Highlander The Series - Season 1 Sword of the Dragon Review

[Iceman1592]

Thanks my friend!!! Much appreciated! The H1 is not a mentor, it's cast from one of the screen used swords owned by Tom Mulack. It's a full Tang SS blade that I had since around 1995. I took a sword apart and just kept that blade for like 15yrs. When it was time, I asked Daryl to mount it on the H1's handle.

 

[BeLikeWater]

Very cool! I have that same H1, but I always just took to calling it the mentor for some reason. It's been so long, I can't remember why now.

Thanks for the info. Any plans for more HL swords in the future?

 

[Iceman1592]

Awesome bro! Yeah Daryl is making my collarless Marto remake as we speak.

 

[JesseSavage]

I hope this isn't to personal a question but i was wondering how much this season 1 set you back, and i was also wondering if you could get some good pictures of the blade itself, I'm saving up for one now and i'm still trying to choose which i want i like the clean cut of the musashi but the blade of this one looks nicer
anyway any help would be Greatly appreciated
Thanks
-Jesse-

 

[Apollo]

PM irishamericanlad.

Darryl will fill you in

 

[Gregor444]

This is from 2013 so 11 years later Im just reading it trying to decide between the season one or Musashi tsuka listed by point Gallery. The Musashi dragon tsuka with T-10 steel blade and PG rooster tsuba and basic saya starts at $850. Sounds good to me but the Season One starts at $1250. for the same T-10 complete sword. I think their work at PG and TSPR is worth it but want to know if anyone has both or compared the two tsuka options since they look similar in pics. Has anyone requested the blade be left able to be removed by the pins.mekugi? I read one review that said they did it for him. I break swords and fittings sometimes and like the option to fix a loose tsuba or replace a blade and I know its very easy to mount a blade this way. I made two H1 swords using Hanwei blades and the $25 PVC dragon tsuka from Chinese ebay dealers. Its hard to find screen-accurate H1 or any version tsuka from the TV series with removing one from another sword but I did both. These are not screen-accurate H-1 yet but they are solid and fun to cut with. I spent about $200-$300 total on each using preowned Hanwei Practical plus katana and 1095 Ryansword that needed new ito wrapped so it was a good learning experience for the next build. The tsubas are crafted by me but you can buy the basic Chinese PVC dragon tsuka $25 and tsuba $15 and do the same to any sword or rip apart a Marto but its not easy since most tsukas are secured with epoxy. Once you get the blade removed you need to remove the extra material inside until the new tang fits. I spent all week cutting the dried epoxy from the center and it was frustrating so I took a break and looked at another Chinese Highlander KO sword made with 9260 spring steel I had ordered for $130.00 I assumed they had used epoxy on this one and began to remove metal mekugi and was surprised to see the blade came right out. The tuska was mostly hallow down to the dragon head except for some PVC support sections that hold the tang in place. I ended up filling both KO dragon hilts with liquid rubber after I had wrapped the tangs with heavy duty mtb tubes that I cut a fit around each tang . After the rubber dried I could remove the blades without the tang sticking inside but a very snug fit adding a lot of strength to each tsuka and a very good shock absorber and secured with two bamboo mekugi pegs. I coated one tsuka with fiberglass then painted it. I have not weathered either one yet but most people don't realize how white real Ivory remains over time. I have a .44 special from 1887 with real Ivory grips and they are very white

 

[parfaitelumiere]

The season one is based from a marto ivory handle and blade, so the original prop blade can't be 76cm and have a 3cm sori, much more a 70-72cm lenght and 1,5cm sori, like any standard marto blade, if I remember correctly it also displays the original marto habaki, but has custom tsuba and additional carving on handle just like they did for the movie katana.
From season 2 there was a quite similar sword but marto provided the stunt swords, they looked identical to their mass produced highlander serie katanas, but the metal collar near dragon head was painted white, to match better the hero prop.
From season 3, they swords were the actual marto duncan, having same blade and habaki, but bronze colored collar and fuchi, and thicker tsuba (about 5,5mm thick)
I agree with the upgraded blade however, because having a real blade is much better than those awful spanish blades.
When I made my replica, I decided to carve a complete new tsuba based from the real myochin and marto together, I also carved habaki based from marto design, but sticking to the real item by different material and technic, I also carved a solid brass habaki.
To match the historical sword better, I watched the episode about the sword origin "the samurai" and replaced the marto stamp for the samurai mon, to explain why there is something carved on habaki, also, this kind of carving is historically accurate.
I also carved a real ivory handle, for a huge project, with another guy, we wanted to make the best sword ever, however the ivory piece has been lost..so were handle ferrules, lucky me, the unfinished tsuba is still here
Work visible here:

