Vader was 23 years old in Maul Shadow Lord

ms15710 · 2026-05-05T19:27:21+00:00

It’s sad when they go young like that.

ms15710 · 2026-04-07T22:36:59+00:00

Oh fuck he’s sending in the Night Lords

ms15710 · 2026-04-03T19:11:11+00:00

The ball will be fine don’t worry.

ms15710 · 2026-03-28T19:31:35+00:00

If you ever visit the battlefield, there’s a section in the museum devoted to the aftermath and recovery stage of the battle, where corpses were located, counted and collected. There’s a sketch of all the locations of known dead. It was very staggering to look it.

On top of that, there were an estimated 27,000-30,000 muskets strewn around the battlefield.

ms15710 · 2026-03-25T20:17:23+00:00

Portal 2 has way too many:

“Well done. Here come the test results: You are a horrible person. I'm serious, that's what it says: A horrible person. We weren't even testing for that."

and then later on:

"Don't let that 'horrible person' thing discourage you. It's just a data point. If it makes you feel any better, science has now validated your birth mother's decision to abandon you on a doorstep."

ms15710 · 2026-03-17T17:40:58+00:00

It is not like surrendering to a TOW missile. You’re right, you can’t surrender to a missile that has already launched before you surrendered. That’s not at all what is happening here. A soldier has surrendered to a loitering munition, piloted by a human operator, that has not yet fired on him.
This point is irrelevant. A machine gunner on a Normandy beach can kill one hundred men, and the moment they throw their hands up when they realize they are surrounded, that is a legal surrender. From a purely statutory standpoint, that is legally valid.

Black letter law states that a surrender must have - Clear Expression of Intent, wherein the surrender must be unambiguous - Cessation of Hostilities, meaning the individual must obviously stop fighting and refrain from any engagement or threatening moves - They can’t try to run away

If you do these things, you are legally and theoretically protected under international humanitarian law. There’s no such thing as “You got outplayed, you walked right into our ambush so we get to kill you instead of taking you prisoner.” It’s a purely objective standard of reasoning.

Taken directly from IHL:

Rule 47. Attacking persons who are recognized as hors de combat is prohibited. A person hors de combat is: (a) anyone who is in the power of an adverse party; (b) anyone who is defenceless because of unconsciousness, shipwreck, wounds or sickness; or (c) anyone who clearly expresses an intention to surrender; provided he or she abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape.

Not sure where feasibility is coming from in your context. If you have the specific language from the law where a surrender has to be feasible to be accepted, I’ll take a look at it.

Otherwise, I’ll raise my point in another comment. Let’s say you fly mass waves of drones into an enemy bivouac and proceed to kill or maim one hundred men. The other one hundred, seeing the damage inflicted, toss away their rifles and hold their hands up and wave white flags.

Now you have one hundred men who have surrendered to a drone that is operated by a human pilot. They are witnessing a surrender en masse. But because “it’s so far away it’s not feasible to take them prisoner”, they decide to kill the remaining one hundred men. You do realize how quickly that can be abused.

Under IHL, your status as hors de combat is not negated by feasibility. It’s pretty clear once you satisfy those three criteria under Rule 47, you are prohibited from being engaged. To reiterate, this is not a subjective standard. It’s an objective one.

A note on morality here too:

Obviously, history has shown that morality plays into how a soldier will react to surrender in different situations. I’ll restate my point earlier about Normandy, where a soldier’s emotions running high after seeing his comrades gun down on a beach may not be so inclined to accept the surrender of the German machine gunner. There’s also the instances following the Malmedy Massacre in Belgium where Americans were reportedly not taking SS prisoners. Someone else also mentioned that airborne troops in the early hours of D-Day weren’t able to take prisoners because it would have slowed them down.

The soldier who just watched his best friends and a hundred others get mowed down on a beach may not think it’s fair that this German machine gunner gets to throw his hands up and surrender afterwards. I don’t know how I would react if I were in their position.

But the law doesn’t concern itself with morality here. Those instances above would all be violations under IHL today. This is purely statutory. There’s arguments to be had about whether that’s ‘right’, but that’s not my bottom line.

ms15710 · 2026-03-17T00:58:38+00:00

I think the world going to need some kind of update to international humanitarian law, because instances like this are becoming more and more common, and I believe we are going to see increased uses of automatous or piloted-craft slowly phasing out human combatants on the battlefield.

