The discussion of the Alien series of films and the props used in them is the aim, but if it's got Big Bugs and Big Guns, then they are welcome too!





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 Post subject: Questions
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:19 am 
NZCM "Bug Stompers"
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Service Number: A06/TQ1.0.12144E1
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I have a few questions. I am thinking about adding some of these things to my marine, but am unsure whether I can do it (or if I should do it).

1) Would marines have trophies? For example a necklace of Xeno teeth/tail tip, or a facehugger digit?

2) Is it possible that a marine has received "the mark" from a Yautja (Predator) if they assisted in a hunt (ala the AVP movie)?

3) Has anyone personalised their pulse rifle? Could they please put pics up?

4) How much graffiti is too much? I have plans for several pieces on my armour (eventually), and some are sizeable...

5) Are twin sidearms allowed? I am thinking of having twin 1911 pistols.

Note: due to a baby being days away from birth, I'm figuring that it will take me a while to get all costume parts, so I am looking for ideas and tips from you all.


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 Post subject: Re: Questions
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:22 am 
AKKURAZI
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Location: Bochum, Ruhr area
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Let's maybe answer that from a movie standpoint, what we saw on screen - that's only one way of answering, mind you:

prev wrote:
1) Would marines have trophies? For example a necklace of Xeno teeth/tail tip, or a facehugger digit?
Sure, Drake had bones dangling from his cap and smartgun

2) Is it possible that a marine has received "the mark" from a Yautja (Predator) if they assisted in a hunt (ala the AVP movie)?
I'd say no, don't mix the franchises more than they already have been mixed (not my cup of tea, though)

3) Has anyone personalised their pulse rifle? Could they please put pics up?
They didn't in the movie, only the smart gunners did, so I'd say don't

4) How much graffiti is too much? I have plans for several pieces on my armour (eventually), and some are sizeable...
From what I saw on the film marines I'd say 2-3 graphics and maybe same amount of slogans/quotes, more feels too cluttered IMHO

5) Are twin sidearms allowed? I am thinking of having twin 1911 pistols.
I can't think of a marine from the movie that had two sidearms, it was either a shotgun or a VP70 or a 1911 each next to the main weapon AFAIK


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 10:33 am 
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I have to say I'm with Dennis on this one.

But it's your costume, so you can really do what you want with it.

Plenty of people have put there own little marks on their Pulse Rifles, as well as graffiti on their armour.
But I am a big believer in the dogma of "less is more".

Having too much, or too large a set of graffiti can detract from the essence of your armour and make it look like a 'sticker-bomb'.
But that is just my opinion, and it's entirely up to you. As long as you're happy with it.


Sidearms... In the film they used the VP70, the M39 and the Ithaca Stakeout. I believe in the game, they used a 1911 and one appears in the 'tech manual'.
Whether you would 'dual wield' them is another matter entirely.
Sidearms are purely that... A secondary weapon, one to be used when your primary malfunctions or runs out of ammo. It's quite rare that one would carry more than one secondary weapon and a bit of a 'movie' cliche to see people loaded up to the eyeballs with various weapons dripping off them.

This comes back to the 'less is more' approach.
In a combat situation, you generally don't want to be carrying more equipment that you really need.
Any extra room is taken up with ammo and mars bars.

Again, this is only my opinion. Your vision is your own.

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 Post subject: Re: Questions
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:28 am 
reload
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Short answer:
I agree with Chef, especially the “Again, this is only my opinion. Your vision is your own” part.

In more detail:

1)Yes, a Marines could have trophies. In the Movie they did a lot personalization. One would assume even more than regulations would permit.

2) Yes, A Marine could have a mark. As in the first AvP. If it’s a Marine, a Civilian, … doesn’t matter. It is the behavior/performance in battle/during the hunt that counts.

3) Many members personalize their gear. Just search for the related topics and you find plenty of pictures ranging from graffiti, slogans/phrases, personal data plates … .

4) That’s a personal question and up to you. IMHO you should still see the camouflage and any additions would not cover a larger section.

5) Are twin sidearms allowed? I am thinking of having twin 1911 pistols.
I don’t think that the Marines did care a lot about the official USCM dress code. If you want a second sidearm or a sidearm that is different from the standard issues one that is okay. If it would make sense that’s a different story as Chef wrote in his answer.

I have once seen someone fully packed with gear (lots of overdone weathering) and multiple (heavy) weapons. It looked odd seeing him move. Running or being silent was not an option. I would suggest try wearing it and if it makes sense and you think it’s plausible that such a Marine would be ready for his drop than do it. At the end it is all up to you.

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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:08 pm 
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Chef wrote:
Sidearms... In the film they used the VP70, the M39 and the Ithaca Stakeout. I believe in the game, they used a 1911 and one appears in the 'tech manual'.
Whether you would 'dual wield' them is another matter entirely.
Sidearms are purely that... A secondary weapon, one to be used when your primary malfunctions or runs out of ammo. It's quite rare that one would carry more than one secondary weapon and a bit of a 'movie' cliche to see people loaded up to the eyeballs with various weapons dripping off them.

