FINAL FANTASY IV
BLADEMAN PROJECT #638 CREATED: SEPTEMBER 2019 The FlameMan was of Golbez's elite soldiers, specially trained for defense against armed invaders. They were schooled in the use of select magic spells, even capable of deflecting a direct magical attack by casting the Wall spell. They tended to retaliate against physical melee attacks by casting the Virus spell, debilitating their opponents to the point where they lacked the strength to continue fighting. Cecil and his companions encountered the BladeMan frequently during the second phase of their trek through the Tower of Bab-il. These soldiers often traveled with Sorcerers, Grudgers, or the metallic IronMan. Although their armor resembled that of the Guard and FlameMan, the BladeMan possessed a secret. He was, in fact, a spirit from beyond the grave, having been summoned from the afterlife to do Golbez's bidding. Anyone who realized this simple fact could adjust their strategy, using Sacred power to defeat him easily. (In the Game Boy Advance remake of Final Fantasy IV, the BladeMan is instead named Ghost Knight, which clues you in regarding his true nature.) To build the BladeMan (as well as the FlameMan and Guard, who share the same game sprite design), I needed an armored knight, so I started with a King Arthur figure from the relatively obscure King Arthur and the Knights of Justice toy line by Mattel. I wanted a big shield and a Roman-style gladiator helmet for him, and after some searching I stumbled across the WWE "Create-A-Superstar" accessory pack, which was exactly what I needed. I had to modify the way his arms were positioned, since he needed to be able to hold his shield close to his body, and I wanted him holding his sword at a specific angle. The sword itself was originally a Game of Thrones keychain. Since BladeMan is an unliving spectral warrior, I painted his skin tone a ghostly light blue. |
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