[5/14] Historical fantasy weapons: Kanabō

Here I show weapons made for a fantasy universe I am currently working on. They will be functional, mostly realistic/history based.
Originally this was about a war hammer but I don't want to start a new thread for every new weapon.


War hammer:

Made this little war hammer. It was my first time trying to make a historical/realistic medieval fantasy weapon. It looks kinda sloppy if you look too close. So I came up with that story that it was an untalented hammer maker's first work. It somehow found it's way into a weapon chamber and has been used by multiple soldiers, as a hammer is a hammer and it serves it's purpose without having to be sharp and fancy like a sword.
This reliable piece finally got into the hands of a recent sallet wearing character.





Here next to my years old ugly hideous fantasy smasha. I hate it now but I keep it to see how I developed haha. It was my first 1/6 scale weapon.

Why do you insult your pieces? They look quite good to me. Either I have low standards or you're fishing for compliments. Anyway, great to see serious-looking utilitarian weapons/tools. And nice humor with the title.

^ this! I think it looks fantastic! The rivets(?) holding it to the wood look really accurate too.

Man, if that's sloppy I don't want to see great, it might blind us all with it's quality. Seriously though it's not bad at all, and it doesn't matter if it's "sloppy" I don't think a warhammer would look great after bashing a few skulls around.

The smasha is also pretty cool, looks like something an orc or ogre would wield.

I like the floor/wall thingy, looks good! Did you make that one, too?

And the weapons are wonderfully crafted, already got a sneak peek on them. Nothing beats real wood for the handle.

Looks pretty good to me. What materials did you use?

Trivia: At the time, the word "hammer" referred to the spiked beak, not the flat bludgeoning part. The flat, bludgeoning part was called the "poll".

GubernatorFan wrote:Why do you insult your pieces? They look quite good to me. Either I have low standards or you're fishing for compliments. Anyway, great to see serious-looking utilitarian weapons/tools. And nice humor with the title.

Haha, thanks a lot. That Warhammer figure announcement actually reminded me to take some photos and get this thread up.
Well the photos are good, but the handle is not straight but somehow too curved and the small rectangular metal plates are not parallel to the handle. Also the beak was too high, so I cut it out and placed it lower. I know it's a bit picky but I also know I could have made it better with more preparation.

On the smasha, well maybe it's not that badly made, although I really stopped liking these oversized weapons some day, in general. But yeah maybe for some monster can use it or it will be allowed to lie around as battlefield prop. These weapons are supposed to be the same iconic main weapon for the same character, see that new war hammer as the more serious reboot version of it, haha.

Lynkhart wrote:^ this! I think it looks fantastic! The rivets(?) holding it to the wood look really accurate too.

Thanks! Yeah they are brass nails. While it might be accurate,  it's just not accurate enough to please the eye in hand. Well maybe I am OCDing after all. You know what that perfection thing is doing to us sometimes. For me it's like it was for you with Baxter's head.

Theboo-bomb wrote:Man, if that's sloppy I don't want to see great, it might blind us all with it's quality. Seriously though it's not bad at all, and it doesn't matter if it's "sloppy" I don't  think a warhammer would look great after bashing a few skulls around.

The smasha is also pretty cool, looks like something an orc or ogre would wield.

Haha, thanks. Yeah I like the head now, but these rail frame things still bother me. It was worse after I finished, had to take a break, now I don't see the tiny accidents that much anymore. At least the beak has 'happy' accidents. And yes it smashed a lot of heads in the past, this simple tool. Now that it has a story I like it much more.

Valiarde wrote:I like the floor/wall thingy, looks good! Did you make that one, too?

And the weapons are wonderfully crafted, already got a sneak peek on them. Nothing beats real wood for the handle.

Thanks! I made this floor thingy some years ago with colorful polymer clay rests, I flattened and rolled them on a big plate and sculpted the gaps in with ball sculpting tools. I think your styrodur brick method is faster and looks better.

The smasha handle is actually real wood but covered in modeling paste to be big enough to fit some big glove hands. I had no idea what I did back then. The new hammer is a much more civilized and graceful weapon of head smashing.

shazzdan wrote:Looks pretty good to me. What materials did you use?

Trivia: At the time the word "hammer" referred to the spike, not the flat bludgeoning part. The flat, bludgeoning part was called the "poll".

Thanks shazz, also for that trivia!

Here is what I used:

Handle was carved/sanded out of a basket willow stick. The head and spike were roughly made from polymer clay with the intention to carve and sand them later. I made multiple and finally chose the one on the lower right.


Test fit


The frame (correct me shazzam) was made from plastic card/polystyrene sheet. The nails/rivets are tiny brass nails I cut to length.


I painted it before assembling to spare the wood.


Here assembled, I welded and sanded the upper square to the other two with super glue later.

