Re: Sif - Thor 2011
I HAVE SWORDS.
And here is my review in two words: not horrible.
Size: They're undersized, simply said. Best for smaller girls or kids. They've got about a 19" blade, which is decent, but the hilt is a bit small. Overall length is 27"
With a 24" ruler:
Held in my hand:
Each "grip" piece is about 3" long, so really not a good size for hands even remotely larger than mine. It's even not a good size for mine. ahh well. I also expected the grips to be round... and they're oval. I'm a bit torn on whether or not to fix/change this.
Copyright markings - these are just printed on, thankfully, so the paint job will cover that up all very nicely.
Bottom of the Hilt & Seam lines - casting seam lines are not that bad - easily hide able with a little dremel work or epoxy clay filling. I'll likely be using both methods.
Detailing:
My plan:
First off, they will need a repaint. It's not obvious right away, but the factory paint is rather... poor. Several blemishes, runs, smudges and the copyright marks are fine on a toy, but as a costume piece, it's kind of annoying. I'm going to try to figure out how to use the "chrome" paints i see in the spray paint aisle. if anyone has any tips on chroming for the blades, I'd love to hear them.
Concerning the size, I'm not going to worry. My plan hasn't actually ever been to use it as a sword by itself, and I'm going to make the double-sword spear weapon she carries. I *might* add some magic sculpt around the edges to give it a little more realistic edge, which will add a small bit to the tip as well (1/2" to 1") With the two put together, it makes a decent sized weapon. And, if I'm recalling my screen caps correctly, there is an additional piece between the two to lengthen it. Put together, I can easily get a 5'+ weapon out of them.
And that brings me to my next subject - the grips. Like I said earlier, they're ovoid, where i was expecting round. This isn't entirely bad, as it does fit in ones hand nicely. But to fit the pieces together, I was going to rig something out of PVC tubing, and now that would look strange if I had a round center grip as such. It wouldn't be too hard to build out the grips to round - a bit of foam and leathery wraps, but I'm afraid that it will not look proportional to the rest of the sword's designs, then. :/ My other option then is to build the center grip in the ovoid shape as well and try to match it and make it sturdy enough to hold. I'm guessing pink foam, a paper towel tube, glue and again the leathery wrap might be enough.... if anyone has suggestions on that front as well, I'll gladly take them.
I bought the two swords thinking it would be a decent alternative to sculpting the spearsword from scratch. As far as accuracy goes, I'm sacrificing quite a bit with this method and, unfortunately, not saving myself as much time as I was hoping with having to change the grip/hilts. A bit, yes, but for the sacrifice I would have liked more.
I've attached two screen caps for further contemplation .
