The Top 10 Reasons The GI Joe Movie Will Suck

[CLAM]

Anyhow, on a side note... what the hell is with all the people bashing the bashers? I am sorry, not everybody likes to stand still and eat crap while we should be eating steak. You guys musta gotten beat up alot in your lives and have just adapted this "take it" mentality. It's sad.

 

No-one is saying "stand still and eat crap". You want to think that because you seem to not be able to think otherwise. What have you done besides complaining about it?

The complaining DOES NOTHING.

 

Its not constructive, the complainers never offer alternatives ( very few of them ever bother to delve into WHY the stuff comes out the way it does anyway), and they just close off reception of any other idea but those that feed their consumption.

Much like a spoiled child that throws a tantrum because they are not getting their pablum.

Well, most of us outgrow pablum, but it seems that tantrums can be a bit hard for some to shed.

 

The internet makes it EASY to complain. You just type in your rant and hit " enter" or "send".....so its easy to vent something off the cuff.

As we see so often......."off the cuff" means more shooting off of the mouth.....more static, if you will, and its does next to nothing.

Its not enough to simply speak with your wallet and not buy the stuff ( which is far, far more effective than ANY posted rant ever has been), instead people feel the need to bellow from the rooftops about their dislikes as well.

If the movie sucks.......it sucks. If it works well, great.......it'll be fun to watch. Complaining, or boosting the film will change neither of those things, because those things are outside of our control.

No-one is saying people HAVE TO like the movie, but the bashers end up thinking that.

 

So, yea, count me as bashing the bashers. I think they are wasting bandwidth and, frankly....they deserve it.

Given the vitriol of some posters on the forums, one can only wonder if its too much asking folks to keep an open mind.

Sure seems that way, I think.

 

 

sooo.. complaining accomplishes nothing? Since when? I think it is the opposite, bending over for everything accomplishes nothing. You can bend over Arrow, but that's not how I roll... I mean, if that's your thing, that's your thing.. You won't hear me bashing you for liking it.

 

I am certain that I have read, SEVERAL times, Hasbro people stating that they read the forums and listen to fans through various outlets. They say "we hear what the fans want" and they are thus able to make changes.

 

How many changes has Hasbro made just to the 25th line based on input (complaints) from fans? PLENTY.

 

Let's take Flint. Everybody bought the guy, he was the hardest figure to find of all until his reissue. Yet, some people complained that they wanted him with his original short sleeves and gloves on. Hasbro announced that they heard the fans and planned the fix. They certainly didn't have to, I mean he sold well enough with the Duke sleeves on.

 

I think that is an accomplishment (a direct result of complaining). So uh... I guess your theory is bunk.

 

if everybody were like you, we would still have t-crotch JvC figures...

 

no thanks.

[Jmacq1]

Anyhow, on a side note... what the hell is with all the people bashing the bashers? I am sorry, not everybody likes to stand still and eat crap while we should be eating steak. You guys musta gotten beat up alot in your lives and have just adapted this "take it" mentality. It's sad.

 

No-one is saying "stand still and eat crap". You want to think that because you seem to not be able to think otherwise. What have you done besides complaining about it?

The complaining DOES NOTHING.

 

Its not constructive, the complainers never offer alternatives ( very few of them ever bother to delve into WHY the stuff comes out the way it does anyway), and they just close off reception of any other idea but those that feed their consumption.

Much like a spoiled child that throws a tantrum because they are not getting their pablum.

Well, most of us outgrow pablum, but it seems that tantrums can be a bit hard for some to shed.

 

The internet makes it EASY to complain. You just type in your rant and hit " enter" or "send".....so its easy to vent something off the cuff.

As we see so often......."off the cuff" means more shooting off of the mouth.....more static, if you will, and its does next to nothing.

Its not enough to simply speak with your wallet and not buy the stuff ( which is far, far more effective than ANY posted rant ever has been), instead people feel the need to bellow from the rooftops about their dislikes as well.

If the movie sucks.......it sucks. If it works well, great.......it'll be fun to watch. Complaining, or boosting the film will change neither of those things, because those things are outside of our control.

No-one is saying people HAVE TO like the movie, but the bashers end up thinking that.

 

So, yea, count me as bashing the bashers. I think they are wasting bandwidth and, frankly....they deserve it.

Given the vitriol of some posters on the forums, one can only wonder if its too much asking folks to keep an open mind.

Sure seems that way, I think.

