The Mad Duo went to see “Hannah” this last weekend. Their verdict? Well, you’ll just have to go find out.
Posts Tagged ‘Mad Duo’
Hannah Movie Review by the Mad Duo
Thursday, April 14th, 2011Mad Duo – Shotgun Scabbard and Shot Shell Chest Rig from BCS Tactical
Friday, March 11th, 2011
We got some goodies in the mail a couple day ago, or rather several members of our evaluation team did, courtesy of BCS Tactical Systems. BCS has a number of proprietary designs and a solid reputation for rugged manufacture, but one of their most significant manufacturing capabilities is their ability (and willingness) to build custom fit body armor carriers for guys On The Job. Any LEO or similar armed professional can contact them with an accurate outline/measurement of their body armor and get one custom made in short order, in virtually any of the different “Gucciflage†patterns out there, in 500D or 1000D.
In any case, BCS sent out some of their Shotgun Chest Rigs and Shotgun Scabbards, and we’ve been taking them out to play—not enough yet to give you a good rundown of what we think, but we’ll have a full review in a month or so. The chest rig is a niche piece of gear to be sure, but we like it so far. Not everyone is going to need it, and it’s certainly not something that will mount easily to an existing plate carrier or set of load bearing gear, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s made for specific situations—say, if a patrolman or tac team member has to deploy into a big damn office complex or college building, when having thirty extra rounds of super socks, rubber shot, shock-locks or whatever might come in very handy.
The scabbard is similarly niche-oriented, though we suspect it’ll see more widespread use than the other (which isn’t a reflection on the rig’s validity; there’s not a lot of call for multiple rams or 37mm launchers either, but both come in handy). The scabbard is intended to securely carry and support a tactical shotgun with a barrel as short as 14â€. It will carry both the shotgun and an entry/pry tool in a backpack type configuration; again, potentially useful in a deployment where an officer on the M4 or a sub-gun as primary needs to bring another twelve-gauge along.
We’re going to play with them (a lot) and we’ll let you know what you find out. All are made by BCS Tactical of Cordura material (we don’t have all the design specs, we’re waiting to hear back from them with those) but they seem to be sturdily built for now. For more on BCS Tactical, visit them on the web at www.beezcombatsystems.com
Stand by for further traffic.
Mad Duo Clear!
About the authors: The Mad Duo enjoys celebrity status in the action figure world and among those sheepdogs perspicacious enough to follow them. Iconic trigger-pulling pundits whose wit and witticisms have been described as the “literary equivalent of a .308 boat-tail to the headâ€, they offer commentary on everything from current events to the relative merits of tactical gear, TTPs and weaponry. Read them on SSD, their website Breach-Bang-Clear or on FaceBook. No sissies, pansies, Olbermann fans or Behar acolytes allowed.
Mad Duo – AF Makes a Smart Move When It Comes to Snivel Gear
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010SSD Note: This is great news for WTT as well as the USAF! Airmen look for your Gen III Level & garments in Grey.
As you may have read last week, the Marine Corps has ordered a bunch of new happy suits for Gyrenes in cold places around the world, courtesy of Wild Things Tactical by Wild Things, Inc. What you may not know is it’s now official that zoomies can wear their version of WTT. Yes indeedy, the AF has finally figured it out.
Now let me make this clear. Slim and I have been bad ass tough guys for years, but frankly when it comes to cold weather we’re what you might call actively voluble pussies. (That’s the MILSPEAK way of saying we piss and moan and bitch a lot, but still get out there and get the job done—and for the record, before you criticize us for being pussies, keep in mind that the snow currently stacked up to the top of your boot is actually over our head.) If you want to make an acronym out of that, feel free. We’re not ashamed of being AVPs.
Anyway, our handlers have spent the last couple of days in Wild Things Tactical snivel kit. You may remember us talking about WTT cold weather gear before, because it’s so damn fantabulous. We genuinely love this stuff, and so do our handlers, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise that we’re happy to bring this good news to those of you forced to wear that damnable digital tiger stripe crap and deal with zipper-suited sun gods.
If you do not know what a zipper-suited sun god is, then you haven’t spent much time around AF bases. We hear at Breach-Bang-Clear appreciate pilots for their impact on the battlefield, CAS gun runs in particular, but anyone whose spent any time around them out of the cockpit knows what a pain in the ass most of them are, and must wonder how much they spend annually on hair gel, sunglasses and teeth-whitener…but again we digress. Wild Things Tactical Extreme Cold Weather Gear, by Wild Things Tactical, Inc, is now Air Force approved.