That is really impressive. I honestly thought you had the "metal" pieces 3D printed. You did a fantastic job, and the behind the scenes photos are awesome. Fantastic work.

nah, nothing sloppy about it. after so many episodes of forged in fire, the only verdict that's important to me is doug marcaida's "it will keel"
who's going for looks when smashing heads? tried to build a fantasy axe once using fimo and was actually quite pleased with how the upper side turned out. only to notice stupid me put it flat on the table, so no symmetry there thats what i'd call sloppy.

Ok, I still hold that it is a most impressive piece, and painting the elements before putting it together was the right call. Smart using light-weight elements, too. Among the many questions circling in my head, I would like to know:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?
2. More about Valiarde's styrodur brick method, etc.

Ovy wrote:
Thanks shazz, also for that trivia!

Here is what I used:

Handle was carved/sanded out of a basket willow stick. The head and spike were roughly made from polymer clay with the intention to carve and sand them later. I made multiple and finally chose the one on the lower right.

Nice one, thanks for sharing. These progress pics need to be in the Tutorial section.

GubernatorFan wrote:
2. More about Valiarde's styrodur brick method, etc.

Yes please.

Whoa, those look really awesome!

GubernatorFan wrote:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?

Omg I love this idea! You’d have to name him ‘Axter’ though. XD

Lynkhart wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?

Omg I love this idea!   You’d have to name him ‘Axter’ though. XD

LOL That is a brilliant idea. Even Ovy can't think of an alternative now!

Ovy wrote:
Well the photos are good, but the handle is not straight but somehow too curved and the small rectangular metal plates are not parallel to the handle. Also the beak was too high, so I cut it out and placed it lower. I know it's a bit picky but I also know I could have made it better with more preparation.

Although my initial reaction was "looks really good," upon closer inspection I did notice the flaws. Still looks good though.

Stryker2011 wrote:That is really impressive. I honestly thought you had the "metal" pieces 3D printed.

I thought the same.

Gorgeous work, Ovy. That is one sexy and deadly looking hammer. I know I already told you this, but still.... deserves saying again. My eyesight is not good at the moment (need to get it checked out, actually), so a lot of the 'messed up' finer details are escaping me completely. All I see is awesome. :'D

The process itself is meticulously done. I see nothing sloppy about it. In fact, you have far more patience for this stuff than I do, for sure.

You remind me that I need to experiment more with sculpey. Most of the air-drying sculpting materials I have tried are far too messy for my tastes, so perhaps the oven baking ones will be more suited to my style.

Also, which metal colour paint(s) did you use for these? I'm always curious about stuff like that.

I think it looks really good, and aren't weapons meant to be used and beat up a bit? You have done a heck of a lot better than I could have done

Those look really good too me too .

Tjolnir wrote:nah, nothing sloppy about it. after so many episodes of forged in fire, the only verdict that's important to me is doug marcaida's "it will keel"
who's going for looks when smashing heads? tried to build a fantasy axe once using fimo and was actually quite pleased with how the upper side turned out. only to notice stupid me put it flat on the table, so no symmetry there thats what i'd call sloppy.

Do you still have the axe?
You could sharpen it with a knife and sand it until both sides look the same.

Haha and I guess Forged in fire is kind of a big thing? I only discovered it recently when I was researching for another historical fantasy weapon, was surprised they had Donny Trejo there to kill zombie puppet with a Ji. Which was kinda cool. But while you can learn something from it, it was a bit too loud and dumb for my tastes, haha. At the moment I prefer these no music armor and weapon smithing videos that get right to the point.

GubernatorFan wrote:Ok, I still hold that it is a most impressive piece, and painting the elements before putting it together was the right call. Smart using light-weight elements, too. Among the many questions circling in my head, I would like to know:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?
2. More about Valiarde's styrodur brick method, etc.

1. I  will see what I can do but it might only be a sketch, you will have to build it yourself after that
2. Well he is cutting bricks out of a stryrofoam plate and turning them into walls. Like in the pig and the Tom Hardy thread. He said he might post a tutorial one day.

shazzdan wrote:

Ovy wrote:
Thanks shazz, also for that trivia!

Here is what I used:

Handle was carved/sanded out of a basket willow stick. The head and spike were roughly made from polymer clay with the intention to carve and sand them later. I made multiple and finally chose the one on the lower right.

Nice one, thanks for sharing. These progress pics need to be in the Tutorial section.

GubernatorFan wrote:
2. More about Valiarde's styrodur brick method, etc.

Yes please.

Thanks, yeah I think I might put it there, maybe a collective weapon building thread as I am not done with making weapons.

csyeung wrote:Whoa, those look really awesome!

Thanks a lot!

Lynkhart wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?

Omg I love this idea!   You’d have to name him ‘Axter’ though. XD

Like, Axter the Axterterrestrial?  (AT-AT)

GubernatorFan wrote:

Lynkhart wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:
1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?

