with too much. It's a matching set with Zarana and it would be great to see that reflected in more designs. They need to look much more alike than they do here.

Other than that, good Zarana, okay Zartan, bu the look for Zandar is really going off too far and trying way too hard. If you can manage to tone him down a bit without sacrificing his resemblance to Zarana it would work better, in my opinion.

[zuludelta]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably be sticking with the current Zandar look for now, though. I dunno... I think I managed to stay fairly close to the original toy design without straying too far into toy territory. But I might change my mind at some point in the future.