Blood for the Baron!

I hope this is in the right place and also many might already know the answer to this, but I was really wondering what is that box thing on the back of Red Shadows heads?

Also is the facemask a solid piece? Maybe something like a night face-plate from middle ages?

Sorry for the yank questions, but again I never grew up with the stuff like you guys .

momaw nadon

I've always thought that it was maybe some sort of breathing aparratus and that they were sort of hermetically sealed inside those helmets, in effect making them invulnerable to gas and smoke attacks etc. Saying that, I don't doubt that someone else will know much more than me!

Maybe it's a bomb that can only be deactivated by the Baron? After all they are fanatics and have been used in suicide attacks.

I've always thought of it as breathing aperatus too. Although as I never had C3 PO as a kid I also used to turn my one Shadows head around and pretend he was a robot when playing Star Wars.

The Shad head situation is further confused when you look at the way different Battle Action Force artists drew them. In some pictures they appear to almost have helmets on and face mask balaclavas. In others, like on the Home page picture here, they look like they have an almost two part arrangement with helmet and face plate, but recessed eyes, yet in other artists interpretations the eye slits are more like part of the faceplate and as such like little windows. So I'd guess there's no answer - they are what the artist (or child!) thought they are!

Hehe my C3-P0 eventually became my Terminator .

"Excuse me, I'm terribly sorry to ask, are you Mistress Sarah Connor?"
"uh... yes?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, but I have to kill you now." *BLAM!*

(with his head turned around) "I'll be back. It might be 15 years or so later, and I may have to star along side Jar Jar Binks (spits on the ground) in a rather weak prequel but I will be back, with all of my 6 million forms of communication"

I used to do the same Steve with my first Red Shadow

Odd that no one has said the thing that I thought it was . I was thinking that many would have said it was some kind of mind control unit. I think I like what you guys say better and keep it as a unit for breathing/life-supprot of some sort.

I think the best picture of a Red Shadow is the one in the Datafiles, other than the shape of the helmet, which looks odd to me. I think that will be my reference for my custom, and will stay with the mask being hard/protective over just something to cover they face. The helmet will be the German WWII style, as you see in most of the other pictures in the comics or close to it. I think that should give me the overall look that is a Red Shadows Trooper, right?

Thanks guys for the help.
momaw nadon

RETCONS AHOY!!

it's obviously the unit where the mind control gas comes from that was referenced in the ConComic.