- Joined
- May 9, 2002
- Messages
- 12,254
Well the Thunderbird Munk Chunk has reached my sweaty anticipating little hands
CHUNK is right! This thing is a beast!
You know when the postman drops off one of those joyous triangular boxs and you pick it up to shake it and get your initial vibe from your new prize? Sometimes you KNOW there is a knife in there, but it feels like Yangdu has stuffed the box full of Reno newpaper and forgot to include the knife Those are the funny tricks of physics and stretching the weight across the whole bulky box. That was NOT the case with the Munk Chunk Cleaver. As a matter of fact, when i picked up the box I thought there was a miscommunication and Yangdu has sent BOTH beasts to me. After pulling the Chunk from it's cave I found it to feel every bit as heavy as it had in the box. I think Bura made this thing out of darkmatter. It feels heavier than it should.
The first thing I noticed gripping the handle is that THIS THING IS THICK in the handle area! I'm used to my AK Bowie's feel with its smoothed grip and lighter weight. I think that if i'm very careful i'll be able to take some of the bulk off the handle without damaging the scrimshaw. Which brings me to my first pic.
The artwork is beautiful. I could see this being an heirloom from yester year. For all of it's brutish power, the Thunderbird Cleaver has a romantic feel. Not in that sandbar fighting kind of way like the Rose. No I get the image of the lonely cowboy sitting around embers of the fire glowing red and unnatural with twilight's purple setting in, or is it dawn? The cowboy has been lost in his thoughts for days. His only companions are his Ivory Colt and the mystical Thunderbird gifted to him by a grateful Chinese railroad worker for saving his life. When he asked the worker where he got such a fantasic blade, he couldn't answer. In a swirl of broken english he claimed "it had always been". Moving across the world boot, belt, and saddle. What the man did know was that it was forged by starlight in the highest hut on the highest cliff of the highest mountains in the world. The cowboy smiled politely, and thanked the man for the generous gift of thanks. Just a silly old knife with a silly old story, but at night in his restless sleep the Cowpoke could hear the rhythmic sounds of hammers on anvils and the low roar of stoked coal. Stange voices in a language from another corner of the world filled his head. Stange, but it filled the drifter with peace. There was something special about this blade. His Western mind could not grasp it, but for the first time in years his focus was clear.... Maybe a story for the Cantina.
Anyway, the scrimshaw is magical.
Upon hefting the mighty Cleaver I KNEW this was NOT an AK Bowie that many of us are familiar with. Luckily, I figured the mailman would be stopping by today and brought my trusty older AK bowie along for a comparison.
Take a look:
[/IMG]
You can tell they're in the same family, but I'd venture to say that these two could be legally kissing cousins. They have an different feel to them. The Thunderbird actually makes my AK Bowie feel like a fighter! The Thunderbird is WAY wider. I was hoping that it would fit in the fairly loose sheath I made for my AKB. No dice. I was really pleased to see that the scabbard is MUCH better on these compared to the older AKB's. First of all, they have incorporated a ring like that found on the katana and Sher Attitude so that it is impossible for the scabbard to slip through the frog (a gripe I have had with every AKB i have owned). Also, there are SEVEN. Count 'em, SEVEN lacings through the frog. Good thing too. This sucker is 32 oz!
This last pic shows the real kicker...the blade thickness.
[/IMG]
The Thunderbird has a real live 1/2" spine compared to the AKB's 3/8" one. Pretty impressive.
To sum up, the new Munk Chunk Cobalt AK Thunderbird Cleaver is really something. I won't know if it'll replace my old bura AK bowie until i modify the handle a bit. Hopefully without destroying the beautiful scrimshaw. Munks design is obvious. This thing is a cleaver. I really like it. I haven't lost sleep over an a new HI product in awhile. I was actually awake and wide eyed at 2am this morning. "What's it gonna look like?...Am I going to like it, or love it?...will my old AKB get it's feelings hurt?" I was not disappointed in the least I really enjoy this knife. Now i have to pick up the stuff to keep the handle nice and put a scary edge on it.
On a final note, once and for all:
WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO CALL THIS THING?
We need decide as a forum what this thing is going to be named. Munk Chunk, Munk's Cleaver, The Cobalt Munk Special..what?
Right now this particular one has been dubbed The Thunderbird. Obviously because it has a giant bird scrimshawed into the handle, but also because it speaks loudly. It calls to be used, and when it rains down whatever is under it's robust edge is going to feel the wrath of it's storm.
