I didn't draw that, just so you know. Credits to the original artist.
It could be the blade is surprisingly light and just very, VERY sharp. I also can't see it starting to develop until AFTER birth, or a fetal Andalite would destroy its mother's insides.
ETA: I just remembered: In the book where Tobias morphs Ax, there's a part where Ax is moving his tail in figure eights(presumably above his head, I think) and that makes me think of that figure eight whip trick in the video.
Andalite muscles might be different than ours. Their blood is blue-black. For all we know their muscles might have more elasticity than ours. And the blade itself probably works like a katana blade. So it IS going to be very light and it's the experience of the warrior who owns it that determines how well it'll cut. Tailblades might break in battle. (Morph/demorph can fix it unless you're allergic like Mertil.)
Samurai and ronin warriors learned how to draw their katana in a way that would do damage. I saw a show about it where a swordsman demonstrated, and it was done so fast that an inexperienced person wouldn't even recognize the blade moved until their guts spilled out.
Andalite tails might work on the same principle.
I love this speculation!
Post Merged: November 10, 2010, 06:00:46 PM
Bumping to add more video of interest.
A scorpion striking rodents.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQUwjAtU-Fk[/youtube]
If the Andalite tail works THAT way, then the battle position for their tail would be similar to a scorpion, with the curved part of the "scythe" like blade pointed up and the point facing forward.
It could very well be that some tail motions are like a whip, and others are more of a direct scorpion-style stabbing thrust and they all have the effect of a Samurai performing a cutting draw.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdcrK7i5GLw[/youtube]
Tobias morphed Ax and got his tailblade stuck in a tree, which suggests to me he thrust with the point of the blade first.