History Main / RetroUpgrade

* The PaK 36 was a potent anti-tank gun when it was first introduced. However, by 1940, it was dismissed as "the Wehrmacht's door-knocker", as it had become virtually unable to pierce the armour of any Allied tank. The weapon was rescued and given a new lease of life by the advent of tungsten-cored ammunition, allowing it to penetrate thicker armour than the standard round could manage. When it became apparent that even the improved ammunition would no longer work, the gun was further adapted to fire a shaped charge grenade from the muzzle, which had the ability to pierce virtually any Allied tank armour up until the end of the war. Though it was supplanted in its role as an infantry anti-tank weapon by larger, more powerful guns, the PaK 36's lighter weight, low production costs, and ease of handling had some distinct advantages that allowed it to remain in production until 1942, with some light infantry and paratrooper units using it until the end of the war.

** On a related note, it's sometimes speculated that improved missile technology will further reduce the importance of gun armament in naval warfare, with weapons such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Airframe_Missile Rolling Airframe Missile] taking over secondary roles that are usually covered by gun-based systems. However, other speculations contend that advances anti-missile technology and emerging technologies such as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/railgun railgun] will reassert the importance of gun armament in naval warfare.
** For the first half the century, the hand-cranked gatling gun had been largely replaced by fully automatic machine guns; it was later brought back as an air-to-air combat weapon, with the hand crank replaced by an electric/hydraulic motor and beefed up to fire automatic cannon rounds at a rate of up to 10,000 rounds per minute.

* The PaK 36 was a potent anti-tank gun when it was first introduced. However, by 1940, it was dismissed as "the Wehrmacht's door-knocker", as it had become virtually unable to pierce the armour of any Allied tank. The weapon was rescued and given a new lease of life by the advent of tungsten-cored ammunition, allowing it to penetrate thicker armour than the standard round could manage. When it became apparent that even the improved ammunition would no longer work, the gun was further adapted to fire a shaped-charge grenade from the muzzle, which had the ability to pierce virtually any Allied tank armour up until the end of the war. Though it was supplanted in its role as an infantry anti-tank weapon by larger, more powerful guns, the PaK 36's low weight, production costs, and ease of handling meant that

** The state of the art in artillery has see-sawed between impacting and explosive projectiles as different generations of armor and target hardening have come and gone.
** On a related note, it's sometimes speculated that improved missile-defence technology will increase the importance of gun armament for naval warfare. Recent developments such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter_Rocket,_Artillery,_and_Mortar C-RAM]] suggest otherwise, however.

*** Infantry are probably the most extreme example. As guns became stronger and more accurate troops went from fully armored (if they could afford it) to virtually unarmored, until even officers were wearing nothing more than a basic jacket and trousers, because it was all useless. Over time, developments like kevlar, ceramic plates, and ballistic riot shields have gradually turned the tide, but modern sci-fi seems convinced armor is poised for [[PoweredArmor a comeback]].
** Modern fighter jets are deliberately made less aerodynamic so that they can be more easily maneuvered. A lesson learned from examples set by the Russian Mig-31 Foxhound. The plane was designed for super-sonic speeds, but in practicality it's not too useful for anything but hit and run attacks. It's fast as hell, but turns exceptionally sluggishly even at low speeds.
** Silencers reduce ([[HollywoodSilencer but do not eliminate]]) the noise generated by rifles, but the best weapons that have been developed for silent work are... crossbows with rifle scopes.
*** Additionally, Chinese cops in areas that suffer from terrorist attacks are being issued crossbows in order to take out suicide bombers. A bullet might trigger the explosive. A crossbow bolt is significantly less likely to do so.
** Tanks, and armored vehicles in general. The first tank-like weapons appeared sporadically in WorldWarOne, but they were an ObviousBeta: slow, poorly armed, hard to maintain, and their armor was thick but riddled with weak points. It wasn't until WorldWarTwo that tanks appeared in a more or less modern form, aided by innovations in engines and chassis to make them faster, more maneuverable, and able to carry more weight. Recent developments in armor have included chainmail hung off the sides of the tank to help protect from shaped-charge projectiles ([[LensmanArmsRace leading in turn]] to kinetic penetrators...)
** There's an interesting example with submarines, as well. Nuke subs are unparalleled in their ability to roam the open ocean for months at a time with little to no support. For most of the mid-late 20th Century, they also performed much better in terms of submerged speed and other factors. However, beginning with the Soviet Kilo class in the 1980s, diesel-electric technology started catching up in performance, if not loitering time. While running off of batteries, diesel-electric subs are significantly *quieter* than nuke subs, which could potentially give them a big advantage in battle.
* Germany's PaK 37 anti-tank-gun was potent in 1939, but rendered progressively more ineffectual by thicker tank armour until by late 1941 it was dismissed as "the Wehrmacht's door-knocker". The weapon was rescued and given a new lease of life by the advent of tungsten-cored ammunition allowing it to penetrate thicker armour than the standard round could manage. With limited supplies of tungsten, it was thought most effective to use this to make lots of smaller-calibre shells rather than to create these rounds for larger weapons - which needed no enhancement to penetrate heavy armour with conventional rounds. The 37mm was also adapted as a weapon for ground-attack aircraft, which could automatically fire a magazine of rounds into the thinner top and rear armour of tanks.