Another funny fact is they chose quite badly for their tsuba, as the myochin school was one who NEVER made soft metal tsuba, only irons were made, the rooster fight tsuba can be found from time to time, with lots of carving and design variation.

 

[PicasoX]

.

 

[PicasoX]

I have both the Remirez sword from the first movie and the season one Duncan sword from D. Kyle and its remarkable how different they are. The Ramirez is a thick and heavy, solid blade with a thick tsuba and the Duncan sword is very light in comparison and has a thin tsuba. At first I thought maybe it was because Sean Connery was a big dude and Adrain Paul was a little skinny dude, but I looked it up and he is actually about the same size as Connery. They were both 6ft tall and over 200 lbs. But Adrian Paul does a lot more fancy sword twirling in the TV series so maybe that's why he needed a lighter sword. Both swords are made of T-10, both have Carbon Kevlar tsuka's, both are exact replicas of the actual screen used swords, which I'm sure DK had access to at one time or another, but they are very different from one another and not only in appearance. I like having them both, they are the bests swords in my collection. DK's highlander swords started at $1000 for the basic version which is what I have. I heard he is not good to deal with anymore but I had a good experience. I purchased these in 2020 and I knew nothing about highlander swords going in, I just had a Marto from ebay at the time, but we were in contact almost daily for a month, he taught me a lot about the differences and shared many pictures, while I was making my decision on which sword to get. I'll have to say it was the best prop buying experience of my life. One funny thing is he sent some family pictures by mistake and one was a picture of his brother doing a photo bomb trying to kiss him on the cheek, , I told him, "nice family but your wife could use a shave", we had a good laugh about that.

 

[PicasoX]

These are pictures of the different versions he sent me,

 

[Apollo]

Sal would be rolling over in his grave if he had found out darryl started ripping people off ….

 

[BossMacleod]

I have both the Remirez sword from the first movie and the season one Duncan sword from D. Kyle and its remarkable how different they are. The Ramirez is a thick and heavy, solid blade with a thick tsuba and the Duncan sword is very light in comparison and has a thin tsuba. At first I thought maybe it was because Sean Connery was a big dude and Adrain Paul was a little skinny dude, but I looked it up and he is actually about the same size as Connery. They were both 6ft tall and over 200 lbs. But Adrian Paul does a lot more fancy sword twirling in the TV series so maybe that's why he needed a lighter sword. Both swords are made of T-10, both have Carbon Kevlar tsuka's, both are exact replicas of the actual screen used swords, which I'm sure DK had access to at one time or another, but they are very different from one another and not only in appearance. I like having them both, they are the bests swords in my collection. DK's highlander swords started at $1000 for the basic version which is what I have. I heard he is not good to deal with anymore but I had a good experience. I purchased these in 2020 and I knew nothing about highlander swords going in, I just had a Marto from ebay at the time, but we were in contact almost daily for a month, he taught me a lot about the differences and shared many pictures, while I was making my decision on which sword to get. I'll have to say it was the best prop buying experience of my life. One funny thing is he sent some family pictures by mistake and one was a picture of his brother doing a photo bomb trying to kiss him on the cheek, , I told him, "nice family but your wife could use a shave", we had a good laugh about that.

