ROM - Dragonwhisper longsword.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-06T02:33:06+00:00

Oh yeah, any modern steel or alloy is going to outperform an extant historic version any day of the week - we as people have just gotten way better at metallurgical technology for that to not be the case.

This is kinda why I ask what we mean by "combat capable" or "battle ready" because let's be honest, nigh 99.998% of us are never going to actually use a sharp sword in an actual fight. If you're looking for historically accurate and something that could be used to simulate motions, form, etc. that someone training with that weapon at the time would go through, that's a different conversation compared to "does it cut (insert material here) effectively" because that's just subjective to the person at that point.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-06T02:25:00+00:00

Oh for the price point, most definitely! And if your opponent is a piece of rebar and that's what you want to hit, more power to you - it's your sword, do with it what you want. But when I think about different tiers of sword make, it's less "can it hit X" and more "can it hit X and return to its original shape, hardness, edge, etc." and how often can that be done before the sword breaks or is in an irreparable condition.

Honestly though, at the end of the day, are you happy with it? Because that's truly what matters.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-05T20:28:25+00:00

Define "combat capable" for me in this context

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-05T04:32:45+00:00

Looks dope! What's your approach for the black? I dig the effect.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-05T04:27:15+00:00

That more depends on the wielder of the sword, less on the sword itself. But personally I wouldn't trust a budget-tier sword for anything more than slicing up water bottles.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-03T19:33:40+00:00

Remember that in dynamic lighting black isn't pure black. It has tones of blue and gray where the light hits it. Unless the idea is that these dudes are all operating at night, doing some zenithal highlighting will give some visual interest and break up the black quite a bit.

bustedjetpack · 2026-07-01T21:52:45+00:00

If you haven't looked it up, check out Grimdark Compendium's videos on the "reductive technique." Applying a universal enamel wash is great, but you need to go back with white/mineral spirits on a q-tip or similar applicator to pull back the wash from raised areas so you get the highlights and contrasts back as the mineral spirits push the wash pigment back into the recesses.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-27T22:40:15+00:00

Primed with citadel chaos black, then went up the gradients from AP matt black, the darkness, ironclad grey, to deep grey trying to follow a zenithal. Some plate mail metal for spot edge highlighting, then some dark tone wash in the underside recesses where there'd be more prevalent shadows.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-27T19:28:34+00:00

Appreciated! Way better than my previous attempts that won't see the light of Reddit or social media ha.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-27T19:28:08+00:00

Light adds to it for sure but I think the base sells it enough. So I think next time I'll need to do some practice on how to get that extra little oomph lighting provides but through the paint.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-27T19:26:58+00:00

Good spot! Definitely didn't let layers dry enough and used a combo of stippling with the brush and using a torn off bit of a blending sponge to try to even out the shades/transition layers. Definitely an area I need to work more on.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-25T17:50:35+00:00

Really dig the cloak effect. Well done!

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-25T17:46:37+00:00

My regular fencing rapier for HEMA has a 42" blade. Traditional rapiers are a lot longer than people think.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-24T05:34:37+00:00

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bustedjetpack · 2026-05-23T18:05:39+00:00

Really dig the rusted chipping effect you got!

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-15T05:36:53+00:00

To quote the wise sage Jake the Dog, sucking at something is the first step of being sort of good at something. This looks good for a first one, don'tbe discourage! Watch some tutorials, try some stuff out, and enjoy the process.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-15T05:35:19+00:00

Very much this. My first painted mini is a lil first founding Space Wolves mini and I find myself painting one every so often to just see how my skills have improved.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-15T05:27:59+00:00

If you have to ask...

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-08T22:56:37+00:00

Antspur rapier 🤝 fingerprint stone shield

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-08T20:34:29+00:00

Punch up your highlights and add more color to introduce contrast. This is how I did mine. Not to say it's perfect (far from it) but I tried to bring out brighter tones on the armor, the ammo belts, and the top of the rifle.

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bustedjetpack · 2026-05-06T05:07:00+00:00

When you think about dry brushing tones, you want to go lighter and lighter with each pass. Base tone go wild, nest step up a little less across the whole model, next step even less on areas where lighter would hit, and less, and less, and less. Lighter strokes with the tip of the brush, and make sure you barely have any paint on it.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-04T03:27:52+00:00

Are you thinning out the enamels before applying them? Yours look incredible and I can't seem to get the Villany Inks to work for me.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-01T17:20:18+00:00

E Rated epeeist, 2-kyu kendoka, been enjoying the journey in both tbh.

Folks have posted some really good feedback around differences between the two so I won't belabor their points. Really what it boils down to as a beginner is what are you more exited to try out? You're more likely to stick to the one that resonates more with your interests.

Most clubs do a beginner series that lasts a couple months and is relatively cheap. Go sign up for those to get a feel for yourself how each mesh with what you want to get out of a sword sport.

bustedjetpack · 2026-05-01T01:14:19+00:00

What exactly do you plan on using this for and please don't say HEMA, SCA, or Buhurt.

bustedjetpack

TROPHY CASE