Windlass Conan the Barbarian Atlantean Sword Review

[Music] hi everybody welcome to dino with sword channel i'm david and today on dynamo sword channel i will be reviewing the windless conan the barbarian atlantean sword this review will be somewhat different than my usual reviews as it's not a review based on a historical replica and rather a fantasy sword from a well known and popular film so how does this sword compare to other versions of the atlantean sword on the market as well as the original film sword well stay tuned and we'll find out [Music] the conan atlantean sword is not based on any actual historical sword and is a sword design based on the fantasy swords of the hyborian world that conan lives so in the historical section i will be focusing on two things the fictional history of the sword presented in the backstory of the film itself as well as the adaptative comics and novel as well as the history of the creation of the sword and who designed it so as seen in the film conan conan finds the sword as he is fleeing a pack of wolves he climbs a formation of rocks which turns out to be a tomb for an ancient warrior king as he settles into the tomb he makes a torch to explore the tomb and finds the mummified king sitting on a throne with the sword leaning on the throne with his bony hand resting on the pommel the sword appears ancient and corroded which conan cleans off as he is admiring the sword the mummified king shifts and his head lowers almost as if to accept conan as the new owner and wielder of the sword the sword is described as an ancient artifact of atlantis in more detailed iterations of the film such as the marvel comic adaptation and movie novel weather the king and his men seen in the tomb are atlanteans or simply ancestors of atlanteans is really unknown though it has been told in other stories that conan's tribe the sumerians are descendants of cole the conqueror an ancient warrior king of atlantis and another character created by conan creator robert e howard even though it is not detailed as much in the film it could be assumed or surmised that the ancient king conan finds is in fact cull himself or a later descendant and the atlantean sword is the sword of coal finding its rightful place with the future king of aquilonia who conan will become in the later part of his life as far as the film sword itself it was created in collaboration of ron cobb the production designer tim hutchison the prop designer and jody sampson the sword maker the initial designs by rob byron cobb were meant to tell the story of atlantis in the hilt with the pommel representing the island kingdom with the death head representing its looming destruction the cross guard features an erupting volcano with runes in the back depicting a doomsday calendar um obviously to represent the destruction of atlantis with the gargoyle-like sea monsters and upper decorations representing the sinking of atlantis into the ocean overall it is a very detailed and gives a destructive story to this immaculate hilt the design of the sword is meant to be a large arming sword fit for a giant but in the hands of a mortal man or even one as large as conan would fit as a hand and a half sword this is further detailed in the description of the king on the throne as his mummified corpse is rather large and in the comic and novel adaptations is actually described as a giant from the initial designing the sketches were given to prop man tim hutchhausen who created the molds of the hilt which were then given to sword maker jody sampson to be created in bronze and steel later in the 90s the licensing of the film props was sold to marto cultury of spain who created replicas based on the original molds used in the film these were finely made but were only display swords made of stainless steel in the mid-2000s albion armorers acquired the right to produce licensed replicas based on the original molds and had the privilege to have the original sword maker jody sampson and their employee to make fictional versions of the film swords using 1075 high carbon steel and bronze for the hilts sadly jody passed away in 2008 only a few years after this line was introduced avalon has continued his legacy though producing these highly detailed reproductions in the early 2010 windlass also acquired the rights to produce functional versions of the film swords due to them buying and acquiring marto of spain these versions were budget focused and feature blades made of 1085 high carbon steel and hilts made of brass as well as other assembly methods to keep the costs at the budget price point in between the functional and non-functional licensed models there have been many knockoffs and unlicensed variants of the uniquely designed atlantean sword showing how popular and influential the swords design was not only to the sword enthusiasts worldwide but also to the fantasy film industry as a pinnacle of fantasy sword design [Music] next let's look at the overall statistics of the sword as mentioned earlier this is a fantasy sword and i will adjust the stats as needed while also giving the most detailed stats of the sword in its hilt so its overall length is forty and one quarter inches it has a weight of seven and three quarters pounds and a point of balance at right at about 1 inches from the hilt the center of percussion is right at about 15 inches from the hilt and the class again would be more of a fantasy broad sword or you could consider it a hand and a half sword the blade's total length is 28 and a half inches that's the total length from the hilt the blade length from the lingans is 22 inches and the blade's width at the ricasso is three and one-eighths of an inch and that tapers to two and a quarter inches at the lengths and then tapers to one and a half inches at the tip the material is a 1085 high carbon steel and the finish is a nice satin polish the cross section is diamond and it does feature a broad fuller through almost the total length of the active blade the blade type again is a fantasy design but due to the fuller termination if you wanted to give it a historical reference you could consider it similar to an oak shot type 10. now the guard's total length is seven inches the quillian dimensions are two inches by half an inch and that tapers to one inch by a half an inch at the ends