Heckler & Koch VP70

The VP70 is a 9mm pistol designed by Heckler & Koch that was released in 1970. It is the first polymer framed pistol. Two main variants were manufactured; the VP-70M, which features a detachable stock that introduces a burst-fire mechanism, and the VP-70Z, which is the civilian variant that cannot use the stock piece and thus cannot use the burst-fire option.

The VP70M can only fire a burst mode while the stock is attached. This holds true in the Resident Evil games. In Resident Evil 2, the Burst mode is only available after Leon finds the stock. In Resident Evil 4, the gun is always set on Burst, and the stock is not removable. However, single shots are possible with quick light taps on the fire button. Upon closer examination it is possible to see a small indicator on the stock, which protrudes slightly to show that the gun is in Burst mode.

Resident Evil 2


The Heckler & Koch VP70 was Leon's starting handgun during Resident Evil 2.

The VP70 is a useful starting pistol, with a larger magazine than Claire's Browning. The VP70 is a preferred choice when fighting the lesser enemies of the game such as Zombies and Cerberus dogs. Leon can also find Handgun Parts (in a locked desk outside the Police Station library) which upgrade the VP70 to the VP70M machine-pistol (called the VP70 Burst ingame). Using these parts, the handgun gains a plastic stock and burst functionality. Upgraded, Leon can effectively take on tougher opponents such as Lickers with ease when using the Burst Mode, but with the disadvantage of a much heavier ammunition usage. Both versions fire 9x19mm Parabellum rounds.

USS operative Hunk carries the basic VP70 handgun in his kit during the Fourth Survivor mission, which he can use best to kill Cerberus and the slow moving Ivy B.O.W.s

Resident Evil 4
"Ah! An awesome choice, stranger. It's got a three-round rapid-fire capability, although it uses up ammo rather quickly." -The Merchant

The H&K VP70 (Matilda in-game) is available for purchase from the Merchant for 70,000 pesetas. It can be bought only after completing the game once. It has a permanently-equipped stock and fires in rapid three-round bursts. The Matilda takes up 10 spaces (5x2) of Leon's inventory. It is the second-largest 9mm handgun in the game, after the Red9 and its stock.

Upgrade Chart

 * Cost is in parenthesis

|Level| Firepower    |Firerate|   Reload Time   |    Capacity    | |    |               |        |                 |                |   |  1  | 1.0           |  0.47  |  1.73           |  15            |   |  2  | 1.2 (15,000)  |    -   |  1.47 (6,000)   |  18 (7,000)    |   |  3  | 1.4 (17,000)  |    -   |  0.87 (15,000)  |  21 (10,000)   |   |  4  | 1.6 (20,000)  |    -   |       -         |  24 (12,000)   |   |  5  | 1.8 (25,000)  |    -   |       -         |  27 (16,000)   |   |  6  | 2.0 (35,000)  |    -   |       -         |  30 (20,000)   |   | Exc |      -        |    -   |       -         |  100 (35,000)  |

The Matilda's exclusive upgrade increases its capacity to 100 rounds.

As the Merchant implies, the Matilda does indeed burn through ammo very quickly. While a fully-upgraded Matilda can perform the same role as an automatic, care must be taken to preserve ammunition.

Resident Evil: Degeneration
Leon is again seen using his VP70 during a flashback of the Raccoon City Outbreak.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
As DC covers the events of RE2, the VP-70 is featured as a usable handgun, most likely as Leon's starting handgun for the RE2 segment.

Trivia



 * Its name in Resident Evil 4, Matilda, may refer to the Jean Reno's film Léon, the Professional, as the main characters of the film bear the names "Léon" and "Matilda".
 * Its the name of HUNK's handgun in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. It is also said that he calls his handgun "Matilda".
 * On the real VP70, the stock could double as a holster in a similar manner as another German handgun featured in Resident Evil 4, the Mauser C-96.
 * In the novel Resident Evil: City of the Dead the VP-70 is mentioned as being the new standard issue sidearm for the R.P.D., replacing the Browning Hi-Power due to it's higher ammo capacity. This switch is described as being in response to the recent increase in violent crime across the city. In reality, issuing VP-70s in such large numbers would be nearly impossible in 1998, as HK ceased production of the VP-70 line in 1989.
 * The real VP-70 did not feature a slide catch, meaning that when the last round in a magazine was fired the slide would not lock back in the open position, and the shooter would have to manually work the slide to chamber the first round as opposed to simply releasing the slide catch. Yet when the last round in a magazine is fired ingame, the slide will lock back in the same manner as most semi-automatic pistols.