Scrap-Iron

Key takeaways

Scrap-Iron belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Scrap-Iron to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Scrap-Iron from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Scrap-Iron is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is Cobra's anti-armor specialist and debuted in 1984.

Profile Scrap-Iron is methodical as well as precise, as he finds any form of imperfection repellent. His primary military specialty is tank destroyer. Scrap-Iron was apparently a product designer working for the armaments company that Destro owns, performing field testing on any newly designed armor-piercing munitions as well as sub-munitions. He specializes in remotely-launched piezo-electric fused anti-tank weaponry that are laser-guided and rocket-propelled.

Phoenix Guard The members of the Phoenix Guard were Cobra agents in disguise, but for Cobra Commander's elaborate ruse to succeed, each member of the team needed doctored military records and manufactured personal histories. Scrap-Iron's fabricated identity was Mech, real name Timothy P. Janes, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mech's specialties were explosive ordnance, demolitions, information technology and engineering. He received basic training at Fort Benning, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training at Redstone Arsenal and Eglin Air Force Base. He also completed Airborne School at Fort Benning, and Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. He was the team's explosives ordnance and demolitions expert.

Toys Scrap-Iron was first released as an action figure in 1984. An updated version in a comic book two-pack with Wild Bill gave him a head with deep scarring and a "dead", milky-white right eye.

Comics

Marvel Comics In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, he first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #43 (January 1986). In that issue, he is working with Firefly as a security team for the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield. They meet up with the fugitive Buzzer and end up pursuing the older ninja, Soft Master. By chance, the trio meet up with Candy Appel, the daughter of a prominent Crimson Guardsman. With her is a drunken driver and Billy, the son of Cobra Commander. Scrap-Iron fires upon all of them, and only Billy survives, albeit with the loss of an eye and leg. Scrap-Iron and Firefly again work as a team to track down an unauthorized call from the Springfield 'Tiki Bar'. It is being made by Rip Cord, who flees in a car. Scrap-Iron takes aim but it is stopped by a Cobra operative, whose young daughter is in the vehicle. The girl captures Ripcord. Scrap-Iron fights in the first Cobra Civil War, which takes place on Cobra Island. Around this time, he fights G.I. Joe space forces as the two sides battle over weaponized satellites. Scrap-Iron works as an operative in a false hostage situation for Nexus-Tech, a company with ties to Cobra.

Devil's Due comics Scrap-Iron's influence carries over to the Devil's Due series of G.I. Joe comics. After a long battle on Cobra Island, Scrap-Iron and Major Bludd become prisoners of G.I. Joe. Scrap-Iron is broken out of prison by the mercenary named Wraith. Cobra Commander, disguised as the White House Chief of Staff, manages to use his operatives to create the Phoenix Guard, a new "alternative" to the G.I. Joe Team led by an unsuspecting General Rey. Scrap-Iron joins this team under the name of "Mech". The Phoenix Guard demolishes "The Rock", the Joes' current headquarters, injuring many Joes and killing thirty seven members of the support personnel. Once the deception is revealed, Scrap-Iron ends up arrested, and imprisoned in "The Coffin" prison facility in Greenland. While investigating the past of General Rey, Duke discovers that he had a long ago confrontation with Scrap-Iron in the fictional country of Borovia. Scrap-Iron is eventually freed alongside several others, during an assault on The Coffin led by Tomax.

Animated series

Sunbow He first appeared in the Sunbow G.I. Joe cartoon in the "Revenge of Cobra" mini-series voiced by Michael Bell. He is also featured in the mini-series "Arise, Serpentor, Arise", in which he and Doctor Mindbender are the inventors of the B.A.T (short for Battle Android Trooper). He sides with Cobra Commander when Doctor Mindbender meets with Destro and Tomax and Xamot on creating the Cobra Emperor. When Cobra Commander sabotages the first attempt with a mutated virus, Scrap-Iron betrays him and informs Mindbender in exchange for a million gold serpentines. In the second attempt, Scrap-Iron stops Cobra Commander from sabotaging it, enabling Serpentor to be born. While Serpentor is battling Sgt. Slaughter, Scrap-Iron is paid by Cobra Commander to not thwart his plan to attack Serpentor with reprogrammed B.A.T.s. Scrap-Iron takes part in Serpentor's invasion of Washington, DC, where he attacks the White House only to learn that the President and the Vice-President are out of town. Scrap-Iron reports this to Destro and the Baroness.

G.I. Joe: Renegades Scrap-Iron first appears in G.I. Joe: Renegades episode "Rage." Scrap-Iron is a scientist at M.A.R.S. Industries who captured war veterans from the streets in order to brainwash them and test their new exo-armors and power their rage. He did this on behalf of Destro while posing as a preacher offering war veterans coffee. Tunnel Rat became one of the victims. Soon, Roadblock ended up captured when he found Scrap-Iron and was subjected to the same experiment that Tunnel Rat and other people befell. When G.I. Joe arrived and disabled the controls on the exo-armor, Roadblock lunged towards Destro and Scrap-Iron as they get into their helicopter. Roadblock managed to deflect the missile back at the helicopter injuring the right side of Scrap-Iron's head. Destro told Scrap-Iron that his injuries will be avenged. In the episode "Castle Destro," Scrap-Iron's right head still has some burns as he and Destro work on the Bio-Dag rocket. After Duke destroy the Bio-Dag, Scrap-Iron gets away with Destro and the Baroness.

Video games Scrap-Iron is one of the featured villains in the 1985 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero computer game.

References

External links Scrap-Iron at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Scrap-Iron

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Scrap-Iron claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Scrap-Iron before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Scrap-Iron ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Scrap-Iron

In research: Scrap-Iron appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Scrap-Iron in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Scrap-Iron is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cobra (G.I. Joe) agents, Fictional henchmen, Fictional private military members, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Scrap-Iron outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Scrap-Iron in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Scrap-Iron means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Scrap-Iron out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Scrap-Iron in simple terms?

Scrap-Iron is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series.

Why does Scrap-Iron matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Scrap-Iron?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Scrap-Iron.