Grrl Power #329 – It’s only painless if you ignore the back pain
When I started writing this page I may have overestimated the weight of a minigun. I based it off what I remember hearing the prop from Predator weighing, which was something like 160 pounds. Thinking about it now that may have included the belt and the backpack, or heck it may have been someone’s estimation of the total weight including the ammo. I actually timed all the firing time in the movie once cause I’m a big nerd like that. The “Schwarzenegger’s Forest Clearing Service” scene was the bulk of it of course, but all told it was very nearly 60 seconds worth, and depending on the exact model of the minigun that comes out to somewhere between 2,000 and 6,000 rounds, and that adds up.
Turns out the GE M134 Minigun, which I think is what Blaine used, weighs 85 pounds (39 kg). (There’s a lighter variant but clearly this one is not that.) The prop for the movie was modified, for instance it had some kind of rifle grip on the bottom. It actually looked like a pump action shotgun but it was probably just a handhold. Anyway, Sydney could probably lift 85 lbs off the ground if she could get her legs and back into it, but picking it up when it’s already waist high mostly using her biceps would be… well, impossible according to this page. Also I can say the one on the table is modified and weighs whatever I want it to. :) If nothing else, six bayonets and the clamps to hold them on to the spinning barrels would probably add what, 10-ish pounds?
The previous page telegraphs this one a bit, and a few people in the comments called this outcome with comments like “Yeah, if she can lift it” which is why I wanted this page and the previous one to go up as a double page, but there’s only so much time in a week and I was still catching up from the previous double. Well one day I’ll have a bevy of unpaid interns doing backgrounds and making 3D models for me. :)
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That’s probably Max’s other gun, so if it’s modified it’s actually heavier, not lighter.
That could be a good security feature: for Maxima to make her guns weigh 100 lbs more than they need to. Maybe she has them made form solid tungsten.
That would make a very … odd… modification for a weapon in shadowrun. Make it out of something harder and heavier. You have to have more strength to even lift it, and more strength still to not get a use penality, but then knockback reduction so you can figure more shots with reduced penalty.
She could also have a trigger installed that requires 50 lbs. of pull…
Her pistol already has an 80 pound trigger, so maybe.
If I remember correct, Thor’s hammer has that feature.
Yup. And (depending on which flava of Thor you pick) his hammer can only be lifted by someone worthy. So it takes someone who is both of good moral character AND strong enough to wield it. Which fits his personality, ethos and culture very well.
Let us hope that the orbs have similar properties. Especially given their behaviour towards Varia.
Depends on the set; I recall one storyline where the Hulk picked up the hammer. Not because he was worthy, but because it was in his way and really pissed him off.
I should imagine most of the readers minds will go to the Marvel Thor first. Whereas those, like myself, who are more into roleplaying than comics (or nowadays the movies), will think more of the Dungeons and Dragons Thor.
Then, of course, there is the Thor of history.* The one on whom the other two are based
* I use ‘history’ advisedly as, at that time, people believed in him and behaved accordingly. Meaning his existence (virtual or otherwise) had a tangible effect on the world. Whether or not you give credence to their beliefs.
I have an unusual philosophy, which obliges me to accept their beliefs. And everyone else’s for that matter. Fortunately there is a viable mechanic, integral to the philosophy (as opposed to being shoehorned in, for convenience), which prevents the apparent contradictions from being a problem.
Is “Thor of history” like Thor of The Almighty Johnsons on netflix? Cuz that Thor is a bigoted psycho.
‘The Almighty Johnsons’ is a classic, don’t you be dissing the Johnson boys!!
Have you seen what he can do with a simple claw-hammer?
There are still those who believe in and worship Thor (and the rest of the Aesir)
Yea, I know there are modern revival movements for the pagan pantheons, around Europe. The Greek one is a complete restart though. That had died out, in the general populace anyhow. They were into secret cults though, so who knows what might have persisted?
I know most of the Norse worshippers converted to Christianity, a long time ago. Were there hold-outs, which persisted to the present day? Or have modern folks gone back to the old ways?
I’ve heard there were some holdouts, but can’t remember the source so have no idea of the veracity. Even if there are some their faith would have been modified and grown into something different from the vikings of old.
Either way I’m sure the vast majority have adopted a religion based on a modern interpretation of what we know of the “old ways”.
One of the funnier PC moments was when Odenists told marvel they made a translation error on Hiemdal. They explained that the passages of him having a dirty backside meant that he was a gay god because bathing multiple times a week required a lot of heat for hot water, instead of thinking that the dirty backside references meaning he was black.
I don’t think that really counts, he wasn’t intending to use it for badness he just wanted the annoying thing out of his way. Mjolnir’s spirit prolly allowed it for just that reason.
Nope the times Hulk has used Mjolnir its been pretty much a shocker to Thor. Though the joke I’ve heard is he didn’t so much wield Mjolnir so much as used it as a fixed point of leverage to move the Planet so he could smack his enemies into it.
I often move the planet, myself.
*nods deeply*
Pure tungsten would probably be too brittle.
All you need to ‘cut off’ a tungsten ring is about one second time and pliers.
A gold or silver ring won’t fail nearly so easily.
Perhaps a steel frame with various lead additions?
Depends on thick the tungsten is :P
My wedding ring is solid tungsten band about 3-4mm thick (why, yes, it is a little heavy, why do you ask?).
I may be wrong, but I’d like to see the pliers that could get it off :D
Oh, what’s that? Why the hell do I have such a thing as a wedding ring?
Because it’s about the only way my wife could ensure it would last once in my possession. Anything less than this would have long since disintegrated in some spectacular fashion. Much like every other breakable object in my vicinity.
It’s a talent… :P
so many breakable things desks, windows, walls, the city malorea
My face…
Took a long time to stop facepalming when wearing the ring.
