By Generation: Universe 2.0 Dinobot - Creating a Longer Sword

Discussion in 'Tutorials and How Tos' started by Matt Booker, Nov 18, 2012.

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  1. Matt Booker

    Matt Booker Fantasy Adventure Author

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    Some of you may have noticed that in my previous Dinobot mod, there was a picture of Dinobot that showed off a custom modded sword. I haven’t painted it silver yet, but it does look a lot better than the version that comes with it.

    [​IMG]


    Step 1 – Extra Sword

    Dinobot comes with a sword that’s too short. The easiest way to fix this is to add the blade of another Dinobot’s sword. This is easier than it sounds at first, since you can buy an extra Dinobot on ebay for even less than it cost at retail. Ask around on a transformers message board and you might even be able to find just the sword for cheap.


    Step 2 – Demissile Tip

    Take the sword that you want to use as the bottom part, and cut the round tip off the top.

    [​IMG]


    For this, go slowly and try to make it as even as possible. You’ll want the flat on top of it to be level, or the rest of your sword will be lopsided.

    The easiest way to do this is to take an X-Aacto or a utility knife and press it flat against the bottom of the rounded tip, then cut straight along it.


    Step 3 – Trim Top Blade

    Next take the other sword and cut the blade off from the handle.

    [​IMG]


    Again, try to make the cut as level as as you can. Use the same method as in the last step, pressing against the flat of the bottom pyramid and cutting along with it.


    Step 4 – Sharpen The Tip

    Next we need to cut the rounded tip of the top blade so that the sword has a point.

    You could make the sword even longer by cutting the rounded tip to make a complete pyramid. However, it’s much easier to just carve it into a tip for the pyramid below it.

    Like with the previous steps, you can use flat sections to help guide your blade as you trim the sword. For this part I used a pair of flush cutters to speed up the process, but the method is the same. Just place the flat section of your cutting tool on one of the flat faces of the pyramid below the tip, and cut up at an angle that would follow it.

    [​IMG]


    If you do this on each side, where the sections meet will form the tip of that pyramid.


    Step 5 – Form Better Sword

    Be careful with this step. The sword isn’t a regular shape, so familiarize yourself with how it looks by holding the blades together and making sure it’s level. Make sure it looks good from more than one angle, and check that each section is cut level.

    After that, apply a thin layer of glue to each piece and press the blade together, holding it in place until the glue starts to bond. You can make some adjustments during this time if need be. Then let the glue set for about a day and the sword should be ready.

    Here's a picture of the unmodded sword in the TFW2005 Resources section.
    [​IMG]

    Compare that with this:

    [​IMG]


    You can sand down the tip to make it smooth like the rest of the plastic. If you want it to be as clear as the rest of the sword, some fine grit sand paper should make it closer to that.

    ~Matt Booker
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 21, 2012
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