MoneySupermarket has released an updated infographic detailing the cost of being Iron Man in anticipation for the upcoming ‘Iron Man 3′. Taken into account is his expanded armory of suits, the cost to rebuild his home, his collection of cars, and his super computer. It all comes out to just north of 10 billion dollars; being a super hero just isn’t a poor man’s game, unless your Peter Parker, of course.
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/money/the-cost-of-being-iron-man-3-infographic/
North Korea has, for the second time recently, released a propaganda video that steals assets from a popular Western-developed video game, this time music from ‘Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’. The first instance of this was an earlier video that featured footage of a war-torn New York City that was clearly taken from ‘Modern Warfare 3′. The video was taken down from YouTube due to a copyright violation, but it’s still embedded on Kotaku for those who are curious.
First Spear, along with Renegade Armor, Wilcox, and Aimpoint, sponsored a media range day at the Las Vegas metropolitan police department firing range. Three ranges were set up, with the first two featuring rifles by H&K and LMT, and pistols by Nighthawk Custom and SIG Sauer. The third range featured something a bit more exotic: rifles by FERFRANS, who are known for their Delayed Sear Activation System. This system made the 7.5″ 5.56 SCW PDW very controllable when fired in full-auto. It’s also very likely this system was responsible for reducing the felt recoil of the 7.62 SOACR near 5.56 levels. Wilcox also had demonstrations of their breaching torch technology; seeing the torch used to melt through rebar as quickly as it did was impressive. Overall, it was a great media day that offered the chance to try out some truly fantastic firearms.
Keith Ratliff, manager of Kyle Myers AKA Dmitri Potapoff of FPSRussia, was found dead yesterday with a single gunshot to the head. Although currently being treated as a homicide, the details surrounding Ratliff’s death are being investigated. Besides being FPSRussia’s manager, Keith Ratliff also held the FFL that allowed the popular YouTube personality access to the firearms he used in his videos.
Hat Tip: http://libertyandsuch.com/manager-of-fpsrussia-found-murdered/
Daniel Defense has partnered with National Firearm Finance to provide financing for Daniel Defense LE Packages for active-duty law enforcement agents. The terms and conditions of the loan would depend on the law enforcement agent’s personal credit history, although rates start as low as 6.78%. Under this financing plan, the three Daniel Defense LE packages offered are the Special Services package, Lightweight package, and Patrol Rifle package, each of which include an Aimpoint PRO, Blue Force Gear VCAS Sling, and three (3) Magpul PMAGs. Further details on the packages and financing can be found at www.danieldefense.com and www.firearmfinance.com.
Richard Johnson and Andrew Barr of ‘The National Post’ created this infographic that details all the on-screen carnage against zombies in the AMC series ‘The Walking Dead’, split up between seasons, characters, and tools of use. Click to enlarge.
The National Post – Stopping The Dead
This is an attempt by ‘Petersen’s Hunting’, a hunting publication based under Intermedia Outdoors, to create the ultimate, most versatile survival firearm possible. They started with a Stoeger’s Double Defense as a base, then added modifications which include: drilled holes in the stock to accommodate spare gun parts, accessories, and chamber inserts for the use of multiple shotshells and calibers of amunition, inserting a compass into the stock, a fire steel inlaid into the forearm, a micro tool held in the forend with a magnet, replacement iron sights, a laser/light combo, red dot sight, and stock mounted cartridge sling and cheek pad/pouch.
Petersen’s Hunting – Is This The Ultimate Survival Gun?
The bebionic prosthetic hand is the most advanced myoelectric hand commercially available today. It’s constructed with carbon fiber with the knuckles composed of an aluminum alloy. The bebionic is capable of 14 separate grip patterns which allow for activities such as eating, opening doors, and typing.
This is part of a collection of laser cut sculptures made from US currency by Brooklyn-based artist Scott Campbell. Although the rest of the collection seems to be missing any additional firearms-based imagery, there’s plenty of kick-ass skulls, bones, and reapers that more than make up for it.
http://scottcampbellstudio.com/
I was visiting Cracked.com and read a couple of humorous articles on common Hollywood-inspired weapon myths and unorthodox weapons used by militaries:
5 Weapon myths You Probably Believe (Thanks To Movies)
5 Military Weapons Clearly Designed by a 5-Year-Old
Drivers in Portland, Maine were treated to this message as they drove down the highway on October 10th. Appearantly, it’s the work of a hacker who replaced the default sign which warned of delays caused by night work. It might have been more amusing (to me at least) if zombies weren’t starting to get old, if not already way past that point.