 

 

sooo.. complaining accomplishes nothing? Since when? I think it is the opposite, bending over for everything accomplishes nothing. You can bend over Arrow, but that's not how I roll... I mean, if that's your thing, that's your thing.. You won't hear me bashing you for liking it.

 

I am certain that I have read, SEVERAL times, Hasbro people stating that they read the forums and listen to fans through various outlets. They say "we hear what the fans want" and they are thus able to make changes.

 

How many changes has Hasbro made just to the 25th line based on input (complaints) from fans? PLENTY.

 

Let's take Flint. Everybody bought the guy, he was the hardest figure to find of all until his reissue. Yet, some people complained that they wanted him with his original short sleeves and gloves on. Hasbro announced that they heard the fans and planned the fix. They certainly didn't have to, I mean he sold well enough with the Duke sleeves on.

 

I think that is an accomplishment (a direct result of complaining). So uh... I guess your theory is bunk.

 

if everybody were like you, we would still have t-crotch JvC figures...

 

no thanks.

 

Hasbro isn't making this movie (which is the complaining Arrow is referring to). Guess you better go start complaining on the Paramount forums (if they have them), though given that they've already finished principal photography, I guess you're probably out of luck for getting any major changes done to the film.

 

PS: If T-Crotch JvC figures had sold like wildfire, no amount of complaining in the world would have caused Hasbro to change them. Beyond that, "fixing" figures is a relatively easy way for Hasbro to double-dip the same way they always do with minimal costs for new tooling (particularly if the "fix" is made up of tooling already used in other sources ala Shipwreck's lower arms, etc...). It's not just some magnanimous gesture to the fans. They're selling us essentially the same figure twice, after all, and most of us are buying both.

 

Yeah, Hasbro does try to listen to fans/consumers when and where they can...any good business does. More importantly though, is that it's when and where it can line up with Hasbro's own business models and profit margin guidelines. Saying they read these forums and take that input under advisement is just like their Q&A sessions: It's good PR. All the better because it's good spin on technical truth, if not quite as black-and-white truth as it appears on the surface.

[wolverine2281]

I bet every single one of you that thinks the movie will suck will still support it by seeing it

[darthfoley]

I bet every single one of you that thinks the movie will suck will still support it by seeing it

 

How much you willing to lose on that bet?

[wolverine2281]

I'd make more than I lose

[dannyboy76]

This movie is tearing our family apart...

[Jmacq1]

This movie is tearing our family apart...

 

Sorry to poke fun, dannyboy, but I totally think this should be the new "This movie raped my childhood" catchphrase:

 

This movie TORE MY FAMILY APART!

[dannyboy76]

To paraphrase Jack Handey:

It’s sad that an entire family can be torn apart by something as simple as a G.I. Joe movie...or a pack of wild dogs...

[MegaGearX]

Did Sigma Six ruin GIJOE for you?

 

Actually the thing that bugged me most about the Sigma Six era was: the fact that fans were telling people who didn't like Sigma Six that "it was Gi Joe now" and "you had to accept it." One time I was actually told on this board that I personally was "sucking the life out of the hobby" by complaining about the way Sigma Six was pushed, while JvC and VvV were half-assed.

 

 

But in that case it was what GIJOE was "then"--but it didn't erase everything that GIJOE used to be before. That's the lunacy I see in the "raped my childhood" statements people make......something new doesn't do that unless it completely eradicates and wipes out every incarnation of the thing before it. The "thing before is STILL around and still there to be enjoyed---so what is wrong with something new, then? You only "have to accept it" if you want to continue buying new GIJOE branded stuff, right?

Where has it ever been stated that something new has to be the same thing its always been?

 

That's the part I do not get.

 

The stuff IS going to change over time.

GIJOE started out as a 12" figure.........then went to 8"--and then to 3 3/4" "........and then 12" again, and so on......

More than a few complainers seem to personalize the whole thing for themselves, while forgetting that its happened before and that its reverted back to its "original" forms more than once!

 

The new stuff ........ANY new stuff, IS going to get pushed.......why would it not be?

 

Personally, I would not want to go back to the RAH stuff. It looks quite dated now, and there is aesthetically better-looking sculpts available now. The original figures hold no appeal at all for me, but then neither did Sigma Six. I bought ONE S6 figure to see what it was all about, and it did nothing for me.

The movie might present the same situation......but its not going to kill GIJOE for me. At best, it'll delay some more of the 25th Ann. style stuff until new year. I can wait, because I know that a delay (or a detour) is not a denial.

