Once you have downloaded weapon models, you need to know how and where to install them.

All models (player models, weapons, monsters) are stored in the folder:

*game root folder*/valve/models/

The root folder is where the hl.exe file that launches the game itself is located.
(For example, C:/Games/Half-Life/valve/models)

For those who have the Steam version
steam\steamapps\*account name*\half-life\models

Weapon model files come in several types, and they all have different prefixes.

v_*.mdl - the model of the weapon you see in your left hand
(for example v_gauss.mdl)

p_*.mdl - the model visible in other players' hands
w_*.mdl - the model lying on the ground that the player picks up.

To install weapon models, copy the files into the models folder, replacing the existing ones

Keep in mind that if you have a valve_russian folder, the models must be put there, not into the valve folder.




The folder for player models is located a little deeper
Half-Life\valve\models\player

The individual folders in this directory are the player models themselves
(for example recon, gordon, gina, etc.)

Each folder must contain an mdl file with the same name as the folder.
(gordon/gordon.mdl, gina/gina.mdl, etc.)

The bmp image in the folder is a preview for viewing the model in the in-game settings menu; it is not required, but it makes it easier to find the model you want.

All you need to do is drop the folder with the model and the image into the \valve\models\player folder
If you only have the mdl file, create a folder with the same name as the model file and copy the mdl there.