I have attached pictures below (click to view larger image) along with some reference graphics. Keep in mind that Kir Kanos has only appeared in comic books and does not have a definitive screen reference. His appearance and this weapon change frequently in the same comic book and sometimes from page to page.
Length: This thing is long at 7.5’. The Sovereign Protectors control is “no smaller than 1ft in length taller than the costumer from blade tip to bade tip.” I am six foot tall and the helmet and boots add a few inches.
Staff: The center staff part of this weapon is made from a wooden dowel that fits in my hand in the general size os the references in the comics. Each end has end caps that mimic the general references in the comics. The fins on the end caps change position from page to page in the comic. I chose to put the wider end of the fins on the blade end of the staff. It looks more like cross guards on a sword. Embellishments were added to the end caps to mimic some of the comic references. In the comics the staff is wrapped in a brown basket weave material (the only time it is depicted as black in in the Dorman cover art). I chose to wrap the dowel in thick leather stained brown with a hand stamped basket weave pattern that was then hand punched and stitched. An antiquing black was added to the cracks to give it some depth.
Blade: The blades are made from 1/4” aluminum stock 1 3/4” wide and 2’ long cut to the general shape of the references with a false blade ground on the edge. The blades were then polished. In the comics, the blades retract into the staff so the blades cannot be any wider than the staff is wide. Embellishments were placed on the bade near the staff end caps. In the comic references, these embellishments change every time they are depicted so I picked a design that includes several of the features.
What’s Next: Next year, I plan on making a version of this weapon slush cast in rubber so I can take it into conventions and cosplay shows. Since I had so much fun making this one, I plan on doing another one next year and tighten up some of the details. The blade embellishments and end caps will be 3D modeled and printed next time instead of being hand fabricated. The blades mounts will be magnetic instead of bolts so the blades can be changed easier/quicker.
What do you think?