..Mal Zeth, it’s the city of Mal Zeth, the continent and the country are named Mallorea.
If yountalk to a jeweler who deals in tungsten, they will advise you not to drop the ring.
Safe tungsten carbide ring removal, the safe (slow) way:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=poM423pewRE
With a tiny bit of imagination, you can find ways to speed up the process.
Now that is a company which knows the correct principle for customer care.
Mind you I would have more faith in their technique, had he ended the demonstration with “and now I will repeat the process, with a ring on my finger”. So, my conclusion is safe, but not perfectly safe.
Tungsten and tungsten carbide are two different things. My tungsten darts fell to the floor many times, but never broke. Tungsten is significantly denser than tungsten carbide.
cruise:
What is your computer made of? ;-p
Thing that springs to my mind is depleted uranium. Which I know is really heavy, and supposedly strong, but no clue how it’d work for making weapons.
And also highly radioactive, but hey, who’s quibbling? :P
You’ve confused enriched uranium for depleted.
Seriously, the radioactive hazard with u-238 is less than that of carbon 14 by a few orders of magnitude – the half life is well past 4 billion years.
Mildly radioactive would be more appropriate. But it has caused controversy and the public are aware of court cases which contest that depleted uranium shells and ammunition have caused health issues.
For jewellery, perception is everything. One wrong word, which dispels the illusion of value, can topple a jewellery empire.
Diamond’s slogan:
Depleted uranium’s slogan:
That I recall, the health concerns with depleted uranium are less nuclear in origin and more chemical in nature. When you use them in anti-tank weaponry, you’ll get liquid and burning forms of uranium: metal vapor and oxides which may be toxic.
Other metals that present toxic results when exposed to various forms of: Lead, Mercury, arsenic, selenium, tungsten, etc, etc, etc.
Seriously, you’ll pick up more rads from space than a pound of u238
Space has a lot of Rads though, enough that astronaughts are clasified as radiation workers. It bothered me that the gieger counter didn’t go off in the Mothership Zeta DLC for Fallout when I went outside the Spaceship. Especially since my PipBoy Arm was open to the cold, radioactive vacuum of space.
But yeah, don’t breathe metals, especially the heavier ones.
You will pick up more rads from space, while sitting on the surface.
Granted , location matters. Dosage out where I live is about double dosage at sea level, thanks to altitude.
It can be presumed that during the Mothership Zeta spacewalk, the mothership had at least some degree of shielding active, given that it’s very shortly thereafter that the alien projection rants at the humans, then fires the warning shot over the earth.
Also, you’re wearing a spacesuit, presumably with a degree of protection due to its construction, and your Pip-boy is presumably covered, so any noises it might make would be drastically muffled at best.
Heavy metal exposure in general is not good for you, some reading material here https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/heavy-metal-poisoning
People often over hype the radiation hazard and ignore entirely the toxic exposure that is found in many industrial processes and products. These are things that erode your physical and mental health in very noticeable ways,
At my workplace you could tell how functional/intelligent someone was simply by looking at their housekeeping skills. You get some slob who won’t wash their hands when they eat and wait ten years and you will see them about ten IQ points south of where they were and or with some “personalty enhancements”
Certain heavy metal exposure is worse than others, scurv. Such as watching the KISS Saves Christmas Holiday Special.
Whereas I found a beneficial exposure. A freakish interaction, with my implants, grants me enhanced sensory capability!
It is also nice and tingly.
True story. Really. Not a Hollywood “true story”.
Say, technically that increases my super powers from just:
• Precognition (limitations: whilst dreaming only and dormant)
• Cybernetic implants (limitations: increased life support, nuisance factor – social inconvenience and possible reaction penalty) *
To also include:
• Enhanced senses (limitation: only when in close proximity to heavy metal).
* Being objective about this, it is more of a disadvantage mitigation. But it had to go somewhere on the character sheet. And being a cyborg is cool. Ooh, possible reaction bonus, nerds only?
“also highly radioactive”, it’s called depleted because the radiation level is reduced to relatively safe levels. In storage it’s almost completely safe. The problem is when it hits something it can compress the mass which increases the radioactivity and can release radioactive dust which if breathed in causes cancer.
If you’re getting shot with a depleted uranium bullet, cancer is the very least of your worries.
No. It’s called “depleted” because it’s Uranium 238 which is not fissionable as opposed to Uranium 235 which IS fissionable, as in “they have depleted its ability to be used in a nuclear bomb.”
I think he was referring more to the problem that bits of you that would be perforated and/or splattered on the landscape. Assuming that you even remain in a state capable of worrying.
But you,and others, including Ie Yamof Ool* make interesting points, nonetheless.
* He he. Searching for the name, out of curiosity, Google asked me:
Did you mean:
I Am Fool
I Am Cool
I Am Full
How about: I am full of cool, fool!
Lifting comics in boxes should mean some strength, no matter how tiny she is, but I’m going to agree that it is quite belivable that she can’t handle it.
New comics day is only once per week. Not enough frequent repetition to build up ant stregth.
D’oh! “any” strength, not “ant” strength. Olivia was Joel & Sydney’s first-hire (other than themselves), so I doubt they’d have Antman on the payroll.
If Sydney had ant strength, she would be able to lift 50 times her own body mass.
Heh, I have seen numerous instances where a single word poorly chosen, or just omitted, drastically changed the meaning of a contract. The most common was just the word “not” being omitted. Note that I am talking about actual signed contracts, as opposed to typos in drafts.
Most of those could be challenged though, if it could be shown that it was clearly a typo, and the context it was in supported that. Other times it would be a contingency against a remote possibility, and that had not arisen, yet. So the interested parties would happily make a correction.
But one of them was profound. In that it was on something where the clause was relevant to an eventuality that had come to pass. In fact it had been inserted specifically because of that, in order to clarify, retroactively, how the parties were to handle an ambiguous issue.
