POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Well i've had this piece for 2 weeks now (268/2500), and thought i'd share some insights:

Firstly,
My pics:
photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=1445

MR pics:
http://masterreplicas.com//store/potc/potc/8801/

CONS:
I'm no e xp ert on Pirate swords, but this one seems a bit off in terms of size. From all the pirate swords / cutlass's i've seen...the blade should be either wider or longer - the POTC lineup seems to be a bit on the small side. However, what bothers me even more is the hilt - it's just way too small! I mean, i know i'm a big guy, but even my little sister and brother found the handle tight when they held the sword. Another aspect which did not appeal to me was the finish on the sword. I think they kinda overdid the "worn" look to the point where the blade just seems black, and the guard only has hints of non-worn parts (if you compare pics on both links, you'll see quite a difference in appearance). Lastly, it's stainless steel...

PROS:
As Grima mentioned regarding his Sparrow's sword...the plaque is quite nice and really does match the sword! In fact, after i put the sword on the plaque, it gave it an entirely new look - and makes one unique display piece! For the price MR is clearing these out as - an $80 display sword - is well worth it just for the looks. Also, being in Canada, i was surprised when shipping also ended up being free...an no customs fees! So basically...$80 said and done!

Conclusion:
I really cannot see how these sold for the listed original price of $250. But for $80, i highly recommend it to ANY fan of POTC! As an overall display piece, it stands out on its own...just remember, these were dirty pirates, so don't e xp ect the swords to be flashy and intricate!
Last edited by Jash on Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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I was waiting for your post, Jash. Congratulation's on your sword, the pictures look very nice, and I hope to pick one up soon. I am a little curious though, MR advertises the sword as being the same length as Sparrows, as well the frame the same size too, but there is obviously a difference, as the sword looks a lot longer and takes up more of the frame.

I'm also surprised you didn't get any additional charges, Fed Ex mailed me one a week after the sword arrived, and they added a couple of their own fees too. Perhaps customs only charges for items $100+?
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Hey Grima,
Thank you...and i'm sure you will not be dissapointed when yours arrives! Regarding the lengths - i also noticed a bit of a difference.
MR website: Frame is 41''x5''x3'' and sword is 30''x5''x3'' for the Barbossa sword and for the Sparrow sword it claims frame of 41''x16''x1.5'' and sword of 30''x5''x3''. I'm assuming the stats regarding the Barbossa frame was a misprint... Well i did some quick measurements of my Barbossa sword, and the sword was a bit off... Frame was 41''x16'' and the sword was actually 34'' long... I guess that's why the MR website states "approximately"...lol.

Regarding shipping - i've been ordering quite a few things lately from US websites (i'm telling you, VISA is a curse!). The trend i've found, most of the time, is that if the value was under $100..then usually there was no tax or custom fees. But for any order i placed that was around $100 or over..then i was charged both tax and custom fees.

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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LoL
I had one shipment that totalled $97 (without shipping) from the US...no tax or fees. But that was with one shipping company (i forget which one at the moment). But i remember i had a UPS shipment which totalled $70ish once (without shipping)..and ended up paying tax and cutom fees. I guess...it just depends how lucky you are, and how generous the guys at customs are feeling that day!

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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[quote=""Jash""]Regarding shipping - i've been ordering quite a few things lately from US websites (i'm telling you, VISA is a curse!). The trend i've found, most of the time, is that if the value was under $100..then usually there was no tax or custom fees. But for any order i placed that was around $100 or over..then i was charged both tax and custom fees.[/quote]

Ahh yes, I now remember a KOH scabbard I bought that I didn't have to pay any customs fees for. It was $99 plus shipping. Thanks for the measurements by the way. I just ordered Barbossas sword from ebay, and it will be shipping Friday. MR Sold out of them the day I wanted to order, but I got the sword for $115.00 including shipping, so it isn't too bad. I've also found one site that still has the compass in stock (I swear they got to be last place in North America to still have them), and am waiting to hear from them on if they will ship to Canada. Then I will be getting the pistol, and thats it, unless MR reduces the price of the chest by another $100.

Oh, and by the way Jash, Museum Replicas has a a whole bunch of stuff at close out prices, including LOTR clothing, and KOH stuff. Thought you, or anyone else for that matter, might be interested. Ive been thing of buying Reynalds sword, and aragorns belt.
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Hey Grima,
Goodluck on that POTC compass...any word yet?? Sounds like you're building one nice Pirates collection...hope to see some pics of a display soon! I was going to pick up Jack's sword - but someone (*cough *cough) alerted me about a MRL closeout sale on KOH swords.... ;)

Just wanted to say THANKS for the heads up! Eventhough my bank account is mad at you, Grima, i think it was well woth the purchase! I ended up buying Odo's sword and scabbard set for $180 as well as Saladin's scabbard...which, of course, means i need to pick up Saladin's sword sometime soon...lol. I completely forgot about my Vacation pay from work...so good timing i guess!
Grima - still thinking about Reynald's sword?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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[quote=""Jash""]Hey Grima,
Goodluck on that POTC compass...any word yet?? Sounds like you're building one nice Pirates collection...hope to see some pics of a display soon! I was going to pick up Jack's sword - but someone (*cough *cough) alerted me about a MRL closeout sale on KOH swords.... ;)

