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Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh


Steve Long

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Howdy, folx! Thought I'd seek out the collective wisdom and web-searching powers of Herodom Assembled. ;)

 

For the Expanded Strength Table in The Ultimate Brick, I'd like to have lots of good examples of what things weigh. I have plenty of real-world examples of vehicles (from the HSVS) and for weapons (from various reference books I own), but beyond that I haven't had much luck tracking down a website or reference that would list the weights of lots of everyday objects.

 

Anyone know of any such sites, or have any other handy research tips?

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

For a lot of stuff that can be purchased like tables' date=' chairs, manufacturing equipment, try manufacturer and supplier web sites and catalogues.[/quote']

I don't know if it will work but I would first check with cargo rail lines and shipping lines(marine)...they are in the business of knowing how much big stuff weighs so they can charge by the hundred weight......hmmm...manufacturers of house jacks and the like might be good also....

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Average weight of a game designer?

Average weight of a game designer's cat?

Since this is about bricks, greater weights would probably be more appropriate -- like perhaps the current weight of Marlon Brando. ;)

 

Joking aside, one could turn to truly heavy record-setters. The current record (according to my research) is Carol Yager (1960-1994), who reportedly weighed 1600 pounds at her peak.

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Oh yeah. Heavy things. Well, Guinness is a great source

  • Largest Aircraft Carrier
    The warships with the largest full load displacement in the world are the Nimitz class US Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John C. Stennis, Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan, the last five of which displace approximately 98,550< tonnes (217.2 million lb).
  • Heaviest Freight Train
    The heaviest-ever train weighed 99,732.1 tonnes (220 million lb). It was assembled by Australia's BHP Iron Ore.
  • Largest Sumo Wrestling Champion
    Hawaiian-born Chad Rowan, alias Akebono, at 227 kg (501 lb)
  • Heaviest Periodical
    The heaviest periodical ever published was the December 2001 edition of the Italian bridal magazine Sposabella, which weighed 2.582 kg (5.692 lb).
  • Heaviest Mortar
    The heaviest mortar was the 12.24-m (36-ft 10-in) long, 60-cm (23-in) caliber German siege piece Karl. Only seven were built. Each weighed 124 tonnes (122 tons). Only six were used in Europe during World War II.
  • Heaviest Nuclear Bomb
    The heaviest known nuclear bomb in operational service was the Mk 17 carried by US B-36 bombers in the mid 1950s. It weighed 19,050 kg (42,000 lb) and was 7.47 m (24 ft 6 in) long. The bomb had the dubious distinction of being involved in a "Broken Arrow" lost nuke incident in 1957, when a Mk 17 accidentally fell from a B-36 near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The bomb's high explosive components detonated upon landing but thankfully this did not trigger a nuclear explosion.
  • Heaviest Conventional Bomb
    The heaviest conventional bomb used operationally was the British Royal Air Force’s "Grand Slam", which weighed 9,980 kg (22,000 lb.). The bomb was used against Germany in 1945. A bomb weighing 19,050 kg. was tested by the US Air Force in 1949.
  • Heaviest Weight Balanced On Head
    John Evans balanced 101 bricks, weighing a total of 188.7 kg (416 lb) on his head, for 10 seconds at the BBC Television Centre, London, England, on December 24, 1997.
  • Heaviest Space Station To Re-Enter Atmosphere
    On March 23, 2001, the Russian space station Mir crashed back into the Earth's atmosphere after an incredible 15 years in space. It weighed 130 tonnes (286,600 lb)

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Since this is about bricks' date=' greater weights would probably be more appropriate[/quote']

 

Well, you know, knowing how far you can *throw* a game designer or his cat might be useful. Then again, anyone suggesting it might be hit by a bolt from the blu...

 

*sound of settling ash*

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Well' date=' you know, knowing how far you can *throw* a game designer or his cat might be useful. [/quote'] Then maybe would should get the weight of an average politician, so we have something by which to guage trustworthiness... :P

 

More seriously, Solomon's bridge site should be a good resource -- especially for every villain's favorite target, the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

A site which lists some asteroid masses. Unfortunately, they're by solar mass rather than kilograms, but that shouldn't be too hard to convert.

 

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/hilton/asteroid_masses.htm

 

Sorry, you said "every day objects". Not reading closely.

 

My cat last weighed in at nine and a half pounds, though.

