M4A8: Paper Gun Model Kit

The M4A8 is part of the Paper Gun Model Kit series by PostlerFerguson, not only for its aesthetic implications, but also for its historical and medial-related relevance. The M4A8 is a special compact version of the Colt M16, developed in the 1960s, which gained notoriety as a standard weapon of the US Marines during the Vietnam War, becoming a symbol of that war. For many, the M16 with its concise silhouette was the symbol of Western Imperialism struggling with Communism, represented by the AK-47. The evolution from the M16 to the M4 shows by way of example the changes of worldwide conflicts and wars in the last 50 years. The image of the GI in uniform in Vietnam has morphed into the "private contractor" in Iraq wearing a T-Shirt and carrying the M4, thus displaying the high wire act between the banality of the weapon as an industrial product and tool. The London-based multidisciplinary design studio PostlerFerguson, composed of Martin Postler and Ian Ferguson investigates the history, the aesthetics and the lethal seductiveness of weapons. In their model kits series, they free the weapons from their terrible capacity to injure and kill by deconstructing it into paper construction sets. Following the AK47 (2007), the death machine series has now been extended with four new paper weapons to the arsenal including the UZI, MP5, M4A8 and Mills Bomb paper grenade. Ultimately these weapons thankfully remain a piece of paper. Not recommended for people under age 18. Recommended for experienced crafters. Construction time depends on handcrafting abilities. Does not contain glue and cutter. If you're gonna play with guns, use paper ones!