Tidus' Sword:

Reproduction from my own collection. This is one of Tidus' blades from the popular Final Fantasy (TM) game series. This is an 'actual size' weapon standing at over 5.5 feet ...and weighs only 2 1/2 pounds!

Construction Notes:

If you want a similar 'big' sword, etc made by me I can do it at a reasonable price since I have the materials on hand and the experience. Just shoot me an email and tell me what you want: mike@fantasyprops.com

OK, I just had to see if I could do it! I'm very happy with this little bugger. Lots of video games have these wicked cool, larger than life, unwieldy type weapons and I see conventioneers and cosplayers with heavy carved wooden blades, or super flimsy styrofoam. I decided to make the ultimate in stupid-large weapons for convention use by combining my knowledge of polystyrene foam (that pink stuff you find at Home Depot) with epoxy resin fiberglassing. Think "surfboard with a handle". When it was all said and done, I had a very handsome 5 1/2' long, very strong sword weighing only 2 1/2 pounds!!! Just to give you an idea that's less than the weight of two 12oz bottles of Coke. It can be carried easily with one hand and even swung around wildly without damaging the handles connection to the blade. This is because of the way I connected the handle using a combination of bondo rabbit joints and silicone shock dampening (*pats self on back*). The epoxy fiberglass shell is flexible, dent resistant, shock resistant, chip resistant and waterproof. (NOTE: dropping this may still chip the Krylon Fusion paint job.) To top it all off I added traditional Japanese handle braiding (Tsuka Maki). I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

The process I used to create this is pretty in-depth. Some brave people may want to try it. To you I say, "Good luck, think positive, practice first, take your time, and don't be discouraged by a few mistakes." It's fairly cost prohibitive as a beginner project tho. I plan on putting some more notes in the "how to" section for die-hard do-it-yourselfers, so keep an eye out for that.

Tools: 1"extruded polystyrene foam (pink insulation from Home Depot), 6" retractable utility knife, Japanese saw, several grits of sandpaper, epoxy resin fiberglass, fiberglass cloth, squeegee, palm sander, bondo putty, silicone rubber/dispenser gun, 3/4" PVC tubing, 2" wood screws, drill, Polyester resin, sculpey, dremel tool, acrylic paints, Krylon Fusion spray paint, clear spray sealer, Luma inks, airbrush, paintbrushes, wool felt, 1/4" 'silk' ribbon, clear casting resin, casting resin color, modeling clay, heavy-duty marine glue, a can-do attitude and several alcoholic beverages of your choice.