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Man at Arms makes Frostmourne
If you haven't started watching Man at Arms, the awesome webseries where weapons from movies and video games are recreated by master blacksmith Tony Swatton, I have to wonder why not. The real draw of the show is that they go out of their way to make functional replicas, even when that's impractical - the weapons Swatton and his team create actually can be used, and usually are used at the end of the episode. This week, after a round of voting, we finally get to see Swatton's take on Frostmourne, the infamous runeblade of the Lich King. Now, as far as I can tell they haven't mastered the necromancy that made Frostmourne so dangerous, but they did make a sword you can cut stuff up real good. Keep your eyes peeled at the end for a guest appearance by Michele Morrow at the end. I won't lie, I'm still a little bummed we didn't get a Gorehowl. But this is a heck of an impressive build. I really think Blizzard should commission an Ashkandi from Mr. Swatton. And then give it to me.
Azeroth Choppers Episode 7, voting opens today
With the arrival of Azeroth Choppers episode 7, we'll finally have the chance to do the thing that the entire webseries was leading up to, namely to vote on a new mount favoring either the Horde or the Alliance. Which will you choose, that monstrosity with tank treads the other faction got, or the awesome bike with tank treads your faction got? Well, whichever you pick, the time to do so is now. Are you excited for any of the bikes? Or just swept away by faction pride? Or are you like Anne, and you're literally insane to watch people build stuff? Personally I find the building aspect of the show to be absolutely riveting. Hah. Riveting. I made a joke. Personally I'm hoping that the next webseries that Blizzard does is with the awesome Man at Arms people. Seriously, how cool would that be? Blizz can break up into teams again and design badass new Horde and Alliance specific weapons and have a real life version forged by Tony Swatton and his team. They've made the Buster Sword, they could probably handle Ashkandi. Ooh. Forget the competition. Just make Ashkandi. And then deliver it to my house. Get ready to go vote for your favorite bike over on the official site.
Pokemon's Honedge brought to life
The folks behind the Man at Arms video series and makers of replica weaponry from games and films are at it again, this time with a Pokemon look-alike. The latest Man at Arms video shows the creation of the Pokemon Honedge, a new creature introduced in Pokemon X and Y that resembles a sword with a blue cloth attached to its hilt. While the Man at Arms crew chopped together a fine approximation of the creature (complete with a rather sharp blade, as seen in the ending demonstration), they did leave out Honedge's ornate sheath. Not that we'll be the ones telling them about the minor detail. They make swords, after all, so we'd hate to critique them. Led by master swordsmith Tony Swatton, Man at Arms' past work includes the energy sword from the Halo series, the God of War series' Blade of Chaos as well as swords from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. [Image: Man at Arms]
Man at Arms forges its own Halo 'Energy Sword'
Humanity has yet to invent plasma-based stabbing technology, but we still celebrate Man at Arms' recreation of the iconic Halo weapon, the Energy Sword. Metal isn't a bad substitute for plasma, except when it comes to plastic. Plasma would've done a better job destroying that bottle of Mountain Dew.
God of War's Blade of Chaos cast in steel by Man at Arms
Professional blacksmith Tony Swatton has forged a scaled-down replica of Kratos' Blade of Chaos from the God of War series, recreating its flesh-rending power with terrifying accuracy. Swatton's latest work follows up on previous gaming-focused projects like Final Fantasy 7's Buster Sword and a pair of blades featured in Assassin's Creed 4. Don't play with sharp objects, kids.
Swordsmith forges iconic blades from Assassin's Creed IV
Master swordsmith Tony Swatton has a knack for building fictional weapons, and for his latest YouTube video Swatton has set his sights on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV. In the course of the nearly nine-minute-long video, Swatton walks viewers through the process of creating a pirate's cutlass as well as the Assassin's Creed series' trademark assassin's blade. The former is a relatively simple forging process, but the mechanisms involved in the largely-fictional hidden wrist blade weapon require more meticulous effort. Impressively, the end result looks even more sinister in our reality than it does when plunging into the necks of your virtual foes. While watching this video, please keep in mind that Swatton is an expert. Unless you, too, are a master swordsmith, please don't try this at home.
