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Comparison between the regular version and the extended version, both included on the German Blu-ray from Shamrock Media // regular version also included on the US Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome
- 6 cuts
Similar to many US theatrical versions with an R rating, a pre-censored version of the girls-with-guns blockbuster Iron Angels 3 has become the “official” cut worldwide. As shown in the report on the slightly additional censored Hong Kong LaserDisc in the appendix, small additional moments could be seen on a rare VHS from Singapore. There is also some talk of Malaysia as the origin of this VHS, and it should also be noted that in this version, some other scenes were clearly censored and even in the additional material found here, censorship is still evident in at least one place. A clip from it was included as a bonus on the German DVD, but unfortunately the quality of the VHS in question is pretty poor and the image is zoomed to full screen. A similar fate to that of many R-rated titles, where only shabby workprints actually confirm additional snippets of violence.  Shamrock Media informed us in detail that, in preparation for the German Blu-ray release, they had discovered something in the archives of VPS, the label responsible for the VHS. The censorship in Part 3 was, of course, carried out on an even longer master tape at the time. After several inquiries, they were able to get hold of this preserved master, and here we can actually discover the longer uncut moments in widescreen and in a quality that is clearly superior to the Singapore VHS. Compared to this old full-screen version (and, of course, all digital releases of the film), there is even one more bloody headshot – which means that the section that was clearly censored on the rare VHS has finally also been found. This version was probably a rough cut, as some of the credits and even sound effects were missing from the VPS master tape. Back in 2022, Shamrock had already provided the uncut master from the VPS archive to the licensor of the HD master in Hong Kong (Mei Ah) in preparation for the German Blu-rays. A targeted search was conducted in Hong Kong for the differences between the scenes, including detailed information. This was also done previously with regard to the many versions of Iron Angels 2 worldwide, and here it was actually successful. Originally, Mei Ah delivered a heavily shortened version of Part 2, probably the one known from Czechia. After such an exchange with Shamrock Media, Mei Ah was able to reconstruct the uncut long version completely in HD, and this version was used by both Shamrock and Vinegar Syndrome. We know this from similar cases such as The Iceman Cometh by 88 Films in the UK; sometimes treasures can still be found in the archives, and persistence can pay off. Unfortunately, this did not work out for Part 3: Mei Ah informed Shamrock that nothing more could be found, and the HD master delivered for Part 3 remained “only” the known edited version. Accordingly, Vinegar Syndrome also only released this “regular” version, and Mei Ah apparently did not forward the VPS master to them. The reconstructed extended version can now be seen exclusively on the German Mediabook premiere from Shamrock Media, available since February 9, 2026. Of course, the quality of the inserts is somewhat lower, but it is easy to watch and relatively uniform in color. Shamrock was able to reconstruct the missing audio for the extended sections from the aforementioned Singapore tape, among other sources.
Running times are listed according to the following scheme Note: The Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray runs at 23.976 fps, which results in a few seconds of additional runtime here, compared to the Shamrock Blu-ray.
76:07 / 76:07-76:12 or Vinegar Syndrome 76:12 Before the truck's side door opens and the shooting starts, the security chief is shot in the back. He turns to the side and shoots another attacking biker - which, incidentally, is a moment that has not been seen before. In the bonus clip on the old German DVD and thus the VHS copy from Asia, this close-up shot to the biker's head was censored. After another view of the security chief, the camera pans to the side and we see his bleeding back. With a look of horror on his face, he then turns toward the side door of the truck. 4.6 sec
For comparison, here is an image from the bonus clip on the old German DVD. At the time, of course, it was better than nothing, but zoomed in and in terrible quality:
77:37 / 77:42-77:46 or Vinegar Syndrome 77:42 Here you can see someone (probably after a headshot that is not explicitly shown here) falling to the ground. Then two harmless shots of gunfire. 3.2 sec
77:43 / 77:51-77:54 or Vinegar Syndrome 77:48 Some soldiers fall to the ground during the retreat and one is shot in the head from the front. 3.6 sec
77:46 / 77:58-78:01 or Vinegar Syndrome 77:51 More soldiers are shot down in a long shot. 3.1 sec
77:48 / 78:02-78:05 or Vinegar Syndrome 77:52 Another shaky side shot in which several soldiers are hit. 2.7 sec
77:49 / 78:06-78:17 or Vinegar Syndrome 77:54 After the shot of the white house, countless more baddies are shot down, with one of them being used as a human shield in between. 11 sec
Here's another example of how virtually unwatchable this scene looked in the bonus clip on the old German DVD:
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