Here’s something you don’t see every day, especially if you’re from Chengdu. Okay, that’s a lie. We have no idea what you would see ever day in Chengdu, but we’ll bet it’s not this. Still…are they really “special forces” or are they a police tactical unit, or is this just some kind of cool photo opportunity? In fairness, they might be very professional and very well trained, and just as unhappy about parading about in a dog and pony show as a lot of people will be happy to mock them.
As you may recall from previous posts, author Dalton Fury has a novel coming out in January. He did a pretty awesome swag giveaway for Thanksgiving…now he’s doing one for New Year’s. Yesterday’s was $1200 worth of kit that Delta operator Kolt “Racer” Raynor (the protagonist of Black Site) runs with in the book. Much of the kit was provided by Uber Group and Black Palm Syndicate. Apparently the new prize is still under construction (or classified) so they have released details, but you can probably expect with a high degree of confidence that it will be damn cool. As before you, you need to preorder the book and then post the book vendor you used, date of purchase, etc. on the contest facebook page. (Note: if you entered the ARC Drawing or first Kolt Kit Bag Giveaway you are auto-entered in the New Year’s Eve drawing; buying another copy will increase your chances.) Though a large number of people were invited to the contest, the Facebook rules apparently didn’t allow for as many as DF (who by the way was an adviser for Modern Warfare 3) would have liked, so he’s asking everyone to spread the word.
Check it out. If you happen to register, let ’em know Tactical Fanboy sent ya, would you?
Palladium has recently released the Pampa Tactical Boot in Brown/Olive Drab. All boots in the Pampa Tactical series have uppers that are made from rubberized Full Grain Leather combined with a 2520 denier Ballistic Nylon. The boots also feature Palladium’s one piece molded rubber outsole, a Dri-Lex moisture wicking covered sockliner, and a medial side zipper that locks in place with a closure. Other colors available include Black/Metal, Tan, and Olive Drab/Black.
Lotta folks have been to Ft. Hood over the years, military, dependents and civilians. A LOT of troops, considering it’s been around since WWII. Not everyone liked it, of course, but it is a soldier’s right to complain. Here in just a couple weeks you can spend the weekend there, get in a hell of a fight, then come home; and you won’t be complaining. It’s Operation Reindeer Games 10. This one is being run by MilSim Event, to show you a good time AND to help out Toys for Tots. This year’s Reindeer Games will be held at the Ft. Hood Triple MOUT Facility on 07 DEC 11. From the SIGINT and HUMINT we’ve been able to gather, there will be a number of shooters at this operation from Texas (obviously) but also from Oklahoma, Louisiana and other states. The background detail is pretty impressive. In fact, it seems had to believe they’ll be able to pack all of it into a one-day shoot-fest. MilSim Event is a relatively young MilSim organization that has made quite mark on the MilSim world in just a short period of time. They’ve run a number of very successful operations with many notable features (like having shooters in a helicopter making gun runs over the guys on the ground). More information below. Note that you gotta have biodegradable BBs, proper uniform and a toy for Toys For Tots. Missing any of those things, you might as well not even come through the main gate.
FORT HOOD, Texas - Soldiers assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division training at Ft. Hood.
July’s Tac Girl represents the month named after the death and deification of Gaius Julius Caesar. She’s not only going loud in July, she rocks the cover.
Mayflower asked Soldier Systems to find a deserving home for one of their Assault Packs and UW Gen IV Chest Rigs. SSD can’t think of a better group to honor than their readership, so it’s being given away tomorrow based on readership today. To enter, tell them what you’re thankful for in the comments section below the article.
Check it out on Facebook. Preorder Dalton Fury’s new fiction novel, Black Site (which rumor has it will be advanced reviewed by the Mad Duo, who have already talked to the author). “A truly unprecedented opportunity…1200 bucks worth of top-quality stuff. In the bag a Suunto Core All Black Military watch, pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D Mid Assault Boots, and an Arc’teryx Combat Jacket from Uber Group. Fourteen custom tees, two hats, and sticker pack from Black Palm Syndicate. Plus a Surefire Pen Glass Breaker, a set of custom Hibben throwing knives, and much more. Pre-order Black Site from Amazon or Barnes & Noble and post the date of order and vendor on our Facebook page to enter. Good luck!”