And, contextually, it is something that would be entirely reasonable to agree to either include or exclude. Plus we had no supporting correspondence, which would have shown the intent. Everything had been agreed verbally.
All relevant parties had signed that contract. And I was the one who would be dispatching it, and copies, to all concerned. Had I done that, those parties my company had a duty of care to, would have faced losses in the millions, or tens of millions, of dollars. At a conservative estimate. All because of an omitted “not”.
You, MidnightDStroyer, have managed to better that though, from being a single word, which changed the meaning, yet still making sense, to just a single letter. Thank goodness there was no money involved. :-D
Have you ever heard of the typo that occurred in a Bible printing from the 1600s? In the list of the ten commandments one of them was written “Thou shalt commit adultery”. The printer lost his printing license and all the copied they could find were burned. If you can manage to find one they are worth quite a bit on the collectors market. https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Wicked_Bible
How do we know that was an error?
the M134 Minigun weighs in at 85 pounds (39 kg) (41 pounds (19 kg) lightweight mod.) Therefore I agree with the consensus that the weapon has had a heavyweight mod. attached to it.
Or the much more entertaining option, it’s the M61A1, clocking in at 248 pounds (112 kg), without feed system.
I think Dave was very wise in making the picture ‘in the style of’, in order to keep it just vague enough that it cannot be definitively attributed to a single model. It is more than plausible, it is likely, that Archon would have weapons that are purpose built, or modified, to take advantage of the strength of their supers (or exceptionally strong normals).
This is one of them.
Mind you, it need not be too high up the list of models. Sydney is clearly untrained in correct lifting techniques, and has used a very poor (if perfectly natural) stance. So, whatever we might estimate would be her maximum lifting capability, she is not getting anywhere near it.
Coming over all faint, is a direct consequence of that too. I think Peggy has been taking a leaf out of Maxima’s book, and is teaching by letting Sydney make mistakes.
• The dangers of poor lifting techniques.
• Humility.
• Don’t bug me about using the mini-gun, you are not ready for it yet.
Well let’s not forget that Sydney is a Stereotypical Nerd when it comes to Physical Ability. She does NOT do much exercise with her arms, like heavy lifting much. So there’s a good chance she is below average strength.
Hell I remember how much trouble I had picking up a 50lb bag of concrete and struggling to carry it on my shoulder or waist high for any length of distance. I imagine Sydney would probably also be struggling to carry something of that weight.
Let’s also not forget to, that it’s 85lbs MODIFIED for LIGHT WEIGHT. If you took away the Light Weight Mod, I am sure it’s 100lbs or more.
She could probably lift it using the Hentorb. And possibly even operate it that way – it produces more than one tentacle, right?
Nah, one of the mystery orbs is a “gun levitation and operation” orb you hear about all the time.
:-D
Apparently Seras from the series Hellsing has one of those.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va7hGCJYGVE
Seeing that clip, all could think of was: “Fear those seeking vengeance, they don’t care if they live as long as they get Payback!”
No. It only produces one, of variable length and width though. So yes she probably could coil it in such a way to carry and operate it.
That’s why you always use the word ‘modified’ when describing a firearm. When you get the weight or magazine capacity or some other minutia wrong, you can explain it away.
Just as a side-note to the fully-auto musket… The closest one came to full auto, was accidental simultaneous discharge of all barrels in a multibarrel pistol. There was, however, repeating cartridgeless black-powder guns of both rifle and pistol variants.
Oh I love the audacity of that example.
And I can even think of a couple of examples where it could be put into use. One of which is travel to times and places where such weapons are still being used (so alternate Earths, that have lagged behind us in development, literal time travel, primitive alien civilisations* or some future regressed society).
Having an advanced firearm, but which would not make you stand out from the locals, would be invaluable. Especially if it was designed such that the single shot mode emulated the primitive weapon’s smoke, flash and sound, when fired. Even if it retained a much more accurate and deadly capability.
That way you could defend yourself, without giving away your nature. Only needing to go full auto, when things got out of hand.
The other usage is that it is often legal to own antique firearms, even in some highly restrictive jurisdictions. Either with no licence, or a much more readily obtainable one. Provided the modified weapon could pass a cursory examination, and still appear to be the emulated one, it could be used by criminals, who seeking to avoid being found in possession of an unlicensed firearm. In suitable settings (eg hanging on a wall, at home).
Although they better be prepared for some serious mickey taking, if fellow criminals see them with it!
Up until it goes full-auto, anyhow. :-D
* Actually the odds of finding an alien race which is actually this close to us in technological development are staggeringly remote. Unless they are discreetly observing us already, I would estimate that the first ones we are likely to find (assuming we stumble across some kind of interstellar travel technology overnight), would either be pre-sentient or somewhere in their stone age. As that covers a period of hundreds of thousands and (especially for the former) millions of years.
Or, even more likely, that they will be extinct. If we assume that our current path is typical of species transitioning from their stone age into a technological civilisation. Finding one in that narrow band of a few thousand years, between those two extremes is unlikely. Unless they too stumbled across a means of populating other planets, so they could gradually learn from the global mass-extinctions happening on planets other than the one they are living on.
For a time travel story based on gun technology see The book Guns of the South. A group of southern sympathizers go back in time to the civil war and arm the Confederates with AK 47s. This swings the balance to let the south win the civil war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guns_of_the_South
FYI: The book was published in 1992 and the time travelers came from the far distant future of 2014. :)
It’s an excellent book. The author gave a lot of attention to historical detail, and to fleshing out key historical characters.
Yea, that is a weapon of choice for time travellers. Another one, that is marginally better, for that purpose, is the Sten gun. As it was specifically designed to require both minimal resources and substandard manufacturing capability.
