The new episode of Man At Arms features the recreation of Edward Elric’s spear from Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
After bringing a series of swords (and a wrist dagger) to life in his armory, blacksmith Tony Swatton has now turned his attention to something a little different: A spear, specifically the one wielded by Edward Elric of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
I won’t spoil the process for you, but I will say that it’s made of metal – different types of metal, in fact, cut, ground, hammered and welded together to create an imposting stick of multi-metal mayhem that will mess you up! And in truth, while most of this goes way over my head – I have no particular interest in either Full Metal Alchemist or 4130 chromium/molybdenum steel tubing – the final result is very impressive indeed.
What makes it work isn’t the spear itself – anyone can sharpen a stick – but the near-obsessive attention to detail. The blade of the spear has an appealingly utilitarian viciousness to it on its own, but the etching, the secondary layer of bronze and the forged bronze dragon scales are what turn it from a weapon to a work of art. I suppose that level of impractical intricacy is to be expected from a video game weapon, but it’s still an amazing thing to see it in the real world.
And as usual, to demonstrate that this spear is more than just a pretty face, it’s put to work (once the real work is over) slashing and smashing stuff in slow-motion. It works like a charm – but boy, the Man At Arms forge really ain’t no place to be a watermelon, is it?
Source: YouTube
