For the FMA crew - a question

[cornerofmadness]

In the first anime, we see some street kid steal Ed's leg. I've always been put off by that. It seemed far too easy that someone would know how to do that. Also we saw Barry the Chopper do that to Ed as well (him, i could believe knew how to do it)


In the manga, we haven't seen anyone but a mechanic handling automail.

So the question is, how easy do you think it would be for a non-mechanic to remove automail? Barring that, how would you go about destroying it? (I'm thinking sledgehammer).

In fma_big_bang Ed is captured but once the Mickey Finn/bump to the head wears off, it's VERY hard to confine the little bugger and I don't want his escape to be so assured and easy. My thought was the bad guy wants Ed's limbs off (so she can sell the boy to clients with amputee fetishes). Simply taking them off would be easiest. Busting them off is a possibilty.

how would you do it? Heck how does WINRY take it off. We see it going on more often than not. Is there an off switch? a little lever that allows them to come off? And for that matter, would a patient know how to get it off (for other stories down the road) I'm thinking yes. If it got a short in it and started arcing over the nerves I'd think the patient should know how to get it off in an emergency.

thanks

Comments

[enemytosleep]

From what I've seen it looks like she takes a wrench and releases the nerve connection through a bolt near the port (seems hydraulic). Then I imagine it's all a matter of removing screws and hooks.

and how terrible am I for wanting to purchase limbless Ed?

SoI think with enough fiddling anyone with a decent sense of how things are put together could figure it out. There is always the sledgehammer/sawzall.

As for emergencies, I think they would know how to release the nerve connections/shut it off. They may need help actually removing it, but I could see shutting it down easily.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that's what I figure. You just need to undo the screws (got another story upcoming where the screws were made of faulty metal that wasn't visible on visual inspection)

you are terrible

That means Lauren needs to direct this since Nick is an idiot. he'd go for the sledge immediatly. (now to distract them before they get the leg off)

yeah I agree. It almost has to be that way or someone is gonna be in pain

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

Ha, enemy, somehow I knew I'd see you here. He is twelve in this story, you know. You might want to buy him when he's more ... developed?

Ed just blows his automail arm off when he's fighting Ran Fan, so I reckon enemy's sawzall comment is about right if you didn't care about damaging your automail (and wearer?). As a side note Ed doesn't seem to be in discomfort after tricking Ran Fan, but the arm is bust already, so that might make a difference.

I think it's the sort of thing you might know how to do if you had a partner or relative with automail. Otherwise ... sawzall I reckon.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes poor barely pubscent Edward

that's true. I forgot about that scene with Ran Fan. Ed did get that off quite easily.

There's a possibility this isn't Lauren and Nick's first go around with automatil (Lauren knows he's an alchemist and knows enough that he needs both hands to draw which is her first impetus to remove Ed's arm. The second is he might be more marketable to the speciality market that way)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

He didn't actually take the arm out of socket, though. He busted the arm apart (sledge hammer) by transmuting it.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

is that what he did? With Ed this is unsurprisingly. I'm not sure why Winry doesn't shove that metal fist up someplace.

[enemytosleep]

But he doesn't stay twelve!

[bob_fish.livejournal.com]

You would have to mature him. Like a fine cheese.

this conversation is getting creepier by the moment

[enemytosleep]

XD

But look at him. Look at that little face. I swear I thought he was 16, officer!

[anat-astarte.livejournal.com]

I think stealing automail is very much like stealing anything else- the thief needs to learn enough of the mechanics to pull it off, like how a thief needs to know about car wiring to hotwire a car.

But this does pose another interesting question- how long would it take to steal someone's automail off their body?

[a-big-apple.livejournal.com]

Well, if it requires a wrench and a basic understanding of what to unscrew, then it has to take a few minutes, right? Though the point about the patient getting it off in an emergency is interesting and problematic, since I doubt Ed carries a wrench around. I suppose he could borrow some metal from Al and transmute one, but most people with automail couldn't do that.... So maybe it has a quick release like a bike wheel. ;)

[anat-astarte.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like the idea of a quick release- good for emergency removals and thieves stealing from the unconscious! ^_~

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

as bob_fish reminded me, Ed did take his off when fighting with Ran Fan so it must have some kind of quick release

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes, this is exactly what I'm thinking. Thanks

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yes exactly. I think since Ed is unconscious in this case it probably poses a less time. how long will it take probably depends on how proficient you are

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Well, we see the Rockbells connecting the nerves with socket wrenches, so there's something to that, but Pinako seemed to just kind of...pull Ed's leg off without doing much of anything in the manga. I can't imagine there not being some sort of latch or hook and eye or something to keep the automail on, otherwise, what's to stop Ed from doing a roundhouse kick and his leg flying off?

Obviously, the outer shell (i.e., shin guard, knee and shoulder plates) appear to have been put on with extra stuff (shoulder and knee appear to be sliding rivets but it's hard to tell for sure - I'd love to have a very good close up and - forgive me, Ed - blown apart schematic for Ed's automail).

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

see now i'd pay to see Ed's leg suddenly sailing off in a middle of a fight.

I figure the plates and that are quite easy to remove but the whole limb should be at least a bit harder.

Smashing it with a sledge will work in this story.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Oops," says Winry, as Ed tumbles to the ground and Alphonse's helmet is smashed by flying leg, "I knew I forgot to latch something."

I thought in one of the guidebooks, Winry talks a little bit about automail and how it attaches but that might be me dreaming hopefully.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

giggles oh the images

[ishte.livejournal.com]

I don't know about anyone else, but My Ed's leg has a pair of release switches that basically flip over to hook into the socket housing and pull everything tight. He can release his leg pretty easily. He says that his arm is a little more complicated because he has no stump. Part of his shoulder had to be rebuilt to support the socket. He can take his arm off flush with his shoulder with a similar pair of switches at the edge of his shoulder plating, but he needs help reconnecting it right.

For Manga references, what about the time that Ed went to Rush Valley to have Winry fix his arm, but got in a fight with Ran Fan... took off his broken arm to use it as a ruse and thus won the fight, but destroyed his arm even mre.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i would find this plausible

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I would think that anything as complex as automail would HAVE to be removed by the engineer (slash-surgeon). After all, mail is operated by the wearer's BRAIN -- I mean, you have a point about the patient having an "off switch," but I still think it needs to be somehow connected to the wearer's own central nervous system.

I would think a THIEF would have to kill the wearer and take the limb all the way to the flesh.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i think it must have a disengage that allows it to come off. We do see Ed removing his (granted in pieces) and the first anime at least you could get away with just about any damn person taking it since it happened twice.

but i agree, it shouldn't be TOO easy.

where's my sledgehammer

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Since I wasn't researching for fanfic, I never really noticed anyone taking it off, but now that you've mentioned it, I've started THINKING about it!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

oh good. looks like i got a lot of people thinking about it.