Ножи для Рэмбо
Когда в 1982 г. в прокате появился фильм «Рэмбо: Первая кровь», актер Сильвестр Сталлоне закрепил свой успех и популярность в мире кино, а знаменитый нож Джона Рэмбо вошел в историю холодного оружия.
Спустя 36 лет и три сиквела герой вновь вступил в схватку с плохими парнями, на этот раз - вооруженный ножами немецкого дизайнера Дитмара Поля.
Призвание - найфмейкер
В каждом фильме о Рэмбо ножи являются неотъемлемой частью экипировки главного героя. Для первых частей их создали американские дизайнеры Джимми Лайл и Гил Хиббен, а перед съемками последней части к этой важной миссии Сталлоне привлек немца Дитмара Поля.
Дизайнер успешно работал в ножевой индустрии уже более 25 лет, был автором книг о боевых и тактических ножах, а его модели Boker Speedlock/Toplock и Pohl Force Alpha давно стали классикой. В 2007 г. Поль основал собственную компанию, сконцентрировался на производстве боевых ножей и начал сотрудничество с кинопроизводством, постепенно приближаясь к своей мечте. Дело в том, что на выбор профессии Дитмара повлияла та самая первая часть «Рэмбо». В 16 лет он увидел в этом фильме Сильвестра Сталлоне с его легендарным ножом и понял, что хочет связать свою жизнь с ножевым миром. Теперь ему предстояло разработать ножи для «Рэмбо: Последняя кровь» - заключительной части франшизы.
Знакомство со Слаем
Дитмар Поль познакомился со Сталлоне в 2013 г. на съемочной площадке фильма «Неудержимые-3». Они долго разговаривали о знаменитых ножах из кинокарьеры актера - от «Рэмбо» и «Кобра» до серии «Неудержимых», и на память о встрече Дитмар подарил Слаю нож Foxtrot One Survival с оригинальной гравировкой. Спустя несколько лет актер использовал его в своем фильме «План побега - 3». Эксперт по оружию Рок Галотти оценил дизайн и качество ножа и решил сотрудничать с Полем в следующей картине - «Рэмбо: Последняя кровь».
Как шла подготовка
С первой рабочей встречи стало понятно: Сталлоне хочет, чтобы эти ножи отличались от предыдущих. Они должны были стать еще более функциональными, но при этом сохранить технические характеристики ножей из первых фильмов «Рэмбо». Также актер придавал особое значение размеру ножей: оптимальная длина лезвия - 20-23 см, что наиболее подходит для руки Сильвестра. «Судя по пожеланиям Слая, я понял, что мы с ним мыслим в одном направлении», - вспоминает Поль.
Всего за несколько дней дизайнер разработал эскизы двух ножей: Bowie Knife (MK-8*), используемого в начале фильма, и Tactical Fighter (MK-9*) - для финального боя. Первые наброски показали, что Поль на правильном пути. В ответ на высланные фото с его зарисовками MK-8 Сталлоне написал: «Дитмар, почти в точку! Только сделай клинок чуть тоньше, чтобы он казался еще более смертоносным!»
Также у Слая имелась особая просьба: чтобы рукоять MK-8 была сделана из оленьего рога. Учитывая размеры ножа, это была нелегкая задача! Но Поль сумел достать нужный материал и сделать рукоять Bowie Knife в срок. Вообще, Сталлоне предоставил найфмейкеру полную свободу выбора материалов для создания ножей при условии, что тот откажется от отражающих металлических поверхностей. Мастер использовал титан: ведь он на 40% легче стали, а пескоструйная обработка придает ему необычный антрацитовый оттенок.
Что касается материала для рукояти ножа MK-9 Heartstopper (так на съемках его назвал актер), то Поль предложил микарту защитно-зеленого цвета (OD Green) - как связь между первой и последней частями «Рэмбо». Этот оттенок придал ножу особую боевую харизму, и Слай был в восторге!
