Time for another 'How do you use?' thread! (Pauses for applause)

The WHALE in my opinion, has always been one of my absolute favorite vehicles in the line. I always managed to find some way to work it into every play story, but rarely as a main player. I always saw it as mainly a landing craft, and as an extraction vehicle. It would drop troops off for a mission, then pull back. If there was an opposition on the ground before troops were deployed, it was able to provide some intitial support with its missiles and cannons.

The WHALE would return if needed to pick up wounded, or would return to pick up troops at the end of a mission. On occassion, the landing force would use a night landing raft to return to the WHALE if the LZ was too hot.

While the WHALE also was good for ramming if needed, its overall size never seemed to me to make for a good offensive vehicle against other water vehicles. I thought a MORAY would sink it with one torpedo, and even PIRAHNAs would run laps around it. I though the WHALE was best used as a support/medical vehicle, and even then benefited highly from having at least two DEVILFISH for an escort.

How did you use the WHALE?

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In reality, the WHALE would be used for troop/vehicle transportation. The size of the toy limits it.

Still, I almost wholly agree with your uses, from transport to EVAC, with some offensive capabilities. I think its a great transport from, say, the TTBP to land and back as well.

It even has a bike if things go wrong too

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Hehe, true. While I did find many a use for the sled, I reaaaally never used the bike. I couldn't get a figure to look good riding it, and while the addition of it was definetely a good idea, the execution was bad. I almost wish a green Joe version of the Night Landing was some how worked into it.

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When I was younger I never owned one, but my friend did. I told him not to fill it with troops. He did and he also had Hawk and duke in it. I decided to volunteer a Strato viper for a kamikaze mission.....Night Raven hits the WHALE, BOOOOM. Cobra eventually won this battle;)

If I had one now I would use it as a coastal defence vehicle.

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Would a torpedo even work against the WHALE? Or would it pass right under it, harmlessly?

I always used it mainly as a landing craft. Mostly just for troops, but sometimes the imagination would allow for a RAM, Recon Sled, and other small vehicles to be in the cargo hold.

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Dang, that's an excellent question!

Since the skirt of the WHALE toy is solid plastic, I never though about your solid question. I don't know...maybe Chief or one of the military guys would know the answer to that. In any case, I suppose the MORAYS 6 other air missiles could blow away the WHALES props, thereby disabling it, then finish it off with those gigantic cannons.

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I think the WHALE has a really good chance in a fight.

It is armed pretty well, and since it "hovers" it can sit in one spot and spin 360 degrees, maintaining target lock with it's main guns, and making it almost impossible for anything else to "run circles" around it. Then add in the independantly rotating gunner stations, and rocket pods, and you'd be pretty hard pressed to get out of it's line of fire. Plus since it hovers, it may not be effected by most conventional torpedoes or landmines or other such weaponry.

Just some more thoughts.

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A Mark 48 torpedo probably could deep-six a Whale. They're designed to detonate beneath the keel of a ship, breaking it's back.



http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/84/whale/whale_back.shtml

Awful big blind spot. Couple of Jihad Vipers in a small boat with RPGs could decommission the WHALE.

Still, a cool vehicle, and i wish i had one.

All good points! There may be a spot for you in Cobra's navy.

Can a hovercraft really spin in one spot? If so, I think the WHALEs biggest issue may be it's rear/blind spot. Two PIRAHNAs zipping circles around a rotating, stationary WHALE I think would be able to distract it long enough for either one or the other, or perhaps a third to do some damage to it.

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I used the Whale as Naval support, and ship to ship operations. Seal insertions etc.
I also would use it for naval patrols, and as a command post for insertion missions. It was also a support ship for Devilfish and the Tactical Battle Platform.
I always viewed it as equivalent or nearly so to the Moray. Although I always thought the Moray's missles and guns would be more effective against the WHALE than the torps.
I always viewed the Morays torps as anti-shipping (say like the FLAGG or cruise ships) and anti-tactical battle platform weapons.
The WHALE also has the advantage of being able to go on land, and escape seaborn threats.

Here is a pretty decent video showing some of the things Hovercraft are capable of.

At around the 1:19 mark it is shown spinning, while stationary.

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That is pretty bad ass. I wonder how much the WHALEs weight would affect its speed in doing maneveurs like that?

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I <3 the whale. I never had one when I was younger and I really don't have one yet but close as I have just two propellers and one missile launcer w/missiles away from completing mine. But I always envisioned the Whale like it was used in the comics. And in one issue the Whale did do a 180 on a Cobra controlled atoll. But I can also see it used as the others are saying as well. And yea the Whale can hover/fly over the land as well so there's a bonus on it. As it did in Issue #28.
I'm putting a dragonfly turret on the back of my Whale to add some rear defense capabilities of the gatling gun and grenade launcher and the cycle is being replaced by either my Ram mk 3 custom I submitted to the gallery or just a Corps motorcycle.

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Well, I use mine typically as my main Joe Water vehicle, (Compliment to the Cobra's Hydrofoil). It is usually accompanied with Devilfishes and Sharc 9000s in a heavy battle.

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The only real minus I ever saw about the whale in a fight was the fact that the plenum isn't armored. That not only detracts from it's ability to ram effectively (" ahhhhhhh!!" --sound of a kickball being punted-- "oh, never mind.") it also is a really big weakness, especially when facing a laser beam armed enemy. Just open a big tear in one side of the skirt, and The whale gets really hard to steer. Open a big enough tear, and it belly flops onto the water and sucks air into it's fan chabers, burning up it's motors. I just used/use it for quick ins/ quick outs.