Note that if you already entered, you can double the number of times your name goes into the hat. Per the author, if you can talk a friend into pre-ordering Black Site and posting to the giveaway page by 1300EST today, you’ll have a chance of winning AND you’ll double yours. Hopefully you have friends who can read.
You’re rapidly running out of time, boys and girls!
Doesn’t matter how good you are. How smooth, how well rehearsed, how fast your mag changes are or how far you can throw the frag. Your mental acuity under stress can be awesome, your ability to analyze a emergent threat within the context of any particular operating environment or condition. You can ninja your way through the chokepoints assaulting the Grand Bazaar like it’s cool, and nothing comes near you. You can clear Interchange by yourself with one revolver, two pocket knives and bottle of moisturizing lotion.
Doesn’t matter how good you are. Sometimes you bollock it up. Sometimes some jackass kills Soap and ruins the game for you. Sometimes you need…the tactical facepalm.
“We checked that spare magazines were ready to pull out. Pick them up the wrong way and you waste a precious second or two turning them around. Put them in your belt kit with the curve the right way up, and they’re ready to slap into place. A lot of people put a tab of masking tape on the mag to make it easier to pull out. When my mags were empty, I’d throw them down the front of my smock for refilling later. We could use the rounds from the belts of the Minimi…” Andy McNab, Bravo Two Zero
McNab and his kit, from the book.
Once upon a time, smocks were at the top of the list when it came to trading swag with the Brits. Scoring one was a Big Deal. I remember in Saudi and Kuwait back in ’90 and ’91, scoring a desert para smock was the height of triumph, and and anything rumored to be an “SAS smock” was beyond price. Looking back now, most of the alleged SAS smocks came from Paras, and most of the “Para smocks” came from infantry units (or that’s what it seems like, anyway).
Anyway, this new First Spear smock mentioned over on Soldier Systems is going to be a hit. Unfortunately now I’m going to have to buy one…the chances of trading for one is slim to none. Eventually I want one of the original Denison smocks, but that may just be a pipe dream.
You know what’s sad? There are thousands of young American troops now who have no idea why us older guys really wanted one of these. Next up? I’m gonna need a Cold War era Barbour jacket, but we’ll concentrate on the smock first.
WW II era Denison Smock
Sniper from HM Scots Guards, the Falklands
The Squadron Smock from First Spear (via Soldier Systems)
Wicked Lasers is touting they’re newest laser, the S3 Krypton Series, as the most powerful handheld laser you can legally own. They advise that it’s over 8,000 times brighter than the sun and say it’s under review by the Guinness Book of World Records. “Safety goggles are a must.” They even provide them and a “tactical” holster! Of course, in the video they seem to confuse the range at which the beam is no longer visible to the human eye vs. how long it actually extends, but that’s really a minor quibble. If it’s visible from outer space, as they claim, that’s pretty damn visible.
This trailer for Max Payne 3 showcases the technical aspects of the game, including the use of the Euphoria engine for realistic character movement and individually modeled bullets, to create a well-crafted and cinematic experience. Bullet time hasn’t looked this good since the original Max Payne came out. Or the first Matrix movie. Take your pick.
“I want to see MW4 come out with a battlefield that’s 85% civilian, with 50% of those supplying the enemy with ammo and warning them when you get close. Also, shooting any vehicle, damaging any building or killing any civilian erases all your saved games and makes you start from scratch. Lastly, your loading screens are newscasts from home about how meaningless the next mission is and you have superiors second-guessing your every bullet in the After Action summary. Oh, and remove the tac-knife completely. Now that would be a wargame.” Luke B.
Beard Beanies is a series of headgear with a unique twist: attached to each beanie is a knitted beard that covers and protects the wearer’s face, making them great for any number of outdoor activities. Models include the ECO2, Jeep Cap, and LumberJack, made from materials such as 40 Gram thinsulate and Jimtex recycled cotton fibers. Each beanie is also hand-made to order, so you’re looking at a minimum of 5 business days before shipping.