Just an FYI, but that is a true H1, but that is NOT a season one from the series, but the Musashi that Sal (original point gallery owner and prop sword maker for first season of series), and he started making that casting in 99. It’s similar looking but it’s thicker, more cleaned up and missing a few details along with the bottom panel being flipped. And the blade doesn’t look like a T10 on that one either, it has an etched hamon.
This is the actual season one handle

 

[BossMacleod]

The season one is based from a marto ivory handle and blade, so the original prop blade can't be 76cm and have a 3cm sori, much more a 70-72cm lenght and 1,5cm sori, like any standard marto blade, if I remember correctly it also displays the original marto habaki, but has custom tsuba and additional carving on handle just like they did for the movie katana.
From season 2 there was a quite similar sword but marto provided the stunt swords, they looked identical to their mass produced highlander serie katanas, but the metal collar near dragon head was painted white, to match better the hero prop.
From season 3, they swords were the actual marto duncan, having same blade and habaki, but bronze colored collar and fuchi, and thicker tsuba (about 5,5mm thick)
I agree with the upgraded blade however, because having a real blade is much better than those awful spanish blades.
When I made my replica, I decided to carve a complete new tsuba based from the real myochin and marto together, I also carved habaki based from marto design, but sticking to the real item by different material and technic, I also carved a solid brass habaki.
To match the historical sword better, I watched the episode about the sword origin "the samurai" and replaced the marto stamp for the samurai mon, to explain why there is something carved on habaki, also, this kind of carving is historically accurate.
I also carved a real ivory handle, for a huge project, with another guy, we wanted to make the best sword ever, however the ivory piece has been lost..so were handle ferrules, lucky me, the unfinished tsuba is still here
Work visible here:

Another funny fact is they chose quite badly for their tsuba, as the myochin school was one who NEVER made soft metal tsuba, only irons were made, the rooster fight tsuba can be found from time to time, with lots of carving and design variation.

The season one uses a Marto silver braided tachi blade (Marto 450 tachi) and it was a 29 inch blade with a sori from either 1.25 to 1.50 inches.
The tang was a half tang on them.
The handle was molded from the original Marto ivory katana, like the movie sword as well, but was scaled down, for a thinner tsuka, and a long dragon head.

 

[Dr Jones Sr]

At first I thought maybe it was because Sean Connery was a big dude and Adrain Paul was a little skinny dude, but I looked it up and he is actually about the same size as Connery. They were both 6ft tall and over 200 lbs.

I just now looked it up and the internet says Adrian Paul is 6 foot and Sean Connery was 6 foot 2 inches.

Years ago when I looked it up Sean Connery's height was given as 6 foot 2.5 inches.

2.5 inches doesn't sound like much, but I'm 6 foot 3.5 inches and believe you me somebody who is 6 foot 6 inches towers over me.

BTW nothing to do with sword props but I worked on two episodes of Highlander The Series and also one of the Highlander films.

 

[PicasoX]

Just an FYI, but that is a true H1, but that is NOT a season one from the series, but the Musashi that Sal (original point gallery owner and prop sword maker for first season of series), and he started making that casting in 99. It’s similar looking but it’s thicker, more cleaned up and missing a few details along with the bottom panel being flipped. And the blade doesn’t look like a T10 on that one either, it has an etched hamon.
This is the actual season one handle

Thanks, if not T-10 would it be 1095 then?

 

[BossMacleod]

Thanks, if not T-10 would it be 1095 then?

I cant tell you exactly what it is, but what I can tell you is that it has a brushed on, sanded in hamon. Just look at the difference between your H1 and musashi blade. That is a fake hamon, which is generally put on lower end steel like 1045, where they will through hardened it and not differently hardened it, and then etch or sand on the Hamon so it has the “look”.

 

[PicasoX]

My Duncan s1 was bought on the RPF Junkyard from a member in the UK, I showed a picture of it to Daryl and he said it was one of his earlier models, he thought it was T10 though.

 

[PicasoX]

The Duncan Hamon is different but it does accurately replicate at least one of the version used on the TV show

 

[BossMacleod]

The Duncan Hamon is different but it does accurately replicate at least one of the version used on the TV show

Yes the Marto had a stainless blade with a fake hamon. I’m betting Daryl made it for the other guy and used a cheaper 1046 or 1095 with a fake hamon. He regularly used cheaper blades and lied and said they were T10 etc.
it’s fine as far as you love it and it’s still a beautiful piece for your collection. It was just something I noticed when looking at your pics.