Windlass/MR Peter's Sword
Sept 14, 2008 23:36:34 GMT
Post by dand on Sept 14, 2008 23:36:34 GMT
Windlass/Master Replicas Peter's Sword by Dan Dickinson, Midland, MI, USA
Like many in this hobby, I grew up reading of the Pevensie children's exploits in C.S. Lewis's beloved Chronicles of Narnia. I also enjoyed the look of Peter Lyon's interpretation of Peter's sword Rhindon in the recent films, so I was rather enthused to hear that the movie replica would be made by Windlass of high carbon steel (unlike another popular film's replicas which took the wallhanger route) and marketed through Master Replicas. The sword arrived well packaged in a Master Replicas labeled box with other paraphernalia (a certificate of authenticity, sword plaque etc). Of course the main thing I wanted to see was the sword. My first glance did not disappoint, I was quite impressed by the overall look (I'll get to more on that later). Here's how the stats stack up:
Blade length: 32 3/8"
Hilt length: 7 5/8"
Overall: 40 3/8"
Guard Width: 8"
Blade Width at Cross: 2 3/8"
POB (point of balance): 3 3/4" from base of guard
COP (center of percussion - 'the sweet spot'): 21 1/2" from the guard
Weight: ~3 lbs.
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
The blade could best be described as an Oakeshott type XVI. As expected in a Windlass piece, it exhibits a few ripples. Unfortunately the replica is slightly wider in the point, and does not feature the hollow-grinding of the original, though at this price point I was not expecting it. The fuller is well done, though not as sharply defined as higher end models, and features a very well done etched inscription which paraphrases part of Mrs. Beaver's rhyme about Aslan.On one side is etched When Aslan Bares his Teeth, Winter Meets Its Death and on the other, When Aslan Shakes His Mane, We Shall Have Spring Again. The (presumably) acid etched inscription is filled with a goldish material (probably paint) which still gives it an elegant look. Unfortunately the most disappointing thing about the sword as a whole is that the blade is very whippy. It is made of uniformly thin stock with very little to no distal taper. When struck on the pommel, the blade oscillates a great deal, more so than any other Windlass I have handled.
The Grip
The grip is covered in a red leather with tooled vine-like designs. Typically I abhor stitched grip covers, but this one features a neatly done stitched seam down the back of one face of the grip. Because of its position on the grip and small thread, this seam does not irritate my hand as most windlass grips do. The grip is also bound with several crown-shaped fillets at top, bottom and center. These fillets are gold-plated brass and are secured to the grip with small brads. I found the fillets slightly uncomfortable on bare hands, and worry that they would loosen with use.
The Pommel
The pommel is a very nicely cast sculpture of a roaring lion in gold-plated brass. Unfortunately it is of screw-on construction, judging by the lack of a peen...a fact that would probably lead to loosening if used in much cutting.
The Guard
The guard is of diamond section, flaring at the ends and is well done, featuring fairly sharp corners and details. The cross has langlets, a feature which was not typically found on European weapons and most resembles those of Sudanese weapons. Unfortunately Windlass chose to take the nickle-plating route, rather than simply polishing the underlying steel. The guard inlet is also of a square section and does not closely match the blade shoulders, but that is also to be expected in a Windlass product.
The Scabbard
Betraying its Movie wall-hanger nature, this sword did not come with even a heavy leather scabbard, but rather a Narnia-themed sword plaque.
Handling
Due to wanting to keep this in original collector condition, I did not sharpen or perform any test cutting with this blade. However, in dry handling it performs quite well moving from guard to guard quite well. Despite its lack of distal taper, the heavy pommel and thin blade prevent it from being a wristbreaker. If sharpened, it would probably be quite a good cutter (and I do believe fellow forumite Brenno used his to good effect even on heavy targets for quite a while before the blade took a set), though due to the over flexibility I would expect it to not perform very well in the thrust.
CONCLUSION and SBG Ratings
Overall I think this is perhaps one of the best movie replicas swords I have seen (at least in our price bracket). Of particular benefit is that the blade is of high carbon steel (and if I remember correctly features a fairly hefty tang) which allows the blade to be used if one so desires. It would have been nice to see a little more attention to blade geometry (such as starting with thicker stock and distally tapering to the point) which would have fixed the whippyness problem. Also, for overall Structural integrity, a well-peened pommel would be essential. I think for the money it is a very nice sword, though I believe people would have been willing to pay a little more to fix the problems and end up with a truly phenomenal piece.