От дизайна до готового ножа
После создания эскизов в очень сжатые сроки и одобрения их Сталлоне пришло время для производства. В нормальных условиях, при правильном планировании и наличии времени, это не проблема. Но оба ножа нужно было выполнить в нескольких версиях, плюс - сделать дополнительные реквизитные ножи, и все это - за две недели!
При таком напряженном графике единственным производственным партнером Дитмар Поль видел итальянскую компанию LionSTEEL в лице ее руководителя и давнего друга Джанни Паулетта. Тот сразу предложил свою помощь. Но, даже несмотря на сверхурочный труд мотивированных специалистов, этот проект превратился в реальную гонку на время!
В последнюю и решающую неделю подготовки Поль и его помощник Себастьян Лаке присоединились к команде LionSTEEL в Маниаго, чтобы все окончательно обсудить на месте. «Я, наверное, никогда в жизни не пил столько эспрессо, как тогда», - с улыбкой признается Дитмар. Но благодаря совместным усилиям им все удалось! И Поль из Италии отправился в Болгарию, где тогда проходили съемки, чтобы лично вручить Слаю ножи для фильма.
Круг замкнулся
Для презентации новых ножей Сильвестр Сталлоне пригласил команду Pohl Force и реквизиторов фильма на съемочную площадку «Рэмбо: Последняя кровь». Когда Поль открыл кейс с готовыми инструментами, Слай был поражен! Он сделал дизайнеру лучший комплимент: «Дитмар, мне нравятся все варианты! Предлагаю тебе выбрать, какие мы будем использовать в фильме». С MK-9 Heartstopper все было абсолютно ясно - нож с рукоятью из зеленой микарты и с коричневыми ножнами. А с МК-8 было сложнее. Черный G-10 подчеркнул бы тактическую харизму ножа, олений рог - оригинальность дизайна, но в итоге найфмейкер остановился на ноже с рукоятью из благородного черного дерева. Встречу завершила фотосессия со Сталлоне и ножами на фоне съемочного трейлера.
Спустя 36 лет в истории Дитмара Поля, который в 16-летнем возрасте, после просмотра в кинотеатре «Рэмбо: Первая кровь», взял круглый напильник и попытался сделать на своем боевом ноже Ka-Bar зазубрины, как у ножа, созданного Джимми Лайлом, была поставлена точка. Теперь ножи, созданные им собственноручно, играли важную роль в последней части «Рэмбо»!
От оригинала к выпуску линии
После съемок Дитмар Поль заказал британскому производителю ножей Энди Вуду партию своих двух ножей, но в версии ручной работы. Вуд изготовил по 100 ножей каждой модели, и это стало отличной новостью для коллекционеров!
И еще: ножны для двух знаменитых ножей Поля делала американская компания Galco Gunleather из Феникса, штат Аризона. Дитмар был очарован выдающимся качеством Galco, а также тем фактом, что они делали кожаные ножны для «Рэмбо: Первая кровь - 2» в 80-х годах. Еще одна интересная цикличность в истории знаменитой серии фильмов и ножевом мире!
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#RAMBO #lastblood
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Rambo’s knives for Last Blood
When First Blood was created in 1982 and Sylvester Stallone wrote film and knife history with his Jimmy Lile Survival knife, hardly anyone could have imagined that after 36 years and three sequels, Rambo would go back into combat. This time however, not to fight against an overpowering military opponent, but to save a young woman who is like a daughter to him. A Mexican sex trafficking cartel is messing with the wrong one and will pay for it in a bloody way.
Of course, as with every Rambo movie of the series, a new knife is an integral part of the main actor's equipment, and this time it’s two. And the story about Rambo's new knives is probably so unusual that it could have been dreamt up in Hollywood. After Jimmy Lile and Gil Hibben, Sylvester Stallone left the design work for the new knives to the "Tactical Knife" expert Dietmar Pohl from Germany. He has been working successfully in the knife industry for more than 25 years and, in addition to countless knife designs, has also written four books on the subject of combat and tactical knives. His designs such as the Boker Speedlock/Toplock, the Kalashnikow series or his Pohl Force Alpha models, to name just a few, have become true classics in the knife industry. In 2007 he founded his own company, Pohl Force, in order to concentrate even more on the field of combat knives. In addition to tactical knives for Special Forces, Dietmar has also become more and more the contact for the film industry in recent years. This is also where his actual history and that of the new Rambo knives begins.
