Subject:
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Re: Weapons in models (was Re: Lego seems to be copying Mega Blocks
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego
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Date:
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Sun, 23 May 2004 10:58:56 GMT
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Viewed:
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2939 times
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"Larry Pieniazek" <larry.(mylastname)@ascentialsoftwareDOTcom> wrote in
message news:Hy5Gws.G7A@lugnet.com...
> In lugnet.general, Neb Okla wrote:
> >
> > > I think it's more an issue that they don't want to produce toys that • look like
> > > they can be used to emulate the modern warfare that they see on the • news and
> > > such. Nobody fights with bi-planes anymore, but fighter jets are pretty • much
> > > fighter jets - regardless of era. Same thing goes with tanks or
> > battleships.
> >
> > Note that set 4403 (Air Blazers) includes instructions for what would • best
> > be termed a "fighter jet". Very similar to an F-14... except it's red
> > instead of gray.
>
> True.
>
> See also the Patriot Jet, circa 1996: http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6331
>
> That's a modern "fighter jet". It just doesn't have any weapons. Does the • 4403
> model have visible weapons?
>
> if not, it doesn't undercut the argument (although it slices pretty close • if you
> ask me) that they're not producing toys that (as designed) emulate modern
> warfare weaponry.
Many modern fighter/bomber aircraft do not have visible weapons (YF-22, JSF,
F-117, B2, B1, B-52, and even the ill-fated Commanche).
So perhaps Lego should produce models of these based on your reasoning?
I consider fighter planes weapons in and of themselves. They are usually
armed with machine guns, so we end up with an arbitrary ranking of
dangerousness based solely on appearance.
It's like the assault weapons ban in the US which only bans cosmetic
features - not anything that actually affects weapon performance or shooter
accuracy. It simply seeks to ban firearms that have been featured in
Hollywood movies. I've discussed this issue with people object to rifles
that look like the M-4 many US soldiers carry - yet they themselves drive a
Hummer H2.
While a Humvee might look scary to someone whose town has them rumbling
through loaded with soldiers, they are no more dangerous as a vehicle or
weapon than some other truck.
I've certainly seen my share of footage of Taliban fighters riding around in
Toyota pickup trucks, yet I don't consider them an instrument of war (though
they most definitely are).
So it's really a silly distinction to decide if something is a weapon or
not. Many household items can be weaponized.
At any rate, I think that Lego does a decent job of not glorifying war -
even though it sometimes produces sets that represent vehicles commonly used
by militaries.
...of course they glorify the Clone Wars, but that's another story. :P
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