According to the Air Force Uniform Office, Wild Things Tactical Gen III Level 7 Extreme Cold Weather System jacket and pants are replacing the N3B and F1B parka and trousers. This is the same ECWCS the Army has been using and it’s pretty bad ass. We actually called Richard Keefer’s office (he’s the head duck at the “AF Uniform Officeâ€) but we never heard back. This could possibly be because he and his staff weren’t sure how exactly to deal with an interview request by foot tall tactical operators-slash-journalists, or perhaps he’s just really busy. We won’t hold it against him.
A couple things you need to know if you’re an A4/purchasing officer type USAF individual (or anyone else that might want to put your troops, officers or operators into WTT snivel kit). First off, it doesn’t have to worn as just a layering system. It can be stand-alone. They jackets, for instance, are sized to accommodate body armor, and are sized in the torso appropriately to wear with a duty belt or holster (if you’re so inclined). This could be a Good Thing for some of the folks that spend a lot of time shivering in garrison, like skycops doing dismounted RAMs, foot patrols around billeting, standing overwatch at the gate, etc. It’s comfy, it’s warm and it’s nowhere near as loud or irritating as the Gore-tex jacket you’re already wearing.
Second, they’re built with Epic, which is way too complicated for us to explain here and will probably be over half of your heads anyway (no offense, we don’t get it either). It makes for a good cold weather garment, though, trust us. We’d lie to you, just not about this. They’ve got 6 oz. of PrimaLoft and the Epic barrier that allows it to insulate even while completely wet. This gear wasn’t only industry tested, it was NATICK tested.
Third, it’s already been tried and tested in really shitty conditions under fire by guys that know what they like. When the Army decided to completely redesign its cold weather system, it went to the 10TH Mountain Division (Climb to Glory!) for field testing between the Fall of 2006 and Spring of 2007. Reviews were outstanding. For instance, LTC Christopher Cavoli of 1-32 Infantry (“Chosinâ€) said, “…I found myself praying for bad weather…I knew my soldiers could handle it and the enemy couldn’t. [Wild Things Tactical] ECWCS allowed my men to outlast the enemy on their own terrain. When the enemy was forced out of the mountains due to the bitter cold to take shelter, that’s when we got them…â€
Fourthly, if you’re an AF purchasing official, UDM, etc. with authority to source equipment for your squadron, group or wing, Wild Things Tactical will send you a sample to T&E at the local level. You just need to contact their military sales representative, Grady Burrell, and make the arrangements.
Fifthly and lastly, Wild Things LLC, WT Tactical will offer until Jan 15, a Military / Federal Officer Discount of 20% off Retail on Multicam, Coyote, OD Green and Black Tactical Gear for INDIVIDUAL sales. Must validate with FED / MIL address. AD/RES and NG. ON IN STOCK ITEMS ONLY!
Gen III ECWCS is provided to the US Army under a contract with ADS. Air Force units wishing to purchase Level 7 should contact them. www.ADSinc.com/Gen-III
Oh…if you need to contact Grady (Grady Burrell III, Director of Military & LE Sales), he can be reached at (828) 421-4349 or Grady.Burrell@wildthingsgear.com. Make sure you let him know we referred you, so we can affirm in their minds once again how valuable an ally they have in the Mad Duo, and how foolish they’d be not to keep us up to speed on new developments on their end.
Please check back in at SSD more frequently than you might otherwise do so. We’ve gotten a bunch of new kit in over the last couple of weeks and are in the process of reviewing it. Naturally we are eager to share the finding of our evaluation, our wisdom and almost supernaturally incisive wit. If you have any ideas for us to review or discuss, drop us a line at Breach-Bang-Clear or FaceBook.com/MadDuo; unless you’re going to complain about our opinions, writing style or philosophy (or you’re a sissy) in which case don’t bother.
Mad Duo Out!
Mad Duo Reviews the Craptastic Movie “Skyline”
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010Skyline: the Big Screen Version of Getting a Urethral Swab
You should definitely go see the sci-fi thriller Skyline…but only if you gouge your eyes out with a fork beforehand, however, or intend to watch a private viewing with all the female AVN award winners for the year. Barring one of these two contingencies, avoid it.
