Italian firm goes nuclear with atomic toys

MSNBC ^ | Updated: 9:02 a.m. ET Feb. 24, 2006 | By Roland Jones

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Those of us who enjoy military history usually just switch on the History Channel for our daily fix of guts, gore and armed conflict. But if you’re a serious war buff, and you want to relive one of the most horrifying moments in the deadliest war in human history, an Italian toy maker has just the thing.

Brumm recently unveiled miniature models of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man.” Those names may conjure up images of cuddly cartoon characters, but they’re actually the codenames for two atomic bombs that the U.S. military dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II.

[VOA]

File under "Blowed Up Real Good!"

[Pontiac]

It is the use to which the weapon is put,

Well put. To date, I would say nuclear weapons have been more morally used than any weapon previously.

[Calpernia]

>>>The bombs were detonated above the Japanese cities in August 1945, killing tens of thousands of Japanese civilians, and thousands more would later die as a result of nuclear fallout and from cancer. Just in case the gross insensitivity of their new products went unnoticed, Brumm chose to unveil its mini bombs earlier this month at of all places the Nuremberg toy fair in Germany.

Gross insensitivity?

THIS is gross insensitivity!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1521072/posts
Unit 731 - Research and Bump List. Gets Disturbing, Read at Your Own Risk

[mugs99]

In the 50s and early 60s, we were immersed in American History which is almost gone from the schools' cirriculum, these days.

Yes, and some of us are old enough to remember that there was a German u-boat on its way to Japan when the war ended. They had a load of U-234 uranium oxide onboard to be used in the Japanese dirty bomb attack on San Francisco. The Japanese aircraft and subs were alrady in place awaiting the u-234 arrival when we dropped the bomb. We missed getting nuked by two weeks.
.

[freeplancer]

Here is my email to the writer of the article.

Your article on the bombs was hillarious. What a surprise to find out that a big city metrosexual working for a large media outlet cannot write a news article with a nuetral theme on this subject. Your bias runs so deep, you guys now flaunt it and try to impress your friends. If you think The History Channel is all gore and guts, and you don't think the bombs could possibly represent all the lives saved by using them, then God bless the sugar in your pants. If you can read this email, thank a teacher, if you can read it in english, thank a WWII veteran. I hope your bosses and friends are going to throw you a party for this awesome article. Keep on truckin'.

[Trajan88]

cool... I want iterations for the homestead... a deceased uncle was a Pearl Harbor survivor.

I worked at a Japanese-owned firm a few years ago... the most I would push the envelope would be to wear a red-white-blue tie on Dec. 7. There's no way I would have brought one of those toys to work.

While on the subject, I think it is about time to revive the U.S. stamp that never was (the mushroom cloud U.S. stamp that depicted the near-end of WWII). A few years ago I picked up one of these "stamps" at the Atomic Museum (New Mexico) - it was never marked "U.S.A." nor with a price denomination - the politically correct folk back in the 90s put pressure on the USPS to can the offering.

[tet68]

There were some very beautiful ones back in the thirties, Rene Lalique make some fantastic blown glass ones, in particular I remember one that was a Butterfly, that had a light under the hood and a color wheel so that it changed colors as you drove, changed faster as you sped up too.

ENJOY!

Imagine that with red white and blue flashing under it!

[R. Scott]

Or that conventional bombing raids killed hundreds of thousands a night.

[tet68]

Man check out this Cobra model, $499 but worth every
penny!

http://www.motorsportcollector.com/GMPCobra.html

[Joe 6-pack]

"Here is my email to the writer of the article."

I miss Lewis Grizzard and the insights of his columns....when commenting on matters of international relations and foreign policy, he'd frequently invoke the line...

"Crank up the Enola Gay!"

[brooklin]

They would make great Christmas tree ornaments!

[section9]

Speaking of which, we really need to get a scale model of good ol' Victor 82 and Victor 77.

Enola Gay was the finest of the Silverplate bombers. Now that would be a scale model I would enjoy building. Bockscar was a decent Silverplate with a fuel transfer problem. That poor sucker gave Sweeney and crew so much trouble on the Kokura/Nagasaki mission; they nearly ran out of gas trying to get to Okinawa. Sweeney wanted to use his plane, The Great Artiste, but it was configured to carry the test equipment, so the Major traded planes with Captain Fred Bock.

On the night of the mission, the flight engineer told Sweeney that they couldn't use the reserve tank. Sweeney went anyway, in a mission that was to be filled with missed rendevous, overcast skies, and flak and Zeros over Kokura. They had seven gallons of gas when they got to Okinawa.

The 509th Composite Group was probably the finest, most elite bombing outfit of the war. It had to be; Paul Tibbets wouldn't have had it any other way.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[edcoil]

No kidding. I was just wondering who in the muslim community this would offend and when does the rioting start.

[COEXERJ145]

I got a beautiful 14 x 20 framed print of this hanging in my room. It was a Christmas present a few years ago. It is also signed by the original photographer.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Absolutely beautiful automotive nostalgia, t.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Wow, that's nicely detailed.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!

[albee]

"Yes Nuclear war would be insane and that is exactly why Nuclear Weapons are so effective in preventing war. Only an insane people would ever chance initiating one.

Well said!!!

[Pontiac]

Or that conventional bombing raids killed hundreds of thousands a night.

The fire bombings of Tokyo killed many more.

[R. Scott]

Yep - but I guess it doesn't count.