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Blade



Mechanical servants of the intergalactic bounty hunter Shogun. They first appeared (within one of the new exclusive stages) in Konami's 1990 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (which is an enhanced port of the original 1989 coin-op game). Unimpressed with the squad of Foot Soldier fodder that his employer, Shredder, provides him with, Shogun prepares for his upcoming battle with the TMNT by supplementing that force with his own deadly minions: Vincent Van Growls (paper tigers), Venoms (mechanical scorpions), and Blades. In close quarters, Blades fight with precision hand-strikes; because their fingers terminate in knife-like talons, these blows can cause horrific damage. If a Blade can't immediately close with its intended target, it will instead leap into the air and rain kunai (throwing daggers) down upon its adversary. These robotic warriors are disturbingly accurate with said projectiles, thanks to the advanced targeting systems located in their central processors.




Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white glue, hot glue, wire twist ties, nail polish, and acrylic paint.


Dimensions:
3.1 cm/1.2 in. x 6.4 cm/2.5 in. (widest point x highest point)


Articulation:
Nineteen points: Neck (2), waist, shoulders (2), elbows (4), wrists (2), hips (2), knees (4), and ankles (2).


Time:
Four days; April 23-27, 2009 (no work was performed on 24).



Blade photo collage.

For comparison/informational purposes, below are some images of Blade (more information on mouse-over).

Blade animation I made from TMNT 2: The Arcade Game sprites. Note that the eye doesn't blink, nor do the head and arms bob up-and-down, in the game--those are both improvements I added.           Blade sprite tossing a Kunai in mid-leap.

Blade instruction manual official artwork.

Leonardo faces off against two Blades at Shogun's Castle.


REFERENCES:
(In no particular order of importance.)

  •   TMNT 2: The Arcade Game NES video game.

  •   Technodrome Forums online TMNT message board--member "Ninjinister" provided the instruction manual enemy artwork, which also enlightened me to the character's real name (lacking the correct moniker, I invented, and had been using, "Shogun's Cyber Shinobi").

  •   Gameplayer's Strategy Guide to Nintendo Games. Volume 4, Number 5.
    Signal Research, Inc.   May, 1991.

  •   Various GameFAQs TMNT 2: The Arcade Game guides.




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