the lane gets total weight is six and a half inches and the linga width at the base is half an inch and that tapers to 3 8 of an inch at the top the material is brass and the finish originally had a more darkened finish but i did polish that out a little bit to give it a little more shine and as you can see here it's a new kind of medium brass polish the style again like the blade is a fantasy design now the handle's total length is five and a half inches including the little bit of guard here that meets down to the grip it's a total length of six and three quarters inches the circumference at the base is four and a quarter inches and that slightly tapers to four inches the guard portion is four and three quarters inches around the handle material is steel and the grip material is a kind of tan hemp cord now the pommel's total length is two and three quarters inches the pommel's width is three and a quarter inches and its overall general thickness is eight and three-eighths of an inch the pommel circumference is seven and a quarter inches and the material like the guard is brass the finish like the guard was also originally more darkened but like the guard i gave it a medium polish to kind of brighten up the brass a little bit the hilt construction is an internal nut and a supposed as far as i know right now threaded pommel but the initial ones originally had just a pommel that was wedged and glued and sealed so i've been told that these newer models have a threaded pommel but i haven't taken it apart yet to find out and then of course the pommel type like the guard and the blade is more fantasy style and doesn't really have an example of a you know historical pommel now the scabbard is actually sold separately and not included with the sword overall it is pretty well built and has the aesthetic look of a fantasy barbarian scabbard it is made of leather and is side stitched the inner core is painted to look like a wood core and the outer leather accents feature a faux fur and suede lower portion the shape is made of leather matching the upper leather and is a beige color the upper portion also features a metal buckle with leather strap with cord stitching it fits the sword actually rather well there is slight rattle but due to the fit of the linguists there is a decent friction fit and it holds the sword pretty well when held upside down there is unfortunately no place for a suspension system but if you do have a wide enough frog belt and the frog loops are wide enough it could be attached to the upper portion of the scabbard overall it is a decent quality specialty scabbard but is a little underwhelming for the 125 dollar asking price [Music] what do i think of this windless version of the atlantean sword personally i really like it and find it a very uh accurate replica of the film original in size and detail the hilt castings are very detailed and intricate with only a few minor casting flaws which are more apparent now that i have polished out the faux patina created by the darkening solution one thing that stands out is its weight as it is a very heavy sword and sits around eight pounds comparatively my only other sword similar in weight is my windless heroes war sword and it is still two pounds lighter and of course 24 inches longer being a war sword though marketed and built as a functional sword this sword isn't really meant to be a functional sword in the vein of historical army or long swords it is a sort of fantasy made for a film to be to depict a beautiful and awe-inspiring sword of an ancient time when the world was ruled by large imposing barbarian men whose massive frames could use these swords with ease of course depictions of swords like these have led to their own ramifications regarding expectations of a historically accurate sword and its functional use by the laymen who may believe all swords to be heavy broadswords as this sword depicts but for those with knowledge of historical swords they know this is far from the truth and again is only represented in fantasy and film where these large heavy swords are seen i guess historically you could view the atlantean sword as being similar to a bearing and or ceremonial sword of the middle ages still there is something special about these fantasy swords and they are what have driven many enthusiasts to explore and collect swords while there is a beauty and truth to the swords of history there is something magical about fantasy design swords that make them appear superior and many are truly works of art when given the proper aesthetics and presentation in the films and artwork they are depicted in as far as the sword itself it is made very well the blade is broad and has a very parallel profile ending in a broad acute tip the upper portion of the blade between the langlets is flat and features ancient looking symbols or runes according to the sword maker jody sampson the runes have no meaning and were fabricated by him to add aesthetic to the sword's blade the runes are etched to the blade and have been darkened to extenuate them from there the blade tapers slightly to a diamond cross section with a deep broad central fuller that continues down to the blade's tip historically it is somewhat reminiscent of the fuller termination of an oak shot type 10 blade the blade features a nice and even satin polish and there are no apparent foraging errors warps or bends to the blade the blade is thick and broad but under a flex test remains true showing a good heat treatment overall a very well-made and attractive fantasy blade the cross guard is the centerpiece of this sword and its unique design is what has made it popular among both sword enthusiasts and fans of the film as mentioned in the historical section the guard tells the story of the sinking of atlantis and is where the sword gets its name as the atlantean sword the hilt is solid brass and is very well detailed and was created from the original molds used for the film swords there are a few casting flaws here and there but for the price point and for how detailed the guard is this is a very well made and attractive guard the key design of the guard is the six inch linggits that move up the ricasso of the blade this unique feature of the design is what really makes the atlanteans stand out amongst other fantasy sorts of film and literature