Dude, sucking at sumthin’ is the first step towards being sorta good at something. - Jake, Adventure Time

Tag: weapon

General Kael Sword

Posted on by Jim Vo

Build Materials

Multiple Thicknesses of EVA-38 Foam (TNT)
Steel Rod, 3/8″
Barge TF Contact Cement
Black Leather

Build Process

Sword Core

The blade is made from two long strips of 6mm EVA Foam (TNT). The core of the sword is a 3/8″ steel rod. The first step was to cut 2 pieces of 6mm foam to the rough width of the blade and cut out a channel with a rotary tool. This is the same method used for Sorsha’s sword as well.

In retrospect, it would have been smarter to put in two rods and leave the center open because of the fuller. If you look at it up close, you can see the rod through the foam since the fuller is on both sides. We could’ve also just shaded it a different color, but I think at that point it was too late for that.

The Scalloped Edge

The design of the scalloping in the edge of the sword is actually offset like it is in the movie prop. I left this part to Tom and he was covered in black EVA foam dust from head to toe. I stand by my decision!

The Scalloped Edge – Transformed

This is what the shape of the blade looked like after the scalloping was finished. You can see the scalloping on the edge looks really good here. Tom, was the main builder for both swords and had the patience to grind out each groove in the scallop with a rotary tool.

The Fuller

Grinding in the fuller was a two-person undertaking, because of the types of tools we had at our disposal. Tom’s drill press needed some maintenance and was out of commission for this. I bought a plunge jig for a drill and after some careful measuring, we locked the plunge depth and ground out the fuller with a round sanding bit purchased at Ax-Man Surplus. This is when we discovered the metal rod was a problem and was showing through if we went too deep, so ultimately we had to fudge the fuller a little bit.

The (Mostly) Finished Hilt

I made the guard piece and the attached rings and Tom made everything else. The rings aren’t rigid so it’s easy for them to get misshapen. I should have reinforced it with wire or used a more rigid material. The guard is butted to the blade with the metal rod going all the way through the handle. Tom stacked rings and shaped the handle and pommel.

Sword Frog and Holders

I bought 2 frogs for the swords. I kept the scabbard simple since I wanted the sword to be visible, even when it was in the holder.

I built an open box from styrene plastic and wrapped the interior and exterior with 2mm EVA Foam. The frog was designed for a smaller scabbard, but I made it work.

Princess Sorsha Helmet

Posted on by Jim Vo

Build Materials & Sources

  • 6mm EVA Foam, TNT Cosplay Supply
  • C4 Foam Clay, TNT Cosplay Supply
  • Black Leather
  • Styrene Plastic Sheets
  • Aluminum Chainmail
  • Half-Round Pearl Beads
  • Barge TF Contact Cement

Pattern Base:

Evil Ted’s Samurai Helmet (top section only)
Freehanded Parts

Build Process

Sorsha’s Helmet

Helmet Materials: EVA Foam, Foam Clay, Styrene, Leather
Sword Materials: EVA Foam with a 3/8″ Metal Core, Leather

Helmet Base Form

This is the earliest in the process that I started taking photos. I used the top part of Evil Ted’s Samurai Helmet as a base to work from. The brim, nose guard, and the fins were freehanded pieces from scrap foam.

Helmet Finial

The finial was fun to sculpt. I used a circle cutter to cut out rounds of EVA Foam and then stacked together and glued. I used a round toothpick to hold anchor all of the pieces and to center the point on the top of the helmet.

A Riveting Discussion

Preparing for attaching the “rivets”. I measured the sections and marked off rivet points at even intervals.

The rivets were simulated with Half-Round White Beads from Michael’s. I liked the rounded look better than googly eyes. The gaps were filled with EVA foam after wetting them down with water. I tried making the vertical pieces on the brim from Foam Clay, but they fell apart during sanding so Tom added strips of foam instead.

Post-paint photo. Tom did an awesome job with the coloring on this onen

Styrene Plastic sheets were used to create the diamon shapes for the helmet. I know I could have done some parts better here, but I’m still proud of the work.

The Finished Helmet

This is the completed helmet. Excuse the mess behind it. While there are some things I could have done differently with this build, I think it turned out fairly well.