Omg I love this idea!   You’d have to name him ‘Axter’ though. XD

LOL That is a brilliant idea. Even Ovy can't think of an alternative now!

What about 'Beakster'?

TravelGuide wrote:

Ovy wrote:
Well the photos are good, but the handle is not straight but somehow too curved and the small rectangular metal plates are not parallel to the handle. Also the beak was too high, so I cut it out and placed it lower. I know it's a bit picky but I also know I could have made it better with more preparation.

Although my initial reaction was "looks really good," upon closer inspection I did notice the flaws. Still looks good though.

Stryker2011 wrote:That is really impressive. I honestly thought you had the "metal" pieces 3D printed.

I thought the same.

Thanks! Yeah there is always the danger of printing too much stuff you could actually make yourself with using your hands and tools.  Don't want to lose my edge haha. Also liked the organic look.
(And try finding a 'war hammer' 3d model when at the same time the most popular tabletop game is called 'warhammer' and 3d printing is a big thing in the tabletop scene...)

skywalkersaga wrote:Gorgeous work, Ovy. That is one sexy and deadly looking hammer. I know I already told you this, but still.... deserves saying again. My eyesight is not good at the moment (need to get it checked out, actually), so a lot of the 'messed up' finer details are escaping me completely. All I see is awesome. :'D

The process itself is meticulously done. I see nothing sloppy about it. In fact, you have far more patience for this stuff than I do, for sure.

You remind me that I need to experiment more with sculpey. Most of the air-drying sculpting materials I have tried are far too messy for my tastes, so perhaps the oven baking ones will be more suited to my style.

Also, which metal colour paint(s) did you use for these? I'm always curious about stuff like that.

Thanks a lot!
Yeah give polymer clay some more tries. If you don't bake it too long it will also remain a bit flekkusible.

Well and you probably can guess it, I used Vallejo Gun Metal! <3 And tiny highlights with Duraluminum.

BAMComix wrote:I think it looks really good, and aren't weapons meant to be used and beat up a bit? You have done a heck of a lot better than I could have done

Thanks a lot! And yeah,  you don't sharpen a blunt weapon.

Chip wrote:Those look really good too me too .

Thanks


I also finished a Polearm/Dagger-axe weapon recently, I think I will put it in this thread and not start a new one. Still have tontake some photos.

Ovy wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:1. Can you design a steampunk version of Baxter with something like your warhammer functioning as his head?
2. More about Valiarde's styrodur brick method, etc.

1. I  will see what I can do but it might only be a sketch, you will have to build it yourself after that
2. Well he is cutting bricks out of a stryrofoam plate and turning them into walls. Like in the pig and the Tom Hardy thread. He said he might post a tutorial one day.

Like, Axter the Axterterrestrial?  (AT-AT) What about 'Beakster'?

Funny, I have always thought AT-AT resembling a cross between dogs and camels. Actually, now that you mention it, it will be great if you designed two varieties ("species"), an Axter and a Beakster!

Well you have to wait a bit but I invite everyone do draw/make some Beaksters and Axters.

Dagger Axe:

Speaking of Axe,
here is the Ji I mentioned. I called it dagger-axe in the title, but that would be a Ge, without the spear tip. A Ge/dagger axe + spear tip = Ji.
But this particular weapon will be a fantasy universe weapon anyway and I don't know how Mandarin the language will sound in the end. Let's call it polearm.


It's also carved from basket willow because at the moment I don'tt have Bamboo sticks in the right size.



Used polsystyrene sheet for the blade and gave it the Vallejo treatment.


The helmet is a 3d printed sallet without the visor, but with neck protection from a closed helmet. The mask is made of worbla and fabric. Not sure If I will keep the helmets metal color or try bronze/copper. Maybe add a feather.





I chose the Ji as a very versatile weapon for combating fast, weapon wielding Undead, both unarmored undead pesant mobs and undead soldiers. You can hook, slice, thrust, hack, cripple, decapitate with it and it's not complicated to maintain and produce, like the war hammer. It's also faster to train militias wielding it. Both weapons are used in the same time period, unlike in real history, but I still think it might make sense when facing a world wide zombie threat of historical proportions.






Here for your learning:

This is very cool, thank you for sharing. And I learned something more about weapons today!

Wow, those are impressive! Gorgeous work. Your dedication to realism and detail is inspiring, my friend!

Another really cool weapon, and I really like the helmet.

Funny, I have always thought AT-AT resembling a cross between dogs and camels. Actually, now that you mention it, it will be great if you designed two varieties ("species"), an Axter and a Beakster!

I mean, you’re not wrong. XD



Absolutely fantastic work on the new blade - I’d have never guessed it was plastic! I love the way it’s tied to the staff part too, such a beautifully elegant means of attachment, and so many ways it could be customised depending on the state of the world it appeared in.