The reason for that being during Dunkirk most of the British Army’s heavy weaponry had to be abandoned, along with a lot of small arms. Replacing those was chewing up all available weapons manufacturing capability. Plus even imports from America could not keep up anywhere near with the demand.
Further, there was the need to arm the rapidly raised Home Guard. Most of whom only had improvised weapons or, if lucky, a farmer’s shotgun. But the sten gun can easily be made even with light industrial capability, which would not be up to produce any weapons normally (including the AK47).
Although the AK47 shares many similar properties, it was designed at the end of WWII, when Soviet arms manufacturing capability was at it’s peak. So it did not need to be as frugal in design as the Sten. That difference, although marginal (for post-war purposes), would be magnified if going back as far as the American Civil War.
Potentially shaving months off the time needed to bring manufacturing standards up to the necessary degree. Especially when factoring in the need to create enough factories capable of mass production. Simpler manufacturing techniques and using less parts makes a big difference.
Even more so, for earlier societies, that were not capable of building early machine guns anyhow. That would push it up to years difference, rather than months.
Note that I am not claiming that the Sten is superior to the AK47. Nor that it would be cheaper to produce in poor countries in today’s world. Clearly not, otherwise the AK47 would not have become the most popular weapon in the world. But if your armaments factories are worse than those of 1942, then I think it does make a difference.
As far as I know, the major ‘selling’ point of the Sten was that any bicycle repair shop could make them, and UK at that time, had tons of bicycle repair shops.
… As, so it turned out, did France. Apparently, the French Resistance ended up making quite a lot of its own Sten guns.
Problem is it only takes getting hit once to ruin your day, modified rifle or no. That first shot doesn’t get any technological advantages.
The British Army’s muzzle-loading smoothbore Land Pattern Musket (also known as Brown Bess) had an effective firing range of 50-100 yards. My minions would be instructed to upgrade mine to the modern equivalent. Which would be the SA80selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle.* With an effective firing range of 300 meters.
I, of course, would be unsporting and shoot him before he got into range. Say at about 150 meters. So that it looked like a lucky fluke, rather than an impossible shot. And, if that missed, I could pretend to reload fast, and keep going until I did actually get a bead on him.
If my aim is too bad for that, well then we have the joys of full auto.
* What, you think it would be hard fitting something the size and shape of an SA80 into something that looked like a Brown Bess? That is the minions’ job. They are mad scientists, they will find a way.
“I made a lot of modifications myself. It’ll make point-five past lightspeed.”
Well, if I was on the wrong end of THAT thing, I’d figure the best defense would be to jump to lightspeed to get out of range.
I wonder if Sydney could have use the Molestorb to pick up the minigun and fire it?
PIck up, yes. Attempt to fire, yes.
Actually fire, no. It is unloaded. And Peggy is a good rangemaster, the ammo is locked away, somewhere far away from Sydney.
In a different dimension?
It is safe in as much as they will at least know she has gone rogue, before she actually gets her hands on it. Or at least getting warnings of it, from fire alarms, tearing metal and screams.
If it’s made to be wielded by people like maxi then it’s probably made of a metal much harder and heavier then steel, so that it doesn’t break on them.
That is plausible and a good possibility.
At least it didn’t land on her foot and go off.
The MiniMaxi or her foot?
A broken foot is indeed possible. However, the mini-gun is not loaded.
Look on the bright side though, at least that would prevent damage to a weapon that is upwards of a hundred thousand dollars in price! Even that would be unlikely mind, as it seems to be ruggedised for super-fights. But, best of all, there is no risk of anyone getting shot.
a drop firing minigun? Those things go on planes, and often spin up on battery power. I can’t imagine them firing on a drop.
Unless she just realizes that if her Lighthook could hold Vehemence, it can prolly lift that gun. Now, if Her Noodly Appendage (Sydney confirmed for Atheist Prophet, fyi) is/can be made thin enough to also get into the trigger guard…
Also: can she make the Lighthook thinner or thicker (or the length…. so, Goku’s power pole, plus flexibility)? And/Or may that be unlockable once she levels up and spends some skill points on it, if you haven’t thought about it yet? =3
And also: can she ‘throw’ the lighthook to the effect of a TK-thrown lance (and once THAT’S leveled up, to the effect of a railgun, perhaps in conjunction of the PPO)?
Thankfully, Sydney does not realize that she could use the lighthook to lift the gun, then fire it with her other hand.
To every one scared of her spraying bullets everywhere, you forget one very important powerful, fast, detail. Maximum. Assuming Halo did get it lifted and aimed with the aid of her light hook, the moment she started to loose control of the gun and that barrel started to stray from the range, Max could grab and take control before it before any one was in any danger. Remember the retort given to her when discussing the bank robbery and the idea of an off duty cop going for their piece.
“Max, you could field strip their gun and do their taxes before they had it clear of the holster.”
I believe that ties into Maxima’s day job as an accountant. She has a person try to fire a gun at the client, then field strips it and does their taxes before anything can happen.
Her motto: “If your taxes ain’t done, you’re dead.”
Now I am frustrated that this comment section refuses to adopt the inanity of likes, forcing me to tell you in person how awesome your comment actually was.
Why do they call it a MINIgun when it’s maxi-sized?
because the full size version of the mini gun is the GAU-8/A Avenger or better known as the gun for the A10 warthog.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAU-8_Avenger
the gun itself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAU-8_Avenger#/media/File:GAU-8_meets_VW_Type_1.jpg
That question about why the minigun is so-called for quite a while now, so it’s nice to finally know.
I had a similar question when I first heard about muzzle loading rifles using something called ‘mini’ balls. I thought it was a smaller sized bullet until I found out it was a conical spin stabilized round invented by someone named Minié. I wondered why they called it a ‘ball’ since it was not round until I learned the alternate description was ‘cylindro-conoidal bullet’, a name that did not fall tripping from the tongue.
