Replica TNT- 1/2 Pound Blocks

THESE REPLICAS ARE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF PRODUCTION AND SHOULD BE READY TO SHIP AROUND MID MAY. BE SURE TO HIT THE "NOTIFY ME" BUTTON ON THE LISTING TO GET A TEXT/EMAIL WHEN THESE ARE AVAILABLE.

This listing is for either 1 replica TNT block or a pack of 5.  These are inert replicas designed for use in historical reenactments, museum displays, and theatrical productions and cannot be made to fire.

The 1/2 pound TNT block developed by the Army Corps of Engineers is hands done one of the most iconic pieces of military demolitions of WWII made famous in modern media by films such as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers and video games such as Call of Duty and Brothers in Arms.

With this in mind we wanted to create the most historically accurate and toughest reproduction TNT block that has possibly ever been made while at the same time keeping them as cost effective for our customers as possible.

Features include:

1. 26 Gauge stamped steel endcaps made to exact original specifications
2. Endcaps can be removed so tubes can be filled, by the customer, with inert material (such as clay) to match the weight of an original
3. Containment tube designed to the exact size/shape specifications as originals
4. Tube walls are made of reinforced plastic to ensure maximum strength and durability for decades of reenactment, display, or theatrical use 
5. Precision designed label made from a high definition scan of an original to create each individual letter by hand to ensure maximum authenticity
6. Professionally printed label on matte paper per original specifications

The first and most important visual component we insisted on getting as accurate as possible were the steel endcaps.  90% of all modern replicas are 3D printed or resin cast making them fragile and prone to damage.  Additionally the plastic/resin never looks like steel so they always look fake.  For our replicas we deconstructed a demilled original 1/2 pound TNT block so we could measure the gauge of steel as well as use it to reverse engineer the exact size and shape of both endcaps including the iconic "detonator spigot" found in the right end cap.

The second component we wanted to get exactly right was the label itself.  We started by creating a high definition scan of our original label then, in photoshop, we individually create each and every letter on the label from scratch using an overlay on the original image to ensure each letter was the exact same size and shape as their original counterparts.  We also wanted to match the colors exactly, this was difficult because original labels are always extremely faded from age.  Using our original sample as well as several original color images we were able to create labels that are as close to originals as is physically possible.

Lastly, we needed to recreated the "tube" itself.  To do this we used precision tools to measure our original examples to ensure the dimensions of the blocks as well as the radius of the corners matched originals exactly.  The one and only change we have made from the original design was the material we used to make the tubes themselves. 

Original TNT blocks were constructed of a cardboard tube with steel endcaps on both sides.  Card board was the obvious choice during WWII because it was cheap and TNT is, of course, a "one-time-use" item so the tube did not need to be made of a robust material.  However, because our replicas will need to be used for reenactments for many years we wanted to use a material that was not only strong but also waterproof.  We settle on plastic over metal so it will never corrode and we made the walls extra thick so they wont break if they are stepped or sat on.  Additionally if these are ever caught in the rain or submerged in water they won't fall apart like originals.  

To date the most common replica 1/2 pound TNT blocks have fallen into one of 2 categories of manufacturing that both fall short of the real thing.  The first being 3D printed while these can be cheap but they rarely look like an original because you always see the 3d printing lines and secondly the endcaps always look like dull gray plastic rather than steel.  The other type of manufacturing has been resin castings of originals.  The shape of these can look pretty good because they are actual castings of original.  However these have 3 major downsides, the edges of the endcaps are always very fragile because they are so thin and can break easily, second the endcaps never look like steel because they are painted, and third they are expensive because they are solid resin.  With these shortcomings in mind we have designed our replicas to not only be some of (if not the most) accurate replicas that have ever been made but also some of the most cost effective replicas on the market.

****Note that our labels are made of matte paper, the same as originals, because of these these labels can be fragile if they become wet.  If they ever become wet, we recommend that you do not handle them, simply allow them to dry on their own and the paper will not be as prone to deteriorating.  Additionally, beings these labels are made of paper, they can fade when left in bright sunlight for long periods of time.  If you ever wish to replace the labels on our replicas, please, reach out to us and we can sell your replacements****