It’s our fault, really, that we’re even able to write this review. We read a preview a while back about Skyline that described it as “Blackhawk Down meets War of the Worldsâ€. Foolishly, we went by that description (which was apparently written by someone who watched an early showing of the movie while doped up on PCP, immediately after suffering traumatic brain injury) and of course the previews—which, predictably, are actually better to watch than the movie itself, because at least you won’t have lost an hour and a half of your life nor paid any money for involuntary IQ reduction.
We’ll give you a rundown. There’s an artist guy you’re supposed to like but have a hard time identifying with, with a girlfriend who is kinda hot but isn’t hot enough to salvage any of this movie’s scenes, ever (not her fault, no one would be), meets up with a smug musician guy we’re supposed to also kind of identify with because he’s made it big and is their best friend (or at least the best friend of the poor bastard named after the Subway spokesman). This guy has a girlfriend that may be the only decently cast character in the whole movie—she’s a fake-baked over-tanned shallow bitchy blonde, and actually manages to pull that off. As or the other characters…
Actually, you know what? The characters don’t matter, because they all suck. The dialogue is stilted and either pallid or melodramatic, depending upon the specific scene, and there’s only about 8 or 10 of them in the whole movie anyway. The one character that seems like he’s not a pussy and is the kind we’d like to be pulling for in a class warfare or documentary situation is grossly overshadowed by the trite one-liners someone was paid way too much money to write. Now, the monsters are kind of cool, if they look cobbled together from a couple other sci-fi movies or three, and if you don’t mind the noises they make (sort of a strange combination of Transformers, the robot squid from The Matrix and the giant robots in that last Terminator movie). Unfortunately, cool monster scenes can’t counterbalance a plot line and script that wouldn’t make the cut in a Saturday night SyFy flick or even a Ben Ten episode.
To be fair, there are some good fight scenes with the Air Force, Army and Marines…but wait, if you took some of the scenes from Independence Day and replaced the F-18s with stealth aircraft and UAVs they would be pretty much the same. Same with the ones from War of the Worlds. Of course, the giant spaceships are cool…except they too are invulnerable to everything we’ve got in our arsenal (including nukes), though in this movie they don’t catch cold and you can’t upload a virus with a Macbook and shut ‘em down.
There are a couple of good scenes with Army and Marine grunts. At one point, for about a minute and a half, it was cool. They were rocking aliens with M4s, Barretts, mini-guns and AT4, though purists (or anyone with a brain) may take issue with the Marine NCO bellowing “Reload soldier!†at his Marines.
Don’t even bother renting this or queuing it on Netflix unless you just want it playing in the background while you play pool in the garage for background noise. Do not, upon pain of cinematic lobotomy, watch it and expect to enjoy it.
The two best parts of the movie were when the giant blue lightning vacuum cleaners suck a bunch of people up and when it’s finally over.
Luckily, they’re making a sequel already, which may do something to salvage the [spoiler] ending and the wondrous orange glowing brain. Maybe the hero-turned-alien can hook up with that shrimp-alien guy from District 9 and get a little face time in the upcoming Battle for LA…one can only hope. We thought about going to see it a second time to see if we just missed something of redeeming value, but…do you really need Chlamydia a second time to know it really sucks?
Mad Duo Out!
Want to Know More About Wild Things Tactical?
Friday, November 12th, 2010The Mad Duo has published an interesting look at Wild Things Tactical over in their usual digs at Breach Bang Clear. So if you’re still not familiar with WTT check it out.
Mad Duo Presents: New Wellco Boots Named for Ballistic Surgeons
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010The word sniper is about as over-used as tactical, and in many cases as badly used as the notorious operator. It never ceases to amaze us how many people out there use the word to describe themselves inaccurately, or to embellish certain pieces of gear or whatever. If there is anything more irritating than some mall ninja type knucklehead claiming to be a sniper, it’s got to be having half your head removed by someone who really is (though that is without a doubt a very transient aggravation).
Off topic for a second — why are there so many shooters that will spend eleventy hundred dollars for a top of the line rifle, then pick up some cheap optic to throw on top at Wal-Mart of a flea market? Shouldn’t it be the reverse?
Second to tactical, sniper is the most alarm-raising word we can think of when it comes to a product description. Paint it black, call it tactical and you can charge an extra 10%, right? Same thing in many ways when it comes to sniper. So it is that when we saw the new Wellco Sniper Boot we groaned, and thought…seriously? We try not to judge a dope book by its cover, though, so we’re taking a look at them and—happily—so far so good. (This makes us happy, because after the Belleville Khyber and the OTB Thor TCs, these were the boots we most wanted to try out.)
