THE LEGEND OF ZELDA LINKS AWAKENING - LINKS SWORD 3D print model

My rendition of Link's sword in the reboot of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening.

The sword was made based on 2 reference pictures. I made the model before the game was released.

Size:

I estimated the size of the sword based on the reference pictures. When printed full size, the whole sword measures in around 54cm. I've broken the model up into multiple pieces to fit as much as possible onto one printbed (in my case the Prusa MK3S).

Weight:

The sword when printed is fairly light. Because I like it when my props have some decent or even realistic weight, I modeled the handle in such a way it could be filled with plaster. The pommel closes the handle off so there is no evidence of a fill seam. When filled and completely hardened, the plaster gives the sword a great balanced weight.

Assembly:

All pieces are made to fit nicely. Just add a little dab of super glue or epoxy and everything should stay in place just fine. There are 2 pegs added in the files to be printed. They connect the 2 blade pieces together.

Make sure to assemble everything in the right order. The blade guard needs to be around the blade in the right orientation before you glue the blade in the handle.

Finish:

For the finish I went for a weathered and rusted look. I think it is a cool contrast to the cartoony look of the sword. Since the sword washes ashore in the game, I've added a rusted look and some oxidation on the sword. To complete the sword I took the pommel gem 3d file and made a mould for a resin replica. I used a drop of red acrylic paint as a dye for the resin until I reached the desired color and poured the resin in the plaster mould. Then wetsanded the gem attached to powerdrill until it was smooth and clear as possible. After that I weathered all the edges to give the illusion the gem was in the blade for a very long time.