A special First Blood 40th anniversary survival knife was revealed to the public on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 11) at Mountainview Brewing.
The ‘MK9 First Blood Legacy’ knife had its world premiere at the brewery where its creator, German knife designer Dietmar Pohl, of Pohl Force Tactical Knives, unveiled its creation via livestream. Pohl, who was inspired by First Blood to pursue a career in crafting knives, is most famously known for creating the knife used by Sylvester Stallone in Rambo: Last Blood.
After 30 years of working with knives and continuing to be a fan of Rambo, Pohl says over the past four years it became his goal to combine the combat knife he designed for Last Blood with the design of the survival knife in First Blood.
“I’m very happy,” says Pohl. “When it comes to production, unfortunately, this is the first step. But when it comes to design and the whole concept of everything, I’m very happy. A big stone, really, falls from my shoulders [now] that I was able to bring everything together.”
According to Pohl, at first glance the knife uses his design for Last Blood, complete with a “skull crusher” handle. However, upon closer inspection, fans of the both First Blood and tactical knives will quickly discover its survival knife elements. The best example of this lies in the handle of the knife; taking the handle apart reveals a secret compartment to store medical supplies or whatever else you may need to survive in the wilderness.
The knife also has a saw piece, on the back of its blade, reminiscent of the design from First Blood.
The unveiling comes a day after the ‘First Blood 40th anniversary’, a four-day event that took place in Hope over the Thanksgiving weekend (Oct. 7 to Oct. 10). Pohl says designing the knife was an emotional experience and he’s honoured that he was able to be in Hope for the 40th anniversary. In fact, Pohl says he plans to visit Hope again with his family within the next few years.
That being said, he’s probably not going to dip back into movie knives anytime soon.
“I’m good with what I’m doing and that’s enough for me,” says Pohl. “This was probably the most emotional design that [I’ve done]. Just the whole thing around it — where it was born, the passion for knives, and the passion for Rambo, and everything around it … [But] my company is not making movie knives. My company is making real world tactical knives. Military knives. And in this particular case it was used in a movie. That’s the way I see it.”
This is the first prototype of the Legacy knife. Around 300 knives are scheduled to be produced in Spring 2023, with the finalized design available to purchase in the summer. Those interested in seeing the livestream can find it on the Rambo: First Blood Tourism Facebook page.
READ MORE: Filmed in Hope, Rambo: First Blood inspired German knife designer