The boots are made in the manufactory (love that word) they built last year and are available at this point in tan and black. We’ve asked if they’ll make them in the sage green currently inflicted upon Airmen by the powers-that-obfuscate in the Air Force, but no word on it yet. Our guess would be no, given the on-again, off-again, rotational nature of AF uniform regulations but you never know. Stranger things have happened (the adoption of the Defensor Fortis Load Bearing System and ABU itself not least among them). However, we digress. Again.
The Sniper boots (God, we hate calling them that) are completely non-metallic. Instep and ankle are constructed of a rugged material they call SuperFabric® to prevent tearing and resist punctures. They’re 8†high, full lace to the top, breathable nylon side panels and have both moisture wicking materials and drainage vents built into the sides (because wet feet seriously suck, no matter how comfortable the boots are). The insole is the Wellco signature “elite premium†and the sole has cross-treads at the toe and heel for grip. The boot leather is full grain fleshout leather and (this is cool) the toe is shark skin leather.
The abject minions highly motivated handlers who we instructed to test these boots have only had them for a week or so, and they haven’t had the chance to get to the field, but thus far (we’re told) they’ve proven to be surprisingly comfortable to wear (particularly on the range) and are holding up well (especially for such a lightweight boot). We’ll have to advise further after they’ve had more time to abuse the hell out of them test them out properly.
The poseurs and wannabes are vexing, as is the misuse of the term when it comes to merchandising but maybe they had a good reason for it. Maybe the name actually suits the boot somehow, who knows. We do know that beyond a couple size mix-ups Wellco has always made a good product and had great customer service, so we’re pretty confident our initial above average impression. Sizes are 4 through 14 regular, wide sizes available from 7.5 to 11.5.
Great pair of boots despite the potential of a Walter Mitty name, looks like they’ll be a style worth throwing on your poor feet before going over to stomp around in Derkaderkastan. Check ‘em out. (Images courtesy of Wellco Boots and GoingLoud.com.)
We’ll close with a bit of sniper trivia. Many, many Americans (rightly) are familiar with Carlos Hathcock. Not too many know who Simo Häyhä was. If you want to read about a truly heroic and dangerous man, look him up. Here’s a hint: he was practically Divine retribution with a modified Mosin-Nagant, and he was from Finland.
You know the drill. Read about us at www.BreachBangClear.com or join us at www.facebook.com/MadDuo. We’d love to hear your “pithy commentsâ€, but only if they’re not really stupid.
Mad Duo Reviews “The Town”
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
We went to see “The Town” the other day, and we gotta tell you…we just can’t decide. We’re not huge Ben Affleck fans to begin with, but this one just looked cool. SWAT guys, hard-nosed FBI agents, an Irish-mob villainy…it sure seemed like it had potential.
The acting wasn’t bad at all, the cinematography even better (great aerial views and use of local architecture) and before too long we even forgot so much that we’d admittedly been predisposed to making fun of the protagonist. It sounds silly, but we really liked the accents and attitudes…they really worked hahd at those dropped Rs, and although we couldn’t begin to tell you if the accents were accurate (most of our handlers are from Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas after all), we liked the way it helped develop the characters. Hopefully it was a better rendition of Boston than Beer For My Horses was of Oklahoma…but then it would just about have to be, wouldn’t it?
The bonds of friendship between the bad guys made it hard to dislike them even if you’re predisposed to dislike criminals as a matter of principle (which we are). They were well cast, savvy and suitably smart-assed. What’s not to like about the loyalty displayed when one guys says, “I need your help. You can’t ever ask me any questions about it and we’re going to hurt some people,†and the response is, “Whose car are we going to take?” In addition to the cops and robbers issue, there’s some class tension and of course the problems any reasonable romantic would expect of true love set in the midst of multiple felonies, gratuitous violence, sociopathic neighbors, and (worst of all) no damn ice in the hockey rink. On the good side, the coin-operated laundry mats are clean and our heroine’s apartment was surprisingly nice.
While no downtown-LA automatic rifle chattering brawl and profligate expenditures of ammunition (a la “Heat”), the high speed chases and the gunfight at Fenway Park (yes, that Fenway Park, and sorry for those of you who aren’t part of the Red Sox Nation, the stadium doesn’t look any worse after the gang’s gun battle with Boston PD and FBI SWAT units than it usually does after a game with the Yankees. That’s okay though, it was still entertaining.