In January 1983, the German release of First Blood hit the screens. The film, and obviously its iconic knife, made such a strong impression upon Dietmar that from then on knew he wanted to develop his own knives. And now, nearly four decades later, the circle closes and the dream has become reality. The man who was so strongly influenced by Sylvester Stallone and his embodiment of John Rambo at the age of 16, was allowed to develop the knives for “Sly” and the final part of the Rambo saga - Last Blood. The fulfilment could not have been greater when he was able to look into the satisfied eyes of the action star. Stallone was simply thrilled with the personal presentation of the knives on the film set in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Back to reality
But how did Dietmar Pohl come to work with Sylvester Stallone and the film crew? The first meeting between the two took place in 2013. Dietmar visited the set of Expendables 3 and spent almost an hour talking shop with Sly about his film knives - from Rambo and Cobra all the way to the Expendables series. In memory of the meeting Dietmar handed him a Foxtrot One Survival knife with a special engraving. Exactly this knife, which had been stuck in Stallone's desk for years, easily recognizable on his Instagram contributions, was to become the link between Pohl and Stallone. During the shooting of Escape Plan 3, Sly relaxed and asked the weapons and props team to get exactly that knife for use in the action flick. The film's weapons expert, Rock Galotti, was so impressed by the designs and quality of the tactical knives that he kept in touch with Dietmar after the shoot. This was followed by a mutual exchange of ideas about further projects. Fatefully, this weapons expert was a member of Sylvester Stallone’s inner circle. When it came to choosing the right knife for the new Rambo - Last Blood, Sly relied on Rock’s expert advice.
Why tactical knives?
From the very first contact it became clear that Stallone wanted to go in a completely different direction than with the last two parts. The knives were now to become much more tactically natured and take up the technical aspects of the first Rambo knives. Stallone also attached particular importance to the size of the knives with blade lengths between 8 and 9 inches. For this purpose, the actor sent pictures of himself with knives of comparable size in his hand. The overall proportions simply had to be right. "When I had all this information on the table, I knew that Sly and I had the same ideas about the knives," recounted Dietmar. In addition, Stallone had also been intensively involved with the earlier work of the German knife designer and had expressed clear ideas about the Bowie knife. With an extremely short time window of only a few days, Dietmar designed both the Tactical Fighter (MK-9) for the final fight and the Bowie Knife (MK-8) that Rambo used at the beginning of the film. Already after the first drafts it was clear that Dietmar was on the right track. To make the proportions even clearer for Stallone, the designer sent pictures of his hand holding paper prototypes. The star’s comment, “Dietmar, we’re almost there… make the blade of the Bowie a bit slimmer, so that it comes across even deadlier,” signaled that the design of the MK-8 (standing for Movie Knife 8”) had been decided. As a special feature, Stallone asked for a possible redstag handle for the knife. For a knife of this type, with a relatively large handle, this was already a challenge. To find stag horn in a reasonable quality and in such dimensions is not easy, but again Pohl set all levers in motion to be able to present a stag horn variant of the MK-8 Bowie on schedule.
The MK-9, which Sly later during the shooting named the "Heartstopper,” was clearly first and foremost an uncompromising, tactical designed blade, as one would have expected from the German Tactical Knife expert. Anyone who takes a closer look at the design will see Dietmar Pohl's clear and distinct design language, as applied with his legendary Pohl Force Alpha One, for example. In addition to the typical Pohl Force CNC-milled handles, the screws with hole and slot in particular, set a very technical accent. The screws, like the blade hole at Spyderco, have become the hallmark of the German knife company. With the exception of some all-steel constructions, there is actually no Pohl Force design without the typical screws. The purpose of this "Form follows Function" screw was and still is the possibility of tightening or loosening the screw with a coin. Another design element, which Stallone was already familiar with from earlier Pohl designs, was the so-called "Skull crusher" at the end of the handle. In both designs, this striking element skillfully protrudes out of the end of the handle and gives the knife an additional weapon element to the actual blade. The end of the handle contains yet another Pohl specialty, the concealed lanyard hole. While on most knives on the market the lanyard hole is simply drilled through the end of the handle and then usually reinforced by a tube, both the MK-8 and the MK-9 are equipped with a hole hidden under the handle scales. Elegant and practical at the same time.
