After nearly two decades of anticipation, the Zev FDP, a real-world version of the folding submachine gun made famous in video games and conceptualised by Magpul, has finally arrived. Alyssa Seymour describes the frantic experience of refreshing a web page on launch day just to secure one of the first units.

So you have acquired a "Foldy Boi," otherwise known as the ZEV Tech FDP and they have tips for you on deploying it properly. To get this mechanical transformer ready for action, use the ambidextrous charging handle. Rather than trying to win a wrist-flicking contest, simply hold the device upright and let gravity do the heavy lifting as you pull back. It turns out that physics is actually quite helpful when you aren't fighting against it.