They are models, numbers 184 and 185.

Perhaps no one knows more about them than Richard Neyman.

He's got 352 pages to prove it.

"It's U.S. history. I have things in here that nobody's ever seen before," Neyman said. "This is all original stuff here."

The Coeur d'Alene man's book, "BuckMaster Knives: The Authorized History of Models 184 & 185," recently came out.

It's packed with pictures, diagrams, drawing, details and entertaining stories on the knives, and the people behind them.

It includes the history of BuckMaster, how the knives were developed and other tantalizing tidbits never before published.

As Neyman turns the pages of his book, he speaks quickly, excitedly about the three-year project that was more about his love for BuckMaster knives than it was about trying to write a best-seller.

He sacrificed sleep, time with his family, even his own money, in order to complete the large, paperback book that will be available in hardback on Friday - which also happens to be Neyman's birthday.

"I'm not the best writer. I was a C-plus student," he says, smiling. "But it turned out a heckuva lot better than I thought."

CJ Buck liked it, too.

The president of Buck Knives wrote that "the BuckMaster project was truly a defining moment for me and for Buck Knives as well. Richard has highlighted the story of two very different cultures coming together on a project while putting together a rock solid reference tool for anyone interested in the BuckMaster or M9 bayonet.

"I hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane as much as I did."

Rambo knife

Growing up in the early 1980s, Richard Neyman loved the outdoors. He spent time in the mountainous regions near his home, mesmerized by martial arts, guns and knives.

"Ever since I was a kid I used to have a Buck knife," he said.

Then he saw the movie, "Rambo."

He wanted a Rambo knife - the massive one, razor sharp, about 15-inches long, designed to slice through anything - that people like John Rambo carried to silence opponents when firearms weren't appropriate.

One problem. It cost $1,000. No sale.

A few years later, at the Ace Hardware Store, he saw a new knife called the BuckMaster Model 184. It was $168. This time, sold.

"I was the only Eagle Scout in my unit that had a BuckMaster," he said. "It was a survival knife. Why wouldn't I want one?"

Neyman would continue his love affair with the BuckMaster and become an avid knife collector. Later, he would join the Buck Collectors Club. That led to a simple offer - to write the BuckMaster model history for the club's website - that turned into something more than he expected.

Seventy pages.

That led to a suggestion that he use his passion and knowledge to write a book, the first authorized history of the BuckMaster 184. With the OK from CJ Buck, he went to work.

Because the finance manager for Dave Smith's Frontier Sales in Coeur d'Alene already worked around 60 hours a week, and had a wife and four children, he found the best time to dedicate to his project was in the early morning hours, when most people slept.

He wrote and he took pictures. He inspected documents and reviewed memos and drawings. He interviewed the men behind the knife, like Commander Tom Coulter.

"The only reason I know any of this stuff, it was given to me, I understand this information."

While BuckMaster Knives is detailed, it's an easy read, Neyman says.

"If you don't like the technical stuff, skip it," he said.

To add some light reading, he created "BuckMaster Trivia" throughout the book. One of the stories is about Ken Smith of Dave Smith Motors.

"This knife actually saved his life," Neyman said.

An icon

The BuckMaster 184, Neyman said, was legendary and "became a 1980s American icon of survival edged knives."

It was created by two companies, Phrobis Ltd. and Buck Knives.

"This knife is American history," he said.

The BuckMaster was originally researched, developed and built for the U.S. Navy SEALs, who used it in the 1980s.

"It's a true Navy SEAL knife," Neyman said.

When someone asked him why the knife on the cover of his book is scuffed, rather than shining, Neyman beamed with pride.

"It's a real knife, they actually used it," he said.

Between 1984 and 1995, the BuckMaster was a top-seller.

"They sold 57,000 of these knives to young guys like me and everybody else," Neyman said.

"It didn't hurt that Rambo II came out in 1985," he added with a laugh.

The book, published by Marquette Books in Spokane, is available on Amazon and Neyman is hoping to get local sporting good stores to offer it as well.

So who would read it?

Any outdoorsman - or anyone, for that matter, interested in the history of a knife once used by Navy SEALS.

"There's a ton of guys who remember this knife from the '80s," he said.

Another book, perhaps on the M9 bayonet, could be in Neyman's future.

But not today.

For now, he'll relax with his family, work hard and enjoy sharing the legend of the BuckMaster.

"Through the grace of God, I was able to do it," he said.