That, and I have seen this stuff come "full circle" more than once.

 

People have this fear that if any new idea gets enough play, it could change their childhood toyline forever. If the Joe movie is bad, then everyone is going to associate G.I. Joe with that movie, G.I. Joe toys, games, etc. might get cut back or get a reduced profile because of movie backlash, etc. If the Joe movie is successful, then like the Bay Transformer movies, any questionable ideas that the Joe movie did will be seen as good ideas and will be here to stay.

[revsears]

The blog in question dose not 100% represent my views but it does bring up a lot I agree with. I think the real test is wither if they marketed this movie w/o the name Joe on it how many of us would see it? It looks like just a bad movie, joe movie or not.

 

This has gotten way to ... BASH... happy. i'm not going to qoute anyone else right now cause i feel like this argument is about as fruitful as trying to get a partisan to change political parties.

 

Personally i think saying bravo to things we like and boo to things we don't do help a little. Our cash def. helps more but like some other say i don't want this to fail completely. I'd rather have a good movie than a huge blockbuster that i won't want to see. Aesthetic changes do stack up but it's more than that.

 

In my wildest dream this movie will do pretty good, not great but enough to try a sequel or a remake down the road and resolute will be insanely popular.

[darthfoley]

I'd make more than I lose

 

Sadly, that's probably true. *I* won't be seeing it (or not paying to see it at least) but I'd guess you're probably right about most folks.

 

If the movie is successful, I can only hope that it will allow Hasbro to continue with 'classic' style Joe releases.

[Ccav]

Even Walmart knows its gonna suck, Wolvering and TF ROTF toys are getting a MOD reset, While joe isn't getting squat.

[Neutron]

These look like fun so I thought I'd play...

 

Here's some questions that some of the complaining fans can ask themselves:

 

Did the leprechauns and silly stuff in the GIJOE cartoon ruin GIJOE for you?

 

I never saw that episode but it sounds pretty bad. Let's face it. There's a lot of stuff in GIJ, both toys and cartoons, that someone somewhere should have said, "No. This is GI Joe. We don't do stories about ...say... leprechauns."

 

Did COBRA Commander's chronic ineptitude ruin GIJOE for you?

 

 

I never saw Cobra Commander as inept. I saw him as a victim of traitorous underlings.

 

Did the inability of GIJOE and COBRA forces to actually hit anything they ever aimed at ruin GIJOE for you?

 

I did long for a little bloodshed back in the day, but I can't say this ruined GI Joe for me.

 

 

Did truly silly characters like Raptor, Captain Gridiron or the Fridge ruin GIJOE for you?

 

Yes. They did. In fact, I found characters like Zartan and Mindbender as intolerably over the top so when offensive travesties like the Fridge rolled around, I already had a foot out the door. For some reason, though, I never had a problem with Destro.

 

Did the silly PSA's with the Joe team members offering "sage" advice --and later turned into quite twisted laughable versions of the PSAs ruin GIJOE for you?

 

No. I liked those. I enjoyed the parodies as well.

 

Did SGT. Savage or GIJOE Extreme, Or Sigma Six ruin GIJOE for you?

 

All of that looked pretty bad to me, so yes. This wasn't just the rape of my childhood. This was the repeated prison gang rape of my childhood.

 

Did the Valor vs Venom movie (which was pretty dumb in many respects) ruin GIJOE for you?

 

I never saw it. The figures were enough to perpetuate the ruination of this franchise until the Pheonix-like resurrection under the 25th Anniversary banner.

 

 

I don't mind Somners work as a director. I like the Mummy movies, and Van Helsing.....they work for me as popcorn films.

 

Ouch! Faint praise there. I've learned that when someone uses the term "popcorn films" they're generally applying it to a bad film that they're excusing anyway. It's usually two-star fare at best.

 

As for the GI Joe movie, there's enough known information circulating that is pointing to this being a bad film. The reasons go beyond ten, but essentially they all boil down to two root problem... too many liberties were taking with the core premise and international sensibilities were made too much of a priority.

[Valdin]

I don't think most brick and mortar stores are supporting GI Joe period. 25th anniv line has been out for how long, and most stores I went to were never stocked. As soon as they did get stock, they sold out and it took forever to restock. I think alot of people started relying on web stores , myself included, to get what we wanted and rely less on the physical stores. It gets really frustrating and a waste of time on the hunt. When I go in stores now, I do see mostly nothing but repaints.

