Steel hulking paleo-riot-shield
In Sept, 1956, Mechanix Illustrated featured these hulking steel shields meant to be deployed to Detroit's riot squad:
LinkWHEELED SHIELD (below) for Detroit cops protects men in blue against rioters and gunmen. Police fire through the portholes.
FLATFOOT VERSION of 65-lb. armored plate protector has spotlight on top, leggings. Portholes are made of bulletproof glass.
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Gorgeous design, but you're going down like a ton of bricks when some bright spark shoots you in the leg.
Alternatively:
Crim "Look behind you!"
Cop "what?" (turns)
[gunfire]
Detroit is the news again! I hope some Boing Boinger posts some cool pix from the Detroit auto show. Some VERY sf-ish concept cars.
"Police fire through the portholes."
"Portholes are made of bulletproof glass."
I see a potential design flaw here.
Ned Kelly did this back in 1880 :P http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/ned_kellys_last_stand.html
#3 jeff. According to your bio you live outside of detriot. Also, what are you talking about?
"I am Bender. Please insert girder."
I'm from outside of Detroit, too!
So, I'm confused. How are you supposed to crack the heads of striking teamsters and hippies in this thing?
"So, I'm confused. How are you supposed to crack the heads of striking teamsters and hippies in this thing?"
You don't crack their heads. Like it says, you use a small opening in the shield to gun them down.
Forget about the bullet-proof glass. Think of the noise a gun will make in such a confined space when it is fired. Another important point to all of the nay-sayers regarding this delight... you have to remember that, in the olden days, people moved more quicker than today. This can be evidenced in some of the classic black and white movies such as 'The Keystone Cops' and others of a similar ilk. Therefore, this item was already obsolete before it had even been made. Now that goes beyond steam-punk. Any suggestions for this genre?
It looks like you could also use the device to disguise yourself as an old timey water heater.
#3 JOEPOSTS,
The two references are for different versions of the design. The one with the "fire through portholes" is the wheeled one, not the one pictured in the BB excerpt.
Not that I'd want to be in either of them if guns were being discharged within them. Not just the noise, but could you imagine accidentally pulling the muzzle back inside the 'shield' just before firing?
Shudder.
I suppose the first one just allows you to scare or fall on the rioters... or maybe blind them with the intense spotlight on the top.
coop
this must be where they got inspiration for tinman in the wizard of oz
Someone should have tried them in the line of duty. I have a sneaking suspicion the rioters would have laughed themselves out of their frenzy.
GI - GAN - TOR!
Wow, that's... interesting. So, is that the pusher robot or the shover robot?
Pak Chooie Unf!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E0ot9iJm_k
Kieran, The Wizard of Oz may have inspired the armour, but not the other way around.
"They're running out of the damn green.
- Idiots. - Some foul-up at transport.
- This crowd will blow. - I know.
Got the scoops standing by. But I don't know if they can handle this."
Just add a bit of paint, and It's the perfect Dalek costume!
At least it's good to know that Detroit was trying to plan ahead. Someone really had some foresight.
A Maginot Line for 8 mile rd. Actually, I can see this working. The besuited cops are deployed in the first rank and a second unit on foot moves forward immediately to apprehend the rioters while they're rolling on the ground and wetting themselves in laughter.
someone foresaw the riots of a decade later. No one did anything to prevent them
#6 Very funny
Iron Man lives!