Firearms | The Download Munkey

Military Tuesday : Shotgun One – Free Military Novel + Weapon Factsheets

October 06th, 2009

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A look at several booklets of weapon factsheets accompanying Kerry Plowright’s military novel Shotgun One. This rather engaging novel about a fictional conflict pitting Australia and the US against new military powerhouses China and Russia after the discovery of oil near Vostok Station in Antarctica, has yet to find a publisher but the 600+ pages PDF version of Shotgun One can be freely downloaded from the book’s official site at www.vostokstation.com.au.

These supporting booklets provide more in-depth information on the weapons and equipment featured in Shotgun One together with details on a few fictional near-future weapons like the highly capable F-111S flown by Squadron Leader Lance Hamilton in the book. Some information are taken directly from Wikipedia but at least it’s consolidated together for handy reference.

Nothing new in Australian Army Weapons and Systems since most of the Australian military equipment are similiar to that used by the US or her NATO Allies. The Long Range Patrol Vehicles (LRPVs) used by the Australian SASR (yes, the Aussies have their own equivalent of the famous British Special Air Service) are rather interesting modifications of the original Land Rovers though.

The RAAF Aircraft and Weapons and Systems follows in a similiar vein as the first booklet with details on the aircraft in service with the Royal Australian Air Force.

The next couple of booklets deal with the ships serving with Chinese PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) and the Royal Australian Navy. There’s quite a few good-looking ships and boats in these two booklets, two of my favourites being the Australian Armidale class of patrol boats (above) and the Chinese Houbei class of missile boats (below).

The last booklet contains information on the TNI-AD, the Indonesian National Army which is equipped with an interesting mix of arms from both Western and Soviet/Russian suppliers. Not much information on the operational use of these weapons by the TNI-AD though.

Download Shotgun One and its accompanying resources from the official site @ www.vostokstation.com.au.

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Military Tuesday : TAPCO “Modernized” SKS

September 22nd, 2009

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The semi-automatic carbine SKS was introduced into Soviet service more than half a century ago near the end of WWII and looks like this (below)

Image from Wikimedia Commons.

The SKS had an internal magazine for 10 rounds loaded with stripper clips although later Chinese variants could use magazines of the AK-47, which gradually replaced the SKS in frontline service with the Soviet Union.

With the Infrapulse SKS system from American rifle accessories manufacturer TAPCO, the SKS transforms into a more contemporary-looking design with stock and handguard made from composite materials replacing the original wooden furniture and comes complete with pistol grip and 5/10/20 round detachable magazines.

More pictures at TAPCO’s official site or from their 2009 catalog where I found the photos above. Lots of AR15/M16, AK and Ruger accessories in the catalog for those wanting to kit out their rifles (Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe the correct term is “sporterize” when it comes to older WWII-era rifles).

Download the TAPCO Inc 2009 product catalog.

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Tags: Firearms Military

Military Tuesday : Limited Edition US Special Forces Weapons Prints from Dogfight Ink

August 11th, 2009

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High-resolution, high-quality limited edition prints of rifles, light machineguns and pistols in service with US special forces units.

A Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62mm machinegun derived from the M249 SAW

Prices vary from 49.95 USD to 79.95 USD and the weapons illustrated include the Mk 14 Mod 0 (above), a modernized M14 in service with the US Navy SEALs, the Mk 12 Mod 0 Special Purpose Rifle and FN SCAR-L (Mk 16 Mod 0).

There’s also a couple of prints showcasing the accessory kits for the SOPMOD M4 and Mk 18 Mod 0, the former also available as a more wallet-friendly lithographic print

See more previews or purchase these US Special Forces weapons prints and other prints at Dogfight Ink.

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Tags: Art Firearms Military

Games Thursday : Iron Grip : Warlord Demo Impressions

March 12th, 2009

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Previously, I wrote about the distinctive concepts for the retrofuturistic world of Iron Grip. With the free demo at Isotx’s official site for Iron Grip : Warlord, gamers can experience that same world in what Isotx describes as a first person shooter/real time strategy hybrid.

