I saw Iron Man 2 yesterday, and it made me wonder what would really happen if the USAF got its hands on a suit like Tony Stark’s. I imagine we’d station it somewhere relatively awesome and deploy it to even more awesome places, like Guam and Hawaii.
Oh, and send it to air shows for recruiting.
I have one other comic in mind featuring the characters from the movie, but I’ll wait until it’s released in the US.
-Farva
Well, safety FIRST I guess, even if it means such a hideous reflective belt.
would love to see “Iron Man” flippin the bird here
There’s no crease in the sleeve. I actually had an NCO tell me it was required per AFI 36-2903. To this day, I still dont have creases =)
What do you mean?
With the BDU’s (and now the ABU’s) the AF is anal about creases in the sleeves. So it would be correct to say that if the AF got ahold of that suit, they’d put creases in the “sleeves”. BTW, AFI 36-2903 never mentions sleeve creases, but some folks like to think it does. Bet ya didnt know that starch shouldnt be used per the manufacturer’s wash and wear instructions. So I dont use starch either. Just lots of steam.
The ABU is not to have any creases put into it save what it came with…WASH AND WEAR!
My squadron has the AF Uniform Office in it and the ABU was never ment to be starched or have creases added to it like we did with the BDU’s.
Should they have ridiculous creases? No… but dare to take a peek in your local dry cleaner and tell me what you see?
Ugh, those crazy dry cleaner lunatics starch *everything,* even when you specifically ask them not to. They even tried to starch my Civil War reenacting uniform. [facepalm]
Fer you younguns…the BDU was never intended to have starch in it either. Give it time…you’ll be creasing those ABU sleeves ere long.
FDUs FTW!!!!!
Wow look at all your comments VV, slow day at work?
Why not starch the BDU’s? Would I take those to the field… no, hell no. But when I had to stand post on the gate my BDUs were rediclous starched. It looked professional, and since I didn’t have to worry about people trying to find me at the gate through NVGs, it really wasn’t a problem. I agree that we shouldn’t starch the hell out of our field uniforms (for those that actually play in the field), but I saw no problem in starching “garrison” uniforms. Just use common sence with it. Same thing with mirror shining the black boots. Tactical, no. Professional, yes. Also why I had multiple boots.
First of all, a “Battle Dress Uniform” is meant to be used for Tactical means, if you want to look “professional” wear dress blues. Same thing with the multiple boots/mirror shine crap; completely pointless, you waste hours of your life shining something for it to go completely craptastic during shift. Obviously you dont go out looking like a duffel bag in any uniform, always abide by the rules and be in regs at all times, but as a cop myself I have to say it was the one of the stupidest things the AF ever adopted. If Airman JackA$$ had shiny boots, a crisp uniform, he was AMAZING!!!!!!!!, AIRMAN OF THE YEAR!!, for the shift at least. But the guy who worked 14+ hours on a BS incident happening at the end of shift, doing a damn good job even though he was exhausted mentally and physically, and didn’t have a chance to give a quick press to the uniform or maintennance shine the boots, was A DIRTBAG!! Tell me the logic in this……………….. And why the hell should I buy multiple boots just to waste money on something to wear for the 10 minutes of guardmount and then change to my beater boots for work? Im sorry, but it will be a good thing when this logic breeds out of the ranks and focuses more on the MISSION. However the uniforms we have now suck and are not even remotely combat effective anyways so why not starch them? If these things are Battle Uniforms of any type then I’ll be a monkeys uncle. Not to mention the design of it has probably caused causualties on the battle field due to it causing more stress to the body (higher heat + craptastic heavy hot uniform – any “actual” camo + extra exertion = less mental alertness = eventual death); whereas someone might’ve seen that IED but was burnt quicker physically due to the uniform whereas a better would’nt have stressed the body as much. Just a thought, and if you’ve been over humping 100+ pounds in 120+ heat, you’d understand just how critical a uniform design is. Maybe we should have the genuises in the uniform boards test them therselves with an actual combat unit for a month and then decide on uniforms next time.
