On the evening of 14 November, 2012 Edgar Brothers hosted a launch party for the 2013 Hot Shots Calendar at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, UK. SSD was on hand to witness the event. The models are all Page 3 girls from the United Kingdom. I had the opportunity to speak with models Rosie Jones, Holly Peers, India Reynolds, Emily O’Hara, Sam Cooke and Kelly Hall and I can tell you that they are all great ladies who wholeheartedly support the troops.

The Calendar
But before we can talk about the launch, we have to discuss the calendar itself. Back in August the models, film crew, and supporting cast of sponsors and various camp followers (us included) descended upon the Los Angeles, CA area for the photo shoot.

This year’s theme was 1940s Pinups.

Prior to the shoot hundreds of examples of period art were reviewed.

A great deal of research was conducted looking for inspiration and, as always, fashions were provided by Crye Precision.

As you can see, despite the frantic pace of shooting, Crye kept the costuming side of things quite organized.

Additionally, SureFire served as host for some of the shoot and secured some great vehicles for use as backgrounds.

And, what would a military pinup calendar be without guns? There was a little bit of a twist on these pinups tho, they feature both period as well as modern weapons and equipment.

Even after all of that, thousands of photos were taken to get just the right pose for the calendar. Here, each photo is reviewed to determine what changes must be made to lighting and pose.

And, from another angle.

The Launch Party

So that was the calendar. Now, we can talk about the launch party. As was said, it was at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, England.

They did a great job making the place up for the party as you can see. Who could ever say ‘No’ to a 40 foot Kelly Hall?

The models signed calendars for the troops in attendance and mingled with the crowd. Looks like the squaddies from the local TA unit had a brilliant time.

In addition to great company and food, we were entertained by British X-Factor 2010 finalist Ruth Lorenzo who hails from Canada. She performed a couple of numbers that really showcased her talent.

While we had a great time, ultimately, we were all there to aid Help for Heroes. 50% of the proceeds for UK sales of the Hot Shots Calendar go to Help for Heroes which runs Tedworth House, Personal Recovery Centre for wounded troops and their families. Here, we see Edgar Brothers Director, Derek Edgar presenting a cheque to Denise Mellor of Hope for Heroes for an additional £ 6,000 (GBP).

Here are some of the recovering troops at Tedworth House, Personal Recovery Centre which is funded by Help for Heroes to help put a face on that donation.

If you haven’t ordered your 2013 Hot Shots Calendar, the playing cards, or badges yet, it’s still not too late. Just visit Purchase calendars at www.hotshotscalendar.com to support Hot Shots and their charities, Help for Heroes and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Remember, 50% of proceeds go to these charities.

Big thanks to the folks behind Hot Shots – Edgar Brothers, Smith Optics Elite Division, Daniel Defense, Independent Studio Services, Crye Precision, and Magpul Industries.

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