The action called for the stunt man to fire a World War 1 belt fed machine gun and then for him to be thrown upwards as if by an explosion. The gun was to continue to fire as he cleared 'frame' through the air. Simple enough but the whole set up was to be shot in Kenya on a train in the intense African sun. Blank firing period machine guns are very sensitive at the best of times, like many antiques, firstly, they were not designed to fire blank ammunition, secondly, the ammunition is temperature sensitive and thirdly, firing one single handed whilst the ammunition belt is being jerked about on a moving platform adds to the likelihood of a stoppage (jam)..

As the train was going to be 'blown up, it would have taken a long time for the design team to rebuild the 'stage', to redress it and for the effects crew to reset all the special effects. There was no room for error. We decided that to ensure reliability we would build something from scratch using the most robust and lightweight materials. The stuntman had enough variables to contend with. He was wired for bullet hits and had to time his action to a split second. If we could help reduce the potential problems the stunt would be easier to perform and capture on camera first time. We decided to build a Czech Assault rifle inside the body of a belt fed machine gun.

The VZ 58P, to give it the correct title, is a very reliable weapon. Firing the 7.62x39 cartridge, it was more than capable of dealing with the heat and any vibration or shock. The plan worked. After the sequence had been rehearsed and performed, the remnants of the '58 were pulled charred and battered from the wreckage. Despite the torched furniture and blistered metal, the rifle worked after a simple quick cleaning session.