[l0neW0lf]

? and pretty much all other water figures too.
I hadn't really paid much attention to the loadout of the Eel figure before, but while holding it in my hands, I started noticing some interesting details.

First, on the back, he has some sort of high-tech buoyancy control device (BCD) with an oxygen tank and possibly a rebreather, plus a motorized component that I assume can be turned on and off for stealth swimming when needed.

The knife is a standard medium-sized blade with a saw edge for quickly cutting lines and other things.

Now, here?s where it gets interesting. Just like every other underwater figure, the Eel comes equipped with what around here we call an arbalete, or band-powered speargun. This is a great choice for catching fish ? as a spearo myself I prefer them over pneumatic spearguns ? but it wouldn't be effective in a combat scenario.

Why is it pointless in battle?

For those who aren't familiar, the tight rubber bands on the speargun have to be attached to the release mechanism near the trigger. When released, the tension in the bands launches the spear. It?s a relatively slow and demanding process that would leave you vulnerable.

Range: A powerful arbalete can reach around 10 meters, but this requires an oceanic 120cm model with at least 4 high-tension bands. The Eel?s speargun, which looks like a 90cm model, likely has a range of about 5 meters.

Line: The Eel?s speargun has a line, typically used to retrieve both the spear and the fish. However, when you?re talking about an 80kg person with heavy gear who might be fighting back with a knife, this becomes a problem. Keep in mind, unless a vital part is hit, the opponent would likely survive.

The Hooks: The spear has two hooks designed to prevent the fish from escaping. These hooks are retracted when launched but, once the spear penetrates the fish, they open up. There?s no way to remove the spear without either breaking it or cutting the prey. So, not only is it hard to retrieve your spear, but you can?t load another one either. Theoretically, you could do that, but in that case, you wouldn?t be using the lens in the first place.

Other underwater Classified figures I?ve seen (and will probably buy soon) do have guns as well, but they seem to be standard assault rifles or other types of firearms, not specialized underwater rifles. It would have been cool to have protective gear that could seal the guns while the diver is carrying them during an insertion.

The original design of the Eel solved this issue with what looks like a water rifle that uses multiple small spears, which can be loaded in rapid succession. This makes sense because smaller projectiles can reach a farther target, and you don?t have to deal with an angry 80kg commando attached to your speargun. Plus, the original probably has laser capabilities, based on the lower part of the rifle.

I wonder why they didn?t elaborate on that concept. Any thoughts?

[l0neW0lf]

Come on, don't give me the silent treatment.

If it's too long, I'm saying that the standard weapon used for underwater figures doesn't make any sense.

Anybody else noticed this? You don't care because it's cool anyway?

Isn't it weird that there's usually a lot of attention to detail in the weapons department but apparently they didn't think this through?

[ShadowNinja]

Go home your drunk.

[l0neW0lf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadowNinja

Go home your drunk.

What?

[280-CUSTOMS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadowNinja

Go home your drunk.

Or high .

Yes it?s weird but they were going for different and that?s what we got

[Eurolock]

The team probably just didn’t appreciate the real life limitations of a standard band powered speargun as a weapon for underwater combat.

I certainly didn’t like the standard speargun reuse with the Eel since the classic Eel speargun did look more like a specialized underwater weapon. In my mind the Eel speargun had capabilities more like the scuba scene in Thunderball.

[books]

Personally, would definitely agree that the Eel should include a more practical weapon or two. Around the time Torpedo and the first Eel came out, I remember enjoying seeing the offerings on Anthanatos in that regard, and then more recently I discovered Top Fun, which also has some relevant items and is another really cool store. If I do get divers eventually, I'll definitely add to their arsenal that way.

That said, I think the spear gun is fun and a good inclusion. There's something very adventuristic and Hollywood-y about it, which in my opinion makes it fun for more Sunbow-ish moods, where practicality is replaced by lasers and all kinds of crazy cartoon stuff. As a person who sometimes is in a Sunbow mood and sometimes in a tacticool mood, I would never want to trade one for the other.

[l0neW0lf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eurolock

The team probably just didn?t appreciate the real life limitations of a standard band powered speargun as a weapon for underwater combat.

I certainly didn?t like the standard speargun reuse with the Eel since the classic Eel speargun did look more like a specialized underwater weapon. In my mind the Eel speargun had capabilities more like the scuba scene in Thunderball.

The 007 movie you mean? That's more like it, yes. I did some research, the original Eel rifle could have been a modified version of russian APS, more details below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by books

Personally, would definitely agree that the Eel should include a more practical weapon or two. Around the time Torpedo and the first Eel came out, I remember enjoying seeing the offerings on Anthanatos in that regard, and then more recently I discovered Top Fun, which also has some relevant items and is another really cool store. If I do get divers eventually, I'll definitely add to their arsenal that way.

That said, I think the spear gun is fun and a good inclusion. There's something very adventuristic and Hollywood-y about it, which in my opinion makes it fun for more Sunbow-ish moods, where practicality is replaced by lasers and all kinds of crazy cartoon stuff. As a person who sometimes is in a Sunbow mood and sometimes in a tacticool mood, I would never want to trade one for the other.

On Etsy? I may consider at some point, although yeah, speargun do look cool indeed, I just thought it was an interesting subject considering the focus on real life counterparts.

Anyway, I did some research.
I could find three real life underwater weapons:
Russian APS (gas-operated), SPP1 (again Russian, cartridges with special propellant) and HK P11 (uses eletric ignition). They all fire smaller darts.

The APS seems the model of the original Eel gun although chances are the fictional version had laser capabilities as well (theoretically it is possible).

Modified versions of civilian spearguns used in combat do exist but the classified version is 100% a civilian version used only for spearfishing. I could not find any info on possible specs of modified versions. If someone lurking out there had info to share, that would be cool.

[shlappyguy]

This is actually quite interesting to me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the matter.

[books]

As an example:

https://topfunretrotoys3d.com/produc...2-scale-reboot

Note that the link (and most on that site) has several options per page, visible if you scroll through the images