He-man Toy/Comic Style Power Sword
- Thread starter Maul
- Start date
Maul
Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, this project is still going! 
Vacation, etc., took some time away for a bit. Plus it just took some time to do my first silicone mold. I went with a 2-part brush on, which made for more work and more time. I learned a lot though. Definitely some ways to make it better and faster next time. I didn't take a lot of pictures since I'd never done it before and my hands were always too gross to pic up a camera or my phone. I'll take some good pics with the final mold hopefully, though. This one didn't turn out pretty and has a few issues, but overall I guess I can't complain too much.
And then there were two!
It looks kinda like ThunderPunch He-Man's sword! I didn't do the rice trick to get an idea how much resin to mix up, so I wound up doing three or four smaller pours back to back to get it filled up, which caused some of the imperfections you can see inside. This is Smooth Cast 326, which is designed to be tinted, but this is without tint. Sorry for the crappy pics.
There's a little bit of shrinkage from the original, but not too bad. I hope to get another poured up tomorrow. It's VERY surreal to see the negative cavity of a shape that you've spent so much time with when looking into the empty mold. It's also very surreal to suddenly be holding a copy.
I'm really looking forward to finally finishing this up. It's definitely been a long time coming. The resin will let me nail all the flaws that the wood & bondo wouldn't since it was starting to warp from moisture. It's also cool to finally see two halves together!
Vacation, etc., took some time away for a bit. Plus it just took some time to do my first silicone mold. I went with a 2-part brush on, which made for more work and more time. I learned a lot though. Definitely some ways to make it better and faster next time. I didn't take a lot of pictures since I'd never done it before and my hands were always too gross to pic up a camera or my phone. I'll take some good pics with the final mold hopefully, though. This one didn't turn out pretty and has a few issues, but overall I guess I can't complain too much.And then there were two!
It looks kinda like ThunderPunch He-Man's sword! I didn't do the rice trick to get an idea how much resin to mix up, so I wound up doing three or four smaller pours back to back to get it filled up, which caused some of the imperfections you can see inside. This is Smooth Cast 326, which is designed to be tinted, but this is without tint. Sorry for the crappy pics.
There's a little bit of shrinkage from the original, but not too bad. I hope to get another poured up tomorrow. It's VERY surreal to see the negative cavity of a shape that you've spent so much time with when looking into the empty mold. It's also very surreal to suddenly be holding a copy.
I'm really looking forward to finally finishing this up. It's definitely been a long time coming. The resin will let me nail all the flaws that the wood & bondo wouldn't since it was starting to warp from moisture. It's also cool to finally see two halves together!
Maul
Well-Known Member
Thanks for checking in! Man, how the heck were the last real updates back in AUGUST??? Wow, time flies. Obviously, priorites shifted for a while and recently a member saw where I used to make Royal Guard helmets, so I've been working on one of those for him. I ran into some issues with the sword, but think I might have a way to correct them. Working on the helmet has really gotten me itching to get back on this, and I hope to very soon!
Solos blaster
Sr Member
Man that is awesome, great job!
Maul
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much guys!
Here's a shot of the mold:
It actually started life as Skeletor's:
The flashing wasn't too terrible. It was all very thin. Some more bolts and possibly some straps should help with that, I hope. It was slush cast, poured from the handle. I actually painted some resin in both sides first, let it start setting up, then bolted the halves together and slush cast a few rounds. It really needs some sort of a core support, though. I think I'm going to try a 2 part expanding foam, but I'm worried that it won't make it all the way down the blade before it starts expanding. We'll see. My hope is that I can get a more even coat of resin on the outside, backed by the expanding foam, and get a more even color.
Unfortunately, there are some problems, though. If you like your props all Star Wars-y and wonky, it's right up your alley! It's not terrible, but it has some symmetry issues. Some of the things I did to try and avoid symmetry problems actually probably caused more issues. The biggest problem is the handle. The friggin' thing came loose when I was pretty much done claying everything up. I thought I got it back in there straight, but I should've removed everything from the clay to be sure. It's mostly noticeable when looking down the thinner, cutting edge side. Holding it makes that go away though.
