That's a very thoughtful post, Kugai.
Perhaps the fascination with "enemy" equipment lies in the "danger" element, the "excitement" and "thrill" that goes with the threat. The same reason so many people love sharks (Shark Week on Discovery!) and dinosaurs and whatnot. It could kill you. Is there some kind of strange attraction for us to this kind of danger? Or is it the respect we feel for something we know could easily take us out?
A simpler thought might be just the attraction of the sheer diversity and variety of equipment the enemy used, if we take, say, Germany and Japan in WWII. They just had sooo much stuff! In a thousand different color combinations, too. And some people just say it's "cool." Those guys had cool stuff.
I'm not saying this is how I personally feel (not consciously, anyway!), but it may be true for some people.
I'm afraid my reasons for having so much "enemy" equipment is probably much shallower than all the above. I'm just fascinated by machines, no matter who makes 'em, and I just happen to like the designs the axis powers used. And I like BIG machines, so where'm I gonna turn to? Yup!
Sometimes I get philosophical, look around the room, and say to myself, "everything I've built here was designed to destroy."
Sometimes I tell myself they were designed to protect, but that rationale falls short when I think about the German vehicles. They were designed to conquer.
Shermans and T-34s were designed to protect!
Then I return to normal and get back to work planning my 1/16 Tiger I build!
![Big Smile [:D]](/FSM/CS/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif)
Very thought-provoking post, Kugai.
James, it's my impression that the young people here, like in the States (my only two experiences!), are simply uninterested in things like history, traditional arts, literature, etc. There are shows on TV lamenting this sad point all the time, with spot quizzes given to high school kids on the street. History and geography seem to be two very weak points for these kids!
I don't get the impression they are ashamed at all.
Of course everyone is aware of WWII and all the implications it has for modern Japan, but pre-WWII? Forget about it! I find myself screaming the answers at the TV whenever they do those spot quizzes!!