and has been an inspiration to many knockoffs in both the sword market and other films and video games as far as the functional use we see in the films conan the barbarian in its sequel conan the destroyer that conan uses them as a ricasso was intentionally used regarding a half sword technique as well as to even throw the sword like a javelin the more commonly seen use of the sword in the conan films is when conan uses it to carry the sword out of the scabbard when moving around when not using the sword to attack or defend but from a practical sense you could also use the lengths to deflect and defend against strikes from an opponent's sword without potentially damaging your blade's edge but even potentially damaging the others overall it is a beautiful guard and again the highlight of the sword's design it may not be very practical but i don't think anyone can argue its influence or popularity as a fantasy design guard the handle is probably the most simple part of this sort it is ovular in shape and slightly tapers to the pommel the lower part of the guard adds an additional inch and a quarter to the grip making the grip more of a hand and a half proportion when gripped the handle material is a steel cylinder which is fitted to the tang but it is kind of an odd inclusion to use steel as a handle material and honestly i feel adds extra weight to an already heavy hilt it seems this is unique to the windless version as the avalon version is wood core but the marco version i believe is of similar design to the windlass which is perhaps why the windlass features a metal handle overall it is sturdy and doesn't move or shift and it feels comfortable to wield and it is um you know its over wrap is tightly wrapped and is made of hemp cord and it's made to match or to simulate the grip of the original film which had a cord wrap as well it is a diesel handle but i still question the necessity of steel used as the handle material the pommel like the guard is cast in solid brass and has just as much detail in the casting as well it is rather large and heavy for a pommel but it has a lot of aesthetic appeal due to its central skull and lower braided design as well as the upper mountainous island design there have been reports in finding that the pommel is a potential failure point of the sword as many earlier windless atlanteans were shown to have a pommel not fixed to the tang and rather it being fitted to the handle with epoxy and a rubber o-ring newer models have been reported to feature a threaded tang with the new pommels being attached via threading but i have yet to take this sword apart to inspect this as the pommel is tight and secured to the hilt i and i've had no loosening or movement from the pommel i would like to see how the palma holds up to use in cutting so i will avoid removing the pommel until the follow-up review just to see how well the pommel is affixed to the hilt and if it will fall off as older reviews have reported overall though it is a well fitted and is a nicely detailed pommel as far as handling goes this sword is very heavy and is not suited to be used as a casual cutter or practice sword it has a very high point of balance that makes the sword somewhat wieldable though if you have the strength to use it it can be swung one-handed but is definitely better with two hands and can be controlled to take various cuts and forms and if one wanted to use it to strengthen their sword arm i guess that would be a good uh general practical way to use it another functional complaint of this sword by many functional sword users is its oddly short blade length above the lengths though i don't really see this as a problem overall as the overall length of the blade is still standard to an arming or hand and a half sword and as mentioned earlier if the lengths are used defensively they have a purpose to not only deflect strikes at the strong of the blade but also to potentially damage the sword of the opponent the question is can there be a functional atlantean at the weight and balance of a traditional hand and a half sword or long sword i mean it's kind of a maybe in my opinion i mean you could change enough of the design to bring the weight down for example downsizing the hilt or slimming the blade profile but thinking but then again would it really still be an atlantean i mean as is with many fantasy design swords aesthetics are focused on over function or use or general historical accuracy and this is both a pro and a con to the sorting enthusiast who might want something exact to the fantasy design but also something that is more functional sometimes you must take one over the other and i feel with the atlantean design too much would be lost in its design to make it more functional of course there are a few custom and unlicensed atlantean swords that have been able to cut the weight down by a few pounds but still even these are still considered unwieldy due to the general size to weight ratio maybe one day we will get a three pound atlantean with a point of balance of four to six inches but until then these replicas made by windless in albion are our best bet for a licensed functional replica in conclusion i find this to be a beautiful sword and a fine replica of the original film sword for the price point of sub five hundred dollars these are a great value for those looking for an accurate and licensed functional version of the atlantean sword that is both cheaper than the display marco versions that run around 800 and the avalon version that go for 3000 but to be able to have a film accurate sword with a full tang that is properly heat treated and forged of high carbon steel is definitely of merit as such i highly recommend the windless atlantean for someone looking for a functional and film accurate model in the broad in the budget to mid-tier price range well i hope you enjoyed this review of the windlass conan the barbarian atlantean sword be sure to like and subscribe as well as look forward to the cutting review with follow-up discussion thanks again for watching i'll see you next time [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Dynamo Sword Channel

Views: 29,319

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Id: 0sPbmEIkCN8

Length: 25min 44sec (1544 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 28 2022