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 3/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 3.625/5
Like many in this hobby, I grew up reading of the Pevensie children's exploits in C.S. Lewis's beloved Chronicles of Narnia. I also enjoyed the look of Peter Lyon's interpretation of Peter's sword Rhindon in the recent films, so I was rather enthused to hear that the movie replica would be made by Windlass of high carbon steel (unlike another popular film's replicas which took the wallhanger route) and marketed through Master Replicas. The sword arrived well packaged in a Master Replicas labeled box with other paraphernalia (a certificate of authenticity, sword plaque etc). Of course the main thing I wanted to see was the sword. My first glance did not disappoint, I was quite impressed by the overall look (I'll get to more on that later). Here's how the stats stack up:
Blade length: 32 3/8"
Hilt length: 7 5/8"
Overall: 40 3/8"
Guard Width: 8"
Blade Width at Cross: 2 3/8"
POB (point of balance): 3 3/4" from base of guard
COP (center of percussion - 'the sweet spot'): 21 1/2" from the guard
Weight: ~3 lbs.
DESIGN, FIT & FINISH
The Blade
The blade could best be described as an Oakeshott type XVI. As expected in a Windlass piece, it exhibits a few ripples. Unfortunately the replica is slightly wider in the point, and does not feature the hollow-grinding of the original, though at this price point I was not expecting it. The fuller is well done, though not as sharply defined as higher end models, and features a very well done etched inscription which paraphrases part of Mrs. Beaver's rhyme about Aslan.On one side is etched When Aslan Bares his Teeth, Winter Meets Its Death and on the other, When Aslan Shakes His Mane, We Shall Have Spring Again. The (presumably) acid etched inscription is filled with a goldish material (probably paint) which still gives it an elegant look. Unfortunately the most disappointing thing about the sword as a whole is that the blade is very whippy. It is made of uniformly thin stock with very little to no distal taper. When struck on the pommel, the blade oscillates a great deal, more so than any other Windlass I have handled.
The Grip
The grip is covered in a red leather with tooled vine-like designs. Typically I abhor stitched grip covers, but this one features a neatly done stitched seam down the back of one face of the grip. Because of its position on the grip and small thread, this seam does not irritate my hand as most windlass grips do. The grip is also bound with several crown-shaped fillets at top, bottom and center. These fillets are gold-plated brass and are secured to the grip with small brads. I found the fillets slightly uncomfortable on bare hands, and worry that they would loosen with use.
The Pommel
The pommel is a very nicely cast sculpture of a roaring lion in gold-plated brass. Unfortunately it is of screw-on construction, judging by the lack of a peen...a fact that would probably lead to loosening if used in much cutting.
The Guard
The guard is of diamond section, flaring at the ends and is well done, featuring fairly sharp corners and details. The cross has langlets, a feature which was not typically found on European weapons and most resembles those of Sudanese weapons. Unfortunately Windlass chose to take the nickle-plating route, rather than simply polishing the underlying steel. The guard inlet is also of a square section and does not closely match the blade shoulders, but that is also to be expected in a Windlass product.
The Scabbard
Betraying its Movie wall-hanger nature, this sword did not come with even a heavy leather scabbard, but rather a Narnia-themed sword plaque.
Handling
Due to wanting to keep this in original collector condition, I did not sharpen or perform any test cutting with this blade. However, in dry handling it performs quite well moving from guard to guard quite well. Despite its lack of distal taper, the heavy pommel and thin blade prevent it from being a wristbreaker. If sharpened, it would probably be quite a good cutter (and I do believe fellow forumite Brenno used his to good effect even on heavy targets for quite a while before the blade took a set), though due to the over flexibility I would expect it to not perform very well in the thrust.
CONCLUSION and SBG Ratings
Overall I think this is perhaps one of the best movie replicas swords I have seen (at least in our price bracket). Of particular benefit is that the blade is of high carbon steel (and if I remember correctly features a fairly hefty tang) which allows the blade to be used if one so desires. It would have been nice to see a little more attention to blade geometry (such as starting with thicker stock and distally tapering to the point) which would have fixed the whippyness problem. Also, for overall Structural integrity, a well-peened pommel would be essential. I think for the money it is a very nice sword, though I believe people would have been willing to pay a little more to fix the problems and end up with a truly phenomenal piece.
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 3.5/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity: 3/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 3.625/5