BMC Toys American Hero Collector Series: Authentic Bowie Knife (2022)

 

I like how their arms are mirrored by the guard. That's super cooooool~

Guess who finally figured out Jeb’s significance to the franchise, overall… I’m oblivious and duuuuuuuuumb. Though, it seems like 13 remains a lucky number, for me~

I confess that I thought about classifying him and Maria as ‘Lore Protagonists,’ for a hot minute. Or, ‘Pre-Alessa,’ in Jeb’s case. But, I am bound and determined to be better than Kyoryuger. I’m not going to draw any lines, anymore.

A PROTAGONIST IS A PROTAGONIST. I have spoken.
Did you feel a bit of a chill, just now?

Still, BA (i.e., Before Alessa) is a neat and apropos distinction to be made. The town was definitely kicking it Old Testament School, for Jeb. Originally, I was going to get a rifle, but in revisiting and at long-last gaining an appreciation for him, it became incredibly obvious that only a Bowie Knife would do. Imagine my surprise when I was able to find EXACTLY that!

It’s incredibly lightweight, could use some weathering, and shrieks a bit, if you squeeze the handle. I would say, ‘just don’t do that,’ and honestly you shouldn’t, but it can take it, if you’re in mind to do your own stress-testing. It’s akin to Leonardo’s katana, in that its equivalent of a hilt is similarly held together with screws. Twice as many as Mr. Blue Dye’s is, in fact. While the blade can take a decent amount of force, I’m not sure I agree with the packaging that 3+ is the appropriate age range; a particularly aggressive child could easily wreck this thing. For an adult collector, it’s a sure bet. I’d feel perfectly comfortable dropping it. It’s deliberately folding it in half that concerns me.

If you have the talent necessary to dirty this up, it will look a LOT better. Especially the handle, as it is molded to resemble wood-grain and has a number of faux screws to match the real ones, on the back. I’ll have to settle for the path of physical irony, and I genuinely am okay with that, given how accurate it is. Wonderful for cosplay, or young, careful and considerate history buffs, given that there’s even facts about Jim Bowie and the Alamo, on the back of the card! Makes me want to visit a museum (and its gift shop) with Henry Rollins, in tow.

3½ Unwanted, But Inevitable Visitors out of 5