Doug Marcaida: The Man Behind the Knife

When you’ve ever seen a Solid in Hearth take a look at you’ve in all probability heard a sure line from one of many judges: “It’ll KEAL”.

Doug Marcaida has been a choose on that present because it’s inception in 2015 (eleven years!) and people phrases are his calling card. Doug is a US Air Power veteran, has practiced Filipino martial arts for his whole grownup life (he’s developed his personal system: Marcaida Kali), and has taught edged-weapon abilities to army and first responders across the nation.

So when Doug makes a knife, it’s knowledgeable by many years of expertise with edged weapons and interested by what works, and what doesn’t, when issues get dicey.

Currently, although, he’s been creating again tales for his knives.

LINEAGE is a comic book sequence that Doug has developed with Child Heroes Comics, and it options three of his designs. Two can be found on his web site now: the BattlBolt machete and the Kali Hawk tomahawk. The third is a karambit, pictured right here, and it’s the star of the present: not simply within the ebook, however in actual life, as a result of that is the knife that’s narrating the story! It’s a narrative a couple of knife that has waited an extended, very long time to be picked up and used once more.

Numerous knife firms will develop a narrative round a knife, however with LINEAGE the story and the knives are being developed collectively. And you’ll personal a bit of that story, too.

The BattleBolt

Doug’s different design we have now checked out is the BattlBolt, initially created for the primary season of BattlGames, a limited-release tactical machete. The BattlBolt has since appeared in his comedian LINEAGE, wielded by the skull-masked BattlGames fighters, and subject #2 even sports activities a limited-edition chrome cowl that includes the blade.

Like lots of Doug’s designs, the BattlBolt was knowledgeable by his martial arts instructing, specializing in fluidity of movement and transitioning easily between targets and assaults. The 13-inch blade is D2 software metal with a tanto-like tip for penetration and a small serrated part close to the backbone for sawing. The deal with is G10 and FRN, and the entire thing weighs in at 1 pound 7 ounces and is eighteen.5 inches lengthy. The particular version has a stonewashed end to assist cover the inevitable scratches and scrapes.

Whereas many machetes will be awkward to thrust with, the BattlBolt’s tanto-like tip makes for a useable level. Most machetes will be had for much less cash, however for $130 you’re getting a flexible blade that may noticed, thrust, and naturally chop.

The BattlBolt ships with a Kydex sheath with a 360-degree rotating belt clip, making it straightforward to hold on a belt or pack strap and a pleasant enchancment over the floppy nylon sheaths machetes often ship in.

Doug additionally provides trainers for a lot of of his designs, so if you wish to follow your machete abilities with out injuring your coaching companions he additionally makes a BattlBolt coach for $75.

The Kali Hawk

The Kali Hawk is a full tang axe with an general size of 14 inches and a head width of seven 7/8 inches. The pinnacle is manufactured from 1065 carbon metal, which is hard, can take a beating, and will be subject sharpened simply. Select from a FRN deal with or a paracord wrapped deal with. The deal with additionally options textured scales, and a lanyard gap, paracord included. A sheath with a slot for MOLLE attachment can be included.

Doug has practiced the Filipino blade artwork of Kali his entire life, and it exhibits within the Kali Hawk’s design. The blade has a number of circulation to it, with many angles for various duties. Being shorter than many tomahawks, it may be used extra as a software up shut.

Axe, tomahawk, hatchet… choose your favourite identify for the software/weapon hybrid. It doesn’t matter what you name it, chances are high you could have one in your package. Some are extra axe and fewer hatchet, and vice versa. Doug’s Kali Hawk is equal components axe and tomahawk.

Each good combat scene wants an axe. In LINEAGE #3 the Kali Hawk takes middle stage on the limited-edition cowl, and contained in the pages you’ll discover the brothers getting tomahawked a couple of occasions.

The Kali Hawk is $130. A coach can be out there for $70.

LINEAGE, Informed by the Blade

The Kapatiran ng Talim, or because the English subtitle suggests, the Brotherhood of the Blade, is a blood cult working out of a temple hidden away within the jungle east of Manila.

