The VP–70MA6 Semi–Automatic Pistol, often dubbed the VP70 Pistol, was a type of sidearm manufactured by Heckler & Koch and used by the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
History[]
Manufactured by Heckler & Koch as part of the VP70 series and originally released two centuries prior to 2184, the VP–70MA6 Semi–Automatic Pistol garnered an esteemed reputation over that time and, for seventy years, was exclusively used by those from influential families in the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Over the decade leading up to 2184, however, it had largely supplanted the obsolete M4A3 Service Pistol as the primary USCM sidearm, though yet another pistol was in use with the USCM as of 2202.
Behind the scenes[]
Armorer Simon Atherton displays a VP70 used in Aliens.[1]
The VP70 was chosen for its role in Aliens because of its futuristic appearance (particularly at the time the film was made). Furthermore, it remains a fairly obscure weapon, and its ambiguity helped to mask its real-world origins in the movie.[1] Using an unusual but existing weapon for the Marines' sidearm was also far cheaper than modifying a more common pistol to look futuristic, as with the Pulse Rifles. In reality, the pistol ceased production in 1989, some 190 years before the events of the film.
Gorman's Pistol as it appears in Aliens: Colonial Marines.
In Aliens: Colonial Marines, the VP70Z (erroneously; the pistol was a VP70M in Aliens) appears as the Legendary Weapon Gorman's Pistol. Also, the 88 Mod 4 Combat Pistol seen in the game appears to be an updated VP70Z and is visually the same, apart from the different slide markings (the 88 Mod 4 reads "MK 88 Mod 4") and the lack of "HK" (standing for Heckler & Koch) on the pistol grip.
The VP70's use in Aliens later inspired two similarly-styled weapons — the VP78 Pistol in the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator and the 88 Mod 4 Combat Pistol in the 2013 video game Aliens: Colonial Marines. However, while the 88 Mod 4 remains faithful to the design of the VP70, the VP78's design is not actually based on the VP70, but rather the Beretta 93R (a three-round burst variant of the Beretta 92FS).
Appearances[]
- Aliens
- Aliens Online
- Aliens: Unleashed
- Aliens: Infestation
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report
- Aliens: Defiance
- Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Colonial Marines Operations Manual
- Alien: Enemy of My Enemy
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
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