Original story: boston.com
Drones+ iPhone App from Josh Begley on Vimeo.
Drones+ is an app designed by Josh Begley that has a simple premise: actively mark (via a ‘pushpin’) on a map the locations and other data on/facts about U.S. drone strikes. The information that’s used is already compiled by and pulled from the U.K.’s Bureau of Investigative Journalism. However, Apple’s review team has denied the app availability on the app store not once, but three times. The reasons given included: “The features and/or content of your app were not useful or entertaining enough… or your app did not appeal to a broad enough audience.”. Later, an additional attempt yielded this response: “We found that your app contains content that many audiences would find objectionable, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines”. While I don’t have any opinion on whether the app’s rejection is a good or bad thing, it seems pretty clear that Apple feels this app may incite controversy with some groups and is trying to avoid any potential issues.
Hat Tip: Wired.com
The SPP-1 is a Cold War-era firearm of Russian make, designed specifically for use by Soviet Frogmen. It fires 4.5mm steel darts from four individual barrels. The pistol uses a double action firing mechanism and fires each barrel one at at time, with the striker (mounted on a rotating base) rotating to each barrel as the trigger is pulled. Also developed was the Avtomat Podvodnyi Spetsialnyi, an underwater assault rifle that fired 5.66mm darts and was fed using a 26-round detachable box magazine. Of course, the Soviets weren’t unique in their development of multi-barreled underwater firearms: the Underwater Defense Gun Mark 1 Mod 0 and H&K P11 were designed and used by the United States and allied nations for similar purposes.
Hat Tips:
Tactical Distributors has just announced their partnership with Chris Costa and Costa Ludus. First up is ‘Costa’s Corner’, a dedicated page that highlights gear selected and used by Costa himself, including tactical lights, headlamps, clothing, and weapon accessories, all available for sale on the TD website. Also, Tactical Distributors will be the exclusive provider of Arc’Teryx gear that’s embroidered with the Costa Ludus logo.
http://tacticaldistributors.com
Here’s an AP pic from the set of ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’, the fifth movie in the ‘Die Hard’ series, which features the Maxpedition Sovereign Load-Out Duffel; other Maxpedition gear will be featured in the movie. In regards to the title of the upcoming ‘Die Hard’ sequel: yeah, the title’s a bit of a groaner, but hopefully it’ll be better than the last one.
I was invited to attend a recent press event for ‘Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’ which included, among info on other exciting features, a first-hand look at the multiplayer. In case you’re wondering, it’s even better than the video makes it out to be.
Multiplayer Overview
Multiplayer pits two teams of 6 against each other in one of four game types: Conflict, Decoy, Saboteur, and Siege. There’s also the obligatory ‘Horde’ mode (with a twist) called Guerrilla. Ten maps will be available shipped with the game. Gametypes are largely team and objective based, so don’t expect anything akin to vanilla deathmatch. The gametypes are as follows:
Conflict
In Conflict, multiple objectives pop up on the map one after the other as the two teams fight to capture, defend, or destroy them. A typical match might start with both teams trying to, say, secure a data probe, followed by the victor trying to activate an EMP bomb while the loser tries to prevent that action, ect. This continues until the time limit expires. Most objectives captured at the end of the round wins. In the event of a tie, kills serve as the tie breaker. This gametype lasts for one round.
Decoy
In Decoy, one team tries to defend three objective sites from the attacking team. In an interesting twist, only one of the objectives is the actual true objective, with the other two acting as decoys, hence the gametype name. Also, neither team knows which objective is the true one. If the true objective is discovered by the attacking team, a final objective opens up for them to complete. A round ends if either the defending team runs the clock down or the attacking team completes the final objective. This gametype lasts for best two out of three rounds.
Saboteur
Both teams try to capture a bomb case that spawns in the center of the map and deliver it to the enemy’s base. If a player picks up the bomb, they lose mobility and are restricted to their side arm, but gain unique bombcase melee takedowns. It’s highly advised that the other players escort the bomb carrier to their objective. If time runs out, the round ends in a tie. This gametype lasts for best two out of three rounds.
Siege
Siege is essentially Search and Destroy. One team attacks while the defending team tries to protect two bomb sites. There are no respawns, and a team wins if they kill the entire enemy team, manage to set off one of the bombs (attackers), or run the clock down before a bomb can be set off (defenders). This gametype lasts for the best two out of three rounds.
