Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Fellow Geeks and Nerds,

First and Foremost, I love Star Wars. A passion that is shared by many others who were mesmerized by the original trilogy since the 1970's...and was even a spring board for one of my closest friendships in life (Qamarul who is sadly not with us..but it was really funny that we bonded over one of the crappiest games Lucasarts released: The Phantom Menace video game).

Playing as Obi-Wan in the Phantom Menace video game.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Most of you must have heard that Lucasfilm has released all 6 episodes of Star Wars on Blu-Ray and DVD as the "Complete Saga" box set. It was a much-anticipated release and many fans were hopeful that the releases incorporated input from the fans (George Lucas did allude to that during the series' development), combined with additional technological enhancement. I was ready to forgo my bias against Lucas if the release did live up to its hype.

Lo and behold, the ugly head of commercialism pops up again...apparently deaf to the fans' repeated clamours. Terms such as "George Pukeus" and "Talifan" (or a fanatical fan protecting Lucas) inhabit the many reviews given upon the box set's release. As of writing this post...there are 1056 negative reviews, 50 neutral and 507 positive reviews on Amazon. Granted there are some reasonable positive reviews but it does not detract from the fact that response to the box set has been largely negative.

Probably one of the biggest controversies is Lucas' strange liking for Darth Vader's oft-ridiculed and ludicrous "NOOOOOOOO" scream from Episode III, and deciding it was a good idea to implant it into Return of the Jedi:



That really kills me inside out.

And of course with bad news these days...Hitler finds out about it first from his High Command:



Chris Gould of dvdactive.com, did a really in-depth analysis that compared scenes across the different movie/DVD releases in all history. Check it out to really see what changes Lucasfilm has done over time with the movies...it is not just a good time-waster, but it really shows the nooks and crannies of the different versions of the Star Wars films.

A change of the original to DVD re-releases: the tractor beam display.

As a summary, I am indeed awed by the technological prowess the studio has clearly shown in enhancing many scenes, especially correcting scenes that had mistakes only a sharp eye could catch. The coloring and details of the scenes are vastly improved across the board. However, there are additions that Lucasfilm did make that would turn my guts inside out...Darth Vader's "NOOOOO", the CGI-rocks that hide R2D2, and the gay-sounding screech Obi-Wan gave to the Tusken Raiders. In conclusion, I won't touch the new release at all.

Star Wars: Bigger than Lucas?

The Star Wars as a cultural phenomenon has really become so big that its fans have become deeply invested into it after it captured the imagination of millions. For myself as a teenager, I was engrossed with the notion of a living universe that "lived" outside of our own physical universe, which was accessed and shaped by our imagination. I have long dreamed of flying TIE fighters, got really sucked into the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter video game, and am a big fan of Admiral Pellaeon of the extended universe.

The 501st Legion commemorating the 25th anniversary of Star Wars' first release (lgeionxxiv.org)

Across the world, fans in droves purchase Star Wars merchandise (which is continually a hot-seller for collectible sellers), make fan-made movies, and attend conferences/events proudly dressed in Star Wars regalia...and yet the centre of it all is undeniably the movies.

It is unfortunate that George Lucas had lived up to his prophecy during the time of the original trilogy...when he expressed his disdain for sci-fi film-makers who sacrificed story-telling for technological magic. I am perhaps not the only one to say that the magic of Star Wars has been diluted with more of his studio's tinkering around with the movies.

George Lucas: the creator of Star Wars and to some...ironically the destroyer of it.

To think about it...Lucas and co. are really focused on visual tech and are not true wizards with storylines (unlike Pixar in comparison), and what they did with the Complete Saga should come as no suprise. Lucasfilm is primarily known for its Star Wars and Indiana Jones series...while Industrial Light & Magic supplies extraordinary effects for a wide range of movies. But their recent releases kinda suck (I do have to use that word), the prequels and Crystal Skull have become irksome to many. So I guess either Lucas has an almost dictatorial hold on creative proceedings in Lucasfilm, or that the entire team is made up of just techno-wizards.

An example of a good re-release: Blade Runner The Final Cut.

There are examples of good re-releases...and one that immediately pops up in my mind is Blade Runner: The Final Cut, where the film was visually enhanced and some changes were made that not only appealed to fans...but also made the movie a whole lot deeper. George Lucas had an extremely talented team around him throughout the 6 episodes: John Williams who never failed to produce magical soundtracks, SFX-wizards with a high command of technical expertise...it breaks my heart that the recent prequels and re-releases of Star Wars do not do justice to the effort put in. I respect Lucas as a professional, he is free to do what he wants with his "creation", but just don't forget that Star Wars has grown massively from its loyal fan-base.