Cooperative multiplayer is supported and playing with a group of close friends is probably the best way to experience this team-oriented game. That said, I don’t play multiplayer so I’ll describe my experiences with the single player games instead.

Each level (at least the first one, since the demo only includes a single playable level) essentially comprises a defence scenario where each player takes the role of an Atelian militiaman and works together with the other players in an attempt to stem the tide of Confederate invaders.

In the first level Spiral, players try to force an Confederate retreat by targeting the officers while keeping the endless waves of Confederate infantry and armour at bay. Officers of the Confederate Armies are no mere lightly-armeed pushovers with pistols as they’re armed with man-portable gatlings and are more than a match for any Atelian militiaman in individual combat.

In-game posters extorting Atelians to rise up against Confederate aggression bring the world of Iron Grip to life.

The Atelians have the advantage of fighting in home territory and hence have the ability of building and upgrading machinegun nests, turrets and supply stations to counter the invaders’ superiority in numbers and firepower. By killing their hated foes, the Atelians obtain the power required for these constructions as well as to upgrade their armoury and personal abilities.

Yuo see, unlike most team-based FPSes, Iron Grip : Warlord does not force you to pick and roleplay a class. Therefore at the start of each level, each Atelian militiaman arrives with the same ineffectual single-shot musket and pistol. By purchasing extra weapons with power gained from killing enemies, militiamen can eventually acquire an arsenal of deadly heavy machine guns, flamethrowers and recoilless rifles.

While specialized anti-tank turrets can be built to take out Ontos tanks supporting the Confederates, 40 RTE recoilless rifles are a more cost-effective anti-armour option. Turrets are of course more reliable since attacking an armoured car frontally or with Confederate infantry in tow with a 40 RTE is usually suicidal.

Victory in the each level is measured in morale – the first side whose morale drops to zero automatically quits the field. The Atelians usually lose when they are unable to rebuild a destroyed stronghold to restore morale whereas the Confederates retreat after suffering enough casualties, especially officers.

Each dead Confederate officer is another step to Atelian independence.

Playing solo in Iron Grip : Warlord essentially feels like a playing a FPS fused with elements of tower defence games. Set up machinegun nests at chokepoints (press G), sprinkle some mines for good measure and then camp somewhere with a heavy weapon (or take potshots with a musket ). In a nod to realism, the Praetorian heavy machineguns require you to deploy them before firing and can only cover a limited field of fire.

After purchasing enough weapons, your tactical options expand from stalking high value targets like officers with Falcon sniper rifles, frying stragglers with Salamander flamethrowers to hunting tanks with recoiless rifles.

You can even stick around the turrets and machinegun nests and repair them with the almighty wrench / toolkit.

Unfortunately, your AI team members are quite a letdown in Iron Grip : Warlord – either they have absolutely no sense of self-preservation or they are fanatically zealous about restoring Atelian independence by charging at groups of Confederates and rushing at tanks with muskets Then again, being the ill-trained and poorly-equipped rabble that they are supposed to be, you can’t really blame them

The bottomline is that if you always wanted to play as the underdog, you have to try Iron Grip : Warlord. While multiplayer isn’t a must, it’s definitely recommended to fully experience the full breadth of tactical team-oriented gameplay options that can only be realized by an all-human team.

Download the Iron Grip : Warlord demo.

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Tags: Firearms Games Games Downloads Military

Military Tuesday : A List of Downloadable Firearm Catalogs for 2009

March 10th, 2009

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An update to the list of downloadable catalogs from (mostly American) firearms manufacturers for 2009. It’s a bit late but better late than never

Some of the major names that I know like Armalite (BTW, the broken link at Armalite should point here) and Bushmaster haven’t released their 2009 catalogs yet while I’ve never seen downloadable catalogs from Heckler & Koch or Barrett.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of firearm catalogs. There’s probably a lot of manufacturers who deal exclusively in hunting and sporting firearms that I missed out.

Here’s the list in alphabetical order: