Blue Force Gear premiered their new commercial on Larry Vicker’s “Tac TV” Monday night. Now you know where the term, “runs like a sewing machine” comes from.
Archive for the ‘Media’ Category
Blue Force Gear’s New Commercial
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011Acknowledge This Popular Mechanics
Thursday, July 14th, 2011Turns out Popular Mechanics found out about the HK 416’s role in the demise of one Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden from websites like this one. Too bad they didn’t bother asking someone from one of said websites how to set up their 416 (or bother acknowledging where they got their info in the first place).
Anyone notice anything wrong here? Who knows, maybe it’s the new gangsta model.
Kitting Out “Transformers 3 – Dark of the Moon”
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011Ever wonder how all of that cool kit you see in the movies gets there? One of the ways is through the efforts of our friends at Tactical Pro Shop. One of our favorite things about Tactical Pro Shop is that they insist on authenticity and won’t settle for knock-off products. What’s more, their work with Director Michael Bay demands the highest caliber of authenticity. His movies might be fiction, but the equipment has to look right. I spoke with Tactical Pro Shop’s honcho, Matthew Kime about their involvement with these films, “Michael Bay hires professionals that, like himself, demand cutting-edge technology and gear.”
He went on to specifically discuss their involvement in “Transformers 3 – Dark of the Moon”, “We started this project in Feb. 2010, so we had to be very proactive regarding where things are heading, plus integrate conceivable pieces of tech that this ‘elite’ unit would have had developed for their mission.”
Above you can see the use of Fastmags from ITW Military Products. This is the kind of thing we are talking about. “Our strong relationship with our brands really helps us accomplish what would be extremely difficult to accomplish otherwise, our film customers really understand and appreciate our ability to get things done,” said Kime when we asked him about the integration of the latest technologies into film.
Here’s another example of this concept. This screenshot from a “Transformers 3” trailer depicts actor Josh Duhamel’s character Major William Lennox in a Chem-Bio suit in the A-TACS camo pattern. Here, Matt Kime describes the choice, “ATACS was an obvious choice when the request came for something that would work well in an urban environment, and the fact that it had not been seen before on film was a big plus.”
Tactical Pro Shop not only works with Hollywood to provide the best and brightest tactical equipment but also offers their services to you. Be sure to check them out.
Now Showing – TacTV
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
For those of you that missed last night’s premiere of TacTV starring Larry Vickers and friends, you can find it on the Sportsman Channel. If you don’t have the Sportsman Channel, TacTV will soon be available for a low subscription fee on the web. They have developed a web-based service that will offer TacTV episodes as well as extended episodes and bonus content you won’t see on TV. The website goes live on in the first few weeks of July and subscriptions will be approximately $10 a month or $100 for the year.
“Strike Back” Coming Soon from Cinemax
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011Although it is billed as a Cinemax produced series, it was actually originally developed for UK-based Sky 1 and shown there in twice weekly installments starting in May 2010. Based on a novel by SAS veteran (Bravo Two-Zero) Chris Ryan, the American version will actually be a second series of “Strike Back”. The original 6-part series followed the adventures of two British Intelligence operatives assigned to “Section 20”. This new 10-episode series will follow a similar storyline with an American SOF operator working with “Section 20”.
“Strike Back: Project Dawn”, coming soon from Cinemax and Sky 1.
Black Powder Red Earth: Part 1
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011Originally posted on Tactical Fanboy, this new graphic novel from Echelon Software looks awesome. I can’t wait for it to be released.
I just got a hold of an advanced review copy of the new ‘Black Powder Red Earth’ graphic novel. Since I enjoyed the Facebook game, I was eager to read through it and see how good it actually was. I’m happy to say it does the property justice.
“Black Powder Red Earth: Part 1” by Jon Chang, Kane Smith and Josh Taylor takes place in a near future Iraq, 2019 to be exact. The story follows the actions of a PMC operating in the area of New Basrah, Basran. Their actions primarily include the capturing of high-value targets, negotiations with government officials, and information gathering. Showing the wide range of operations undertaken by these individuals definitely adds to the believability of the story. From earlier dealings with Echelon Software, I know a good amount of research and cooperation with actual operators went into making the story closer to reality then most other fiction dealing with this subject matter, and it shows.
Complementing the story is the art, which is done in a somewhat gritty style that matches the setting and mood perfectly. The coloring, to be expected considering the setting, is heavy in earthy tones. Variants of brown and tan are found in almost every panel, although more vibrant colors are also represented from clothing, cars, vegetation, and of course people. Characters are also outlined with a fairly thick border, which gives them a more pronounced appearance. There is also plenty of detail to be found, especially in the background of many panels. No scene feels lacking visually.
In short, I recommend giving this graphic novel a look. It’s a fine addition to the Black Powder Red Earth universe, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment to see how the story develops. It’s definitely one of the better new IPs to come out as of late.
The hardcover of “Black Powder Red Earth: Part 1” will be available later this year.
Main Stream Media Picks Up Army Camo Improvement Story
Monday, June 20th, 2011CNN published a story on the Army’s quest for a new camo pattern. While I have never been overly impressed with main stream media coverage of our industry, this article is factual and offers an interesting insight. Since virtually everyone who reads SSD has more than a passing interest, it is kind of cool to find out what “Joe Six-pack” thinks about this. Since those folks are taxpayers it would probably be a good idea for the guys behind the Army’s latest camo conquest to go over and take a gander at the comments. They are quite enlightening. Generally, they run to the, “waste of taxpayer dollars” side of the equation. But, at this point, since industry has already submitted their proposals, if this thing dies on the vine, taxpayer money won’t be the only funds wasted.
KitUp! Visits SFSC and SFARTAETC
Saturday, May 28th, 2011Our friend Christian Lowe was given unprecedented access to both the Special Forces Sniper Course (old SOTIC) as well as the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis, and Exploitation Techniques Course.
Be sure to check his video out.
