I was talking with Liftoff Saturday and I found that we had very different assumptions about how it's to be worn and what it does for the HEATer in combat.

He used it with the 'extension arm' hanging under the left elbow as a brace for the rocket launcher when launching; and I saw the arm as exhaust pipes over the right shoulder. Back in the day I simply saw it as a power pack for his optical systems, but nowadays I had the idea the pipes worked as a mister to disperse a cooling/covering fog to keep him invisible to enemy tank sensors.

How do you have your HEATers wear it, and why?

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I put the extending pipes on the bottom, mainly because that is how I always did. But I continue now because that is how he was depicted in catalogs.

I agree with NotPicard. I always thought the pipes were at the bottom. It just "looked better" to me.

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On the bottom. Always that is was exhaust of some kind. They look like pipes and his name is HEAT Viper.

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As for what it does, I feel like it is a fuel tank/exhaust system used in the propulsion of the anti-tank projectile.

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I always have him set up with the exhaust pipes at the bottom. I thought the missiles on his legs went into the launcher itself, and the large missiles on his back pack could be fired from his back, and the pipes were for disperse the heat and exhaust from those.

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LOL, looks like you were both wrong (if there is a wrong).

I had the pipes on the bottom, as well. No idea what it's for. Maybe since it connects to the suit, it's a coolant of some kind?

Funny side note; I went to YoJoe.com to look at the backpack (don't have mine handy) and check out the card art (the definitive way the backpack should be). Can't tell on the card art which way it is, or even that he's wearing a backpack.
Anyway, when I looked at the loose figure geared up, I noticed the rocket launcher is backwards!
P.S. This figure has the pipes on the bottom, too.

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