Hellsing

Arucard82 · Post by **Arucard82** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 10:17 am

this forum is for the generel dicsussion of all things Hellsing

Kai Stromler · Post by **Kai Stromler** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 10:47 am

you asked for it......this is what you get when you say ALL things Hellsing.

gun rant (which was going to be a question in the trivia thread before I relented):
It's odd to me that only one of Alucard's guns is chambered for a real cartridge, with the other one just jumping off into the deep end of overdriven fantasy instead of staying firmly connected to the modern world as is usual for the series.

Though most anime fans haven't heard of it, the .454 Casull is a real cartridge. It's what's known as a 'wildcat' round, some overengineered combination of bullet size and powder charge decidedly not designed for general use. For a long time, the .454 Casull was the one cartridge that could legitimately claim to hit harder than the .44 Magnum, which I think most people have heard of.

This is probably the reason the original artist picked it for Alucard: it's the biggest and most hard-hitting 'known' (if only slightly) round that's never been put into an automatic handgun (EC or someone with more gun experience correct me if I'm wrong). Putting the Casull into a less controllable automatic platform (revolvers have usually more weight in their frames, which counterbalances the explosive force of the bullet) sets Alucard apart as someone with seriously superhuman strength and recoil tolerance; designing that automatic frame so closely to the specs of AMT's long-slide .45 Hardballer anchored the story in reality.

The we meet the Jackal, and eveything goes to hell in a handbasket. Its weight is stated at 34 pounds, but while this certainly does play up Alucard's strength, I'm not certain that it's even possible to make a functioning automatic handgun, of those dimensions, at that weight. Its visual design, while original, is also somewhat poor; it's been a while since I've seen it in action, but the design of the breech and hammer is not immediately suggestive of smooth slide operation, and there's no trace of a guide rod (or guide slabs as per the Desert Eagle series) at the forend. Also, the load is somewhat contrived; the 13-mm bore is in for purely symbolic reasons.

This would be inconsistent if the gun was designed properly in its other attributes, but as it is it scarcely merits comment. What does merit comment is the knowledge that it didn't have to turn out this way. Sure, the .500 S&W, the new ultimate power in handgun cartridges, hadn't been released yet, but if the original author could do enough research to unearth the .454 Casull, what prevented him from bringing in the .480 Linebaugh, the .480 Ruger Super Redhawk, or the .50 Action Express, all of which (especially the .50 AE, following Magnum Research's wide marketing of the caliber in their highest-end Desert Eagle pistols) have their own followings in the wildcatter world? And for a variant visual design, what about a significantly scaled-up Tokarev, which retains the intimidating 'autopistol' profile in a shape largely foreign to audiences in both Japan and the West?

Some have mentioned the 'camp' aspects of Hellsing with regard to the upgunning; the Harkonnen (a reference to both Dune and the 20mm 'elephant gun' used by the Finns during the Winter War) is definitely a 'camp' weapon. However, Alucard is more serious and less campy a character than Victoria is, so it would make slightly more sense (and perhaps a better comic contrast) for his up-leveled armament to be more strongly based in reality.

Discuss...........or slink off in terror and disgust that this thread has been buried under gun minutiae.

--K

MAS PRODUCTIONS · Post by **MAS PRODUCTIONS** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 10:59 am

Very interesting points brought up. All I can really do is think about this and maybe give up later after realizing I have no fucking clue.

As far as the Hellsing topic goes, there will be references to Alucard being Dracula spelled backwards as well as the history between the Hellsing family and Alucard. I hope good discussion comes of it and isn't filled by people not really researching what they say about stuff (will more than likely happen). Im actually wondering about Paladin Anderson's past as well as any historic basis for him. He is my favorite character from the series and I would like to know more about him. Hell he looks so damn cool I even thought about cosplaying as him. I have already made a replica of his cross in my college class. I should probably post it for the hell of it.

Propyro · Post by **Propyro** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:49 pm

*looks at Kai Stromler's run rant*

yea thats true, there is no actual 13mm cartrige ... but hell if you had engough cash you could do it. you could get a machienist/a gunsmith to make you a 13mm gun and cast the bullets yourself ... thought that would be rather impracticle because in the event of an emergency you'd be pretty hard pressed to find ammunition ... but then again if your Alucard then you can do what ever the fuck you want, i don't think theres many people with the balls to stand up and say "you have to do it this way". Also with the guns weight ... now just what is the jackal made out of ... lead? I know it's a very big gun, hell the two of them are longer then any automatic handgun i've ever seen ... but how do you get 34 lbs? By the way, whats the symbolic significance of 13?

WarpedElements · Post by **WarpedElements** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:56 pm

I was wondering about Arucard/alucard being Dracula. In the end, where incognito is bitch slapped around, suddenly in a flash of light, Alucard's face is split and shown with a gritty old guy with a mustashe, much like how the only known portraits of Vlad Tepes (Or dracula for the non-knowers) looked like. I mean it was VERY similar. That and Van Helsing was the one who killed Dracula in dah book. And the spikes at the end. Vlad Tepes LOVED to impale victems on giant spikes like Incognito was. From the "Anus through their mouth" as one person documented. Disturbing nasty lil man eh?

malemaze21 · Post by **malemaze21** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 2:09 am

me like helllthing

irkkimakkara · Post by **irkkimakkara** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:22 am

I haven't watch this show for a long time, but it really kicks ass. Alucard is one of my favorite characters, because he is badgoodguy (if anyone understands what I mean) and.. Hellsing r0x0r.

Kai Stromler · Post by **Kai Stromler** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 7:54 am

Propyro wrote:*looks at Kai Stromler's gun rant*

Also with the guns weight ... now just what is the jackal made out of ... lead? I know it's a very big gun, hell the two of them are longer then any automatic handgun i've ever seen ... but how do you get 34 lbs? By the way, whats the symbolic significance of 13?

The weight (stated in the anime, and I believe also in the trivia thread) was an area I had a problem with. Even if the Jackal was made of lead, which most certainly could not contain the explosion powering a 13mm bullet (est. weight in the 500-grain range), or heavily weighted with lead (say in that godawfully-designed squared-off forend), it's difficult to approach even twenty pounds. The new X-frame revolver designed for the .500 S&W weighs in at only six pounds; even if the Jackal incorporated twice as much metal, and allowing for more larger loads, it's difficult to rate it as much heavier than 15 pounds. That's already too much for a human to use without a bipod; there's no need to inflate the weights any more.

Thirteen is only about the most commonly recognized 'unlucky' number in Western culture. The Japanese love the Friday the 13th movies, especially the Jason character, so the meme has somewhat crossed over in the association of 13 with evil.

--K

Arucard82 · Post by **Arucard82** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 9:05 pm

well..oook...maybe next time i should specify a topic...oh well..its to be expected...anyway i have seen an actual Cassul and its one hell of a revolver..i would go and get it if it didn't cost$700...even i have limits...oh yeah..i went to anime expo so here is a picture of me and Alexander.

http://i360.com/shirokami/ax2k3/gallery ... C05894.jpg

Shun · Post by **Shun** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 2:53 am

arucard = alucard said by japanese voice (dont prounounce L's) I think, but a die hard hellsing fan may prove me wrong ^^