[darthfoley]

A lot of those weaknesses described only apply to the cartoon. There was death aplenty in the comics, CC was far from inept, and while there was occasional silliness (Baroness completely mummified in bandages after being caught in the HISS explosion...yet with her glasses still on over the bandages, f'r instance), at least it never degenerated to the level of leprechauns and Cobra-La.

 

That said, no the cartoon didn't ruin Joe for me, nothing has. Even those times when Joe was in the midst of something I didn't care for (Extreme, VvV...pretty much anything post 1987 or so until recently) I always had my love for the classic stuff to go back to. I think that's what Arrow's saying.

 

Is this movie 'for us'? No, not really. But if it keeps Joe alive and keeps Hasbro churning out even the occasional piece of early 80's inspired goodness, I reckon I'll deal with it.

[DarthJoe]

Did SGT. Savage or GIJOE Extreme, Or Sigma Six ruin GIJOE for you?

 

All of that looked pretty bad to me, so yes. This wasn't just the rape of my childhood. This was the repeated prison gang rape of my childhood.

 

@loll@

 

It's a good thing I didn't have a mouth full of pop when I read this, or I'd be cleaning my laptop screen right now. @lol@

[Magic 8 Ball]

I'm not going to get into the larger argument here, because I think everything has already been said and it's kinda going in circles. But there are a few non-movie comments I wanted to discuss. Just tossin' some opinions back and forth here.

 

I never saw Cobra Commander as inept. I saw him as a victim of traitorous underlings.

Did we watch the same cartoon? Most of Cobra's defeats can be DIRECTLY attributed to Cobra Commander doing something stupid and/or arrogant. The 'traitorous underlings' were often more successful than he was, in the brief moments that he allowed them to work individually and didn't try to steal their thunder. Not only that, but most of the Commander's plots were just patently absurd. Carving his face into the moon? Seriously?!

 

Then there's season two, in which HE became the traitorous underling beneath Serpentor...

 

I'll fully admit we can go back and forth on this one, but I think that the assertion that the Commander was inept would hold out for the cartoon if we made a count and went with the majority. I think he was FAR more threatening and successful in the comics.

 

A lot of those weaknesses described only apply to the cartoon. There was death aplenty in the comics, CC was far from inept, and while there was occasional silliness (Baroness completely mummified in bandages after being caught in the HISS explosion...yet with her glasses still on over the bandages, f'r instance), at least it never degenerated to the level of leprechauns and Cobra-La.

Eh... Not to discount what I just said above, but Hama was certainly not without fault. The comic did a lot of meandering, characters had the annoying habit of giving five-minute speeches about how they were pulling off two-second combat moves, everyone seemed to like to shout out the make, model, caliber, and ammo type of their weapon, and (as in the cartoon) the cast was just too huge for most of them to get any meaningful characterization. On top of that, pretty much everything after issue 100 is outright terrible, and the art throughout the entire series is mostly forgettable.

 

And as for not degenerating to the level of leprechauns and Cobra-La... Sunbow never even bothered with the sub-teams (save the Renegades, which I believe were created FOR the movie), and with good reason. Most of the time there was just no reasoning, explanation, or use for them. Their use in the comic (and the DiC series) only highlighted that.

[CLAM]

I bet every single one of you that thinks the movie will suck will still support it by seeing it

 

meh, I know I won't be seeing it in the theater.

 

I don't even see all the movies I think are gonna be cool in the theater, let alone ones that I think will suck.

 

 

I actually prefer to watch movies at home. I am too tired of all the a-holes in theaters these days.

 

I will get it on Netflix I guess, so I won't actually have to pay for it.

[Devilbat]

DISCLAIMER: The following is only my opinion. It's not right or wrong. Silly maybe, misguided, possibly full of holes, but my opinion nonetheless. @smilepunch@ (lol)

 

Guys, I have to say, I've been a staunch RAH fan since 1982. I have deep-rooted ideas about what G.I. Joe is and what it means to me, and honestly I've not seen anything so far that makes me dread the movie. So far everything has looked cool to me (except Storm Shadow; I giggle a little on the inside every time I see him....). (lol) But I love the pics of the other main characters. Snake-Eyes is my all-time favorite Joe, and he looks great. I like the new mysterious Eagle symbol for the team. I like the idea of Dennis Quaid playing Gen. Hawk. I like the black special ops uniforms. I can't help it. I love the pic of Heavy Duty, even if he isn't Roadblock...

