Red Scorpion is a 1989 action film starring Dolph Lundgren as Nikolai Rachenko, a Soviet Spetsnaz-trained agent sent to assist Soviet forces in the putting down of a rebel movement in an African country. Nikolai then finds himself siding with the rebels after being betrayed by his superiors. Directed by Joseph Zito (Missing in Action), the film was produced in South Africa and used the resources of the South African Defense Force for vehicles and weapons (somewhat controversial because this was filmed during the time of apartheid).
The following weapons were used in the film Red Scorpion:
The large assault rifle used prominently by Nikolai Rachenko (Dolph Lundgren) during the final assault is an FN FAL mocked up to resemble the experimental Soviet Avtomat AO-63 assault rifle. The weapon is also seen being tested by Colonel Zayas (Carmen Argenziano) on the rifle range near the beginning of the film. The FN FAL used in the movie has been modified with twin barrels, a custom stock, the pistol grip from a Vektor SS-77 general purpose machine gun, an enlarged magazine/foregrip and a Lewis gun's drum magazine mounted on top. Upon closer inspection only the lower barrel can actually be seen firing; presumably this is because building a weapon that could fire from two barrels would be a far more difficult modification, and the discrepancy isn't that noticeable on-screen.
An Israeli contract FAL fitted with a Mk 40 grenade launcher is used by rebel Kallunda Kintash (Al White). It is later taken and used by Nikolai Rachenko (Dolph Lundgren) for much of the final assault on the Soviet camp.
An AMD-65 rifle is used by Rachenko to drunkenly shoot up a bar on the Soviet base so that he can be arrested and subsequently aid guerilla Kallunda Kintash (Al White) in his escape, thereby gaining the trust of the rebels and allowing him to assassinate their leader (in an incredibly convoluted plan that actually involves the deaths of several Soviet soldiers). AMD-65s are also seen being used by various Soviet soldiers/guerillas and by Dewey Ferguson (M. Emmet Walsh).
A shotgun with extended mag tube and sawed-off stock is seen in the hands of Krasnov (Brion James), Soviet Military Policemen, as well as Dewey Ferguson (M. Emmet Walsh) during the road chase. As this film was produced in South Africa, the shotgun is likely a 12 Gauge Musler, a South African-manufactured shotgun similar in appearance to the Mossberg 500. A Musler fitted with a full stock is used by Nikolai when he and the rebels make a final assault.
A South African Vektor SS-77 machine gun is seen mounted on an armored vehicle during the road chase, and also on a motorcycle and sidecar being ridden by Cuban troops.
What appears to be a Colt Combat Commander is seen the hands of the Cuban officer and General Vortek (T.P. McKenna). It is likely supposed to portray the Soviet Tokarev TT-33, as Cuban officers would've never been issued a handgun of American manufacture.
An M40 Recoilless Rifle is seen mounted on a Land Rover and used by Rachenko (Dolph Lundgren) during the assault on the joint Soviet/Cuban military camp.
What appears to be an M134 minigun can be seen mounted in the nose of the Sikorsky S-62 "Hind gunship". Upon closer inspection, this appears to be a mockup as the barrel cluster seems to be fused to the fuselage of the helicopter and therefore could not possibly rotate. Furthermore, it seems to fire from each of these stationary barrels in sequence (with acetylene-powered muzzle blasts), rather than always firing from the barrel in the uppermost position as a real minigun would. It is most likely an acetylene-powered mock-up, although it is difficult to tell for sure as it is never seen firing in close-up.
A MK 40 grenade launcher is seen underslung on the Israeli IMI Romat used by Nikolai Rachenko (Dolph Lundgren) and Kallunda Kintash (Al White). Rachenko fires the launcher several times during the assault on the Soviet base at the end of the film, using both high explosive grenades and buckshot rounds. However, he is never once shown reloading it and consequently manages to fire off six rounds from the single-shot launcher!
A DT machine gun is seen firing from the hull of a Soviet-manufactured T-34/85 tank. While this tank (and the DT machine gun) had long since been taken out of Soviet service by the time the film was made, both Angola and Cuba continued to retain their own fleets in second-line or reserve roles.
At the end of the truck chase, Nikolai Rachenko (Dolph Lundgren) places what appears to be a magnetic grenade based on an SPM Limpet Mine onto the truck's fuel tank to destroy it.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhat is supposed to be a magnetic mine is placed on the truck by Nikolai and appears to be based on an SPM limpet mine. In reality, this prop looks to be constructed from vacuum-formed plastic and the detonator at the top is a spark plug. The Russian text on the magnetic grenade reads: "MZ-4" / "AT Mine DIT" / "Type K". This text is pure fiction.
Trivia
"Faux" Mil Mi-24 "Hind" Gunship
The "Mi-24 Hind" seen in the movie is a cosmetically modified Sikorsky S-62. The helicopter appears to be the same one previously seen in Braddock: Missing in Action III and Bulletproof, albeit fitted with more extensive and slightly more convincing modifications this time; it has now been fitted with slightly larger, more sturdy-looking wings, incorporating large faux engine intakes at the wing roots and additional winglets at the tip. The longer wings have allowed for an extra rocket pod to be added on either side, increasing the total number from four to six (which is in fact two more than the real Hind could carry beneath its wings). The non-functional side-mounted cannon on the earlier version has been removed and replaced with the new acetylene-powered M134 Minigun assembly in the nose, and the helicopter's outrigger floats (containing the main landing gear) have been cosmetically joined to the hull with additional plating. Finally, the helicopter has been painted with a new desert camouflage scheme, as opposed to the plain black with gray hull seen in its previous film appearances. A similar (but far more convincing) "Faux Hind" modification was done to another type of helicopter for the films Red Dawn, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III, utilizing an Aérospatiale Puma.
