I always wanted to have a REAL functional He-Man sword. (The one from the 80s series) How would someone go about designing something like that so that it was just like the one in the cartoon? Who could do it and what would it cost?
It depends a lot on what you are willing to accept as real. First thing, it isn’t going to call down lightning, and turn you into a super hero, when you invoke the power of Grayskull.
OK, you need a swordsmith. Currently the best ones are the guys who do it for movies. It might well be worth the time to read the credits for “The Lord of the Rings” movies. They did some very nice work. Almost every blacksmith tries his hand at a sword at least once, but you want a good real sword, so you want someone who has made a few, that you can at least see pictures of.
A real weapon has to have a lot more skill put into it than a display piece. Tempering, annealing, polish, shaping, and sharpening the edge, all of these things are rare skills, and the guys who have those skills won’t be willing to work cheap. If you pay less than a thousand for one, I will be quite surprised. If you pay more than ten thousand, I would be fairly sure you overpaid. You can get a ready made sword, of fairly good quality for less, but custom work will cost you. (Especially since, unlike a guy making a movie, you won’t be a likely source of future orders.)
Tris
Something like this
Wow. I have been lookign around and never saw that before…thanks! I may bid on this one
or not…it does not cost $36.00 to ship that sword…
You probably already know, but theres no way that ebay sword is going to be ‘functional’.
Not in the sense that a real sword would. I don’t want to shell out a grand for a functional one though.
Then again, if you hit someone with it I bet they would not be feeling too well!
Some of the best swordsmiths have little or nothing to do with making movie props. Though some do make movie line swords (Albion Armorers have a movie sword division).
Movie props are almost never fuctional weapons. They are made to be used by actors unskilled in their proper use, and filming dangerous sequences. They need essentially rugged crowbars to beat around.
Most swordsmiths I know are backlogged but you may want to try and get in touch with Mr. Angus Trim (http://www.angustrimswords.com/), he does a lot of custom work. Figure out what you want from your sword and discuss it with him. He might suggest that you have him forge the blade and then commission Chrstian Fletcher to do the fittings (hilt) and even a scabbard for your sword.
Now, you do have to realize that the he-man sword as usually depicted ain’t gonna be historically accurate, and may not be truly functional (too heavy, hard to balance properly, etc). The sword is very much fantasy so be realistic in what to expect.
Good luck, and if you do get it done, please post some pics!