Even though it's not perfect, (I've been trying to remember the "Done is better than perfect" philosophy,) it's still pretty damn cool! It has a great presence, especially when holding it. It's bigger than it seems! I was surprised when I took a pic holding it. I guess I'd gotten so used to it, and the handle hadn't been attached, it seemed much smaller than the finished piece is. I'll get a better pic of someone holding it. Not that you can really see me, but I'm 5' 10" to give you an idea. I don't have the sword in front of me, but I think it hit 38.25" long, and is 7.5" at the widest point. It's really wild how much the perspective of a pic can make it seem so much shorter.
I hadn't used the hammered paint before, so I thought I'd give it a try, and I knew it would help pick up the weathering. I'm pretty happy for a first attempt at both.
They were out of my normal primers so I ended up using some black primer on the original before molding. It looked good! Wun-dar anyone???
Again, not perfect, but this has been such a long time coming for me. It was worth all the time and effort, for sure. Holding it was a 30 year old dream come true! And yes, it does fit down the back of your shirt.
Here's a shot of the mold:
It actually started life as Skeletor's:
The flashing wasn't too terrible. It was all very thin. Some more bolts and possibly some straps should help with that, I hope. It was slush cast, poured from the handle. I actually painted some resin in both sides first, let it start setting up, then bolted the halves together and slush cast a few rounds. It really needs some sort of a core support, though. I think I'm going to try a 2 part expanding foam, but I'm worried that it won't make it all the way down the blade before it starts expanding. We'll see. My hope is that I can get a more even coat of resin on the outside, backed by the expanding foam, and get a more even color.
Unfortunately, there are some problems, though. If you like your props all Star Wars-y and wonky, it's right up your alley!
It's not terrible, but it has some symmetry issues. Some of the things I did to try and avoid symmetry problems actually probably caused more issues. The biggest problem is the handle. The friggin' thing came loose when I was pretty much done claying everything up. I thought I got it back in there straight, but I should've removed everything from the clay to be sure. It's mostly noticeable when looking down the thinner, cutting edge side. Holding it makes that go away though.Even though it's not perfect, (I've been trying to remember the "Done is better than perfect" philosophy,) it's still pretty damn cool! It has a great presence, especially when holding it. It's bigger than it seems! I was surprised when I took a pic holding it. I guess I'd gotten so used to it, and the handle hadn't been attached, it seemed much smaller than the finished piece is. I'll get a better pic of someone holding it. Not that you can really see me, but I'm 5' 10" to give you an idea. I don't have the sword in front of me, but I think it hit 38.25" long, and is 7.5" at the widest point. It's really wild how much the perspective of a pic can make it seem so much shorter.
I hadn't used the hammered paint before, so I thought I'd give it a try, and I knew it would help pick up the weathering. I'm pretty happy for a first attempt at both.
They were out of my normal primers so I ended up using some black primer on the original before molding. It looked good! Wun-dar anyone???
Again, not perfect, but this has been such a long time coming for me. It was worth all the time and effort, for sure. Holding it was a 30 year old dream come true! And yes, it does fit down the back of your shirt.
iDarkDesign
Member
This looks fantastic! Really cool build. Nice read also.
I'm so going to build myself a power sword. Just to hold it aloft my head and shout the magic words!
iDD
I'm so going to build myself a power sword. Just to hold it aloft my head and shout the magic words!
iDD
Solos blaster
Sr Member
I love the black wash used on He-man's power sword. Kinda digging the hammered look too, great job!
Maul
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys! That was my first time using the hammered paint, as well as my first weathering attempt, so I was pleasantly surprised myself!
I just wanted to give a quick update. I'm still doing some test castings to get it where I want it. Each one has been better than the last!
I just wanted to give a quick update. I'm still doing some test castings to get it where I want it. Each one has been better than the last!
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