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Stonehenge

 

Each stone slab at stonehenge weighs 90 metric tons.

 

The big heads that the Olmec used to carve out of basalt weighed 40 tons.

 

The big heads on Easter island weigh as much as 50 tons.

 

A human Brain weighs 21/4 to 31/4 lb (1-1.5 kg). (I got all encyclopedia happy)

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Don't forget Arrows and Rocks... Besides looking at various Huge & Massive things to include, remember that Mass affects Throwing... What sort of debris and things is someone liable to find at hand, to throw in the first place...?

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Well, you know, knowing how far you can *throw* a game designer or his cat might be useful. Then again, anyone suggesting it might be hit by a bolt from the blu...

 

*sound of settling ash*

 

How many extra xp does Blue Bolt receive for that? [Guess what my brand-new, only played 2 sessions, character's name is?]

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Well, as long as we're including significant unique structures, here are a couple whose weights I was able to find:

 

Washington Monument: 91,000 tons

Eiffel Tower: 7300 metric tons

Spruce Goose: 200 tons

 

Things of interest I'd like to see, but couldn't find:

 

Great Sphinx at Giza

Tokyo Television Tower (for those Godzilla knockoffs)

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro

Ayers Rock

Space Needle

 

I also think you should include the exact weight in grams of a single copy of HERO System 5th Edition. ;)

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Thanx, guys -- please keep the ideas and information coming!

 

I also think you should include the exact weight in grams of a single copy of HERO System 5th Edition.

 

LOL. Done. According to my postal scale, a 5E weighs in at almost exactly 1.2 kg -- meaning you need a STR of at least -22 to lift it. ;)

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

I'll post the idea now in case someone else wants to get to it before me, but if not then when things settle down a bit for me I think I'll go look for standards weights of sports equipment -- baseballs, bats, footballs, football goal posts, soccer balls, golf balls, golf clubs, basketballs, cricket bats, cricket wickets, shots (for shot put), track hurdles, and so forth.

 

And Steve, you might also check at someplace like outpost.com for the weights of various types of computer equipment. I'm sure many players would find great satisfaction in sailing these through the air (generally through the nearest window, open or not). :eg:

 

Finally, just in case you deem it relative, I personally weigh in at 230 pounds. ;)

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Well, as long as we're including significant unique structures, here are a couple whose weights I was able to find:

 

Eiffel Tower: 7300 metric tons

 

Things of interest I'd like to see, but couldn't find:

 

Tokyo Television Tower (for those Godzilla knockoffs)

Tokyo tower is only a bit bigger (13 meters) than the Eiffel Tower, but weighs 4000 tons vs. 7000 tons for Eiffel. (Information from http://metropolis.japantoday.com/biginjapan/biginjapaninc.htm.)

 

Watch out for its spoon-bending properties!

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Was it Champions II or Champions III that had an entire page of weights of stuff? It included off-the-cuff values for comic-booky things like "Alien Spacecraft" (small, medium, and large, no less).

 

I had a copy of that sheet in my Hero Reference Notebook, but it is long gone. Anyway, it was a great reference for Champions.

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Googled for a few things:

 

Empire State Building: 365,000 tons

Statue of Liberty 450,000 lb

 

Boeing 747-400 Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight 800,000 lb

McDonnell Douglas F-15 56,000 lb

Cessna 150 MGTF 1600 lbs

 

2004 Ford F150 SuperCab 4x4 5.4L Curb Weight 7200 lb

 

space shuttle 25000 kg

plus tank and boosters 2,000,000 kg

 

 

Remember that you can use google to convert units. Just type in something like "25000 pounds in kilograms". Google is your friend.

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Re: Ultimate Brick -- What Things Weigh

 

Well, it's been a very interesting and educational day so far. :)

 

Googling for various monuments and landmarks (Empire State Building, Great Pyramid, St. Louis Gateway Arch, Liberty Bell, etc.) has yielded some weights. So has trolling through the websites of various manufacturers of furniture, appliances, electronics, and such -- though obviously I've had to take "averages" on some items, or list small/large/etc. ;)

 

OTOH, if anyone actually knows the weight of a telephone pole, they are keeping the information to themselves. I found something I could estimate from, so that'll have to do. ;)

 

So far the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx both top the list. They each weigh approx. 6.4 megatons, meaning you'd need a 140 STR to lift 'em.

 

Keeps those suggestions, links, and tidbits of information coming!

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