Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual [Paperback]

Lee Brimmicombe-Wood (Author), Dave Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 1996

A must for all Aliens fans, this detailed manual is the official guide to the equipment and organization of the United States Colonial Marine Corps and is packed with never-before-published diagrams, technical schematics and plans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (April 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061053430
• ISBN-13: 978-0061053436
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! Detailed and believable; excellent for AvP!, July 30, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual (Paperback)

Excellent book that goes into detail about almost every aspect of the colonial marines featured in Aliens. Also, it's clear that the creators of the game "Aliens vrs. Predator" used this book, as certain weapons, symbols, and features (such as the smartgun and SADAR) are explained in detail, and correlate with the game. If you can't get enough of an "Aliens" fix from the game and the first two movies (let's just leave Aliens3&4 alone, shall we?), then this is the book for you! On occasion, the book gets a little bit gory, with none-too-subtle allusions made to the vietnam war. This gives the book a much more realistic feel, but may make some folks uncomfortable. The Aliens section is kinda neat; gives a little more insight into the "Weyland-Yutani" corporation, and once again demonstrates the poor judgement of this profit-seeking company.

A very enjoyable read, especially to sci-fi "technophiles"!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book talks about 97% of stuff NOT in the movie!, August 24, 2001

By 

Peter (California, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual (Paperback)

It's a great informative book and covers USCMC tanks, ships, artillery, air-defense, personal weapons, armor, mines, spacesuits, etc...things not seen in the movie. What makes it superb is almost each weapon entry has a drawing so if you're a modeler, you can almost make a replica of the weapon or vehicle. Descriptive text accompanies each entry. And best of all, it MAKES SENSE! The drawings, ideas, and text aren't comic-book like or totally sci-fi fantasy but seemingly very real with today's weapons. I really liked the made-up Marine comments. The book's text says this missile works but then the Marine in the comment box says the opposite. You believe the Marine instead and not the engineers. Also, the book doesn't skimp...the photos aren't black and white and the drawings aren't kiddish. The book presents the USCMC in a very good light and as a true powerful force with many high-tech weapons and superior training that works (unlike the USS Sulaco Marines shown in the movie). A must-have if you're an ALIENS fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Incredible!, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual (Paperback)

I only reluctantly picked up this book when I saw it in a bookshop--I figured, another cheesy fan-boy tie-in. Was I surprised! Utterly flabbergasted! The author obviously did his research. I've been in the Navy for a few years, and the Techman reads like a modern military digest. The weapons sound like plausible evolutions of modern weapons; they have their good points and kinks. They have correct military designations, even details like the naming of tanks after famous generals. An article on USCMC force resturcturing and tactics sounds eerily like something from today's "Proceedings" (the USN/USMC professional journal), including the Marines vs. Army gibes. Even the sections on theoretical stardrives and space-fighting tactics are wholly plausible. The ALIENS techman is easily the "best of the breed." You don't even have to be an Aliens fan to enjoy it.