 

I'm not saying anyone isn't wrong for rejecting the whole thing. That's anyone's right of course. Just like with Transformers, it's just so different from what we all grew up with and have loved for years. It's very natural and understandable to resist change. Trust me I know. But for me personally, I like it when my ideas of things that are familiar are tweaked or challenged. It simply makes things interesting, especially when it comes to entertainment. And that's what this movie is gonna be at the end of the day, good or bad; entertainment, not a documentation of anyone's representation of a given property. Speaking of which, concerning everyone's complaining about Steven Sommers directing...I always found myself enjoying the Mummy movies, as well as Van Helsing, complete with the laughable plot points and periodic ridiculous acting. Anything more serious to me would come across like the 2003 Hulk film; too cerebral, heavy-handed, and laborious to watch (even though I enjoyed that film too; I don't think it deserves all of the negative criticisims it got. Just some. (lol)). G.I. Joe has too many fantastical elements to be another Blackhawk Down or Saving Private Ryan. I think his directing style suits G.I. Joe perfectly, as long as he tones the comedy down for this film...

 

And it's like ARROW said; it doesn't matter how much they change things or how much the movie sucks (which it just might); it still won't change the things I think are cool about G.I. Joe. Now I will admit I wouldn't have minded to see something more akin to RAH with a modern twist. But I still think what I'm seeing, at least in the preliminary pics, looks pretty darn cool to me.

 

The only thing I'd like to see changed, which it's too late now of course, is for their uniforms to have American Flag patches on their upper arms. But I also like the non-descript, non-identifying secret ops nature of their uniforms too. Oh, and on a side note, I do hate the notion of the movie toys having "Sound Attack" gimmicks. Ugh. I thought those days were over...

 

In the end, this movie may actually be a turkey...I don't know. Fans are citing evidence to support it, and I don't know I completely disagree with everything they're saying, especially concerning Storm Shadow. But for me, for right now, I'm liking what I see otherwise. Until I see it in the theater (and I WILL see it; I'm too interested out of morbid curiosity not to), I'm not gonna tear it down. Heck, I even like movies when they're bad; cheese and camp can be fun to watch too, if only to degrade a film for it's stinkiness. (lol)

[darthfoley]

Eh... Not to discount what I just said above, but Hama was certainly not without fault. The comic did a lot of meandering, characters had the annoying habit of giving five-minute speeches about how they were pulling off two-second combat moves, everyone seemed to like to shout out the make, model, caliber, and ammo type of their weapon, and (as in the cartoon) the cast was just too huge for most of them to get any meaningful characterization. On top of that, pretty much everything after issue 100 is outright terrible, and the art throughout the entire series is mostly forgettable.

 

And as for not degenerating to the level of leprechauns and Cobra-La... Sunbow never even bothered with the sub-teams (save the Renegades, which I believe were created FOR the movie), and with good reason. Most of the time there was just no reasoning, explanation, or use for them. Their use in the comic (and the DiC series) only highlighted that.

 

Of course, there were some things that nobody could have overcome. When you are working on a toy related property, you are working for not only your company but the license holder as well. I imagine there were any number of things Hama didn't necessarily want to use, but did in order to appease Hasbro. The subteams may have been something like that; maybe not. And yes, the cast was unwieldy, but again when you're writing a toy-related series you have to try to push the toys. Would Hama have preferred a smaller cast? I imagine so, though I can't recall ever reading him saying anything to that effect.

 

And I always just wrote off the long speeches about combat and guns to the 'James Bond effect'. People in action adventure series just seem to want to talk about what they're doing.

[Tom-1]

Hama wanted to show off his military lingo and know-how in the comics because he was probably a clerk when he was in. ; )

 

Tom

[revsears]

Eh... Not to discount what I just said above, but Hama was certainly not without fault. The comic did a lot of meandering, characters had the annoying habit of giving five-minute speeches about how they were pulling off two-second combat moves, everyone seemed to like to shout out the make, model, caliber, and ammo type of their weapon, and (as in the cartoon) the cast was just too huge for most of them to get any meaningful characterization. On top of that, pretty much everything after issue 100 is outright terrible, and the art throughout the entire series is mostly forgettable.

 

And as for not degenerating to the level of leprechauns and Cobra-La... Sunbow never even bothered with the sub-teams (save the Renegades, which I believe were created FOR the movie), and with good reason. Most of the time there was just no reasoning, explanation, or use for them. Their use in the comic (and the DiC series) only highlighted that.

