You are correct that there's huge innovation in the small arms industry in the US, and some clever ideas have come out of it. The big issue is in institutional inertia - even new designs that offer significant improvements and have some official acceptance, like the FN SCAR has had a hard time reaching general issue.…

Funny you mention that article, because the claims made in it have been thoroughly dissected. The M4 is not the piece of junk that newpaper writers and defense industry lobbyists say it is - rather, its failings at the battle of Wanat and elsewhere can often be traced back to limited maintenance of individual rifles…

I think you have the right car, but the wrong model. I'd say that the whole Civic line has been changed by the game. Civics used to be light, minimalist, and superbly engineered. Sure, they were reliable, well packaged, and efficient, but they were also lively and fun in a way that betrayed the motorcycle origins of…

>implying that the current issue M4 is the same failure prone rifle as the original M16 issued in Vietnam

Trains are awesome.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which introduced the Constitution refit came out in 1979, so that works with the seller's stated timeline.

I think you're doing it wrong.

A midsize family car in wagon form, like the dearly departed Legacy wagon. Not everyone wants a crossover or jacked wagon (like the still living Outback). Bonus points for turbocharged GT version with a stick.

According to KBB, via Auto News, the average transaction price was $33,993.

They can't have a Cayman faster than a 911, remember?

...a T-62 tank wasn't going to let you down in the field. Provide, however, that you remembered to bring the short sledgehammer necessary to whack the shifter into gear.

That Italia II GTC might be the first kit car I've ever wanted. I'll be in my bunk.

Yes they do - username related. Ford would have to make the clutches liquid cooled, though, because the current air cooled clutches have a history of problems with the 160hp engine in the regular Focus. I'd hate to see what would happen if a turbo engine were hooked up to one.

European version shown

What was special? Shinsen (新鮮 in Japanese), translates to "fresh" in English. So what do you get? It's a fresh Miata. The Shinsen is grey with a blue cloth interior and blue top. It also has the white gauges from the SE and a leather shift knob. The package is purely cosmetic.

What was special? You had the choice of two colors for the first time on an SE Miata. They both shared the same wheels, but the gray cars had brown leather while the yellow ones had black. Nardi provided the steering wheel and Bose gave you the stereo. The gauges were changed, with white faces and chrome surrounds.…

If I could find one of them - sedan, coupe, or especially a wagon - in EX trim that isn't beat to hell, I'd buy the crap out of it. I miss my '97 sedan so much.

I hope Raytheon's network security is air tight, otherwise we'll have to pull a Battlestar Galactica with the Iowa class when the Cylons hack the network.

The Dart had a rough launch. The early ones had quality problems that took time to resolve (poor fit and finish of the examples at the NYIAS - even before the barbarians there beat them up for a week - chipping paint on the bumpers when you closed the trunk lid hard, trim falling off of the car, Edmund's 1.4T test…

A Pilatus PC-12 would be landing there. Those aircraft can put down damn near anywhere.