Gen 2 Excalibur 2008 Review
Oct 12, 2008 9:53:28 GMT
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2008 9:53:28 GMT
GEN2 EXCALIBUR – LIMITED EDITION 2008
Review by Phil Thorpe-Willett (UK)
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur03.jpg[/img]
To clarify one point, I will only be reviewing the aesthetics of this sword as I will not be doing any cutting, as I value this sword too much to have it damaged or marked for a review, I will let others do that if they wish.
For those who missed out the first time, Gen2 has given us an incredible opportunity to purchase this sword again, this time they have limited it to 50 in 2008 and 100 swords thereafter. From my point of view there seems to be little taking up on this offer and Gen2 may have only sold 20 of the 50 swords it was expecting which put further future swords in jeopardy.
The sword is a replica of the 1981 John Boorman’s film Excalibur, if you don’t know this film then I would advise that you watch it, its excellent and stands the test of time very well, albeit that historical inaccuracies in the film are debatable.
The swords arrived from Gen2 in September and had an original shipping date of January 2009, so I was pleased that it arrived early.
You cannot fault the packaging for the sword, as it was carefully wrapped in cellophane and then packed with newspaper in a cardboard shell; the sword arrived in perfect condition.
One point to note is that the sword was not packed in the scabbard so you have to careful when removing it as the sword is very sharp and you don’t want any accidents unless of course you want to first blood the blade. The sword was well greased and wipes off easily.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY
It’s a bit difficult to comment on the Historical Accuracy of a sword from a film that in itself is not wholly accurate, so I will briefly comment on one point I have noticed with regards to accuracy to the film sword.
From the pictures of the film sword I have seen the only comment I make is on the Gen2 Excalibur’s Hilt. The Grip seems a little longer, probably by about 3”-4” and the pommel on the Gen2 sword looks slightly smaller, see pictures below.
However as I do not have any specs from the film sword so I cannot make any further comments apart from that everything else on the Gen2 swords appears to be accurate to the film sword.
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Excalibur film picture 01.jpg[/img]
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur02.jpg[/img]
SPECS
Overall Length: 45.5"
Blade Length: 34"
Hilt Length: 12"
Grip Length: 9”
Blade Size: 2" from hilt tapering
Weight: 4.5 lb
THE BLADE
The blade has a fuller the full length of the blade, starting from ½” from the quillion to 5” from the point of the sword. The blade is made from a High carbon steal as stated by Gen2, but unsure what type it is.
I have swung it around single handed and it seems well balanced, its feels great and handles well, you do need to wear gauntlets or gloves (as is normal for combat) as the steel twisted grip bites in to the flesh. I have also swung it round using double handed methods and again, it is very easy to control and handles very well.
It is provided with a hardwood scabbard wrapped in leather with brass chape (Tip) and locket (Throat) fitments.
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur05.jpg[/img]
HILT
The grip is steel twisted wire wrapped, the wrapping is tight and feels nicely done and top and tailed with Brass inserts.
The quillion and pommel are polished brass and remain accurate to the film sword; albeit as previously mentioned the pommel may be slightly smaller. I certainly would not have purchased this sword, if it was as first mooted in the forums that the price of brass was going up and the quillion and pommel could have been made from an alloy to make it cheaper, that would have been a bad move so I am pleased that Gen2 listens to concerns and recreated this sword with brass fittings.
Underneath the quillion is the limited edition mark – 13G208 which translates into the sword No:13, G2 for Generation2 and the year 08 (2008).
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur04.jpg[/img]
CONCLUSION
To sum things up, the sword is excellent value for money, albeit that the UK benefited from the exchange rate; we still had the VAT and duty to pay which added an extra $150 onto the price, but still worth every penny or nickel.
It came in good condition and looks great. For those who are avid fans of this film or Excalibur swords then I would say ‘do not miss this fantastic opportunity of owning such a class cult sword.’
And I got a Generation 2 baseball cap, nice touch I like it.
