Well, after hearing that neither United Cutlery or Weta had plans to release a version of "Deathless" in steel or urethane, I decided it was time to take the plunge and order Noble's version. I couldn't find any user pics or info at all, so hopefully this will be useful for some of you.
Accuracy
This thing is beautiful from a distance, a seemingly accurate copy of an ingenious design. If I had to guess, I would say Noble scanned one of the urethane stunt swords Weta made for filming and basically made their molds off that model. The sword is scaled for a dwarf, so it's smaller than my Herugrim, but weighs nearly twice as much. I wish the blade lines were closer to the hero version shown in closeups in The Hobbit, but the basic basic geometry is still there and still cool. Definitely not as sharp as what you see at times in the film, though.
Materials
Unlike United Cutlery's weapons, the sword seems to be cast rather than ground or machined--not a little disappointing. Everything looks like it was cast in a few pieces and then assembled. I would definitely prefer something with the sharper lines and distinct character of a ground blade rather than a cast blade. It almost looks like it was cast in three pieces--the blade, the hilt, and the pommel. The blade is completely painted and given a faux aged finish. This is not nearly as dynamic or beautiful as UC's swords, nor as detailed as UC's dwarven axes, but it does look quite a bit like the stunt sword featured in the films. The painted blade looks like plastic--another disappointment. Again, to be fair, it does look similar to what is seen at times in the film, it's just not particularly lovely. The finishing on the metal hilt and pommel is nice, showing less golden in real life than Noble's catalog pics.
Weight & Feel
This thing is BEEFY! It feels less like a sword than a crowbar. This is not solely due to the weight, but also the thick, octagonal profile of the hilt. It feels a little like an axe in a sword's body, if that makes sense. It weighs 7.09 lbs., which makes it heavier than UC's Herugrim (3.99 lbs.) and Anduril (5.39 lbs.), but lighter than UC's Gimli's Battle Axe (10.97 lbs.). It's almost twice as heavy as Herugrim and nearly 2 lbs. heavier than Anduril! Did I mention it was BEEFY? Even with the metal hilt, it feels pretty blade-heavy in the hand. The point of balance is around 3.5 or 4 inches beyond the quasi-crossguard, just beyond the point where the blade tapers to its slimmer profile. This thing is definitely a weapon for a dwarf, not a human!
Fit & Finish
I think the Noble sword is a little lacking here, too. The quality is nowhere near UC's offerings and the finishing looks like it was done lazily and carelessly. For instance, the relief that's carved into the length of the blade has been filled with black paint, but in a pretty shoddy manner. Someone was in a hurry, or jacked on caffeine. The hilt finish isn't really too bad, but the blade just looks a little cheaper than I think it should. There's no rattle, per se, but the blade definitely shifts around a bit from time to time. Nothing too exaggerated right now, but movement nonetheless. Definitely feels looser than the UC line of products, though I haven't handled any of their more recent Hobbit offerings.
Summary
It's not my dream version of Deathless, but beggars can't be choosers. I think it's a little overpriced and inferior to what I've seen from United Cutlery, but as the only version of Thorin's beautiful dwarven sword likely to be produced, I think it will do just fine. Here's a link to some more pics: Noble Collection Thorin's Dwarven Sword "Deathless" - a set on Flickr
Jason V.
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