** When electric cars were invented they failed to catch on because they weren't as efficient or powerful as internal combustion driven ones. With advances in electric cells and motors (as well as the development of hybrid cars, thanks to computers becoming advanced enough to manage the energy in them) they're beginning to become more viable.

In speculative fiction settings this is a common way for a work to justify the prevalence of [[GunsVsSwords swords over guns]] using {{Technobabble}} (or {{Magibabble}}) to establish some technology which shifts the mechanics of combat in favor of melee weapons somehow.

* In ''Film/{{Elysium}}'', Max wonders why he's being given an antique AK to use and is promptly shown the futuristic explosive rounds that allow it to remain viable.

* In the early days of the games industry a lot of them were made by individual programmers (or small teams) who self published (by distributing cassette tapes or floppy disks with photocopied manuals). As computer hardware became more powerful, games became more complicated to make and larger teams were needed. Then DigitalDistribution happened, along with smaller devices which call for older styles of gameplay, and "indie" games are back in vogue.

This is a sister trope to MagikarpPower where something which appears useless or obsolete becomes more effective because it's more compatible with the very latest technology than what came in between (either in technology or the ability of the user). The two can be distinguished thus; a Magikarp Superpower becomes more effective after working and improving it (e.g. levelling a magikarp up until it evolves into a [[DiscOneNuke gyarados]]), while this trope becomes more effective because ''something else'' has improved (e.g. a high level item which gives magikarps in particular a significant boost in power).

** Silencers reduce the noise generated by rifles, but the best weapons that have been developed for silent work are... crossbows with rifle scopes.
** Tanks, and armored vehicles in general. The first tank-like weapons appeared sporadically in WorldWarOne, but they were an ObviousBeta: slow, poorly armed, hard to maintain, and their armor was thick but riddled with weak points. It wasn't until WorldWarTwo that tanks appeared in a more or less modern form, aided by innovations in engines and chassis to make them faster, more maneuverable, and able to carry more weight.

* When electric cars were invented they failed to catch on because they weren't as efficient or powerful as internal combustion driven ones. With advances in electric cells and motors (as well as the development of hybrid cars, thanks to computers becoming advanced enough to manage the energy in them) they're beginning to become more viable.

* In the early days of the games industry a lot of them were made by individual programmers (or small teams). As computer hardware became more powerful, games became more complicated to make and larger teams were needed. Then DigitalDistribution happened, along with smaller devices which call for older styles of gameplay, and "indie" games are back in vogue.

* Old Klingon ships in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' were protected against the Breen energy-draining weapon, by an obsolete component (it might even have been a reference to the outdated plasma coils in the cloaking system from ''StarTrekGenerations''), with which the rest of the Romulan, Klingon and Federation fleets were quickly retrofitted.

** Modern fighter jets are deliberately made less aerodynamic so that they can be more easily maneuvered.

* In ''{{Veritas}}'', after spending long periods training to purify his {{Ki}} flow, Gangryong discovers that he gets much better results if he deliberately clogs the flow until it bursts and washes out his system. Overlaps with DangerousForbiddenTechnique, since timing it wrong could kill him.

* In ''StarTrekVoyager'' the ship's engine and hull get improved using technology based on a carburetor and the hull of the Titanic, respectively.
* Old Klingon ships in ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' were protected against the Breen energy-draining weapon, by an obsolete component (it might even have been a reference to the outdated plasma coils in the cloaking system from ''StarTrekGenerations''), with which the rest of the Romulan, Klingon and Federation fleets were quickly retrofitted.

* In ''{{Pokemon}} '' Pikachu, despite being pretty much the official mascot for the franchise, was never very useful in game due to its low stats. Later generations, however, included a special item called the Light Ball, which could only be equipped by Pikachu and would significantly boost its speed and damage, giving it a viable role as a GlassCannon.
* In ''ChronoTrigger'', Robo, a robot from year 2300, can be equipped with stone arms you find in prehistory and they're the best weapons you can find (at the time).