James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Hellboy II Spear Prince Nuada | Limited Edition Collectible | Movie Replica Fantasy Sword
55 sec read
To perform with this unique weapon in the sequel to Hellboy — Hellboy II — actor Luke Goss trained for six months with Brad Allan of Jackie Chan’s stunt team. As Prince Nuada, Elven military leader of the mechanical Golden Army, Luke Goss put this fanciful spear through a very credible portrayal of authentic spear and axe movements from old kung fu systems and modern chop-socky movie stunts.
Master Cutlery’s limited edition run of the Hellboy II Spear isn’t all that limited. Five thousand numbered pieces will be produced. That doesn’t restrict the collectability of this interesting movie replica weapon. Made for display, the Prince Nuada Spear — counterpart to Hellboy’s own personal weapon, a similarly-styled sword — mounts on a nicely finished wooden wall plaque embellished with the Hellboy II logo, all included in the collector’s package.
The spear itself is 33.5 inches long with a short but heavy stainless steel blade that seems to be as much ax as spearhead. Though Master Cutlery describes the set as constructed from museum-quality materials, an indication of the true level of workmanship is the black vinyl wrapping on the handle. Keeping the weapon at museum grade will require some caution and care. Still, this is a weapon with dramatic rather than practical value, and fans of the movie will appreciate the attention to detail that it shows. If owners are interested in collectability as well, protecting the original packaging could be every bit as important as protecting the spear itself.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
To perform with this unique weapon in the sequel to Hellboy — Hellboy II — actor Luke Goss trained for six months with Brad Allan of Jackie Chan’s stunt team. As Prince Nuada, Elven military leader of the mechanical Golden Army, Luke Goss put this fanciful spear through a very credible portrayal of authentic spear and axe movements from old kung fu systems and modern chop-socky movie stunts.
