Auron's Katana Sword - complete

My first cosplay weapon!

Auron's katana from FFX (Final Fantasy 10). This cosplay sword is near completion - just a little more detail work to complete before coating it with a clear coat for protection. This was created using ridged foam core insulation, coated with fiberglass resin, covered with Bondo to smooth it out.

The gold detail was created using Dax wall repair in a tube and used like cake decorating and 'piped' on before the resin and Bondo. I cleaned up any edges using miniature model files (like used for Warhammer 40k models, etc). Once the whole piece was spray-painted in two tone, I went over the design with enamel paint (used on model cars), letting it bubble up a bit to give it a nice, deep gold color.

I "aged" the blade purposely, bringing out the natural dings and dents and making it look more well-used and worn (I like my cosplay to look more realistic and dingy rather than cartoonish). Any wash (Citadel has a nice brown wash or you can make your own) will work. I also dry brushed the edge with a bit of white to give it more definition.

The hilt is parachute cord and green material beneath that. The brass bits are a combination of different plumbing pieces in both plastic and cast iron.

Now that I've had this experience, I would probably do a couple of things differently, but for my first attempt, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.