That's right -- it's the freakin' MACH 5!!!!
Does it have a robot pigeon? Are Spritel and Chim-Chim hiding in the trunk even as I type?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Hat tip to Hesiod, who linked to this from a comment thread on Jim Henley's fine blog Unqualified Offerings.
Why a robot pigeon? Why not, say, a radio? In fact, didn't Speed Racer HAVE a radio? It made his steering wheel flash, didn't it?
ReplyDeleteSo, clearly, the robot pigeon is not released to summon help, as there is a perfectly good radio for that. So what the hell does it do?
I'm freaking out here, man.
The robot pigeon was released to summon help (as best I can recall) when Speed found himself in positions where his radio would not work. Back in 1967, radios did not have the range that they have now, and Speed's radio would not work underwater, and I seem to recall that his radio antennae got frequently taken out by flying rocks or some such shit.
ReplyDeleteI also vaguely recall Speed used the robot pigeon to carry messages back to base that he did not want the bad guys to overhear on their own radios.
And I may be making all of this up in my head on the spot.
Certainly, a small guided missile loaded with C4 would have been more USEFUL to Speed in many instances, and it could hardly have been harder for him to get a government license for than those big ass buzzsaw blades that used to spring out of the Mach 5 when Speed pushed button 'C'.
'Release the air-torpedo!' could have been pretty fuckin' cool...
Certainly a lot less gayer than a robot pigeon.
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