This comes back to the 'less is more' approach.
In a combat situation, you generally don't want to be carrying more equipment that you really need.
Any extra room is taken up with ammo and mars bars.

Again, this is only my opinion. Your vision is your own.


I agree with Chef- with a couple of small 'caveats' and expansions:

Much the Colonial Marine 'mythos' is 'informed' from the real life Vietnam War experiences and body of knowledge.
A sidearm is (generally) issued to soldiers whose primary weapon would be unweidly if they needed to defend themselves (such as heavy weapon gunners) or troops whose primary role is something other than infrantryman (Officers, Drivers
However, with the barter economy of most military units, sidearms could be obtained for a case of beer (or similar).

This also 'flowed' the other way-There are many photos that show officers in Vietnam that had kept the 1911 but acquired an M16 as well- You blend with the troops better, and can defend yourself better than with a pistol.

It's unlikely in the extreme that a combat soldier would carry two identical pistols- It's extra weight and belt space that could be better used with either main weapon spare ammo or water.
Dual wielding a pair of heavy pistols isn't going to do anything to improve your chances of survival- you get no points for a near miss and no respawn ;)
Doing the 'New York Reload' of dropping an empty pistol then whipping out a second identical one is equally wasteful and no faster than a well practiced mag change....Why would you tote the weight of a 1911 to fire 7-8 shots from it then drop it on the floor, when a spare mag for the same takes up 1/8th the space and 1/12th of the weight?

The caveat on this is that carrying more than one pistol for different reasons was common with specialised and specific troops. LRRPS, SOG and Special Forces who went 'over the fence' into enemy territory took to acquiring a snub-nose .38 or left-behind .25 automatic, for themselves as most of them had a price on their head.

I've a personal account (From Nam magazine) of one LRRPs patrol leader who carried-
CAR15 Carbine (Main weapon)
1911a1 Pistol (Sidearm)
High Standard .22 Suppressed Pistol (Secondary- for sentry and guard dog 'pacification')
.38 Snub nose (for 'last-ditch-everythings-empty-and-one-last-bullet-for-me' situations, as it was put)
The writer did point out that his recurring nightmare from his first day of LRRPs to the day he wrote the article (in the 1980s) was of him being mobbed by a wave of enemies when all his weapons jammed, so this selection of weapons is extreme.....But food for thought.

BUT- and it's a big hairy one- LRRPS and the like were weighed down with rucksacks and pouches to hide all this stuff in.... USCM 'movie accurate' loadout doesn't even have a canteen of water on the belt, so having a couple or 3 pistols sticking out of every space is going to look a tad silly, in my opinion.

But as before- It's your gear. You make it your own, how you want! :D

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USCM Quality Assurance Division- Aerospace and Space Products- Earth
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:29 pm 
Galaxy-hopping garbage man

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To offer another perspective - Most soldiers in the British forces don't even get issued a secondary weapon. Just a primary and a handfull of ammo. Might get lucky and have your full compliment of magazines, but that tends to be when you know you're going into heavy combat.

The CMs mostly carried just one 90rnd magazine and IIRC not all of them had spare weapons (except Wierzbowski, of course!! :D). At least two of those secondaries seemed to be the private purchase type.

IMO, twin pistols would make you look like a mercenary from some cheesy 1980s action flick (Bennet in Commando, perhaps), rather than a Colonial Marine. You may even find the armour prohibits full use of twin pistols.


Personally, I'd look to either go with a typical Pulse Rifle loadout, or some kind of specialist weapon that justifies the use of a pistol or other small sidearm - A mortar gunner might carry the mortar and a pistol for example, with ammo bearers hauling ammo and toting a carbine or SMG. Same for a rocket-launcher crew.

Kevin Burton is famous for his PIG gunner (see the CM Tech Manual) loadout!


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 1:44 pm 
Pint of AB negative please
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See now i would say unless you were in the Movie or you are costuming as someone that was then its your outfit go with what you like, you only see one squad in the movie who knows what other Colonial Marines did with their gear

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 Post subject: Re: Questions
PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 3:08 pm 
THAT guy
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Location: Virginia
Service Number: A03/TQ2.0.02146E1
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A couple guys ran twin 1911s in the A:CM video game, so it is not an unprecedented move. The debate about using the game as justification and the aforementioned 'practicality' of such an act aside, all I am saying is it has been done before so if you like it, roll with it.


Just a 'screen accuracy' note/reinforcement. In general, Gorman and the marines carrying flame units were the only ones with pistols. Crowe/ski break this rule as Ski has the flame unit but no sidearm while Crowe is the only marine with both a rifle and a pistol.

*I have this theory they swapped primaries on the sly prior to shooting. Due to the fact it was written in the script for Apone to say "You too Ski, give it up" while collecting rifle magazines it implies the script had Ski carryinga Pulse, not a flame unit. The fact Crowe had the sidearm implies maybe he should have been carrying a flame unit like the other flame unit/sidearm combo marines. If Trevor and Tip swapped primaries without telling anyone, it would explain the inconsistancies. Maybe one guy felt more comfortable flying through the air when they got 'blown up' with the other weapon and they agreed to swap? Just another example of the pointless rambling wonderings of my mind...*


As for the other topics, I believe there is an entire thread hear devoted to "how much graffiti is too much graffiti?" and the pulse rifle show-off thread features lots of personalizations members have done. All are very common so have fun!


