Tim LaFrance* - an interesting creative gun developer I ran across
in researching real and fake Soviet pistols ... e.g., "Red Heat"
with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"The fictional Podbyrin 9.2mm Pistol is actually a modified Western Desert Eagle .357 Magnum.
The Podbyrin does not exist and was made up as a prop for the movie to look more like a Soviet weapon.
It is the main weapon for Capt. Ivan Danko (Arnold Schwarzenegger) for much of the movie,
until he gets it taken away, due to his lack of a diplomatic license.
Director Walter Hill wanted a "P38 but bigger and meaner. A P38 on Steroids", so movie armorer Tim LaFrance
built three guns he named "The Hollywood Eagle".
He used the Desert Eagle .357 Mk I pistols as a base and had to modify the entire profile to resemble
a large Walther P38. According to LaFrance, the most difficult part
of the blank adaption conversion was the gas porting.
" - Wiki
* << http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display. ... icles=2341 >>