Remember this praxis post on the Chinese Multi-Function Military Shovel WJQ-308? Well, a buddy of mine, like me a practical militaria junkie (also known as "gear whore"), procured two of these from the PRC. They just arrived. One for him and one for me. They cost a pricey $90 each, so I'll have to find something to trade him.
I will have my son do a field test on this equipment, but one thing jumped out at me from the instructions. Go look at "Function 6."
"Function 6: Climb the high tree and building is so difficult. If you can find a rope or wire rope and shovel co-rotating with Mongolia afterburner. . ."
"Co-rotating with the Mongolia afterburner?" Wow. Mysterious. Sounds like a night-time horizontal maneuver of an Ulan Bator prostitute. WTH?
It has to be the code name of some new PLA weapon, right? Do I need to, like, report this to the DOD?
14 comments:
The soldier in the illustration is wearing what looks like some kinda back pack.
Maybe that's the "Mongolia afterburner" to give a boost to climbers.
(caution for that is: "WARNING - soldiers with a big posterior may catch Rump Roast! Wear of Fireproof Underwear is Advised.")
I think "co-rotating Mongolia afterburner" is Chinese for grappling hook.
MALTHUS
This is hysterical. I'd suggest that the next time they need to translate the instructions they should hire a person who actually speaks both Chinese and English. This time, it appears that google was not their friend.
And, some things just don't translate well, regardless.
What a hoot!
Mongolian afterburner - while pulling yourself up the cliff with the shovel, use some of that Mongolian beef you had for lunch, afterburn out your rear end and propel yourself up and over the top.
Mexican Rocketfire (beans and rice farts) will also work, but are more messy.
NINETY BUCKS for a ChiCom shovel???
Holy smokes, I'm in the wrong business!
Actually, the Sportsman's Guide was selling the Mongolian Afterburner in their Fall catalogue last year. It used a simple Sterno-type canister for propellant and used a two-meter length of flex hose for exhaust. After attaching with the 'crampon' style clamps to any tool with handle ( hoe, shovel, rake, pick, etc.) while pulling oneself forward or upward, a safety-ring pin - similar to a grenade pin - is pulled to ignite the fuel. A small, pre-packed solid-fuel tab then ignites when the proper temp is reached, and exhausts a brief but intense blast of gas through the flex tube, giving a short thrust of over .75 kiloNewtons, thus giving a miniature JATO-style assist to the person holding the shovel handle and operating the afterburner.
They were priced at three for $29.95 plus shipping, but they haven't had them since then. Of course, if you have read thus far, you already know that the whole deal is a massive bravo sierra goat-fest, but hey - the onion is my source.
90 Bucks? Just wait a couple of years and you will be able to pick one off the ground for free.
Van in the Hinterland
ebay sales from around the world----http://cgi.ebay.com/Chinese-Survival-Military-Shovel-WJQ-308-II-sheath-/250786202322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6405c2d2#ht_5151wt_730
For those who haven't seen it before, this is actually a pretty awesome little piece of kit...
Gotta give the little yeller bastiges some credit for ingenuity -- they don't steal EVERYTHING from us!
DD
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b60OZhrTB6o
I had a Chinese scooter and the owners manual explanation for the ignition stroke on a four stroke engine went like this... when on boom cycle it make power.
A visit to engrish.com would quickly clear up all of your questions about the mongolia afterburner.
Two of my favorites:
"Contains sharp edges! Please keep out of children!"
"All your base are now belong to me!"
A quick online search shows that military surplus U.S. entrenching tools with covers sell for well under $50. If this Chinese e-tool has unique features worth the $90, perhaps a U.S. manufacturer can make a competitively priced copy or even better, improve on the design.
Payback can be tough sometimes.
I followed the suggestion to check engrish.com. Amusing. There is a search feature on the site, which I used. A search for "mongolian afterburner" produced nothing. A search for "afterburner" produced nothing. A search for "mongolian" produced something completely unexpected:
http://www.engrish.com/2008/12/this-stuff-is-nasty/
A Co-rotating Mongolian Afterburner...? That sounds like something I got for a hundred bucks in a Bangkok hoochie-koochie bar.
Post a Comment