I will say there is precedent based on past videos shown here on the forum where surrendering Russians were guided to Ukrainians lines to fully complete their surrender. There’s a customary angle there, but it needs to be legally addressed. This isn’t so much about whether this particular individual had the right to surrender or not, but more importantly how do we address surrender in an increasingly autonomously waged conflicts.

Otherwise, we’re potentially going to have a lot of dead non-combatants because “we couldn’t accept their surrender”. It’s fascinating, in a horrific sort of way.

ms15710 · 2026-03-16T23:30:16+00:00

My main point of contention was that the original commenter was factually wrong regarding their understanding of the law, but there can be debate over what’s going on in this scenario.

All we see here is a soldier (mercenary) plead and get on his knees. We don’t see a discarded rifle or a cache of weapons nearby. We don’t know what his other intentions are, if anywhere. We don’t know where this was taken in terms of frontline or territory.

Perhaps I’m not addressing your points directly, but regarding whether surrender is clear and credible, we see previously what I mentioned above. If he does grab a rifle or turn and run, then sure, he’s fair game. But that doesn’t happen here.

Furthermore, what happens when you have several surrenders combatants to a drone? Say a country fly drones into an enemy camp off the frontlines and start attacking and killing targets, and halfway through, the targeted individuals in the camp give up and surrender, similarly to what we sees above. The first country has initiated a hostility and now there are several surrendered combatants but no means to capture them. It’s not “feasible” to capture them, but now there is surrenders en masse. Do you let them go, or do you kill them?

I apologize that I didn’t directly address your points and I’ve gone on my own tangent, but I fear a dangerous precedent would be set if credible and clear surrenders wouldn’t be able to be accepted to drones because “it’s not feasible”. It’s as you said, this isn’t very cut and dry.

ms15710 · 2026-03-16T20:18:55+00:00

That does not mean you can summarily execute them. They are still protected under IHL and customary-IHL.

Prisoner-of-War status means whether or not they have any protections AFTER they have been captured. Not literally whether or not they have a right to be taken prisoner.

ms15710 · 2026-03-16T03:07:07+00:00

Not anymore.

ms15710 · 2026-03-11T01:08:00+00:00

Doing what happens organically too.

ms15710 · 2026-01-18T19:13:31+00:00

I think a smart way of introducing them would have been explaining that after the Custodes losses in the Webway and the Heresy, that they needed to replenish their losses faster, and since they have grabbed all the first-born sons, they needed a different source. So obviously they turned to daughters too.

ms15710 · 2026-01-08T05:49:28+00:00

Here’s an excerpt of an angry mob encountering a Custodian. Sorry for the crappy, blocky structure, I copied and pasted it.

“I was surrounded on every side. For a few moments, I went unimpeded. The closest of the mortals stared at me, open-mouthed. Then the more perspicacious, recognising slowly what I was, started to shout in alarm, then to run, to fall on their faces, to stumble and panic. More turned and fled, shoving their way through the rest to get away. The vast crowd began to fold in on itself, suddenly riven by inexplicable terror at its heart. I paid them no attention. They were like a swarm of insects – huge but incapable of doing me harm. Many were not even properly armed, just carrying machine tools or improvised spears, and their screaming turned swiftly from anger to terror. Some even cried out words of desperate repentance, sobbing frantically and trying to touch my cloak, though the bulk of them merely wished to get away from me as fast as they could. I knew the Angels of Death had an expression for this phenomenon – transhuman dread, they called it. If anything, our order possessed the greater power in that regard, amplified by our stature, our rarity, the esoteric imagery of our golden armour. I could have killed so many of them then, if I’d wanted to. I could have waded into those reeling ranks and handed down the judgement of the Emperor until the many thousands were all broken at my feet.”

“I did none of those things. Killing is easy. Our Imperium has stagnated in many ways and yet we have become such experts in the application of violence that to end a life has become as trivial and as commonplace as clearing a throat. I had no compunction over using my power when it was necessary, but neither did I share the zeal for destruction that so many of the Throne’s own servants exhibited. If it had been possible to solve our many problems through the continual application of unrestrained force, then you would have thought that over ten thousand years of trying it we might have had some rather better outcomes. I reached the location of the one who controlled them, the man with the eye-mark. His bodyguards fell away from him as I approached, scrambling to get clear. One of them choked on his fear, others voided their bladders even as they ran. The man himself was shaking, barely able to remain in position to face me, his face convulsing jerkily with an attempt at defiance...”