Stallone gave Dietmar free reign for choosing the other materials and surfaces used for the knives as long as there were not any reflective metal surfaces. Another condition for Stallone was the use of leather for the sheaths. As a movie knife collector and tactical knife expert, who was so strongly influenced by the film First Blood, the German designer incorporated his experience gained over more than three decades into the coordination of the details. Just as Jimmy Lile was far ahead of his time with the First Blood Survival Knife 1982 and used elaborately milled screwdrivers on the guard or matt sand-blasted surfaces on the metal surfaces, Dietmar did not shy from using high-tech materials such as titanium. Titanium is 40% lighter than steel, and the sandblasting gives it an unusual anthracite appearance. After all, Sly wanted the knives to not only look tactical, but also showcase the technical elements. For the handle material of the MK-9 "Heartstopper” only OD green Canvas Micarta came into question for Dietmar. This was the link between First Blood and Last Blood. Matted surfaces and a green handle, here however as a cord wrap, which also characterize Lile's design from 1982. A brown leather sheath then completed the last film knife used in the Rambo series. To be on the safe side, Dietmar also brought a prototype with black G-10 scales to the presentation. But only the OD green Canvas Micarta gave the "Heartstopper" the right tactical charisma, which also enthralled Sly on the set of Rambo - Last Blood. The MK-8 provided the option of the stag horn and G-10 as well as noble ebony.
From design to real prototype
After an extremely short window of time for the development of the designs, Sly approved the project and the next challenge presented itself: prototype construction. Under normal circumstances, with appropriate planning and lead time no problem in itself, but both knives were supposed to be finished in different versions, as well as pure "Prop Knives" with cut off blades and sheaths were required, all within only 14 working days. In order to achieve the precision required by Pohl Force in the implementation of the designs, only prototype construction with a high CNC component was considered. CAD design drawings from Dietmar's hand sketches first had to be created, clamping fixtures for the CNC systems needed to be designed and built, and the list went on and on! For the German designer, the only possible manufacturing partner for the implementation of the prototypes was Lionsteel, a manufacturer based in Maniago, Italy, which over the years has repeatedly won a wide variety of BLADE awards, including the "Quality Manufacturing Award". Gianni Pauletta, a long-time friend and business partner of Dietmar, immediately offered his support. But even voluntary overtime from highly motivated technicians didn’t stop the project from being a real race against the clock. In the final and decisive week of prototype construction, Dietmar Pohl and his assistant Sebastian Lucke joined the Lionsteel knives team in Maniago to discuss final decisions and details on site. "I've probably never drunk as much espresso in my life as I did those days," Dietmar admitted with a smile. But in thanks to their combined efforts, Dietmar and Sebastian managed to accomplish it and sat in the plane from Venice to Sofia to personally (and on time!) present the knives to Sly and the Prop Team.
