"the US military boffin apparat whose early-afternoon dining policy is strictly extramural" - you owe me a new keyboard.

Zero landing speed is the normal landing method of every free flight competition model, only there its called a dethermalised landing.

However, its old news for suitable manned aircraft as well. The Fieseler F1i.156 Storch, a WW2 German observation and army liason plane, was well known for having this capability.

Hving seen some of the Indoor RC planes capable of prop hanging I dont see perch and take off as being particulary Difficult. check youtube for the vids..

Given the whole sufficiently-advanced-technology thing I think it would be best if these devices were designed to look like gargoyles, combining effective performance in the field with totally freaking the hell out of anyone who saw them.

They would quickly become standard issue with the Goth Marines who I have just thought up but may actually be the best military unit ever.

Are we allowed to post hints, or do you want them to suffer?

Extramural - taking place outside the walls, a reference to outside the box?

So they have to dine outside the box? In the early afternoon? Lunch outside the box maybe, or afternoon tea outside the box?

Am I missing something? Or did you just mean that they go for lunch of site, maybe to a nearby pub?

Out to lunch you fools!

Perhaps it will hang on to the side of a ship/antena mast/tank/water tower/fridge with a magnet and use a reverse pulse from an electromagnet to pop itself of again.

If it freely swivelled round the magnet it could stall nose up into the side of a near vertical surface target, gravity would turn it nose down. This would make camera orientation and subsequent re-launch easier if you could find an elevated ferous target.

First I had the vulture cos it looks like it stalled out to soon. Then I went for Paris cos I bet she swivels freely.

Try 'Out to Lunch'

"Mars Bar Party?"

You missed the Paris icon. I'll do it for you.....

Thanks for that - I now have to clear my partially masticated lunch from the depths of my keyboard.

If anyone is unaware of the term mars bar party, might I suggest you don't google it at work...

Steven R

"...with the Goth Marines who I have just thought up .."

The Goth Marines along with the Vampire Commandos are a long established division of the New Model Army Of The Undead. I've heard that it's easy to join but no one ever leaves.

(MIne's the long black leather one.)

While I like the term, technically it's incorrect unless the 'bot in question is spewing water onto the target.

Gargoyles are, strictly speaking, ornamental drainspouts intended to divert rainwater from the foundations of the building on which they perch. The classic crouching-monster non-drainspout is properly called a "grotesque".

Perhaps the technique in question could be referred as "Batman" mode, if Warner Bros. will allow.

Balloons/zeppelin or Helicopters. Maybe they're not fast enough or there are range issues?

They might be a bit obvious if they looked like this one:

http://flickr.com/photos/84265607@N00/2111671283/

I'd love to see that one when it's raining...