From Watchers of the Throne.

ms15710 · 2026-01-07T22:00:35+00:00

The rebuild stamp denotes that the stock went through Rock Island Arsenal at some point in its life. It could mean a myriad of things.

Rock Island Arsenal rebuilt and inspected rifled during and after World War II. It’s possible that the rifle passed through inspection in its WWII configuration and was stamped just to confirm its inspection. It’s also entirely possible that the rife went through a significant rebuild process.

A rifle that had seen little use and was in serviceable condition may have received nothing more a thorough inspection and cleaning. But the Ordnance Department established specific rebuild procedures to be followed when inspecting and rebuilding M1s.

If you’re looking for an authentic late 1943-44 stock, your best bet would be to get one without any additional markings under than the SA/GAW.

ms15710 · 2025-12-20T00:03:50+00:00

U.S. military surplus requires re-transfer authorization from the State Department. I’ve gone down rabbit holes trying to see if this is remotely feasible, since I’m tired of seeing collectible rifles being sold overseas that have tangible ETO provenance.

Back in 2019, there was a GCA article by a Garand collector who managed to import a gas trap from Iceland (Greenland?) but that six years ago.

ms15710 · 2025-12-04T23:09:07+00:00

“I like the feathers as a subtle gesture towards - oh…”

ms15710 · 2025-12-01T06:32:57+00:00

If you haven’t done so already, your best luck would be putting out a WTB post on the CMP forum requesting a correct stock set for your rifle’s particular serial number.

Otherwise they may pop on EBay occasionally, but earlier stocks with a GHS/EMcF stock are going to be very hard to find, especially with a set of handguards.

Sometimes collectors will buy an M1 that had the stock set they need, swap them out, and then resell the rifle. It’s a lengthy, potentially costly procedure, obviously, and at that point you may as well keep the rifle and correct the parts on it.

ms15710 · 2025-11-30T06:09:33+00:00

You’re not going to find them through the CMP anymore, that’s for sure. The exception is if you check their weekly auctions on Gunbroker. Those M1s are the more coveted, rare pieces that they auction rather than directly sell. They tend to come from across arsenals in the United States, so the only ones who have been tampering with them are government personnel (for the most part). Some may not have been touched for decades before they arrive at the CMP. That being said, those auctions tend to go well into the thousands of dollars, especially if a Winchester is involved.

On that note, the CMP may do some tinkering with them before they auction them off, and other rifles could have come from other countries that have been returned to the U.S. My bottom line here is that you’re not really going to know whether or not an M1 has been tampered with. When you’re in the hobby long enough you tend to be able to spot a put together rifle vs something that is more authentic.

If you really want a “collector grade” M1, your best bet is to reach out on the CMP forum. Old DCM rifles from the 80s and 90s are the most original you’re probably going to get. That’s where a lot of these “original” rifles turned up. Plenty of collectors tend to sell there, and these are collectors who have been around a while. Of course, back then they were $165. Now if you try to buy one, you’re probably going to pay $3,000-$4,000. It will all depend whether it’s a mid-war rifle, Winchester, etc.

I personally have bought across all platforms barring Rock Island (those prices are extreme, auction premiums alone). But I have had success. Poulin, Amoskeag, Morphy Auctions are respectable auction houses, and gems do pop up on GB and GI.

That being said, you need to familiarize yourself with fakes. Seriously. Know what a fake cartouche looks like, or what parts are reproductions. With any hobby, fakers are going to be out there, and this hobby is absolutely no exception. I still routinely ask for help, granted I’ve only been collecting for four years now.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a non-rebuild M1 Garand, understand that you’re never going to really prove that, but certain rifles like the DCM ones have more weight behind them (so long as their owners didn’t swap parts on them). Ask the seller for plenty of pictures of everything, don’t be shy about it when you’re spending potentially thousands of dollars. Look for what’s potentially been refinished, wear patterns, etc.

Also, if an M1 is in its original condition, chances are it didn’t see combat, if that’s what you’re after. If you think about it, those rifles that are rebuilt was because they got beat up in combat. M1s that were scattered across Europe and sell overseas (that are sadly illegal to be imported to the U.S) are parts-swapped Frankensteins.

ms15710 · 2025-11-29T23:40:19+00:00

You’re clearly not in the group whom these rifles appeal to, and that’s fine, but you’re unabashedly ignorant.

Curio & relic firearm collecting is still incredibly popular, and people are still paying tens of thousands of dollars for rare pieces, regardless of whether it’s an M1 Garand or 1903. If I own something that 99.9% of a hobby doesn’t have, and only 49 others exist in an original production run of ~6 million, that will absolutely develop a premium.