I guess Lucas doesn't see the fans as partners in the creation of the Star Wars universe...which is sad considering how passionate fans can be :(

A Tribute to A Great Friend.

Greetings all and I am back,

Its been a long long long time since I last wrote, but its been hard times and I just could not find the words to write for the next post.

As you all may have known, Joshua and I have lost a great brother and friend to us and I thought it would be nice to just give my late good ol pal a dedicated post on the geekier side of him and what interests he had in terms of Nerdy stuff.

My dear friend Qamarul would always like to deny that he is a nerd. He would always be stating that he's got a rep to uphold. However, I reckon that despite his so-call "rep", his nerdy nature doesn't seem to go away even in Social gathering situations.

One of his distinct nerdy interest that he shared fervently with the other guys in my group was the whole Star Wars culture. While I was never really a Star wars fan as compared to the rest of my guy friends, I can safely say that that was the only one thing that we didn't really have in common. (Well, then again, there was Warhammer which was something he really never truly appreciate and would do anything to run away from :p)


(Dorkman vs Ryan, an Infamous Lightsaber Youtube Video that stood out for its effects and choreography)

Despite my lack of true fanaticism for Star Wars, I could say I was very much in love with the concept of the Jedi and their ultimate Light Saber Duels.

I could even say that it actually did help developed our friendship back in the younger years of our high school days. Back then, We'd choreograph Lightsaber fights using the wooden pole as substitute light sabers that we detached from dustpans. In doing so, we would mimic fights just like the one shown in the above YouTube video.

Aside from Star Wars, Qamarul had a great appreciation for pretty much everything that we collected or even played. While he wasn't a collector of anything, he was a "do-er", getting involved in playing nerdy board games like Battlestar Galactica, to watching epic 80s and 90s cartoons and movies like Conan the Barbarian to Transformers the Movie.


Definitely an Adama fan for sure. I can still recall him chanting Adama's name along with the rest of us for no reason whatsoever during our New Year Countdown.


It does make me smile now recalling the times when I had to keep a watchful eye for my Cheeky pal as he was always looking for loopholes or ways to play CHEAT in the game. Either that or he was unpredictable in the BSG Boardgame which made it all the more exciting.


Here we see Qamarul forced under duress to take pics of us showing off our nerdy boardgame extravaganza.

Ahh but the good ol buddy of mine never strays from being in the movement of nerdom. While he doesn't collect like how Josh Me or Weiting, he has played an influential role to the collection of nerdy stuff that I have.

Back in the days when I was just starting up my Model Kit collection in 1997, I had no idea on where to look or how to find out what war machines were modern day era and what was not. This was a time when the information super highway was still at its infancy and I had to rely on encyclopedias and the library to get what I needed to know. 5 years into my interest in all thing military and I got my 56k Modem, something made me delve even more into it.

One of the big catalyst that sped me to develop more into the Modern Military Enthusiast I am today (aside from being influenced by my Dad in the early years) was the endless playing of Battlefield 1942 with Qamarul.



Eventually, they had a mod (before Battlefield 2) that got me hooked into developing my modern military collection further. Obviously, it was the crazy experience that Qam and the rest of us shared in the game that really got me going.



Once Battlefield 2 came up, we had great bonding session burning the midnight oil and playing this game as an awesome fighting team. More often, we would play special forces where Me, Weiting, Joshua and Qamarul would be a four men team fighting insurmountable numbers of enemies to win the game in the Battlefield 2 Special Forces edition.

Those were the good old days with lots of yelling and covering each other's asses during those pressure cooker scenarios.

One of the other influential and memorable occasions that I had with Qamarul were our long debates and discussion on Warrior Culture of the ancient times. From the History of the Crusades, Knights, Saracens to the Warrior Culture of the Samurai, these were many fundamental experiences I had with him that led me to expand my mind on ancient warfare and the various culture around it.


Of which, Knights were the starting piece of my Warhammer collection if you all had no already known by now.



Qamarul had a strong sense of interest in the way of the Samurai and Bushido. This was due to the fact that he had a strong passion for the martial arts, especially Aikido. He got meinto it and it was also one of the influential things that got me interested in Japanese culture.