 

Of course, there were some things that nobody could have overcome. When you are working on a toy related property, you are working for not only your company but the license holder as well. I imagine there were any number of things Hama didn't necessarily want to use, but did in order to appease Hasbro. The subteams may have been something like that; maybe not. And yes, the cast was unwieldy, but again when you're writing a toy-related series you have to try to push the toys. Would Hama have preferred a smaller cast? I imagine so, though I can't recall ever reading him saying anything to that effect.

 

And I always just wrote off the long speeches about combat and guns to the 'James Bond effect'. People in action adventure series just seem to want to talk about what they're doing.

I agree that Hama wasn't perfect but i thought i'd throw in my two cents about the speeches. It was just an alternative to lots of Astrix's to explain things to military info noobs. I didn't mind them.

[ARROW]

Speaking of which, concerning everyone's complaining about Steven Sommers directing...I always found myself enjoying the Mummy movies, as well as Van Helsing, complete with the laughable plot points and periodic ridiculous acting.

 

When I'm talking about Somners work as a director, I'm going to a level most other folks don;t even realize or appreciate.

Sure, the acting in movies like Van Helsing was over-the-top, but that is what its supposed to be. Its not serious drama in an sense.

Somners knows his craft. My own experience storyboarding for movies and TV shows tells me that.

He knows how to make a scene clear so that the audience knows exactly where everyone is, and what's going on.

That is harder to pull off than you might think, and more important than you might be aware of.

 

The other day, I watched a fan-film: the fan-produced Star Trek : Of Gods and Men.

Now......this thing is.........awful.

You can see they put their hearts into it, they actually had a decent story, they had all the major speaking parts cast with actual Star Trek alumni actors, and even had one of them direct it.

But its still stank. The actor in question who directed it, Tim Russ ( Tuvok on Voyager), doubtlessly has done enough work IN FRONT of the camera that he should...........SHOULD know how to work it behind the camera.

 

But he doesn't.

I could go on and on and detail the litany of flaws with the film, and the mistakes Russ made, but its not important here. He did not know enough about what he was doing to make that movie work--this in spite of actors who all had played the characters they'd been cast in before.

 

Steven Somners, however, does know enough to make GIJOE work as a film, based on the script he's handed.

I liked Van Helsing and The Mummy films because they got me from point A to B in a easily understood fashion. These movies are not trying to blaze a cinematic trail, they are just telling a story in a simple enough and direct way so that anyone can follow it and be entertained by it.

That, IMO, is what the GIJOE movie needs.

[Neutron]

Steven Somners, however, does know enough to make GIJOE work as a film, based on the script he's handed.

 

 

I know how to build a house. Unfortunately, I was given a bag of straw to build it with.

 

 

I liked Van Helsing and The Mummy films because they got me from point A to B in a easily understood fashion. These movies are not trying to blaze a cinematic trail, they are just telling a story in a simple enough and direct way so that anyone can follow it and be entertained by it.

That, IMO, is what the GIJOE movie needs.

 

Oh man... is this really all we're asking of a GI Joe film? I guess if our standards are going to be this low, it will be difficult to disappoint.

[Magic 8 Ball]

I agree that Hama wasn't perfect but i thought i'd throw in my two cents about the speeches. It was just an alternative to lots of Astrix's to explain things to military info noobs. I didn't mind them.

Military info is fine and something I'm okay with him explaining. What bothers me is the random and senseless yammering about what kind of guns and ammo everyone's packing. There is no need to have Rock N' Roll tell you the caliber and cartridge of the ammo in his gun while he's shooting Cobras. No one needs to know that to figure out that the machine gunner is mowing down enemy troops! It's just not necessary, unrealistic, and frankly, completely moronic to be shouting the make, model, and caliber of your guns to your buddies and/or enemies while engaged in combat. There's not one instance of a character saying it because they're asking for ammo; they're just rattling off specs for no reason when trying to stay alive would be MUCH more important.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the comics. I've read every last one of them (thank you, internet, for the miracle of torrents!). But that happens at least once every other issue, often more, and it NEVER has any purpose or would actually explain anything to a layman, who would have no idea if Hama was making up all the gun types and caliber numbers anyway.

 

It's just one of those 'Hama-isms' (yes, I just stole and adapted that from 'Furmanism'), one of those weird phrases and quirks in his writing style that he puts in all the time because he likes the way it sounds, even if no one else does. The threat to turn an enemy into 'a fine red mist' also pops up every ten issues or so, among several other notable and oft-repeated sayings.