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 3:11 pm 
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I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) it was the flame unit operators who had the VP70's, which makes sense as there's a limit to the effectiveness of the Bake-a-Flake. Bigbisont theorized that Tip Tipping and Trevor Steedman traded primary weapons which would explain why Crowe and "Ski don't follow that pattern.

Dual pistols makes me think of Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Now if you had one on your front webbing (like Apone) and a different weapon on your belt like Demoncase was describing that might be interesting.

Chris Kraemer on here carries a broken off Predator wrist blade thingy as a trophy/knife.

EDIT: Ha! Bigbisont beat me to it!

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:19 pm 
NZCM "Bug Stompers"
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All good advice guys!!!!

Might need to drop a pistol (or both), and add a knife...

Ooh shit. More contemplating.


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:42 pm 
THAT guy
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prev wrote:
All good advice guys!!!!

Might need to drop a pistol (or both), and add a knife...

Ooh shit. More contemplating.


Explorer Night Raiders (aka "Scalemead Survival") for the win!!! 6 out of 7 knife carrying, on-screen marines prefer them.

But of course if you want to get fancy with something unique, by all means go for it.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 3:32 am 
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NSFW (if your work is lame) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kATiU-cZCPc&t=1m10s !!!!

My limited thoughts.

1) F yeah to trophies!

3) I've not seen any PR customisation that I really like [with the exception of the grenade 'side-saddle' holders]. That said, I think something simple like stenciled armoury numbers would look cool (I can't find any examples on the net, but as part of a re-enacting group, we've plenty of SMLEs [and AKs for that dirty modern stuff :) ] that have these on. Some of the SMLEs have embedded brass disks (or 10c coins in their place too) which also looks very cool.


Everthingelse) Big believer in the "less-is-more" idea. Ultimately though, it's your stuff, for you, so go with what you think looks coolest 8)


As an semi-related aside, I've be toying with the idea of getting into the Maori Wars era re-enacting (some of my group does this) as it'd be a good excuse to have a shottie with a carved stock. NZ-flavoured side-arm anyone?

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 6:21 am 
NZCM "Bug Stompers"
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Loving the shotgun bro. What about having a big knife?


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 10:09 am 
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 Post subject: Re: Re:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 4:36 pm 
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bigbisont wrote:
prev wrote:
All good advice guys!!!!

Might need to drop a pistol (or both), and add a knife...

Ooh shit. More contemplating.


Explorer Night Raiders (aka "Scalemead Survival") for the win!!! 6 out of 7 knife carrying, on-screen marines prefer them.

But of course if you want to get fancy with something unique, by all means go for it.


And there's always the Gerber Mk2 (or a copy thereof) ;)

If you're not concerned with slavish-accuracy-to-the-screen, then consider many options when it comes to your chosen knife (There's a thread on this somewhere that I started)-

The archetypal knife the 'other' Marines (or the ones in the real world if you prefer!) is the KABAR. There are some up-scaled, modernised versions in Kydex sheaths and stainless steel- but the original in blued carbon steel with a brown leather sheath is a classic IMHO, and might be in keeping with the 'retro' theme the OP mentioned.

That said, for an elite unit like the USCM, I would think that something double-edged or dagger shaped might be more you- though there was a consensus on the previous thread about this toward something more 'tanto' shaped..... Go take a gander at Heinnie Hayes website for inspiration (aka 'Knife Porn)

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:53 pm 
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When in doubt, dump the sidearm--add another canteen and/or rifle mag pouch. If Cameron was going for a Nam vibe, his guys were travelling really dry.

No one in combat ever said "Damn, I brought too much water and ammo."

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 4:09 am 
BUG SPRAY
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septic wrote:
"Guns for show, knives for a pro!"


You plan on skinning a crocodile?


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:12 am 
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If you've not seen any Guy Richie movies, you should! :)

That's a quote from Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:10 am 
NZCM "Bug Stompers"
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Desert Eagle .50 for a sidearm then?


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:00 am 
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"And the fact that I've got 'Desert Eagle point five O'... written down the side of mine... "

:D


Ok, I'll stop now.

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 12:25 am 
NZCM "Bug Stompers"
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So is a Desert Eagle ok for a sidearm, or is that too much?

I would really like to have a sidearm, and I'm not really keen on a VP70.

Then again, while I'm thinking, is more Pulse ammo feasible as well?


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:00 am 
Harvester of Sorrow
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Do what you want, it's your gear :)

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 3:14 am 
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DE = BEAST! Go with that I reckon [/go with what you have].

That said, VP70s are quite a bit bigger than they look ...

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 6:10 am 
BUG SPRAY
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Yeah I was surprised by the size of the the VP-70. It is comparable to my Glock 17.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 3:04 pm 
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1911 variant is a good choice fits the holster

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