I posted this in the highlander-community forums as well, but I thought it should be posted here too...
I have been a Highlander fan for more than 15 years. Being a Highlander fan, I had one dream from the very beginning: to own an accurate reproduction of the katana from Highlander 1. The Masamune; sword of Juan Sanchez Villa Lobos Ramirez and Connor MacLeod. I remember, way back in 1995, seeing Davis/Panzer put out pictures of a reproduction in their official catalog. It looked accurate enough, I thought to myself.
About a year later, they put out a "martespa" version that looked nothing like what I, or any other fan, desired. Years later came Albion, who were set on making all my dreams come true. Unfortunately, I was going to need $3000. That was NOT going to happen.
A few years passed, and I all but gave up the hope of owning an accurate reproduction of this sword.
And then I stumbled upon the highlander-community forum, and started seeing all these talented Highlander fans take up the call to craft their own accurate replicas of the best Highlander blades. To say I'm proud of all of the fans who started this movement and continue to move forward in their craft is an understatement. I'm in awe of the craftsmanship on that board and here at the rpf, and am really proud of everyone who continues to hone their talents in these forums.
Which brings me to my first experience with a prop maker on this board: Daryl Kyle (aka Irishamericanlad). Daryl was the first person to respond to my private message, and he was very kind in answering all my questions. I told him that, if I was going to plop down $500 for a replica, it better be **** accurate; down to the very scene. I thought this might put off Daryl from wanting to work with me. Instead, it was a challenge he took up willingly.
I told Daryl I wanted an accurate reproduction of the Mentor HL 1 katana; specifcally, I wanted the sword to match the scene where Ramirez is talking to Connor about Shakiku, and the blade being "the only one of it's kind...like his daughter". Daryl never questioned my need to be so specific. He never fought me. All he did was say "okay", and went along crafting my blade. There were always options he could have given me, of course. I could have customized the sword in a variety of ways. But I didn't want that. Daryl understood this.
As the 3 weeks passed as the handle was being weathered, the brass tsuba designed, and the brass pin found and crafted, Daryl would continually update me on the progress of the sword. I would send him photos that I took off the HL blu ray to help where I could with accuracy, and he would take it under consideration. He would then send me photos of his progress! To be honest, seeing an unfinished work doesn't always give a buyer good feelings. The handle, initially, didn't look accurate enough to me (it hadn't been weathered yet, and the brass pin was not inserted). But Daryl assured me that he was making exactly what I requested.
Just as Daryl was putting the finishing touches on the sword, he gave me a call. This was the first time we had ever spoken to each other. We talked for about an hour and a half. He called just to assure me that if I had any problems with his work, that he would stand by it and fix whatever needed to be fixed until I was happy. Customer service is really important to him. We talked about Highlander, our backgrounds in filmmaking, and our love of screen-accurate props. It was one of the best phone calls I've had in months! After hanging up the phone I knew that, whatever I was going to receive in a few days, it would be what I wanted.
And it was.
I'm attaching photos of the sword, but they don't do it justice. Believe me. When I pulled it out of the box (great packaging by the way, Daryl
, I was awestruck. It was a dream come to life. My girlfriend touched the handle and said, "It feels like all those statues we touched at Vatican City!" The resin Daryl used to cast the handle was smooth to the touch. The brass pin was perfect. The blade, a practical cutter, was a perfect length and, when all is said and done, is very well-balanced for a film prop. By the way, this sword is fully functional, and can be used to cut!
Is it screen-accurate? Hell yes; thick tsuba and all. That's because Daryl took the time to research exactly what I wanted. I've only had the sword less than a week, but when I look at it, either in close vicinity or across my room, it looks EXACTLY like I pulled it off the set of the film.
It was worth the 15 year wait.
My thanks to Daryl Kyle (Irishamericanlad). Your work redeemed a big part of what made Highlander special for me.
I have been a Highlander fan for more than 15 years. Being a Highlander fan, I had one dream from the very beginning: to own an accurate reproduction of the katana from Highlander 1. The Masamune; sword of Juan Sanchez Villa Lobos Ramirez and Connor MacLeod. I remember, way back in 1995, seeing Davis/Panzer put out pictures of a reproduction in their official catalog. It looked accurate enough, I thought to myself.
About a year later, they put out a "martespa" version that looked nothing like what I, or any other fan, desired. Years later came Albion, who were set on making all my dreams come true. Unfortunately, I was going to need $3000. That was NOT going to happen.
A few years passed, and I all but gave up the hope of owning an accurate reproduction of this sword.
And then I stumbled upon the highlander-community forum, and started seeing all these talented Highlander fans take up the call to craft their own accurate replicas of the best Highlander blades. To say I'm proud of all of the fans who started this movement and continue to move forward in their craft is an understatement. I'm in awe of the craftsmanship on that board and here at the rpf, and am really proud of everyone who continues to hone their talents in these forums.
Which brings me to my first experience with a prop maker on this board: Daryl Kyle (aka Irishamericanlad). Daryl was the first person to respond to my private message, and he was very kind in answering all my questions. I told him that, if I was going to plop down $500 for a replica, it better be **** accurate; down to the very scene. I thought this might put off Daryl from wanting to work with me. Instead, it was a challenge he took up willingly.
I told Daryl I wanted an accurate reproduction of the Mentor HL 1 katana; specifcally, I wanted the sword to match the scene where Ramirez is talking to Connor about Shakiku, and the blade being "the only one of it's kind...like his daughter". Daryl never questioned my need to be so specific. He never fought me. All he did was say "okay", and went along crafting my blade. There were always options he could have given me, of course. I could have customized the sword in a variety of ways. But I didn't want that. Daryl understood this.
As the 3 weeks passed as the handle was being weathered, the brass tsuba designed, and the brass pin found and crafted, Daryl would continually update me on the progress of the sword. I would send him photos that I took off the HL blu ray to help where I could with accuracy, and he would take it under consideration. He would then send me photos of his progress! To be honest, seeing an unfinished work doesn't always give a buyer good feelings. The handle, initially, didn't look accurate enough to me (it hadn't been weathered yet, and the brass pin was not inserted). But Daryl assured me that he was making exactly what I requested.
Just as Daryl was putting the finishing touches on the sword, he gave me a call. This was the first time we had ever spoken to each other. We talked for about an hour and a half. He called just to assure me that if I had any problems with his work, that he would stand by it and fix whatever needed to be fixed until I was happy. Customer service is really important to him. We talked about Highlander, our backgrounds in filmmaking, and our love of screen-accurate props. It was one of the best phone calls I've had in months! After hanging up the phone I knew that, whatever I was going to receive in a few days, it would be what I wanted.
And it was.
I'm attaching photos of the sword, but they don't do it justice. Believe me. When I pulled it out of the box (great packaging by the way, Daryl
, I was awestruck. It was a dream come to life. My girlfriend touched the handle and said, "It feels like all those statues we touched at Vatican City!" The resin Daryl used to cast the handle was smooth to the touch. The brass pin was perfect. The blade, a practical cutter, was a perfect length and, when all is said and done, is very well-balanced for a film prop. By the way, this sword is fully functional, and can be used to cut!Is it screen-accurate? Hell yes; thick tsuba and all. That's because Daryl took the time to research exactly what I wanted. I've only had the sword less than a week, but when I look at it, either in close vicinity or across my room, it looks EXACTLY like I pulled it off the set of the film.
It was worth the 15 year wait.
My thanks to Daryl Kyle (Irishamericanlad). Your work redeemed a big part of what made Highlander special for me.