Guerrilla
Guerrilla pits a squad of 4 against increasingly difficult waves of enemies and vehicles. Subsequently successful rounds lead to the players being awarded with support actions, from UAV coverage to airstrikes. The twist mentioned earlier is that every ten rounds or so a new position is highlighted on the map. The players have to capture and hold that position against enemies. If any enemy units occupy the space for a short period of time, the round is lost despite how many players are still alive. This mode lasts to 50 rounds.
Class Overview
Character selection is class-based, and each character can be customized with unlockable head gear. Each class has access to unique weapons and special abilities that suit all manner of playstyles. The two factions, the Ghosts and the Bodarks, have faction specific weaponry: the Ghosts favor NATO firearms (higher accuracy, lower damage) while the Bodarks stick to Russian, Eastern European, and Chinese weaponry (lower accuracy, higher damage). It’s also worth mentioning that unlike many other recent games, characters can only take a few bullets before dying (and while there is the presence of regenerating health, it’s extremely slow), so proper use of cover and teamwork is essential in winning most matches. The classes available are:
Rifleman
Unique ability: Chest Armor – allows you to take a bit more punishment from torso shots.
True to his name, the Rifleman class can wield assault rifles. Additionally, they can also wield LMGs, which can suppress the enemy. While suppressed, a player’s screen narrows and darkens, and they lose the ability to attack at all unless they move out of the line of fire, making them extremely vulnerable to flanking maneuvers. Standard thrown equipment is grenades. They can also unlock a medic kit that allows them to revive incapacitated allies.
Scout
Unique ability: Active Camo – allows the user to become partially invisible while practicing low mobility.
The Scout wields sniper rifles and, for those who are more CQB inclined, PDWs and SMGs. The active camo automatically kicks in when the player stays still or is slowly moving. It is especially helpful for concealing your position from a distance or in thick vegetation (camping). An equipment upgrade unlocked later on can further improve the camouflage to a level of near complete invisibility. Standard thrown equipment is flashbangs.
Engineer
Unique ability: Scope Detector – this lets the player know if an enemy is sighting in on them with a scoped rifle via a sound indication.
The Engineer wields personal defense rifles, carbines, and shotguns. Can choose to equip several types of drones, including a man-portable UAV and sentry gun. Standard thrown equipment is motion detectors.
Multiplayer Progression
New equipment and weaponry is unlocked through level progression. In an interesting twist, at unlock milestones, the player often has to choose between one of two rewards. For example, at level 20, an engineer may have the option to unlock either a drone or a movement sensor, and can only have one through the rest of their class progression. At every level up, the player also earns a Gunsmith token for each faction that they can use to modify any weapon of their choosing. Any spent Gunsmith tokens spent are exclusive to that part and weapon only. As an example, if the player chooses to purchase an AFG for their ACR, then the AFG is unlocked for the ACR only, and can’t be used on the other Ghost weapons.
There is a way to reset which choices the player selected, however. In lieu of a “prestige” option, where the player resets all their unlocks and starts again from level 1, they earn a token at level 50 that allows them to respec their character. Additionally, an additional class slot is unlocked and the player can choose one Bodark weapon for a Ghost to use and vice versa.
Multiplayer features tons of unlockables and the gameplay is of a well-paced variety that caters better to teamwork than rushers, so it might not hurt to get a party together instead of playing with randoms. Despite this, it’s definitely one of the better designed multiplayer games I’ve played in recent memory. I’m eagerly awaiting the game’s release so I can give it another go [and maybe beat another player's head in with a bomb case after flashbulbing them like the first time I played Saboteur; good times].
‘Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’ drops May 22, 2012 (June 12, 2012 for PC).
http://www.ubi.com/US/
I’ve copied this excellent article here for your edification but it originates with ODG6 Actual (hopefully the use of ’6′ and ‘Actual’ require no explanation – if they do, one of our readers will no doubt help out. Off Duty Gamers is a great site; one you should definitely check out. (The video with this article is a little dry, but watch it anyway.)
Introducing LOK-IT, a USB ‘thumb’ or ‘key’ drive that offers all the flexibility of taking your electronic documentation with the peace of mind that your data will stay safe no matter what.
We reported yesterday on Recoil Magazine and mentioned that the website was down. Turns out they are planning for it to “go live” on March 1ST if all goes as planned. In the meantime, if you want to keep up with this excellent new magazine, follow them on Facebook. Pretty sure you’ll be glad you did. Please let ‘em know Tactical Fanboy sent you. You can also keep an eye out for them if you’re wandering SHOT, they’ll be around.