Yeah, the “maxi-sized” version has been known (on the battlefield) to leave nothing but a red mist in place of enemy infantry units…The mini-gun isn’t quite that effective.
Lets give Plasma the real answer, shall we?
They call it the minigun because it’s an intentional misspelling of the fact that the inventor of the gun is a woman called Minnie Shwartz. This is, of course, a huge secret in the gun world, and as such has been expunged from all websites and even wikipedia in order to keep the secret, but I’m letting you know here since they might not be checking webcomic forum boards.
The more you know ….
You do know that intentionally inducing apoplexy, in gun enthusiasts, is of dubious morality?
… Even if of immense amusement to those not of that persuasion.
Thank you. I’m here Wednesdays and Fridays. Try the veal.
The fact Sydney managed to move it even 1 cm shows promise, doesn’t it? o_O
Yup. That girl’s got potential.
In another two or three years with an intensive workout regimen… she might be able to move it 3 or 4 centimeters.
Ah, methinks you misunderestimate military methods. Sydney doesn’t need to go to boot camp and add ten or fifteen kilos of muscle in less than three month, but she could. Happens all the time.
Okay… she might get up to moving it 6 centimeters with military methods.
Dillon Aero, currently the only manufacturer of new miniguns, makes a lightweight version, called the M134D-H. using lots of titanium, to cut the weight down – it can be had as light as 43 lbs in a fixed forward mount, or just over 52 lbs in a typical crew mount.
BTW, they list a standard crew served version of the M134D as 66 lbs, so 85lbs, for the “ol Painless” configuration may be a bit high.
“The only manufacturer” in our world. Sydney’s world has Archon, and Deus. It’s not inconceivable that a heavy duty version was designed for soopahs, is it?
I don’t think they would make a heavier M134, but would move up on the rotary machine gun scale, like using a GAU19
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-30 and GShG-7.62 are a couple of examples of Russian equivalents, still in manufacture by FGUP – Konstruktorskoe Buro Priborostroeniya (KBP Instrument Design Bureau).
“Minigun” refers to a specific model, the M-134, and it’s successor models. And personally, I don’t think supers with above normal strength would bother with a heavier than normal M134, but would probably move up to something like the Gau19 – around 140 lbs, firing 50bmg at 2000 rounds a minute
DANG IT SYDNEY! use your tenta-er, hent-er mol-er lighthook to lift it yes, lighthook, not any of those other things
It’s so adorable when people assume that Sydney will always think things through when she’s not in life-or-death super battles :)
Actually that has more depth to it than some folks might appreciate. Sydney does think things through all the time. But in non-life or death situations will accept the first funny, or stylish, thing that springs to mind. Whereas, if lives are on the line, she will force herself to keep focussed on finding the optimum solution.
Ahem….
What she did in the bank wasnt an optimum solution.
Heck, she is only human. But we saw her forcing herself to think things through, carefully. Her biggest problem, in that instance, was having an epiphany and realising that it was her defining moment. Where she ceased to be a normal person, and had to step up and become a super hero!
That, combined with her ADHD, meant that her attempt to remain focussed failed. She forgot about the presence of the bank robbers. Everything, from that point on, was improvised and hampered by her eccentric behaviour and lack of combat experience,
Doubtless, in the future, the circumstances, plus her ADHD, her ego and other quirks may interfere with the process again. But, in combat (or other critical circumstances) she tries. The rest of the time, she follows her whims.
And her Whims are cute and cuddly and love snacks and long walks
The lighthook can lift a car. Sydney has plenty of practice using it in practical applications (except in combination with the shield orb). Had she stopped to consider using it with the Mini-bayonet-gun, everybody except Maxima would have had to seek cover in a hurry, and we can’t be completely sure about that.
That is a very good point. We must bear in mind that we assume that Sydney created her lighthook advert, on the spur of the moment. But that might be something she practised, for weeks, at home, to get it right. Likewise making a lightsaber.
Generic picking things up though (even including her three fellow heroines, in the restaurant), falls within routine use of the orb. So her months of experience has let her know that she can do that without having to concentrate on it.
Picking up a weapon, holding it in an orientation where Halo can actually aim it, compensating for recoil and torque are all things she has clearly never had any contact with, let alone practice. Her very experience would allow her to discount that, as a viable option.
But, even if you take the argument the other way, and say that she does have instinctive control over the tentacle, and can do complex things, on the spur of the moment, that very experience could make her feel unsatisfied. It lacks any tactile feedback, so would have less appeal, in this particular circumstance. It is too easy.
The same would apply to her fight with Math. We now know she could have used the shield and tentacle option. Which would be impenetrable by him. But that would be both unsporting, and less satisfying, at the same time.
One thing we do know about Sydney is she is all about doing things, which are the most fun for her, at the moment it pops into her head.
She could fashon a mount for it with the lighthook, right? maybe even a gunners chair.
Sounds fun to me. I am sure she would have a go at that. And, if she had any tentacle length left, she might make the end of it cup the ammo belt to ensure it did not tangle.
But, I am pretty sure that the ammo will remain securely locked up, until Halo has completed the puzzle assembly, from her plastic bag. Plus numerous other quests set by her
dungeon masterrangemaster, PeggyThe only things at risk from Sydney trying to lift the mini-gun are Sydney and the gun. The floor is probably concrete (carpet/wood burn and can show bullet holes well) and the range master royally goofed if there’s ammunition within arms reach of the minigun.
Worst possible outcome? Sydney drops the mini, and the bayonets cut a series of long, deep gouges from her thigh to her toes,which they neatly excise.
Sydney… You are not worthy.
Not worthy? Nay! All hail Lady Sydney from the village of Sco. Whose breath rivals the very flames of Muspelheim. And whose shining attendants surround her like flying Valkyrie and whose colors rival that of the Bifrost bridge.
Hail THE MIGHTY HALO !
