Skyward/Breath of the Wild Master Sword

myminifactory

This is my rendition of the Master Sword from the latest Legend of Zelda games (Skyward Sword & Breath of the Wild). It was created based on the artwork from Skyward Sword as well as the statue that came with the collector's edition of BotW and a pair of dial calipers, then scaled to human size. The split halves of all major parts (blade, pommel, hilt and guard) were assembled using small pins for alignment (McMaster Carr 98381A469) and two-part, 5-min epoxy (Loctite Quickset). The tip of the blade has a threaded insert (McMaster Carr 92395A116) installed to hold a 1/4"-20 threaded rod (McMaster Carr 94210A168). These pins were placed along the length of the blade and glued in place with the same epoxy, held in compression by the threaded rod and a nut until dry. Once the nut was removed, the blade could be inserted into the guard, followed by the hilt and pommel (with another threaded insert), completing the assembly. Any assembly steps that involved keeping the blade straight were best done on a flat surface, perhaps even constraining the model with tape while the glue dried. My intention for the final assembly and paint was to include some strips of leather braided along the guide trenches in the hilt. Note: The threaded rod will need to be cut to length before the pommel can be installed, which should leave about 5/8"-3/4" of threaded rod beyond the end of the hilt. Depending on your printer's accuracy, you may need to use epoxy or super glue (CA) to get the threaded inserts to stay in place. Optional: This model includes a pour spout and bleeder hole for 2-part resin to be poured (injected with a syringe) into the blade to surround the threaded rod, stiffening the overall assembly of the blade. I used Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 327 in mine because it has a much longer setup time and should not produce as large of a heat spike. Warning: If you follow my footsteps and solidify this model with resin as stated above, make sure to have really good top and bottom layers. There were a few thin spots on my print and the resin sweated its way through the pores of my blade. Minor inconvenience, I had to do some sanding.