Historical Accuracy (To the film sword): 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity ?/5 (not checked)
Value for Money: 5/5
Overall 4/5
Review by Phil Thorpe-Willett (UK)
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur03.jpg[/img]
To clarify one point, I will only be reviewing the aesthetics of this sword as I will not be doing any cutting, as I value this sword too much to have it damaged or marked for a review, I will let others do that if they wish.
For those who missed out the first time, Gen2 has given us an incredible opportunity to purchase this sword again, this time they have limited it to 50 in 2008 and 100 swords thereafter. From my point of view there seems to be little taking up on this offer and Gen2 may have only sold 20 of the 50 swords it was expecting which put further future swords in jeopardy.
The sword is a replica of the 1981 John Boorman’s film Excalibur, if you don’t know this film then I would advise that you watch it, its excellent and stands the test of time very well, albeit that historical inaccuracies in the film are debatable.
The swords arrived from Gen2 in September and had an original shipping date of January 2009, so I was pleased that it arrived early.
You cannot fault the packaging for the sword, as it was carefully wrapped in cellophane and then packed with newspaper in a cardboard shell; the sword arrived in perfect condition.
One point to note is that the sword was not packed in the scabbard so you have to careful when removing it as the sword is very sharp and you don’t want any accidents unless of course you want to first blood the blade. The sword was well greased and wipes off easily.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY
It’s a bit difficult to comment on the Historical Accuracy of a sword from a film that in itself is not wholly accurate, so I will briefly comment on one point I have noticed with regards to accuracy to the film sword.
From the pictures of the film sword I have seen the only comment I make is on the Gen2 Excalibur’s Hilt. The Grip seems a little longer, probably by about 3”-4” and the pommel on the Gen2 sword looks slightly smaller, see pictures below.
However as I do not have any specs from the film sword so I cannot make any further comments apart from that everything else on the Gen2 swords appears to be accurate to the film sword.
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Excalibur film picture 01.jpg[/img]
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur02.jpg[/img]
SPECS
Overall Length: 45.5"
Blade Length: 34"
Hilt Length: 12"
Grip Length: 9”
Blade Size: 2" from hilt tapering
Weight: 4.5 lb
THE BLADE
The blade has a fuller the full length of the blade, starting from ½” from the quillion to 5” from the point of the sword. The blade is made from a High carbon steal as stated by Gen2, but unsure what type it is.
I have swung it around single handed and it seems well balanced, its feels great and handles well, you do need to wear gauntlets or gloves (as is normal for combat) as the steel twisted grip bites in to the flesh. I have also swung it round using double handed methods and again, it is very easy to control and handles very well.
It is provided with a hardwood scabbard wrapped in leather with brass chape (Tip) and locket (Throat) fitments.
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur05.jpg[/img]
HILT
The grip is steel twisted wire wrapped, the wrapping is tight and feels nicely done and top and tailed with Brass inserts.
The quillion and pommel are polished brass and remain accurate to the film sword; albeit as previously mentioned the pommel may be slightly smaller. I certainly would not have purchased this sword, if it was as first mooted in the forums that the price of brass was going up and the quillion and pommel could have been made from an alloy to make it cheaper, that would have been a bad move so I am pleased that Gen2 listens to concerns and recreated this sword with brass fittings.
Underneath the quillion is the limited edition mark – 13G208 which translates into the sword No:13, G2 for Generation2 and the year 08 (2008).
homepage.ntlworld.com/p.thorpe-willett/Phil TW Excalibur04.jpg[/img]
CONCLUSION
To sum things up, the sword is excellent value for money, albeit that the UK benefited from the exchange rate; we still had the VAT and duty to pay which added an extra $150 onto the price, but still worth every penny or nickel.
It came in good condition and looks great. For those who are avid fans of this film or Excalibur swords then I would say ‘do not miss this fantastic opportunity of owning such a class cult sword.’
And I got a Generation 2 baseball cap, nice touch I like it.
Historical Accuracy (To the film sword): 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 4/5
Structural Integrity ?/5 (not checked)
Value for Money: 5/5
Overall 4/5