Let’s qualify that statement just a little:
Sydney’s not worthy…YET.
Remember, just a few months after this flashback, Anvil refers to Sydney as “the big guns”…
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/60
;)
Maybe the tentacle could have lifted it…. but she’s too unconscious now too try
Did Max put it there? It was on the floor last page.
Have another look at the last page. Closely. You will see it was on the table. It is just a similar shade to the floor.
The weight of the machine gun versus Sydney’s strength is not the only factor. Sydney is experiencing that time of the month. Cramps aren’t the only side effect, just the most well-known side effect. For a number of women (not all by any means)…that time of the month means energy/strength depletion. Yes, if you are a lady and you fall into this sector of the female population, your uterus can turn into your kryptonite belly buddy for a few days.
The effect isn’t heavy for most, but for some few of us…well, I used to go from being able to sling around 40 pounds (20kg-ish) of stuff (fat girls are rarely weak; we sling around our own bodyweight all day, after all), to barely being able to lift a coffee mug of water on my worst days without fearing it would slip out of my grasp.
And when you do try to lift the heavy stuff and overexert yourself, even if you get nowhere? Yeah, it increases the dizziness and exhaustion. So, I feelz for Sydney, here. Very realistically done.
Thanks for the info. I had no idea that could be an issue.
Umm, nerd alert here. But I can’t help but point out the following:
This means that some women are actually inverse werewolves! In that for a few days, every month, they become weaker than normal.
[Thinks to self: That’s it, stop right there. Don’t go on to mention anything about how temperaments do not match the ‘inverse’ hypothesis.]
Note to Yorp: notes to self are not intended for broadcast publication.
On that note, the back door is past the restroom, the keys by it are for the pickup, and you’ll find suicide pills in the glovebox (don’t ask).
Best of luck.
Hey, just because you gained telepathic capabilities, and learn’t how to read my thoughts, does not mean that you should have proceeded to do so! You need to tighten up your morality, and show some restraint.
By the way, be very wary of jokes about suicide. This is not from a ‘poor taste’ perspective (as you might have guessed I can appreciate well honed dark humour), but from a legal one. Should your comment either contain factual information which can assist in committing suicide or if it could be taken as encouraging suicide, then it would constitute a criminal offence in many jurisdictions.
So your point about this being an open community has particular relevance, in that there are a lot of people, from such jurisdictions, reading these comments. Whilst I am only saying this for information, as yours was safe, it is all too easy to stray over the line. You got within sight of it, even if you were no where near stepping over.
The other side of that line can find you serving time. Even if your country does not have such laws, all it takes is an extradition treaty with one which does. International law does not require you to be physically present to fall under the jurisdiction of another country. Merely that your acts had a criminal result, in their jurisdiction.
We’re in ‘murrica. Land o’ the free, and we can’t get extrodited for free speechin’ (Except for Snowden, shhhhh).
Anywheh, best way ta kill yerself is to stop breathin’, best way to do that is holdn’ your breath. Let’s see them mounties come extrodite me now!
You fail to understand your own constitution. It allows you the right to express opinions. It does not allow you the right to conspire to commit a crime.
Free Speech is NOT protected by the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution if it can be proven as a direct cause of harm and/or damages.
The proverbial case of falsely yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater, for example, that leads to panic & personal injury/property damage, for one example. Inciting a Riot is another example.
Which is why certain people who have been trying to publicly stir up race wars & deliberately race-baiting here (*cough cough Al Sharpton *cough hack) should’ve been thrown in jail by now.
“This means that some women are actually inverse werewolves! In that for a few days, every month, they become weaker than normal.”
Even so, any confrontation with them at that time could quickly become…
…a hairy situation.
( •_•)
( •_•)~⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)
If Maxima had any relatives,would you hate to meet them?
We have seen Maxima’s brother, who appears to be a normal human. Who I would not mind meeting, at all. As he had a sense of humour (in liking to play pranks) . And was not afraid to do so, on a superhuman, who could kill him with a single slap.
If their parents are still alive, it would be interesting to meet them too. Partly to see if either of them have powers. But also because they raised at least one great kid. So may well be very nice people too. Even if they turn out not to be nice, that will, in itself being interesting. Showing how Maxima can rise above adversity.
And then fly off, really fast.
I was just imagining if Maxima had a lookalike cousin who lives in Canada(from Quebec),works for the RCMP(Sydney starts making Dudley DoRight jokes…)and announces her presence by singing traditional French-Canadian songs-much to Maxima’s annoyance!!!
BTW-what comic does her brother appear in?
Just a single frame, on one page. Set when Maxima was a late teenager and he had banged a paper bag behind her head. Resulting in Maxima’s discovery that she could blast holes through brick walls. I can’t recall which particular page that was on though, off the top of my head.
Here you go: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/720
Still,I’m thinking of the lookalike cousin from Quebec or how will Maxima look in an RCMP uniform???
Will look hot, specially if it’s specially been tailored to her golden frame ;)
the first time I tried deadlifting, it was either 85 or 95 pounds, and I came extremely close to passing out. full deafness, black spots, nausea so bad I wished I’d just pass out already… I’m not sure exactly what makes me vulnerable to passing out when I lift, but it took a while to learn to control abdominal pressure enough to not go past mild symptoms.
so yeah, the comic is completely plausible. :) …although, somone pointed out that with the gun already at waist height, she probably can’t engage her legs, so maybe she can’t work hard enough to get that near passing out.
Some people can be more vulnerable to circulatory and cardiovascular problems, for a variety of reasons. Be that due to genetic reasons (such as being born with narrower veins or arteries, than normal). Or health problems (many diseases can affect one or even all of those). Or lifestyle choices (smoking being the biggie). Or even environmental ones (such as being born, and raised, at one altitude, but then living at another).