The cult worships a mystical artifact referred to as the Markado, and it’s additionally the identify for the karambit on the middle of LINEAGE. That’s the weapon narrating occasions within the sequence. It’s Miguel’s weapon. He’s taken it with him from the Philippines to his new life in Los Angeles, and he’s used it ever since. However its true nature is unknown to him. The Markado remembers everybody who’s ever held it. And it’s been hungry for a very long time.

Miguel is a personal investigator in Los Angeles, preserving to himself and hiding his previous. His youthful brother Vergil is a livestreamer, chasing down city legends and occult mysteries for his present, On the Verge. They have been raised collectively within the Philippines, studying the blade from their father, till the day a demon-like determine sporting a cranium masks took him from them.

Doug’s brother RJ made visitor appearances on Solid in Hearth throughout Season 4, standing in for his brother throughout kill assessments whereas Doug recovered from a shoulder harm. Right here, Doug and RJ are the 2 stars of LINEAGE, with Doug because the quiet, brooding older brother and RJ because the wisecracking, camera-happy youthful brother. The combat sequences they’ve choreographed collectively are extremely detailed, breaking down the finer factors of their strikes to point out traps and counters and particular blade angles in painstaking element.

LINEAGE started as a Kickstarter venture, with subject #1 being absolutely funded inside 28 hours. There are three points out thus far, with a fourth on the way in which to carry this primary storyline to an in depth.

Doug and RJ’s father was taken from them by a cult that worships a mystical knife known as the Markado, referred to as the Brotherhood of the Blade. However in actual life, the cult’s smiling elder Balthazar, who wheels round on a cane, presides equally over meals drives on the town and blood sacrifices beneath the mountain. I don’t know if he’s based mostly on anybody, but when he’s, I positive as hell don’t wish to get on that household’s unhealthy facet!

The Markado serves as narrator in LINEAGE, opening with a sinister edge: “If solely you may see via the sting of my existence,” it begins on the primary web page, laid atop a candle-lit altar, “you’d hear the tales that I do know… tales the place each blade has a narrative to inform.” Because the sequence progresses, the knife’s narration takes on a darker edge, hinting on the sinister secret it’s been preserving all this time.

By subject #3, you could even start to suspect that it’s not Miguel who’s wielding the karambit, however the different means round!

The Markado Karambit

Doug’s catalog additionally has a couple of totally different karambits in addition to karambit trainers, so he’s effectively versed in this kind of blade. Whereas different artists may make karambits that look the half for a film prop, it’s one other degree for the individual writing the story to be intimately aware of karambits, down to precisely how the curve ought to transfer via a lower.

The Markado’s karambit is the third blade followers will be capable to buy, and the one we’re most enthusiastic about. It has not been listed on Doug’s web site but. The Markado’s karambit could be very distinctive. It’s a deep hawkbill with a finger ring that has three coloured stones set into it. There may be an etched sample that runs down the size of the backbone and the cult’s glyph etched into the flat of the blade. Vergil’s first subject begins with him looking for a karambit that has the identical glyph etched into the blade. It’s central to the plot. At one level he even receives one within the mail that appears prefer it however when he opens it up on his stream he says it’s pretend. Knife individuals will recognize that one. Even within the comedian a pretend will get busted by the way in which it handles. The form is only a tad off, the steadiness is improper, and it’s lacking the image.

The comic-accurate model from Doug is essential to us. Backers of the LINEAGE commerce paperback Kickstarter had the choice of including pendants replicas of the blades from the comedian however we’re trying ahead to exhibiting off the full-size karambit!

Metal With a Story

It’s not about what number of you harm, it’s about what number of you defend.

That’s the motto that Marcaida’s Doug lives by, and it’s a very good one. However in LINEAGE we get to see if Doug can stick by it as two brothers and a bloodthirsty karambit take a look at his morals and his mettle.

Each knife comes with a spec sheet, and a number of knives include a narrative from their maker. What nearly no knives include is an precise story, three chapters deep, full with a jungle cult, household secrets and techniques, and a primary individual narrator that’s the knife you occur to be sporting.

Doug’s put extra knives to the take a look at on digital camera than nearly anybody within the trade, and with designs just like the BattlBolt, Kali Hawk, and Markado karambit, he’s making some glorious knives. However after studying LINEAGE, selecting considered one of them up received’t simply be grabbing one other software off the pegboard. It’ll be selecting up a personality, and we are able to’t wait to see how their story ends.

Discover extra at dougmarcaida.com

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