Talk:Big Lad/@comment-30893141-20170102021307/@comment-16533050-20170102034530

True, but my supposition was that it may not have been perfected yet. For all we know, it could have been.

Even with the way the comic reads, the flamethrower used by the Big Lad is indeed stolen government tech.

However, there are several tactical disadvantages to a flamethrower:


 * Weight: perhaps the reason the Big Lad didn't wear armor was to compensate for the additional weight of the flamethrower tank. The whale oil tanks on a regular Tallboy are considerably smaller than normal ones.


 * Fuel economy: the weapon is limited to only a few seconds of burn time since it uses fuel very quickly, requiring the operator to be precise and conservative. It's more prudent and economic (money-wise and time-wise) to use weaponry wherein the ammunition can be easily replaced.


 * Range: while the science and weaponry are obviously different than real-world counterparts, early World War 1 models had only a range of about 15 meters.


 * Better targeting capabilities: with a lot of the city in ruin unchecked fires could quickly get out of control. With a more accurate weapon concentrating fire (pardon the pun) to a smaller, controlled area, this alleviates a lot of collateral damage both populace and property-wise.