What we weren’t terribly impressed with were the numerous apparently witless cops and FBI agents apparently enforcing law and order in the booming metropolis of Boston. They’re not smart enough not to drive right up on (or try to PIT) a van wherein multiple suspects are blazing away with automatic rifle fire. Nor are they smart enough to notice unshaven bad guys dressed up as patrol officers…or to follow the most psychotic bad guy of all, on foot, with a shotgun and no backup, after a fight that saw several hundreds of rounds fired and multiple officers down and then to challenge him without any cover readily available or even a weapon ready to provide a permanent ballistic solution should he decide to keep fighting.
You know what we hated the most though? The shooter with what appeared to be an EoTech by the ambulance, in the dark parking garage. While we’d like to believe he was trying to clear a stoppage, it was unfortunately pretty obvious he was pulling the charging handle to the rear (on and AR15) as though he was working the bolt on a proper sniper rifle with a regular sniper’ scope. Now, to our detractors, take note—we don’t demand excellence in weapons handling in our movies. We liked the hell out of “The Expendables” and pretty much all of that gunplay was ludicrous. We just think a movie should follow through if it takes itself seriously (mush as “Collateral”, “Heat” and “The Way of the Gun”).
So…worth going to see, for sure. An enjoyable sorta wrong-side-of-the-tracks-blue-collar cops and robbers flick with the added attraction of good one-liners, a solid cast and lots of cops and SWAT cops (however much their tactics would make the IACP and NTOA cringe). If you don’t want to see it, at least rent it.
“We’re holding court on the street.†You just know when they wrote that someone had just asked themselves, “What would the Mad Duo say in a situation like this?â€
As usual, if you have any ideas for us to review, drop us a line at BreachBangClear.com or FaceBook.com/MadDuo; unless you’re going to complain about our opinions, writing style and philosophy (or if you are Joy Behar or Keith Olbermann) . In that event you should feel free to go play in traffic and Foxtrot-Sierra-Oscar. MAD DUO OUT!
Mad Duo Presents: Blue Falcon Patch – Often So Richly Deserved
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010Buddy is just half a term. Blue Falcon sounds so much better, whether you say it in jest or with your teeth gritted from restraining the urge to throat punch some jackass that so desperately needs it.
We’re not talking about the Batman-look-a-like and his biomechanical dog, of course—as cool as they made Saturday mornings back in the day, their ongoing fights with Fishface, Swamprat, and other escapees from Big City Prison lack sufficient umph to become an integral part of the American military lexicon. You have to be a true Bravo Foxtrot (to use the convenient acronym for it) to earn such a revered place in military parlance. Bravo Foxtrottery (aka Blue Falconing) will probably be with us for a long time, or at least until a newer and better term comes along.
Besides, if you enlisted any time after the turn of the century you may not remember them (though the power of Boomerang reruns is not to be underestimated).
In any case, there’s little doubt you already know what it means if you’re reading this, and even less doubt (following this same line of reasoning) that you’ve witnessed one appear. Perhaps you’ve even seen it several times. It can happen anywhere, at any rank, and can run the gamut from task-oriented Blue Falconing at the squad or platoon level all the way up to truly prodigious HQ style Blue Falconing closer to the flagpole. It is frequently seen in billets or at bars and, in its most egregious appearance, immediately prior to a deployment.
Of course, it can also be used in response to a practical joke or ribald event that should never be talked about at the dinner table.
In any case, if you need a patch to pass along to someone that truly deserves it, the redoubtable MilSpecMonkey has come through for you. MSM has a Blue Falcon crest that will no doubt find its way into many a barracks or shop. It’s being retailed in several places, including Going Loud Tactical Outfitters and MilSpecMonkey’s own store. Incidentally, there’s a pretty funny organization blog on line at www.BlueFalcons.org that’s worth reading, and if it’s not updated as frequently as we’d like, the contents always good.
Gitcha one of these crests fo’ sho’. If you purchase from either of the two places we mentioned, let ‘em know you heard it from us. We’re trying to get free swag for folks that submit pictures.
As always, should you possess sufficient perspicuity to realize how cool it is to be associated with us, please enroll in our blog at www.breachbangclear.com or join us on FaceBook at www.Facebook.com/madduo.
Mad Duo Clear!
