Final Fantasy Gunblade

History

A commission piece, this replica of Squall’s Gunblade was probably the most fun I have had on scratch building a weapon.

There were a few stages, first and foremost, the roughs, or prototypes. Originally the plan was to build it out of construction foam, sanded and shaped, but I quickly realized that this was not going to be as useful as originally thought. The rigours and possible snapping of the blade at a con would mean a short end to this prop, so we finally decided on using more traditional methods. Safe for most conventions, save for those with more “restrictive” rules, PVC pipe, bondo, and layered MDF board made up the final product.

Each layer had to be cut out, glued then sanded down to make all parts equal is shape. The handle was hand sanded and shaped to fit the hand of the wielder, the trigger and hammer were all separate pieces that were cut out, shaped and glued into place.

The barrel was measured out, and the grooves were carded into the plastic via a round sander and a steady hand. All the parts were then glued together and any open areas were sealed up with bondo and sanded down to a smooth and even surface. Black primer was used to test the seals and check for any missed areas.

The lion was drawn onto the MDF board then engraved into the blade. Again, black primer was used to check for any uneven spots.

Finally, nickel silver as a base coat of paint, with a light application of Rub “n” Buff, black gloss for the handle, two nickel plated screws and a cast resin Griever on a chain.

Click any of the images for a larger version.

Gunblade commissions are available.