0.o well I’ve worn the ABU in 110 degree heat and fried my ass off, even with the sleeves up, so I agree with this sentinment..i guess
safety fail. stupid reflector belts..
Do you think his power thing could count as a reflective belt?
Doubtful. Even if it had 360* visibility, the innate reflectivity of the PT gear doesn’t get us out of wearing a disco belt with it, so I’m betting the reactor wouldn’t count either.
Well played, young Farva. Well played.
looks like the belt is running on DC power!
it reallly does look powered, but I guess the joke would work better if Iron Man was DC comics and not Marvel comics, but I am old enough to remember them as originals.
Seriously? my first Mad Magazine, early 70′s 50 cents cheap. Saw one in the BX recently. small. not the same, $5.99 cheap. NOT!!!
OZZY!!! Iron Man! yeppers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8DHGmi3NAQ
Iron man suit looks so depressed with that thing on
I thought the same thing!
I think he looks embarrassed!
Actually, I think it’s about to cry…
P.S. I know I’m not your son, but I’d like to thank you for being his mother (else we wouldn’t have this great comic) and wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!
Thought he looked really sad too.
First the Scout Troopers. Now War Machine. Nobody is safe from the plague of reflective belts!! **lmao**
Too Funny!
That’s funny right there, I don’t care who you are..LOL
*lol-snort* Awesome. That made me forget my crappy day at work for a moment.
haha not even Iron Man can escape the reflective belts!
He’s wearing a cover indoors…
not that I see a cover on anyone but maybe Iron Man, but I guess it can be presumed he is carrying weapons, including the dangerous reflective belt designed to blind the enemy.
Well, technically if we’re reminiscing about creases in the sleeves and starching… the BDUs weren’t supposed to be starched either (says so on the label) and going even further back the ODs too. All of these were considered “wash and wear” during their heyday.
Just wait… it’ll happen.
I already see ABUs in the dry cleaners…. WTF?
I lawl’d pretty hard when I read this one. This prompted the wife to ask for clarification, which had the unfortunate side-effect of killing the buzz…
The awesome artwork aside in this venue, I am torn… do I watch IM2 like most everyone will, or do I realize that the story and the concept has probably already jumped the shark? It is like knowing that a train wreck is about to occur…
Ping-Pong, is that you?
Yep, it’s me… I post from time to time here. But I’m mostly just here for my daily fix of cool art work!
They’d never field an Iron Man suit in the AF. Too much arguing over tucking or blousing.
That, and by the time they got done with the wear testing, re-coloring, and wear testing again, the plans for the suit would have been leaked to half the armed forces around the world, and it’d be useless…
There’s also a distinct lack of pen pockets. A modern Air Force warrior needs at least 17 pen pockets.
But you can’t have any pens in them . . .
Where do the forms go in the Iron Man armor?
if you’re thinkin what I’m thinkin, someplace pretty uncomfortable…
although if you get technical it’d be in the chest…battery box, for uniformity sake…
Has Col. Rhodes gone through the proper safety class prior to operating the suit? We wouldn’t want him to be unaware of the hazards involved.
So how long before Barbie asks for one to replace his F22?
What kinds of new AFSC’s would spawn from this monstrosity?
1R0NM4N
this is just a test at 0514Z, 0013L (CDT) to make sure I am not being bad, and to see if the new site blocks URLs for moderation.
http://www.afblues.com/?p=369
Yes Black Optimus, this is me.
kewl! test worked!
well crap. posted to my earlier post with youtube link to black sabbath iron man video, it awaits Farva’s approval.
Safe comment posting, passing late night filters, spell and grammer check passed.
Curious, are the other services using the reflecting belt/PT gear, or is only USAF being over-reflective?
And do you get them at AAFES MCSS only to find them not in stock?
