Thanks a lot, DirectDK~sensei! You're da man

. The work on the 1:1 scale helmets is what inspired this project to be honest. James' meticulous detail with the help of the design ideas/ suggestions passed on by DirectDK and Aazealh helped create those magnificent pieces. So, carrying that ethic forward, it's an exciting privilege to bring you the Dragon Slayer in it's 1:1 scale form.
There were 2 pressing issues about this project. One being the accuracy of the sword design itself to a pure 1:1 scale and the other being the affordability of the sword itself.
With regard to the sword design, James is currently in possession of the last few episodes (I sent him my YA issues) and also the swords off the 1/6th Guts 2010 version + the 20th Anniversary AOW statues. Both those swords to me are pretty different (if you compared them) and what we see in Miura's recent drawings is (slightly) different too. Here's where Aazealh's help was SUPER IMPORTANT and he was graceful enough to give us many guiding pointers whether it be the shape or dimensions (per his posts on the board). My firm belief was I would not go ahead with anything till we got it right, and getting it right meant passing his high standards. So, thank you Aazealh.
With regard to the price, here's the tricky part. If we can get enough members to buy the sword, the cost will come down! So I urge you to spread the word and give some indication of whether you'd be interested or not in purchasing it. Here's the possible price -
For 30 people on board -
$775.00 (Normal version)
$775.00 + $150.00 (Bloody version)
For 50 people on board -
$595.00 (Normal version)
$595.00 + $150.00 (Bloody version)
Shipping prices would vary, depending on where you're buying the sword from. Because it'll be a special sized box, we may be looking at either $85 or $125 within the US. The rest of the world would be twice as much, approximately. There may be the variable of it's weight which isn't accounted for at this point.
The price may seem high, but if we help each other out, we can bring it down to the lower price. This's a custom 1:1 replica, with paint, YOU CANNOT GO WRONG ON THIS right?!?!! Also, seeing James' prior work makes me have the same confidence in him for this project.
Like in the past, I'll update a list of YES and MAYBE so we can gauge who's in and what we'll be paying for the sword ultimately. I will discuss with James on a pre-order price since this project is actually moving at a quick pace! No surprise, this is a BIG YES from me.
YES1. IncantatioN - Deposit paid.
2. Theoden - Deposit paid.
3. DirectDK - Deposit paid.
4. Maiku - Deposit paid.
5. Mark Gallagher - Deposit paid.
6. Master of the Obvious - Deposit paid.
MAYBE1. Bloodyjacky
2. Hanma_Baki
3. slan69
4. SeedofKings