Excluding aggravating factors, such as the above, fainting whilst doing heavy lifting is mostly a result of poor posture and technique. So is most common in folks who are untrained or inexperienced. As you comment, practising certain techniques can reduce the risk.
For Sydney though, her technique is exceptionally bad. She is arching her back into a curve. The pressure created by her lifting will be heavily concentrated, in some areas, as a result. Possibly pinching a key blood vessel, which could account for the fainting on it’s own. Even without that though (in my non-expert opinion), it probably makes her more vulnerable to the problems, than when doing exercise type weight-lifting.
Further, she is clearly not breathing properly. Going so far as to hold her breath so long she changes colour.
Finally don’t forget that people can come over faint simply from standing or straightening up too fast. Although there are slightly different issues involved (such as fitness level and age), when that happens. Regardless though, weights do not intrinsically have to be involved. But they do make it much more likely.
For those of us who have an interest in ADD and ADHD, you may be interested to watch this TED talk on autism. Obviously it will be of merit if interested in that in itself.
But the reason why it is useful for the former, is in the parallels that can be drawn. Showing how the medical community can hopelessly misdiagnose a condition, and it’s implications, for an extended period. Likewise showing how the world comes to stigmatise a ‘condition’ and those who have it.
Along with failing to recognise advantages associated with it. Advantages which are of use to society.
Plus it cleverly shows how, if you view those with the condition as the baseline, by which you judge other members of society, they fall short and have disabilities. They lack the advantages which are associated with the condition.
It is only because ‘the rest of society’ is more numerous, that we do not actually do that. Were ADD/ADHD (or separately, as per the clip, Autistic) traits the most common, then society would be optimised for their needs and shortcomings. And those with the other traits (which we currently view as ‘normal’) would have difficulty living comfortably in their society.
Hm… I don’t think Maxima would forget things can be fast. Sharp and hot don’t really affect her, but fast things can surprise her.
None of Maxima’s attributes can go below a certain minimum. Even at her weakest, she is still super strong, for example. The same applies to her reflexes. Provided Maxima can see an attack coming, she can probably evade it, even with her reflexes flattened.
You are certainly correct for very fast things (like bullets). But that is no different to Maxima forgetting that things have weight, despite sixteen-wheelers being very heavy.
Fear vomit can catch her by surprise, just the same as it can for anybody. If you are not looking in the right direction, it does not matter how fast you are. You are blindsided.
I will not bother looking for the comic, to see which way Maxima is actually gazing. Comedic effect would require that she have a facial reaction. Comedy trumps reality. So we should be liberal in interpreting any comedic scene. As such, I would take that as being in response to the incident, rather than in anticipation of it.
Sydney has “Strength: Feeble”? Haha!
Feeble? She did manage to move it 1 whole centimetre, hardly call that ‘feeble’
Still not enough for Good category in Marvel RPG
Absolutely typical.
Is that taking into consideration of her overall stature and muscle mass?
Let’s hope she doesn’t figure out to use the light hook to hold it for her like some sort of cosmic sling…
Why? If she did that Maxi would be forced to take her seriously and teach her how to use, like she does with those who earn her respect
OK, I gotta admit… the more I see of Peggy, the more I like her!
Liked her from the start, when she appeared via text message
Me too.
If you want to ‘see more’ of Peggy then go here
https://img01.deviantart.net/105e/i/2014/044/0/1/peggy_pg_wallpaper_by_davebarrack-d76cohg.jpg
There’s also a NSFW version there too…But you first have to log in & make sure your “filter” is adjusted correctly to see even more…
It’s not how she looks so much… It’s that she does have a power that is very rare indeed, and needs to be added to her bio. It’s called Common Sense. and it’s kinda lacking with the rest of team!
Heck, that’s lacking in the vast majority of the world, specially those in Gubmint
They better get Super Doc in there soon to make sure Sydney hasn’t done some internal injury
Me too.
Oops. Wrong reply. My bad.
What? You don’t hope Sydney hasn’t done herself some internal injury? o_O
Lol. Super Doc and Syd will have it all down to a routine pretty soon, the way she’s going.
Clearly LittleGuy is highly empathic and fears having a sympathetic hernia.
I’m not sure if SuperDoc’s powers include the ability to make house calls through the 4th wall though.
:-/
As was shown in the short-lived She-Hulk series, breaking the 4th wall is not a super power. Merely learning about it, one can pull some pretty extraordinary stunts.
So anyhow, I was taking a sip of hot sauce earlier and I had a merchandising idea for ya. Cayenne cola, aka Halo Cola.
Make it so!
What I would fancy is another one in the Halo range: Chipotle Cola.
I still haz not come across chipotle, other than that Heinz Chipotle and Garlic sauce.
Wouldn’t this be a fun time to find out the green orb gives her super strength? :D
Only problem: how is she gonna use it with just one hand?
Why do you think they added the blades at the front?
If she could lift it with one hand, it would only take a little training to be able to fire it one-handed (typically you need two hands to provide stability and to help lift it, fairly sure Maxi could fire it one-handed)
Peggy said that the bayonettes started as a joke but a series of blades spinning at hight speed will work like a Hole cutter bit on a drill
Pretty sure the firing grip will break off if she lifted it with that.
NOBODY TELL SYD THAT SHE COULD LIFT IT WITH LIGHTHOOK
Oh shite…..
I know I’m hitting it late, but look up the M214. The gun itself was 25lbs, chambered for 5.56mm, and the whole kit with ammo was 85lbs. It was the man-portable version of the M134. (Which weighed 85lbs and was chambered for 7.62mm).
I was absolutely fascinated by miniguns following Predator and the Siege of Firebase Gloria.
“When not enhanced by her Lighthook power, Sydney has the normal strength of a human woman of her age and build who engages in regular but infrequent light exercise.” “Also, leverage.”