Starting last year, there has been a Zombie Safe House Competition every year. (Well, granted it’s only two years old, but it sounds better that way.) Architects Southwest received entries from all over, with a number of homes and fortresses designed to defend against the undead (or at least keep the occupants inside unharmed). Among the awards to be won are the Gold Shovel Award, Silver Shovel Award, Post Apocalyptic Pritzker, Best Bug In Award, and Bloody Bludgeon Award.
…but surely even He has to shake his head at them once in a while, right? We’re not sure who took the original photo. We got it from the Mad Duo at Breach-Bang-Clear. At least two of their crew of “minions” are or were grunts, so presumably they empathize with that particularly profane and irreverent sort of humor..since Tactical Fanboy is a big fan of Ernie Pyle and Bill Mauldin, we kinda get it too.
Sideshow Collectables is offering prop replicas of the COG Snub Pistol from Gears of War 3 and the M8 Avenger Assault Rifle from Mass Effect 3, both manufactured by TriForce. The only thing more staggering than the quality and detail, however, is the prices: $399.99 and $649.99, respectively. I could go into my usual tirade about how one could buy a real firearm for the money instead, but these were clearly intended for a different market. It’s also worth mentioning that both replicas are limited to a 500-piece run, so if you’re interested you better pre-order soon.
One category where the GoPro HERO series of cameras excels is in their wide variety of mounting options, which includes the GoPro NVG Mount. With it, one can easily attach either the HERO or HERO2 to any helmet with a Night Vision mounting plate, allowing them to record excellent footage without installing any additional mounts on their equipment.
…and we still can’t decide if we should capitalize every word in the title or not. Yes, fearless readers, it appears that the patriotic boobs of Knockers for the Troops is once again imperiled. The website is still up, but the Facebook page (which is better than the website) has been shut down. If you wish to come to the rescue of all these pro-American bosoms, you need to e-mail Facebook and demand your boobs back.
If you read the comments under this pretty cool video from Thirty Seconds to Mars, you’ll see pretty much exactly what we thought. Why in the hell is pretty boy shooting at tanks and choppers hurtling through the air? Nevertheless, despite some of the incongruities, this is pretty engaging visually (and the song isn’t too bad either, depending on your tastes). Note also that Thirty Seconds to Mars is apparently under the control of the Illuminati (just read more of the comments), so presumably they will soon rule the world. Or perhaps just destroy parts of it with a fire-breathing giant lizard. There’s also a secret ingredient in Kentucky Fried Chicken that allows Col. Sanders (who is alive on a volcano island with Elvis and Jim Morrison) to control your very thoughts.
Here’s the Lyrics:
A warning to the people
The good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
This is war
It’s the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the Edge of the Earth
It’s a brave new world from the last to the first
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the Edge of the Earth
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world
A warning to the prophet, the liar, the honest
This is war
To the leader, the pariah, the victim, the messiah
This is war
It’s the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the earth
It’s a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the earth
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world
I do believe in the light
Raise your hands up to the sky
The fight is done
The war is won
Lift your hands
Towards the sun
Towards the sun
Towards the sun
Towards the sun
The war is won
It’s the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the earth
It’s a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right
To the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the earth
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world
It’s a brave new world
A brave new world
The war is won
The war is won
A brave new world
I believe in nothing
Not the end and not the start
I believe in nothing
Not the earth and not the stars
I believe in nothing
Not the day and not the dark
I believe in nothing
But the beating of our hearts
I believe in nothing
One hundred suns until we part
I believe in nothing
Not in satan, not in god
I believe in nothing
Not in peace and not in war
I believe in nothing
But the truth of who we are
Part two of a two-part series you didn’t know you should read has been released; and both are written from the point of view of one of the guys that will eventually be eating you. Here’s how part one starts out:
“Well I’ll tell you what I think, I think it’s really cute how so many future brain donors think they have such a strong grasp on this whole “Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse” thing. That’s what I think. Seriously speaking though, all this theorizing on survival techniques I see being done from the comfort of a climate controlled well lit living room, punched up onto the intrawebs via a keyboard stained bright orange from over consumption of Cheesy Balls and Mt. Dew is downright fucking adorable. As a long-time Zombie, I sincerely mean that when I say it. I really do. Its like watching children play with matches for the first time.”