IMHO only
Spell check FAIL. (grammar)
“We’re interested in what you have to say” fail.
bwaaahahahahaha
Great comic. If the USAF got its hands on a suit like Tony Stark’s, Gates would cancel funding and production of it.
Oh, forgot to mention, as others pointed out, BDUs were not officially meant to be starched, as the starch would change something in the BDU to make us more apparent to the enemy. (I forget if it was IR signature or something else..) But, unofficially starch was strongly encouraged. If you went to an open ranks with unflat pockets it wasn’t good.
Everyone from the top down seems to be sticking to the no starch in the ABUs rule. Having something like the Air Force Portal available, and the availability of regs online really changes the way things work. Back when I was a new airman, we had to go in, find the reg and read it, or just take someone else’s word that we were supposed to starch them.
So wait… I though Ironman 2 wasn’t getting released until THIS Friday (and that Germany might have actually been getting it early released this Wednesday). Are we getting it late, and I’ve just been tricked, or are you watching a “special prerelease” (ie. download)?
Anywho, great comic as always, also liked the new BDB
Came out Friday in the UK…
A theater near Ramstein is showing it this Wednesday night. Of course, I work swings so I’ll have to wait for the official release date.
Yeah, it’s the Broadway Kino, I already have tickets for Wednesday
oh man, really I’m out here working this stupid exercise (waste of time) and working nights i really want to go see it.
Oh, on a separate note… I haven’t gotten any emails from Gravatar… even after emailing them to let them know I haven’t gotten any responses… any ideas why, or how I might be able to fix this?
Saw IM2 last week here in Korea. Awesome – I will definitely go see it again.
Oh, yeah: do NOT leave before the credits are over.
It would be just easier if we scrapped the ABU and wore a fully reflective uniform in chartreuse, pink and safety orange. Maybe use road cones as hats?
Time to fire off an email to the AF Uniform Board…
Seriously, dont give them any ideas. Just look at the Hawaiian Blue BDU’s they tried to sell us………..
I helped clean out our clothing office storage and all those so called “Hawaiian Print” ABU’s were there. I found one that was a size 58 Short. In the words of the stalker RobertM “SERIOUSLY?”
Well, heres some news for anyone who wasnt aware! ACC AUTHORIZED USING FACEBOOK AT WORK. I will officially now get NOTHING done at work. haha
Can get to Facebook in AMC now, still no fun access to Farmville is blocked
The nice distractor is the opening of YouTube, that causes work stoppages
you should be able to get to youtube, facebook and your perosnal email websites…. plus others (i think)
LMAO, this just made my Monday-Thanks!
I’m getting a little verklempt . . . Talk amongst yourselves; I’ll give you a topic: The Air Force doesn’t need an Iron Man suit because of UAV’s. Discuss.
I don’t know… you think UAV > MAU (Manned Aerial Unvehicle)? Of course if they just combined the ideas, we’d have some iRobot Scheisse going on…
Lol, no; I was being facetious.
You have a random button!! YAY! How long did it take me to realize this? Thanks, Farva and Marco!
UAV is now out. Its RPV….Remotely Piloted Vehicle. LOL
Safety First.
My apologies, ma’am.
I thought it was RPA, remotely piloted aircraft. But we just call them drones!
Crazy how the movie came out in the UK first…
I am suprised the armor didn’t get a base designator, tail number, or nose art.
Hey, I remember one of the comic showing a guy a the research lab shooting a laser at reflective belt and it of course reflecting the shot! With that kind of technology the suit would be unstoppable.
Just want to try out my new gravatar. Pardon the useless comment.
Pardon granted KK
I’m putting in a request for all you that are regulars on this site. Click on the “FORUMS” link on the right side of AFBlues and join the rest of us. We can always use new blood. And I’m going to go ahead and apologize right off the bat for the postings that PHONICS MONKEY will surely make.
Turned to the “recruiter” side huh?