The circle closes
The time had finally come. A good-humoured superstar invited the Pohl Force team and the prop master of the film on the set of Rambo - Last Blood to present the new knives in his motorhome. What followed could not have been imagined by Dietmar in his wildest dreams. Following a warm welcome, the Peli hardcase with the prototypes and prop knives of the two models were opened. Sly clearly liked what he was seeing, reacting as if it was a new car: "Boy...German Engineering!". He had only seen the drawings before and probably had only hoped that everything would be ready in time. But now there was real joy in the eyes of the seasoned actor. Dietmar was careful with all details of the knives for both models. Sly was particularly interested in the use of titanium for the guards and the CNC-milled structures of the MK-9 handle. Every detail, which the German designer described to him, and which ideas were hidden behind it, he noted with interest and asked questions at the same time. It quickly became clear that these were not just two new knife designs, but that in many respects there was an unbroken connection to the beginnings of the Rambo series. After it was generally agreed that the Pohl Force team had successfully, and to Sly’s complete satisfaction, reached their target, Stallone probably paid the designer the greatest compliment. "Dietmar,...I like all of your prototypes, decide which one to use in the movie" Stallone told a rather speechless Dietmar Pohl. “WOW, what an honor!” was Dietmar’s first reaction. “I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I had to ask if he really meant it." Whereupon the action star nodded with a smile. With the MK-9, the "Heartstopper" it was absolutely clear that it had to be the OD green Canvas Micarta handle and the brown sheath. When it came to the MK-8 however it was not such an easy choice. Black G-10 would have fitted to the tactical character of the knife, stag horn to the unusual optics, but finally the decision fell in favor of noble ebony. Although a brown leather sheath would have been a good match for the wooden formwork, the film's prop master suggested that the black sheath would go well with Rambo's clothes at the beginning of the film. The meeting ended with a series of photos of Dietmar, Sly and the new Rambo knives in front of the motorhome. The circle had closed for Dietmar after more than 36 years. A 16-year-old student, in his father’s basement, the very first day after seeing First Blood at the cinema, took a round file to his KA-BAR combat knife to give it a Lile-like sawback, and thereby set the dream come to reality story in motion. So many years later, he had created the knives for the crowning of the epic Rambo series, Rambo - Last Blood. Sometimes real life writes the most incredible tales.
More than just a design
After the action star and the designer had said goodbye, the knives and prop knives now had to be defused for the shooting, which was to start on the following day. All knives had received sharp blades for the presentation, which of course needed to be reworked. The Prop Master left it up to Dietmar whether to do it with his assistant Sebastian in the Prop Shop himself or to leave it to an employee. "Of course I wanted to do the movie knives myself again," Dietmar commented. In addition, some knives had to be equipped with the right handle scales. "Sebastian and I went to work to make sure that neither Sly nor one of the stunt men could injure themselves with the knives.” At the same time, an employee of the Prop Shop immediately started producing rubber Prop Knives, which are always used when fast action scenes occur and there is a risk of accidents. The result amazes Dietmar Pohl again and again. Authentically painted, you can't tell the difference to the real knives even at close distance. Just a few days later Sly published the first photos of the knives, something that has never happened before in the history of Rambo movies. The telephone at Pohl Force was never still in the following days.
Just a few weeks after the start of shooting, the film crew moved to Tenerife on the Canary Islands. The Spanish islands are often used in major Hollywood productions, and in this case the movie goers were to believe they were seeing Mexico. The Pohl Force Team was also there to provide on-location consultation, and in addition, Dietmar Pohl was to be formally interviewed as the knife designer about the background of the creation of the Rambo - Last Blood knives. On the set during the second day Dietmar experienced “a first” when a paparazzo from the British newspaper ‘Daily Mail’ took pictures of Dietmar Pohl presenting a gift to Sylvester Stallone in the form of a Force One folding knife.
From prototype to series
In May 2019, the re-shoot for Rambo - Last Blood took place in Sofia and the Pohl Force Team was there as well. Among other privileges, Dietmar and his assistant Sebastian were allowed to take exclusive photos and videos on the original sets. Sly also showed Dietmar some film shots in which the knives are used and commented it with the words: "We have already done some hardcore stuff with your knives!” As a special gift the designer presented Sly with the first handmade prototype of the "Heartstopper" at the film set. It is very likely that this knife was also used on the film set. The British knife maker Andy Wood received the order from Pohl to produce a custom knife version in addition to the CNC-manufactured version from Lionsteel. Andy will build 100 handmade knives per model for Pohl Force.
For every 300 pieces per model, the CNC-manufactured version is available for the collector. Of particular interest here: the renowned American company Galco Gunleather from Phoenix, Arizona supplies the sheaths for the two knives. Dietmar Pohl was fascinated by the outstanding quality of Galco as well as the fact that this was the very same traditional manufacturer which supplied the leather sheaths for Rambo - First Blood Part 2 to Lile Knives in the 80s.