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This page collects
data about some of the devices that have been encountered, built or (most
likely) destroyed
during our adventures.
The Gratan
Spirited from
the Mistery of Blue Water animated series
along with
its crew to the formerly much quieter plains
of New Europa, the Gratan (acronym
for Grandis Tank - but also known as Katharine) is
an extremely versatile, all-terrain transport of advanced design and daring
construction.
The Grandis Tank is the
brainchild of genius/adventurer Hanson (probably a pseudonym). Powered
by a compact steam-engine and covered in a modular active armor, it
can run
on almost any surface thanks to its six articulated twin studded wheels,
cruise over
and
under water
pushed by two powerful pop-up propellers and fly thanks to its own self-contained
hot-air balloon. It is also equipped with four extensible stilts.
The interior is wide enough
to accomodate a crowded engine-room, a small
locker
and the central operation room (dominated by the red leather Command Couch),
often doubling as living quarters in all those occazions in which proper
lodging can't be found or afforded.
On-board equipment includes
a small dedicated Difference Engine, a set
of viewing
implements (including the so called "periscope" device, with in-built aiming
function),
snorkel
and life support.
Gratan weapon systems include
a ballistic cannon turret and two telescopic "manipulators"
(and you can always open a latch and fire a gun through it i everything else
fails).
Professor Von
Trapp's Wingpack
Used by the
eponymous fiendish archvillain to escape
from the flying inferno of the Prince Albert airship, this
contraption looks just like a plain backpack. By pulling the proper handle,
however, the rucksack pops open, spreading a pair of artificial wings made
of fine
silk stretched bat-like upon a thin steel structure. The wearer of the Wingpack
can thus glide through the air like a veritable bird, changing direction
by adjusting his own weight and baricenter.
Plans for a Wingpack Mk
II model, including a set of pulleys to put the wings in motion are
apparently under way.
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