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Post by hardlec on Apr 24, 2016 20:43:44 GMT
Thermite was invented in the 1890's and was used beginning in 1898 as a means of welding together railroad rails.
Seems to me it could be applied to martians in various ways to cause them discomfort.
Ideas?
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Post by Quendil on Apr 24, 2016 20:57:44 GMT
Sticky thermite assault bombs
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Post by madmorgan on Apr 24, 2016 21:20:00 GMT
Hmmm sounds good, I've actually used thermite grenadiers while in Nam, they are awesome! We'll have to see. I see my new S2G troops with those grenadier figures (high tech all) throwing Thermite sticky grenades - using Wicker substance that activates 4 seconds after pin is pulled - this give a 'sticky bomb' with assault value of +4! See my thread on the new KGL 8th Battalion and the "D" companies of the KGL 2nd. Yes, thank you hardlec, I really wanted something to upgrade those particular figures with other than 'explosives'. Thermites have the added advantage of no explosive charge so actual chance of the assaulting troops getting away.
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Post by hardlec on Apr 26, 2016 16:21:05 GMT
I've used Thermite Grenades as well, and, I am looking into thermite welding for some of my crafts.
Currently, thermite is sometimes used to disarm mines. The super hot temperatures burn explosives without detonating them. Something for later when the US needs to remove the hundreds of millions of mines used to stop Martin.
I love Quendil's idea of the sticky thermite bomb.
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Post by charleybourne on Apr 26, 2016 17:43:44 GMT
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Post by hardlec on Apr 26, 2016 20:26:51 GMT
Yes. Exactly.
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Post by scottwashburn on Apr 27, 2016 0:13:22 GMT
Not sure how effective thermite would really be. If you managed to get the bomb wedged into a spot where most of the energy would be directed against the target it might be able to burn through and do damage. But if it were just stuck to the outside of the machine then 90% of the energy is just going to radiate away harmlessly and the molten metal will just run down the sides. Plus the Martian metal might be very resistant to heat since heat weapons are what the Martians use themselves. It might turn out that the Martian metal is actually more vulnerable to the impact of projectiles than heat.
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Post by charleybourne on Apr 27, 2016 5:36:44 GMT
Good point SW. On a similar vein I've always wondered what use flamethrowers would be against the Martians.
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Post by madmorgan on Apr 27, 2016 10:39:44 GMT
Hmmm, and the thermites I used were 'directional', in that you placed them bottom down on a reciever or engine block for them to melt through.
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Post by scottwashburn on Apr 27, 2016 11:06:52 GMT
Flamethrowers might be more effective than thermite if you could cover a good portion of the tripod (or drone) with flame. Most large machines have to deal with the issue of waste heat. While operating they produce heat that needs to be removed somehow. That's why a car motor has a radiator. If you cover a tripod with a burning substance you might cause the mechanisms (or the pilot) inside to overheat and fail even if the armor is never pierced.
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Post by hardlec on Apr 27, 2016 14:01:01 GMT
Flamethrowers would cool down thermite. My "home made" thermite can't be ignited with a propane torch. There is a recipe in instructibles.com using steel wool and aluminum powder and such and I have to light it with a sparkler. Fine powder placed between metal parts welds the metal. As with any grenade, focusing the force toward the enemy is an issue.
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Post by scottwashburn on Apr 27, 2016 14:59:38 GMT
Thermite is much hotter than a flamethrower, yes. But my point is that thermite will be concentrated against a very small area. The flamethrower (one of the big vehicle mounted ones) could cover the whole tripod. That might cause problems.
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Post by hardlec on Apr 28, 2016 1:10:31 GMT
Indeed. A flame thrower is an area weapon. A thermite grenade is a point weapon.
In any event, thermite is not likely to play a big role in the fight.
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Post by madmorgan on Apr 28, 2016 10:46:50 GMT
Hmmm, well, I'm keeping my 'sticky thermite' anyway. Its just too fun not to use. The 'sticky' explosive grenade is viable with its Assault +3 power and if you think the thermite is overbearing, just use only the explosive for the S2G Grenadier.
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Post by Quendil on Apr 30, 2016 10:23:36 GMT
Cone shaped device with a magnetic ring at the bottom. The cone and the magnet coated or made of something that resists thermite so the thermite only has one way to go. Short fuse on top. Stick it on the tripod set the fuse and run
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