The Download Munkey : Finder of Things …

The sequel to one of the most controversial FPSes is currently in the works and is slated for a November 2007 release in US.

The original Soldier of Fortune (SOF) also published by Activision garnered quite a lot of controversy back in 2000 for its “realistic” 26 Gore Zone GHOUL animation system promising multiple ways to take down your adversaries as well as for its excessive graphic violence, both which were considered novel features at that time. SOF however, pales in comparision with today’s games in terms of violence, gore and realism - exploding heads seemed more silly and OTT than realistic when I played it a few years back.

The original SOF was also quite fun being a semi-realistic FPS with real-life weapons and emphasizing more on action than tactics. Which tactical FPS pits you against a Mil Mi-24 ‘Hind’ gunship with a bolt-action sniper rifle?

Weapons in SOF were unlicensed and bore names like Silver Talon when the pistol in question was clearly a .44 Desert Eagle. Hopefully the new Soldier of Fortune : Payback will have licensed weapons which will definitely add to the authenticity of the overall experience

Judging from the trailer at Gametrailers.com, Soldier of Fortune : Payback looks pretty promising in the graphics and stylistic departments and looks like it will possibly be as stereotypical as its predecessors in the choice of adversaries and battlefields. Check out the battlefields below:

© Activision

And below are some screen captures of the firearms of Soldier of Fortune : Payback that you’re be handling.

© Activision

The ubiquitous AK.

© Activision

H&K G36C with AG36 grenade launcher.

© Activision

M249 SAW. Check out the cool reloading animation for the M249 SAW in trailer.

© Activision

Upping the OTT factor is the ability to go hunting with the .50 Barrett XM500.

Download the trailer @ GameTrailers.com.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Call of Duty 4 Trailer
Accuracy International AS50 Rifle
Assault Rifle Vidcasts
Heckler & Koch Catalogue 2007

Image from Impact Guns.

I did know that the M4 SOPMOD could be configured with different accessories depending on the mission type but I didn’t know there were so many options … 5 different sound suppressors and a mind-boggling array of sights, scopes, stocks, grips and tactical lights. See below:

© Mark Fingar

Orginally found this from Google Image Search and then traced it to a certain Mr Mark Fingar who has produced a wonderfully laid out poster of the M4 and accessories. The poster is 18″ x 24″ (457 x 609mm or slightly larger than A2) and costs 12 USD + 3 USD shipping (seems to be for US only).

You can view the sample poster at 770×1024 resolution as well as close-up shots of the actual poster from this AR15.com forum thread.

UPDATE (02/10/2007): Steve of The Firearm Blog has found Mark’s official site which contains an exhaustive list of all items featured in the poster as well as updated pricing and shipping charges. More @ The Firearm Blog.

© Dogfight Ink

On a separate note, I also saw two illustrated prints of the M4 and associated accessories over at Dogfight Ink at USD 49.95 excluding shipping.

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BrickArms - Lego for the Gun Nut
Dick Kramer - Military Artist
Masada ACWS Technical Drawing
High Resolution FN Herstal Firearm Photos and Posters
Counterstrike Weapons (IV) - Colt M4

Found this short animation on the parts and operation of an AR-15 (M16) from Steve’s relatively new but promising The Firearm Blog. The Firearm Blog happens to be a nice resource for firearm enthusiasts sans the gun control politics which non-American readers like me have absolutely no clue whatsoever.

You can hide, split or set different components of the AR-15 to be semi-transparent to view the process in greater detail. The default Split view is my favourite

© Bushmaster Arms.

Too bad the firing animation ends after the bullet is fired i.e the process whereby exhaust gas is forced back into the bolt carrier to chamber the next round is not shown in this animation - you can find out the hard way in National Service, Wikipedia or from this short animation at LWRC which proposes a nifty little solution to alleviate the problem (scroll, scroll, scroll).

BTW, I found Steve’s blog from A.C.E here.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Zacca 1/6 Scale Firearm Replicas
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© Hornady Manufacturing

A promotional poster displaying the relative sizes of commonly available pistol and rifle catridges and their corresponding bullets from ammunition manufacturer Hornady Manufacturing. Download it from www.hornady.com (Click on 2006 Bullet Poster Back)

© Hornady Manufacturing

The sizes should be to scale or very close to scale because the size of the 5.56 x 45 mm or .223 Remington is very close to what I rememember back in National Service.

© Hornady Manufacturing

Some of the bullets look absolutely terrifying like the A-Max .50 Match above (compared to a .223), a calibre commonly used for anti-material rifles like the Barrett M82A.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
Long Range Shooting Demo
Assault Rifle Vidcasts
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Steyr Aug A3

UPDATE 01 Oct 2007: Fixed links to Zacca’s new product pages

Some miniature replicas of assault rifles, SMGs and the occasional sniper rifle from Zacca PAP for 1/6th scale action figures sold as blind boxes in three different series.

World Weapon Collection

• FN P90TR
• Sig Sauer SG552 SEALS (I think it should be Commando rather than SEALS)
• AK-109 (Should be a typo since there isn’t an AK-109, should be AK-107 instead)
• Giat FA-MAS F1
• H&K G36C
• H&K PSG1
• FN FAL L1A1
• Colt M4 S.I.R
• WWII MG42 (Secret)

© Zacca PAP

Image taken from HobbyLink Japan.

Saw the display samples for the World Weapon Collection at Century Square last weekend and must say that some of them look pretty good. I like the AK-107 + GP-30 grenade launcher the most, although the P90 & M4 S.I.R are close runner-ups in terms of looks.

Each costed around SGD10 and are blind-boxed. With my lousy luck, I think I would end up having to buy all ten to get the damn AK. I guess I’ll just enjoy the photos over at the One Sixth Warrior forums instead (Page 2 has some close-up photos showing the detail on these incredible replicas)

Below are pictures of the two older series from the official manufacturer’s site.

Guns Collection Ver. 1 (9 to collect)

• Franchi SPAS12 (w/o stock)
• Franchi SPAS12 (w/ stock)
• Kalashnikov AK47
• Kalashnikov AKMS (Me like this one
• Colt M16A1
• Thomson M1921
• Thomson M1921 (w/ drum magazine)
• Remington M700
• Colt XM177 with M203 (Secret) - seems like an M4 to me

© Zacca PAP

Guns Collection Ver. 2 (9 to collect in total)

• Colt XM177
• Colt M16A1
• Steyr AUG A2
• H&K MP5A4
• H&K MP5SD5
• H&K MP5SD6
• Remington M700
• JSDF Type 64
• M60 (Secret)

© Zacca PAP

Zacca also sells a set of infantry anti-tank and anti-air weapons which you can see over here.

MORE @ THE DOWNLOAD MUNKEY:
High Resolution Official Photos of FN Weapons
Airborne Combat Engineer’s WTFs
Assault Rifle Basics Vidcasts
OPFOR Worldwide Equipment Guide
Tokyo Marui Airsoft Wallpapers
Dick Kramer - Military Illustrator