I can still recall the times he would be playing the theme song of the Last Samurai over and over again on his car stereo. We do joke about how it is always a White guy coming into Asian Culture and within a short span of time, emerges as the supreme hero but that is a another story for another day.

I leave off now to say tht my best bud has given me many memories. Memories I would share to my kids and grandkids of a friendship as true as it could ever be. A Nerd who enjoy the companionship of his friends and who is always there to enjoy, support and help out his fellow mates. He is a guy who never fails to uplift the spirits of all with his jokerish antics and one who has greatly touch my life.

Will sorely miss u bro,



Take care Qam.. I will see ya later..
And You will always be in my heart...

NERD SALUTE!

Modern Military Update!

Hey Everyone!

It's been awhile since we last updated this blog and I will try to maintain a regular weekly/biweekly blogging schedule. I've been busy collecting stories and topics to share with you all...and I am indeed excited on the next few posts that will be up.

Battlfield 3 Out: October 25th!

Modern-military/computer gaming fans...this post is for you! You must have heard that DICE is finally rolling out Battlefield 3 in October 2011, to much anticipation and hype. This release is certainly big, especially for Battlefield fans. I played BF1942 A LOT....primarily its vanilla campaigns and the fabled mod, Modern Combat...which spawned the venerable BF2.

The trailers are pretty slick and overflows with high production values/professional editing, which tells me how much $$$ EA is pouring into areas of the game that are outside of game development itself. They recently released one that is timed with Jay-Z's "99 Problems" (and a bitch ain't one), do check it out!

As a game that comes from the "masters of modern warfare multiplayer", who promised to combine it with an engrossing single-player campaign...BF3 sure has a lot to live up to. Worried about PC requirements? Check out this website to see if your computer can run it. For me, I can barely run it on minimum requirements...and I am debating whether BF3 is worth the plunge or not.

 

It is interesting that the small text in the video (0.17) states that the video is in no way endorsing any of the manufacturers of the vehicles featured. Defence industry is big money and even game trailers need legal lingo. The last time I felt this excited about a video-game would probably be when Modern Warfare 2 was released about 2 years ago...to acclaim and controversy.

War Beyond Guns

All of us know that war is more than just soldiers fighting (or killing if you prefer) each other. Video games have mostly covered strictly army vs. army affairs...with some exceptions like MW2 that had civilian killing. I have to admit that I seldom think about other parties involved in a war when I play war video games, especially the civilians who flee their homes or live within battlefields themselves.

Interestingly, Tony Maniaty is a journalist who covered conflicts in East Timor and Pre-Soviet Eastern Europe...and he came up with the idea of making a training video game that had players hold a camera instead of a gun.

 

You play a female war correspondent, Jesse DeMarco, who follows government troops in a fictional African country that is torn by civil war (a theme sadly too common in today's world). Even if the graphics may seem "yesterday", the trailer does a pretty good job in making some chilling scenes of war. Afterall, the team is made up of media professionals, such as Robert Connelly who did a film on American journalists in East Timor. I am really interested to see how this game turns out in the end, since it gives a really different perspective on war and here's Ars Technica's article about Warco.

Lamis and her team of cluster-clearers, true heroines of Lebanon (BBC Outlook)

True heroes of the battlefield don't necessarily carry guns. I am a fan of BBC's Outlook, a radio/podcast series that covers the personal lives of people who face extraordinary struggles from all around the world. In one episode (Sep 21), they interviewed Lamis Zein, a Lebanese former school teacher who decided to do something for her war-torn country. In 2006, Israel used cluster munitions on Lebanon and a significant number of them fell onto civilian areas...and Lamis boldly decided to leave her teaching job to head an all-female bomb-clearing team organized by a NGO.

It is really touching to listen to how she chose to get involved (because of her strong belief to help the country), and the excitement + caution she experiences in clearing out clusters. Check it out here if you're interested in hearing about Lamis' extraordinary story. I highly recommend listening to it.

I am truly humbled by those who live noble lives under the shadow of war.

Warhammer: Spacemarine

Hey Everyone

Hope you all have been doing well and thanks once again for coming down to our blog! I have been busy for awhile getting settled back in the US and I am ready to rock and roll with new posts! JQ and I have taken a number of new shots of new minis during the summer, and we look forward in sharing with you all soon.

Spacemarines: Bred to kick serious butt for mankind.

Warhammer fans out there...I guess you must have heard that Warhammer: Spacemarine has finally come out! Some fans have gone so far to state that it marks a threshold moment for sci-fi gaming: the big granddaddy of the Space Marine genre is back in the scene of shooters. Warhammer fans can point out that WFB (Warhammer Fantasy Battle) and W40k (Warhammer 40k) heavily influenced related works, such as Blizzard's wildly successful Starcraft and Warcraft universes, but has a comparatively less successful penetration of the computer gaming market and remains somewhat obscure from the mainstream.

Starship Troopers: Spacemarines ala 1950.

But history has shown us that nothing is created out of a vacuum and W40k cannot claim to be the "definitive space marine maker". Interestingly, space marine as a concept first came out in the 1930s, being featured in the space opera novel Lensman by Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith, who wrote that their ranks were bolstered by inhabitants of a high-gravity planet colonized by the Dutch. I would be stating the obvious that Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers has had a massive influence on the space marine concept, such as the typical tough-guy marine attitude, orbital drops, flying into unknown threats...and of course: BUGS (or massive hoards of enemies). In fact, Starship Troopers became required reading for actors of colonial marines in the perennial classic Aliens.

Anyway, back to topic...

Relic is a gaming studio that has had much experience with the Warhammer franchise for quite some time, particularly coming out with the critically acclaimed Dawn of War series. I guess they're pretty well known to implement innovative approaches to computer game genres...such as Dawn of War focusing more on unit management than the "canon" resource gathering component.

I've played through the demo for the game, and I can say it did take me awhile to get used to the game mechanics. Even on medium I got my butt kicked a few times until I learned how to kill orks and stay healthy.

One thing I just don't get yet is: why do the orks have strong British accents???

WE SPELL COLOUR WITH A "U"!!! WWWWAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

It is comical for me to hear burly orks going "More spacemarines to kill!" or "Kill that spacemarine" in perfect good ol' Queen's English...which gave me a few good laughs. I always thought orks just said "WAAAARGGGGHHHH" and their usual compliment of mono-syllable grunts and other organic noises.

Redefining Death-From-Above...

The part I liked the most about the game is the jump-pack section, which is completely different from any previous experiences I had with computer games. You fly around in short bursts and land with a massive shockwave...either killing or stunning any foes who are too near to you. In all, Spacemarine is not a typical first person shooter and what makes it great is that it forces to to adapt to a new playing style. No longer can you hide behind cover like in CoD or even Gears of War...because Space Marines are real men and don't hide from danger heh.

Unfortunately I have a massive backlog of computer games and I might have to sit this puppy out for awhile :( If any of you have played the demo or the game do let me know! There are times when I wish I had the time to sit and game without worrying about life goals and work...part and parcel of growing up I guess :/

And let me end this post with a really funny picture of orks I spotted on the internet:

From towerofzenopus.blogspot.com

A Dance with Dragons

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for coming down and sharing in with our joy for nerdy stuff. JQ and I really appreciate your readership, for having followed this blog regularly for quite a long time :) We may never have chosen to be bitten by the geek bug, but we certainly choose to share our hobby with others in our lives.

You must have heard that HBO's take on the Game of Thrones (GoT) has finally arrived on TV (or download websites whatever your style is). Based on the legendary medieval-fantasy series by George R.R. Martin (and still on-going), GoT is a dark-fantasy world that is potmarked by intrigue, betrayal and lust. This time, I'll share a little on Martin's newly released book and more about the man himself.

An uncommon example of something common in Westeros: Ser Gregor Clegane aka Asshole-extraordinaire.

With some time on my hands, I had recently finished George R.R. Martin's 5th instalment of the Song of Ice and Fire series - A Dance with Dragons (ADwD). Martin never fails to disappoint, and delivers an engrossing tale filled with colorful details and very intriguing developments. Similar to the earlier books in the series, be prepared for classical Martin cliffhangers toward the end of ADwD!

ADwD did take a heck a lot of time to come out, being published 6 years after the previous book, A Feast for Crows. For those of us diving into the new book, I found it really helpful to read the summaries of the 4 previous books from Wiki of Ice and Fire to get myself back on track with the backstory of ADwD.

A spoiler-free tidbit I can share is this: the characters didn't have the auspices of facebook and the Internet, and be suspicious that the beginning of the Game of Thrones may seem neat in comparison to the chaos that happens throughout the series. Especially in this book, the spectres of the past will come biting on the asses of what was believed to be true!