We have learned much on this page about Sydney’s determination, physical fitness, mental focus and lack of forethought.
Well done, Peggy.
Now, any time Sydney is slacking in her strength training, all Peggy has to do is whisper “minigun”.
(Maybe Halo should change her appellation to ‘the petite’ rather than ‘the mighty’…)
I suspect while Sydney might be able to lift something that’s 85lb from the ground with proper stance balance would quickly become an issue. A 5′ tall woman has an ideal weight of 104-137 depending on her frame. Sydney;s frame looks pretty small so 104-115 even if she’s a little overweight (which she doesn’t appear to be), at 85lb the gun would weight most of what she does and most of her strength would entail just holding it. If she fired it while holding it she’d not have much left over to deal with the recoil.
Do mini-guns have much in the way of recoil though? o_O
Quite a bit. Initial recoil is 150 and peak recoil 300 lbs. That’s why outside of Prredator (and this comic) they are typical mounted.
If the FlyBall does not provide flight in outer space (due to just manipulating gravity, and being ineffective if not near a planet), then Sydney could use a mini-gun (space adapted, with vacuum-friendly ammo) as a very efficient means of propulsion. Until the ammo runs out.
It has a considerable recoil. It’s only advantage is that it is a relatively steady, pressure. Or at least predictable.
Looking at clips of the teeny man-portable version being used, people have to brace themselves very firmly, and lean into it, when firing, to counter the effect. With comical results if the firing is unexpectedly interrupted. Causing them to stumble forwards.
What about breating? ;)
Sorry, no, the minigun would be a very INefficient form of space drive. It’d do the job, but…
1) Gunpowder is not a great rocket propellant. It has the advantage of being relatively stable* in spite of including its own oxidizer**, but that significantly detracts from its desirability as a rocket fuel.
2) The reaction mass (effectively total mass of ammo) expelled per second, as a percentage of the weight of the engine (the mass of the gun and battery pack), is poor compared to other chemical rockets.
3) You really want lighter reaction mass. I don’t understand all the physics, but (assuming other considerations can be dealt with) the lighter the better.
4) It doesn’t send all the reaction mass out in essentially the same direction.
* Note relatively stable. Quite a lot of things that have been tested – and used – as rocket fuel are much less stable. As well as really bad things to breathe or get on your skin. They once created a computer program to try to design a chemical that would be a great rocket fuel… a human chemist looked at the output, thought a moment, turned pale, and said something on the order of “If I drew a diagram of that molecule, the sheet of paper might explode.” They decided it was a little too unstable to even test.
** One of the huge advantages of liquid-fuel rockets is that the combustible is in THIS tank and the oxidizer is in THAT tank. Some rocket fuels will light on fire all by themselves if exposed to ordinary air at freezing temperatures.
Heh. I was not suggesting it would be better than our current preferred means of space flight. Although I see that I did leave the possibility of interpreting it that way open.
Clearly mini-gun propulsion is not something she would set out to do as a first-choice. But if she finds herself outside of a conveniently equipped rocket propelled space vehicle, it would be a very efficient means of getting back to safely.
When compared to the alternatives. Such as throwing her shoes.
Re your point Muchacho NL, breathing is what the air tanks (already mentioned in the comic) and re-breathers (in readers’ comments) would be for. Further the shield is impervious to air. So, even without extra capability, would have a fair amount of air in with her. Enough to give Halo a margin of error, to steer herself back to a safe airlock.
Notably Sydney could use the tentacle to hold the mini-gun (and ammo) outside of the shield. Presumably if she was, previously, intending it to use it, for other purposes, she would have it outside in the first place. So there would not be the issue of loosing the air trapped inside the shield, due to having to drop the shield, to get the gun outside of it.
Peggy’s superpower: Usually right about just about everything.
People who possess common sense usually are. They usually avoid saying things which may be wrong. Which means that just about everything they say is right.
Note though that Peggy is not infallible. She assumed that Sydney would appreciate the camaraderie of being included on the ‘A Team’, but that sure did not go down well with her!
Plus she thought she may be able to incapacitate Vehemence by shooting him in the other eye. Which did not do her any good. However it was sensible to try.
In this instance, Peggy had the deck stacked in her favour. Being rangemaster, she had ensured that the mini-gun is unloaded. She was perfectly right to be confident in her plan.
It’s properly the XM214, as it never went into full production, as it was seen as a solution in search of a problem. One notable version was a light CIWS system for ground vehicles, and upping the fire rate to 12K RPM.
Once again… the minigun in Predator, and the minigun depicted on this page, are the M134, not Not NOT the XM214.
The weapon from the movie Predator was a GE “Six Pack” XM214 not a M134. 3 articles listed below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM214_Microgun
https://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread124473/pg1
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-miniguns-smaller-cousin-was-a-flop-ab8ec8396afa
gunner
No. Sorry. It absolutely, positively, definitely was an M134, which was modified for handheld use with an M60 handguard assembly (installed backwards) and a rear pistol grip which is taken from normal Minigun spade grips. The grips are attached to the weapon by a custom Y-frame with an M16-style carry handle that mounts to the weapon’s recoil absorbers.
Article here:
https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Predator#GE_M134_Minigun_.28Handheld.29
As I recall those miniguns need juice, more than you could carry back in 1987. Probably better now. I would like to see a real GE M-134 carried in the field for real. Saw it in most of the “Predator” films except for number 2. I expect some of the armed robots and drones to have them. Though with the amount of ammo it eats, you would need large carrying capacity.
There are also tiny versions, designed for real people. Not so good for a butch image though. Granted it remains a deadly weapon. But ‘teeny mini-gun’ just does not sound so cool. Let alone being teased, for being the teeny weeny gunner.
Of course the company might pretend that it has some official model number and maybe a real manly-sounding handle. But we all know what it really is.
My favourite part:
“Let us observe”