Alright, I'm compiling all my 1911s.
Included are:
10mm Han Chinese 1911 "Silver Cloud Dagger"
Detonics 1911 "In a Death Grip"
Nighthawk 1911 "Yue Fei" (minus the vzgrips.com grips, to come)
To come:
Vzgrips with a scroll portrait of Yue Fei etched in.
Blackwater P226
10mm Silver Cloud Dagger:
Bear with me here, as my photography skills and camera are subpar.
Bernie made the grips, Djbordie engraved it.
This is my TM 1911 with a Guarder FMU kit.
The Data Stamp reads: "Silver Cloud Dagger, Calibre 10mm Auto" Cheesy? Yes, but in Wuxia fiction (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)and through history, many great warriors and generals named their swords, spears, etc. similarly.
The other side is a quote that translates to: "10,000 bones will turn to dust for every general who achieves fame", kind of like "How many must die so Caeser may be great?"
My family surname is on both sides, behind the grip serrations.
The serial number is 18, the signifigance of this is that the numbers 4 and 10 sound a lot like the word for death, and those numbers commonly symbolize death. The word for 8 sounds a lot like Chinese version of "huh" or "eh", essentially meaning "die already" or "go ahead and die".
The sanding job is rough, but I kind of prefer it to a perfect mirror polish free of burrs. It adds character, kind of what I would imagine Chow Yun Fat use in a Hong Kong detective story. It also compliments the black furniture and controls better. It also means I can field it without being too paranoid about scratches and the like.
The pictures were taken by a generic Canon Powershot with natural sunlight (except one shot) and were taken on a gold leaf Chinese chess board with (cheap) crystal pieces.
EDIT: Yes, I realize that it is supposed to be a 10mm, and those are .45. 10mm ammo is not easy or cheap to come by.
Detonics 1911:
A TM Detonics .45 with double-wide bamboo grips etched with a poem, written by me (in all of a minute), made by Bernie (formerly "Daijavu"), etched by DJbordie.
Poem reads:
Duty and Beauty,
Coalesce.
In a death grip,
The officer
Has one
last lament;
A single shot.
Don't worry. All the IDs are expired/fake.
Nighthawk Yue Fei 1911:
This is a WE Tactical 1911 engraved by DJBordie
Nighthawk Customs makes 1911s to order. They have made runs for Larry Vickers, 10-8 Consulting, GRP and a set of 'Templar's for PMCs overseas to name a few. Check their website.
My variation is named after the famous General, Yue Fei, Leonidas of China essentially. He retook almost half of norther China after it was lost to the Jurchen barbarians in the Song dynasty. However, an advisor the emperor who advised a policy of appeasement recalled Yue Fei and had him assassinated in his jail cell. He is a tragic hero and the definition of military heroism in Chinese culture. On his back, he had 'Serve the country with the utmost loyalty' tatooed by his mother at a young age.
The Yue Fei 1911 has Song-dynasty caligraphy engraved in the right side. It is from a scroll sent to the Jurchen king, which says simply: "Give me back my land." with emphasized simplicity. This takes the place of the Vickers, 10-8, etc. logos that are usually placed there. Soon to come are micarta grips engraved with a scroll portrait of Yue Fei.
More photos are available if you follow the flickr link.