Another thing that grabbed me was Martin's ability to extensively describe Medieval scenes filled with vivid detail...such as the ribald songs played during feasts, the 101 ways of making trenchers, and the many sigils that adorned knights and lords alike. Knowledge on medieval history and art may be one thing, but what Martin does on the side really spills the beans:

He does medieval miniature painting and collecting himself.

Some figures painted by the man George R.R. Martin himself (georgerrmartin.com)

You can take a look at his collection and this link, and he's more into the larger 54mm figures for their better detail compared to the smaller 25mm figures (traditionally used by Games Workshop). I guess he hasn't really seen the newer Warhammer collections, with improved molding techniques and greater artistic flair heh. Not sure if he'll go heads over heels over GW's Brettonia collection too :P

A gift from Fabio Feltrin to George R.R. Martin, Ser Brynden Tully of Riverrun. Check out the awesome detail (georgerrmartin.com).

Interestingly, his fans have also given him a fine collection of minis that resembled the characters from the books that are really well-painted to a professional grade. Martin's collection spans a very wide range of figures, as he also puts together dioramas of jousts, feasts, and villages...sometimes even commissioning custom sculpts! (eg. ladies in the court, a subject not common with miniature makers)

It's my guess that finding out about people's hobbies and their interests really makes them feel more human...which was certainly the case for me with George R.R. Martin. Hobbies are windows into one's soul, and I would dare say that this is why we fellow geeks/nerds bond so well with each other over the things that strike at our very hearts. Man, I love being a geek with fellow geeks.

Plus, George R.R. Martin also liked the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series :) Boo-yah.

Youtube: BTR 60 vs. S-Class

Now this is what I call badass: A Lithuanian mayor uses a BTR-60 APC to run over an illegally parked Mercedes S-class.



The owner who came out certainly looked like someone who'd kicked my butt if I did it, and I am sure it took a lot of balls on the mayor's part to pull this off! I'm not sure if anyone is going to pay for the crushed car though :/

Captain America: History and Fiction

Hey Everyone

Thank you for your condolences, and safe to say JQ and I are coping after the loss. It has been difficult but we have enjoyed mutual support with each other + friends, and we'll honour his memory by carrying on forward. We'll resume putting up posts regularly and once again we thank you for your continued support for this blog!

Unless if you've been living under a rock, you would have heard that Captain America was finally released in cinemas to positive reviews...touching on the U.S. patriotic spirit when the country itself is facing some troubling times. Somewhat akin to Wolfenstein made into a movie, the film had America heroically confronting the mystically crazed Nazis and their disturbing creations.

The poster for the Captain America movie.

To me, the movie was a "typical" Marvel comic book film - featuring a mentor/father figure who sadly dies, a wash-out becoming a superhero through self-realization, the hero winning against the odds stacked against him, a dash of humour here and there, an awkward romance maturing into real love...and cameo appearances by the man Stan Lee himself lol.

Captain America did get the WWII geek in me thinking, on how it tried to contain a fantastic (as in "fantasy-like") story within a historical context. How would the events play out in Captain America that will capture our imagination, and yet avoid contradicting the historical events we know about WWII?

In a Game of Thrones-esque tone, the best of lies are told with a mix of truth.

Nazis are perfect conspiracy theory material, easily depicted as evil/inhumane people bent on world superiority, whose activities are shrouded in mystery that are open to interpretation. As a tale rooted in conspiracy theories, elements in the movie were based on actual events that occurred in WWII...and this really got my geek side dissecting the movie.

Do note, I am not an authority on the historical information and creative processes that the film-makers have used to construct the world of Captain America...but I'll share what I think are some poignant historical parallels to the movie. Most of my info comes from Wikipedia.

The HYDRA Organization

The fearsome Hydra army in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Cap America's main antagonists, the Hydra organization, is somewhat similar to the archaeological societies which researched into the mystical through archaeological research. These societies were indeed founded in Nazi Germany, which included the Ahnenerbe and Amt Rosenberg, and they aimed to present evidence to support the theory that pre-Germanic people had once dominated the earth in the past, thereby validating the existence of the Third Reich. Nazi archaeology was inspired by a Roman text, Germania by Tacitus, which contrasted corrupt Rome against the noble Germanic tribes.

The Ahnenerbe symbol.

In particular, they had searched for evidence that fingerprints of the Nords and Indo-Germans can be found everywhere, from "European-like" architecture of ancient temples to proving the Buddha was indeed an Aryan. Activities included archaeological expeditions (inspiration for Indiana Jones), education of the public on the historicity of German supremacy, and even medical experimentation sponsored by the SS (such as skull measurements to show distinctiveness of Jews as a race, and gruesome tests on how long airmen could survive in freezing water)

A page from Herman Wirth's book, Was Heisst Deutch? Wirth had an interest in runic symbology.

However, unlike the buff and masked super-soldiers of Hydra, the archaeologists/scientists in these societies were mostly amateurs/untrained archaeologists, with a small portion of professionals indeed trained in their field (who also held very extreme views). Funds for archaeological research came from Nazi grants and private donations, but such research was for propaganda purposes and there was no mention of translating such research into god-like weapon technologies.

U-Boats and North America

Captain America featured German spies who operated in the US, and Nazi Germany did plant spies in America using their U-boats. The German Navy made a number of successful U-boat landings in North America and even attacked shipping around Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean throughout the war. The Germans aimed to plant spies to hold key jobs in the US and transmit strategic information back, and they even attempted to infiltrate the Manhattan project. But more often than not, the spies defected to the CIA which effectively dismantled their spying operations...perhaps evidence of the dwindling morale or poor conditions the spies have experienced in Germany.

The Amerika Bomber Project

Early in the war, the Luftwaffe mainly dealt with bombing targets within continental Europe, and medium range bombers like the He 111 proved sufficient in their roles. The Germans did start the Amerika Bomber project, which aimed on producing long range bombers to strike at American factories, in hopes of America being distracted with its own defence and leaving Britain exposed to German airpower. But the project was scrapped as it lost precedence to Hitler's "miracle weapons" (like the Me 262 jet fighter), and considerable material shortages due to Allied intervention.

The Ho Vb research aircraft, strangely similar to the one used by the Red Skull.

The B2-like bomber piloted by the Red Skull was nonetheless reminiscent of actual Flying Wing bomber designs by Horten which were put forward as a potential Amerika Bomber. The Flying Wing design ensured the bomber had considerably less drag due to its elimination of the tail and fuselage, while the bomber itself could carry an increased payload and have sufficient range for transatlantic travel. Also, the Horten 229 was the first use of stealth material on an aircraft, as its shape gave a reduced radar signature, and its construction used carbon powder in glue to absorb radar waves.

Blueprint of the Ho 229 flying wing (Arthur Bentely/Flying Wing Films).

Piloted Suicide Bombs

The suicidal bombs in the Red Skull's bomber were also not far from fact. The Luftwaffe had developed the Fi 103R Reichenberg (named where it would be built) piloted bomb, which was technically a V-1 rocket with a man in it. Just before impact, the F-103R pilot had to bail out of the aircraft by removing the cockpit and jumping out. However, the placement of the intake right behind the cockpit ensured that escape was more likely to be fatal (<1% chance!).

The F-103R flying bomb, inspected by British troops (wikipedia).

Alas, the F-103R never saw active deployment, as test pilots died in trying to land it (fitted with skis) after some trial runs...and it was dictated that the German warrior spirit did not involve explicitly suicide missions. But their Japanese allies thought otherwise, and deployed their own Ohka aircraft upon American ships invading Okinawa.

The Multi-turreted Mega Tank

The mega tank deployed by Hydra does have a historical precedent that was actually deployed during WWII. The Neubaufahrzeug ("New Construction Vehicle") was a prototype multi-turreted tank developed during the Inter-war years when tank technology was still at its infancy. The main turret had a 75mm main gun and 37mm coaxial, while 2 more turrets in the front and back were armed with machineguns.

The Neubaufahrzeugs in Oslo, crewed by 6 men and found useless during the war.

For propaganda purposes, the Neubaufahrzeugs were deployed in Norway but failed to make considerable military impact. One got immobilized by British engineers while another was blown up by German engineers after it got stuck in a swamp, and the rest were probably scrapped. The heavy tanks did not fit into the Blitzkrieg tactics of the German army, which favoured maneuverable tanks armed with a single main cannon. None of these giants were ever recorded in having completely levelled a town, unless the town was never to be found :)

That about sums up my historical summary of the movie's creations that may seem quite out of the world...but were actually somewhat true during the actual war. It's my guess that history is always prone to have gaps in its recording, which are always open to creative reinterpretation.

Till next time, take care and peace out!