As we all know the M56 Smartgun is based on its real life WWII counterpart... the German MG-42. The later Yugoslavian M-53 postwar variant could have also been used in the 1986 film, but typically the MG-42 has always been credited as its base.
That said, I couldn't help but jump on the chance to pick this up when it came along. An original WWII MG-42 training poster that was in use until at least November of 1957.
It measures about 4' x 3' and is printed on some sort of a sealed poster paper and mounted to linen. It's definitely seen some use, but as you can see it is still very displayable. I'm going to shop around to a couple different framing shops to see what the best way might be to mount it, including UV protective glass.
The detail is great, and every little part is identified. I'm sure our German comrades will have no problem deciphering the Deutsch words describing the various parts of this weapon.
I was just thinking how cool it would be to do a similar 'training poster' for the M56 Smartgun.
Hmmm...