Thanks
Jake
edit: To make sure the fictional backstory had a lil' more Nepal to it
CHUNK is right! This thing is a beast!You know when the postman drops off one of those joyous triangular boxs and you pick it up to shake it and get your initial vibe from your new prize? Sometimes you KNOW there is a knife in there, but it feels like Yangdu has stuffed the box full of Reno newpaper and forgot to include the knife
Those are the funny tricks of physics and stretching the weight across the whole bulky box. That was NOT the case with the Munk Chunk Cleaver. As a matter of fact, when i picked up the box I thought there was a miscommunication and Yangdu has sent BOTH beasts to me. After pulling the Chunk from it's cave I found it to feel every bit as heavy as it had in the box. I think Bura made this thing out of darkmatter. It feels heavier than it should.The first thing I noticed gripping the handle is that THIS THING IS THICK in the handle area!
I'm used to my AK Bowie's feel with its smoothed grip and lighter weight. I think that if i'm very careful i'll be able to take some of the bulk off the handle without damaging the scrimshaw. Which brings me to my first pic.
The artwork is beautiful. I could see this being an heirloom from yester year. For all of it's brutish power, the Thunderbird Cleaver has a romantic feel. Not in that sandbar fighting kind of way like the Rose. No I get the image of the lonely cowboy sitting around embers of the fire glowing red and unnatural with twilight's purple setting in, or is it dawn? The cowboy has been lost in his thoughts for days. His only companions are his Ivory Colt and the mystical Thunderbird gifted to him by a grateful Chinese railroad worker for saving his life. When he asked the worker where he got such a fantasic blade, he couldn't answer. In a swirl of broken english he claimed "it had always been". Moving across the world boot, belt, and saddle. What the man did know was that it was forged by starlight in the highest hut on the highest cliff of the highest mountains in the world. The cowboy smiled politely, and thanked the man for the generous gift of thanks. Just a silly old knife with a silly old story, but at night in his restless sleep the Cowpoke could hear the rhythmic sounds of hammers on anvils and the low roar of stoked coal. Stange voices in a language from another corner of the world filled his head. Stange, but it filled the drifter with peace. There was something special about this blade. His Western mind could not grasp it, but for the first time in years his focus was clear.... Maybe a story for the Cantina.
Anyway, the scrimshaw is magical.
Upon hefting the mighty Cleaver I KNEW this was NOT an AK Bowie that many of us are familiar with. Luckily, I figured the mailman would be stopping by today and brought my trusty older AK bowie along for a comparison.
Take a look:
You can tell they're in the same family, but I'd venture to say that these two could be legally kissing cousins. They have an different feel to them. The Thunderbird actually makes my AK Bowie feel like a fighter!
The Thunderbird is WAY wider. I was hoping that it would fit in the fairly loose sheath I made for my AKB. No dice. I was really pleased to see that the scabbard is MUCH better on these compared to the older AKB's. First of all, they have incorporated a ring like that found on the katana and Sher Attitude so that it is impossible for the scabbard to slip through the frog (a gripe I have had with every AKB i have owned). Also, there are SEVEN. Count 'em, SEVEN lacings through the frog. Good thing too. This sucker is 32 oz!This last pic shows the real kicker...the blade thickness.
The Thunderbird has a real live 1/2" spine compared to the AKB's 3/8" one. Pretty impressive.
To sum up, the new Munk Chunk Cobalt AK Thunderbird Cleaver is really something. I won't know if it'll replace my old bura AK bowie until i modify the handle a bit. Hopefully without destroying the beautiful scrimshaw. Munks design is obvious. This thing is a cleaver. I really like it. I haven't lost sleep over an a new HI product in awhile. I was actually awake and wide eyed at 2am this morning. "What's it gonna look like?...Am I going to like it, or love it?...will my old AKB get it's feelings hurt?" I was not disappointed in the least
I really enjoy this knife. Now i have to pick up the stuff to keep the handle nice and put a scary edge on it.On a final note, once and for all:
WHAT THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO CALL THIS THING?
We need decide as a forum what this thing is going to be named. Munk Chunk, Munk's Cleaver, The Cobalt Munk Special..what?
Right now this particular one has been dubbed The Thunderbird. Obviously because it has a giant bird scrimshawed into the handle, but also because it speaks loudly. It calls to be used, and when it rains down whatever is under it's robust edge is going to feel the wrath of it's storm.
Thanks
Jake
edit: To make sure the fictional backstory had a lil' more Nepal to it