Tactical Fanboy: RECOIL Magazine
Tactical Fanboy staffers met Jerry Tsai today at the SHOT media range day. Mr. Tsai is the editor of the new RECOIL magazine which looks very nice. That might at first evoke some skepticism. Another firearm-related magazine? Is this another example of gun-and-knife-centric tactiporn? The short answer is no, it’s not – this first issue is really nice, and we’re looking forward to future issues. This won’t be your standard magazine. It isn’t aimed at cops or SWAT guys or grunts. It essentially celebrates what it calls the “gun lifestyle” and it does a pretty damn good job of it. This isn’t directed specifically at folks who use the gear on the job every day. As the editor says, “…a magazine that encompasses modern firearm lifestyle and embodies many elements of our industry: guns, gear, technology, shooting sports, training, outdoor life and personal defense.”
Some examples of the content:
Mesa Tactical’s Benelli M4 (The Founder of One of the Most Progressive Shotgun Accessory Companies Outfits His Personal Shotgun)
Night Vision 101 (See What Goes Bump in the Night) A primer on how NODs work.
Bugout Truck (Escape the End of the World or Just the Daily Grind) Whether you’re fleeing a natural disaster or an all-out zombie infestation, a properly setup truck can provide the key to survival.
Watch Buyer’s Guide (Rugged Watches That Keep Much More Than Time)
Tactical Firearms Training and Redback One (What can you expect? Why should you give it a try?)
That’s only a very limited look at what’s in this magazine…there’s a lot more. Right now the website doesn’t appear to be working (it’s listed as http://www.recoilweb.com). That may be temporary, we’re unsure, but check on it periodically. We really think it’ll be worth your time.
Stickman, a professional “tactical photographer” has a new website up, as you undoubtedly now know (unless you’re in
Stickman showcases some of what is in his gear bag, from his FLICKR page.
some ass-end-of-nowhere valley in Afghanistan or have been living under a rock). Though a majority of his work recently has been done for Magpul, he has actually photographed or reviewed kit and weaponry from something like fifty different big name manufacturers. In short, he’s a camera- and rifle-shooting rock star of the industry. It’s just that most of his fans have no idea wh
at he looks like (he still works as a city copy, and is careful to separate his home/work life from his Stickman identity).
There’s not much on there yet, so you’re still probably better off following him on his Facebook page.
There are a number of places where you can view his photography, like here on Rainier Arms or this example on Gear Scout, or of course the Stickman Flickr pages.
The BOLO Report has reported they’re hoping to interview Stickman informally, maybe at SHOT. It’ll be interested to hear more about him.
One of Stickman's shots of Costa on the range. http://www.flickr.com/photos/stickgunner/6324207433/in/photostream/
Some of Stickman's other professional work.
The ‘Weapons of Mass Creation’ series is a set of prints by Justin Kamerer of Angryblue that each feature items related to a subject which form the contents of a different weapon: ‘Music’, ‘Cooking’, and ‘Art’ are a tank, grenade, and bomb, respectively. The prints are available for individual sale or as a set, and are limited to 150 pieces each. They’re pretty damn cool looking regardless of any message the artist may or may not have been trying to convey.
Picture courtesy of Contact Magazine.
BOLO Report has advised there is a new issue of CONTACT magazine out. There are several interesting stories in the December issue.
General Allen (command of ISAF, and U.S. Forces Afghanistan/USFOR-A) was recently interviewed on TOLO Television News in Afghanistan, if you’re interested in watching it.
According to Afghan informational websites, Tolo TV (“Sunrise” or “Dawn” in Dari and Pashto) is the name of a television service broadcasted from Kabul, Afghanistan. The service broadcasts news and general entertainment programs. The owner is Saad Mohseni who became an Australian citizen, and has now returned to Kabul. Tolo was launched on October 2004, as the first commercial television station to operate in Afghanistan and is a leading private TV channel in Afghanistan (now broadcasting in 14 cities on free-to-air and throughout the region by satellite). It was started in 2004 and produces and broadcasts “AfghanStar”, one of Afghanistan’s most popular television series (very similar to American Idol). The show has drawn criticism and threats of violence from religious conservatives and security has been increased around the show. (Recently one of the station’s female VJs, a woman named Shiama Reziaee, was murdered after receiving threats for her un-Islamic behavior. In November 2007, the channel received warnings from Muslim clerics and the Culture Ministry for broadcasting a concert of singer Shakira.)
You can watch TOLO TV and other Afghan stations streaming live from here.
