Mistaking looking cool for being cool

uk 75

uk 75

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I must own up to my well known weakness for cool looking weapons that didn't actually come into service rather than the ones that were cool enough to serve. TSR2 looked cool. But Tornado was cool and served for close on 40 years.
Sadly it's why there are always more people wanting to be Napoleonic soldiers than allies in reenactments. And no I am not going to mention THE War save to say the wonder weapon fetish also applies to myriad Super Yamatos when we all know what happened to the ones that were built.
So there it is.
 
Before the F-2, Japan was going to develop a fighter domestically. This would have cost the Japanese government an absurd amount of money, for subpar results. BUT the concept designs looked SO cool! Not to bring video games into this, but I absolutely hate it when people slander Ace Combat for being unrealistic. When it comes to entertainment, the rule of cool surpasses all else. It is a very different story when it comes to the battlefield, but yeah, I understand exactly what you mean.
 
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uk 75 said:
I must own up to my well known weakness for cool looking weapons that didn't actually come into service rather than the ones that were cool enough to serve. TSR2 looked cool. But Tornado was cool and served for close on 40 years.
Sadly it's why there are always more people wanting to be Napoleonic soldiers than allies in reenactments. And no I am not going to mention THE War save to say the wonder weapon fetish also applies to myriad Super Yamatos when we all know what happened to the ones that were built.
So there it is.
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Better to look cool AND be cool.

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Do we gather here to give examples of stuff that looks cool but is in reality lackluster wrt performance and discuss it?
 
uk 75 said:
I must own up to my well known weakness for cool looking weapons that didn't actually come into service rather than the ones that were cool enough to serve. TSR2 looked cool espaço grande invisível. But Tornado was cool and served for close on 40 years.
Sadly it's why there are always more people wanting to be Napoleonic soldiers than allies in reenactments. And no I am not going to mention THE War save to say the wonder weapon fetish also applies to myriad Super Yamatos when we all know what happened to the ones that were built.
So there it is.
Click to expand...
You're right. The allure of what might have been often overshadows the reality of what worked. The TSR2 is a textbook case: a stunning design, full of promise, and killed off before it could prove itself, which only deepens its mystique. The Tornado, on the other hand, did the job for decades but doesn’t spark the same imagination. It’s the same impulse that draws people to reenact as Napoleonic soldiers instead of Allies. The drama and spectacle often win out over the slog and sacrifice. And yes, the obsession with wonder weapons like Super Yamatos, Ratte tanks, and paper Panzers speaks to that same fascination. But history is full of reminders that looking cool doesn’t win wars.
 

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