‘Knife crime’ is rife in pop-culture world! It seems everyone’s wielding a blade of some sort. Here’s our cutting-edge Buying Guide to cosplay daggers and swords
From Crocodile Dundee and He-Man to Zelda and Jon Snow, knives, daggers and swords are big news in cosplay. At larger cons you’ll finds stalls dedicated to every type of blade imaginable, but if you can’t wait until the next con, check out these perfect props for your cosplay costumes.
If you plan to take any weapons and props to an event, be sure to check the organiser’s rules first to make sure they’re allowed. To help you on your way, we’ve a handy guide to taking weapons and props to cons here.
@black_ace_cosplay: My 3D-printed Wolf’s Gravestone sword
The sword is printed in two parts: the handle and crossguard, and then the blade, which makes it easier to transport. It took about four days to print and consumed 1,800 grams of filament. Depending which type of material you use, that’s between about £40 and £90. Using biodegradable PLA (Polylactic acid) filament would cost £54.
@black_ace_cosplay’s 3D-printing process
Daggers for cosplay
Here’s our guide to buying daggers for cosplay. Remember whenever you find a weapon you like to check before purchase that they’re allowed in cons!
Arya’s Catspaw Dagger from Game of Thrones
Find Arya’s dagger here.
Tyene Sand’s dagger from Game of Thrones
Find Tyene’s dagger here.
Anck-Su-Namun’s Sai daggers from The Mummy
Find The Mummy daggers here.
Loki’s dagger
Find Loki’s dagger here.
Wolverine’s blade claws
Find Wolverine’s blade claws here.
@tipsygamer99: Building cosplay armour and weapons
The scythe splits in to parts (blade and staff) for easier transportation, this was done with a strong piece of wood and magnets. This was then simply layered up with high-density EVA foam and carved to get the initial shaping down.
@tipsygamer99 on creating weapons
Go big or go home, seems to be @tipsygamer99’s motto… especially when it comes to cosplay weapons. Here are some top crafting tips: “So, my Thanatos costume has all been done by hand, primarily with EVA foam for the armour and weapon sets.
“Most of the armour pieces were drafts from patterns I made using cling film and duct tape, to get a correct fit. They were then traced to a 5mm high-density foam and formed with heat to curve them. Details were carved in with a Dremel and a soldering iron, and I finished it off with acrylic paints and a coat of varnish.
“The weapons followed a similar process, but due to their size and structure, they needed extra support. So both the sword and scythe have PVC pipe in the middle of them, which were heated and flattened.
“The scythe splits in to parts (blade and staff) for easier transportation, this was done with a strong piece of wood and magnets. This was then simply layered up with high-density EVA foam and carved to get the initial shaping down.
“The braiding on the staff was done with separate EVA foam strips, and the eye was constructed with a simple sphere pattern, cut in two, and then surrounded with the EVA foam detailing. Again, this was finished with acrylic paint by hand and more layers of varnish for a better gloss and stronger hold.
“The whole costume, including weapons, took about four months to build, but it was a great opportunity to incorporate new skills I picked up during lockdown and test my limits.
Swords for cosplay
The World of Cosplay guide to buying swords. Whether you’re a pirate, viking or ninja, you’ll find lots of great blades to suit your character – and budget!
Captain Jack Sparrow’s foam LARP sword
Find a Capt Jack Sparrow sword here.
@shiroi_kitsune_21: Modifying my 2B sword for MCM Comic Cons
I bought the sword from a seller called SlowMoose on OnBuy and did some light modifications myself. I hand-painted the handle wrap white with acrylic paint and a fine brush. I then masked off the handle part of the sword and resprayed the blade in Moon Dust silver spray paint from Halfords. The white tassles hanging off the rear of the sword were bought as a ten-pack from Amazon, attached to a keyring. I then zip tied them at the base of the sword to hold it all together. In total, the sword cost £50-£60.
@shiroi_kitsune_21 on customising their sword
Viking sword
Find a Viking sword here.
Three lobe Viking sword
Find a Viking sword here.
Jon Snow’s ‘Longclaw’ sword from Game of Thrones
Find Longclaw here.
Ned Stark’s ‘Ice’ sword from Game of Thrones
Find Ned Stark’s sword here.
Sylvie (The Variant) sword from Loki
Find Sylvie’s sword here.
Ninja-style sword
Find a Ninja sword here.
As a real, metal sword, access to cons with this Ninja-style sword is likely to be an issue, but it’s great for photoshoots. It measures 27in long and costs €29.29 from KnivesRemembered on etsy.com. Postage costs a whopping €132.49. Maybe worth a quick call?
Wooden Bokken sword
Find a wooden Bokken training sword here.
Knight’s long sword
Find a long sword here.
Excalibur
Find Excalibur for sale here.
This full-size, steel Excalibur sword is ideal for cosplay shoots, but may cause issues with con access. It’s beautifully etched with an ornate upper blade, pommel and guard. It measures 1130mm long, weighs 1.65kg and costs £170 from english-heritageshop.org.uk.
Lord of the Rings/fantasy sword
Find a LOTR/fantasy sword here.
Lord of the Rings Anduril sword
Find an Anduril sword here.
Overwatch Genji sword
Find an Overwatch sword here.
Zelda sword
Find a Zelda sword here.
Toy Zelda sword
Find a Zelda sword here.
Japanese swords include the Katana, Tachi, Odachi, Wakizashi, and Tantō. Google them to find the exact style of weapon you need.
@jokerkitty: My bladed Chitauri Sceptre
My sceptre was kindly 3D printed for me by a friend who, at the time, had recently purchased a 3D printer and wanted to test what he could print with it. After it was printed and assembled, I painted it and added the details.
@jokerkitty’s Chitauri Sceptre
Buying swords & daggers on etsy.com
Places to look for swords & daggers
• Smyths toy shop
• The Entertainer toy shop
• Etsy
• Smiffy’s
• ebay
Cosplay weapons crafters & 3D printers
• STUDIO J7 – studioj7.co.uk
• Kenny Cosplay Stuff – kennycosplaystuff.com
• PROPer Artists Ltd – properartists.co.uk
• Trudy Mostyn-Mortimer – TMMcreative.co.uk
• RGL Customs – rglcustoms.com
• Poly-Props Ltd – poly-props.com
• EvilCleverDog – Insta @evilcleverdog
• Rebecca Albrecht – rebzfx.co.uk
myminifactory.com
MyMiniFactory is a website where 3D creatives can post their product designs for free or paid-for download. There are thousands of printing plans for a vast range of products, including many cosplay weapons. Every object is guaranteed to be 3D printable as MyMiniFactory checks that any file uploaded to the site works on a standard desktop 3D printer.
myminifactory.com
Have you had legal problems with cosplay weapons?
If you have ever had any issues with cosplay weapons and the law (anywhere in the world), we’d like to hear from you, so that we can share your story (anonymously if necessary) to help other cosplayers.
Cosplay weapons and the law
Stay on the right side of the law by always keeping cosplay weapons concealed when in public, and when you’re not in a con or cosplay environment. You can infringe all sorts of very serious laws by brandishing look-alike weapons in public spaces.
Flying with weapons in your hand luggage is illegal, and is highly likely to cause serious problems and delays, even if they’re fake, toys or deactivated. Check with your airline before flying and put any props in checked luggage.
Click here to read our guide to the laws and rules around cosplay weapons.
Author:
John Sootheran
John’s a cosplay photographer and videographer who visited his first con in 2017, and has been to numerous London, Birmingham and Manchester events since.
He finds the cosplay vibe addictive and is one of the team to launch worldofcosplay.com.
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