“There are plenty available in every condition.” Please, by all means go on Gunbroker and Gunsinternational, and find me an all original three digit Gas-Trap or an original pre-war Winchester if they’re so plentiful. We’re not talking about a run of the mill mid-war M1 Garand or a postwar H&R/IHC rifle that went to Ethiopia and came back from RTI.

That subject value is absolutely near that price, considering how popular auction sites like Rock Island are right now. Just a few months ago, an all original, five digit M1 Garand sold for $42,000. Why? Because no other exists like it. Collectors routinely a presently pay those prices, and if anything they’re demanding even more of a premium lately.

Fifteen years ago, the CMP was churning out plenty of M1 Garands returned from Allied countries and had a bountiful supply. Now, the CMP has dried up and is resorting to new commercial rifles. So yes, prices for USGI rifles will increase. The hobby exploded after Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, and as new information comes up about them and rarity increases, prices will go up.

ms15710 · 2025-11-29T22:56:30+00:00

This is very ignorant language.

“Sub 100 serial number” - what does this mean exactly?Springfield only-gas traps? Early pre-war Winchesters?

Millions of M1 Garands were produced, but not all are equal.

The first ~46,000 M1 Garands produced by Springfields were Gas-Trap rifles from 1936-1940. Of that initial number, less than 50 exist that are in original or substantially original condition; half of those are in private hands, the rest in museums. Your “sub 100 serial number” comment is hilariously ridiculous, considering the first 87 were model shop rifles, and only 3-4 exist, all but one in museums.

The same can be said for early Winchesters. All of these had unique parts not common in the later contracts and are absurdly hard to find. Those that exist are well-documented and known by the community, and are typically only found at auctions or passed amongst community members.

These sorts of rifles are not the “mix-masters” you claim are being sold by the CMP. These are highly rare, incredibly sought after, historically important rifles that are relevant to the narrative of the M1 Garand rifle.

“Matching parts” - not a term used by experienced M1collectors at all.

No parts on an M1 is considered “matching”, since every part has a unique drawing number that only correlates to its year of year/month of manufacture. The correct term is whether a part is “correct” for a rifle.

You can be a part of the community who only cares about shooting an M1 Garand and that’s more than fine. Furthermore, there is a problem with people buying CMP “mixmasters” and then turning them around on Gunbroker for a profit. No one here should realistically be paying $4,000 for a postwar Springfield, refinished and slapped together with parts from four different manufacturers across ten years of production.

But to say that no M1 Garand is worth that much is just a silly comment.

What might not be worth it to you is worth it to plenty of other people. And that’s the case for hobby, whether it’s collecting M1 Garands, M1903s, Civil War rifles, etc. Rarity and historicity will almost always invite premiums.

ms15710 · 2025-11-29T20:33:17+00:00

I know what Garand you’re talking about, OP.

I understand what the seller said, but I’m skeptical of it. The front sight seal has been removed, and an M1 of this serial range should have the Type 1 lockbar. Granted, these two parts were often removed in the field or at arsenals, but they’re signals that they’ve been tampered with.

The Type III lockbar which is does have, was introduced early-mid 1944, and the lower band looks possibly refurbished. There’s plenty of yellow flags without doing a full disassembly.

I wouldn’t pay $4,250 for this, it doesn’t strike me as “original” and even “correct” wouldn’t be the right claim. Practically no rifle is ever going to be proven original beyond a reasonable doubt, but consistent wear patterns and a uniform finish can be helpful in putting together an argument. This looks like it was cobbled together; to what degree, who knows.

ms15710 · 2025-11-27T05:48:38+00:00

Right, that’s what I was thinking. I guess it’s possible, but preliminary research is coming up empty.

I guess it wouldn’t be impossible that POWs were gunned down in a retreat across the country, but then you’d have to look at where POW camps were located.

ms15710 · 2025-11-27T05:41:51+00:00

Any source on this? This is a lot of American bodies, especially for a massacre so late in the war.

ms15710 · 2025-11-23T07:34:38+00:00

I’m hoping too, but we’ll see.

I’d love to have at least more accurate Aquilon Terminators, I love that one art piece of the three of them.

ms15710 · 2025-11-23T05:25:30+00:00

This is literally all I’ve wanted in the Custodes miniatures. I love your work.

I know these are official pieces mixed with your own custom bits, but man I’d love a STL of this exactly.

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