Just wanted to say THANKS for the heads up! Eventhough my bank account is mad at you, Grima, i think it was well woth the purchase! I ended up buying Odo's sword and scabbard set for $180 as well as Saladin's scabbard...which, of course, means i need to pick up Saladin's sword sometime soon...lol. I completely forgot about my Vacation pay from work...so good timing i guess!
Grima - still thinking about Reynald's sword?[/quote]

Haha, well I apologies to your bank account then, but let me also congratulate you on your new KOH purchases. They sure are some decent swords, I never intended on buying more then one, but if I get Reynalds, thats number four. For now I just bought aragorns belt from Museum Replicas, and some ren wax, as I am looking to finish the POTC collection first. Let us know when your new stuff arrives, and what you think. Hope you are able to pick Jacks sword up soon too.

According to my USPS tracking, my Barbossa should be here within the next 2 days. I haven't ordered the compass yet, as the company still hasn't contacted me back with a shipping quote. If anyone knows of any other sites that still have the compass in stock and $200 or under, please PM me. I have spent a long time trying to google more places, but my searches bring little up. I will try to get some pics up soon of my collection too, unfortunately my camera broke a wile ago, so I will have to buy a new one.
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Well, just got mine #510, and couldn't agree with you more on the over aged effect. Geez, the blade is so black, compared to their product pictures. Sparrows sword was definitely done better IMO. I actually think the size of this one inst as off as Jacks sword, however, the guard on the hilt is quite tight to the grip, and its a little hard to squeeze your hand in. The framed plaque is a little different too, compared to Sparrows. Not in the design, but in color (Jacks frame is painted all black, while Barbossas is a little lighter, especially around the corner and edge decorations). Overall though, I'm very happy to display it beside its fellow captains sword.
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Congrats Grima!
Nice to see you adding to your POTC collection. Do you already have ideas on how to display this collection?

It's just too bad this line has ended...i really would have liked them to make Norrington's (sp?) sword - the one Will Turner made at the beginning of the first movie as a presentation piece for Norrington's promotion. I know the "folded steel" probably would not have been feasable, but it was still one nice looking sword!

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Thanks Jash, I don't really have any unique ideas on how to display this collection, but I do have Windlass Tricorn hat which I will incorporate by hanging right above the compass and gun. Speaking of which, I just received my Jack Sparrow Compass #368. I had a hard time finding one, I only found one site that had them in stock for the original price, but they didn't ship to Canada. So I grabbed this one off ebay, from a guy in Australia. Very nice piece. All thats left is the flintlock, and chest, which I recently decided I am going to get.

Norringtons smallsword would have been nice, I don't think this line was very profitable for them though. Its taken 2 years for most of the stuff to finally sell out. I read somewhere that they recently merged with some other company, and now a lot of their product quality is going downhill. I also heard they lost the Star Wars license.

If you are looking for a decent smallsword though, Cold Steel has a very nice one. I picked one up last year, and its definitely a favorite of my collection.

You pick up Jacks sword yet (or planning too)?
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Good job Grima!
I'm happy to see you managed to get Jack's Compass! So just 2 more pieces until you're done with the POTC set?

Noooo....i have not picked up Jack's sword yet. For 2 reasons.
1) I was sidetracked by some khukuris (more on this later, i'm actually e xp ecting them either Friday or Monday).
2) While searching the web for Jack's sword, i came across the Black Pearl Ship replica made by NECA...and would definitely purchase this before the sword.
I think Jack's sword is on my list, just not high in terms of priority right now...lol.

I heard, and was also surprised that Master lost the Star Wars license... I guess it was just time for a change. But on the plus side, getting out of licensess is good for guys like us - buying certain pieces at a discount, right? lol

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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[quote=""Grima Wormtongue""]I'm also surprised you didn't get any additional charges, Fed Ex mailed me one a week after the sword arrived, and they added a couple of their own fees too. Perhaps customs only charges for items $100+?[/quote]

Oh man did i speak too soon....
As you said Grima, about 2 weeks after i recieved the sword, FedEx mailed me a friendly little letter stating i owe them a bit more money....
What surprised me though, is that for a $80 sword, it cost another $19 in brokerage fees - not that i'm arguing on the price, but just what it stands for. I also learnt from this that FedEx charges brokerage! I had many shipments come in via FedEx, but this is my first one charging me brokerage! And i thought UPS was bad, and now FedEx - at least we still have USPS..lol.

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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[quote=""Jash""]Oh man did i speak too soon....
As you said Grima, about 2 weeks after i recieved the sword, FedEx mailed me a friendly little letter stating i owe them a bit more money....
What surprised me though, is that for a $80 sword, it cost another $19 in brokerage fees - not that i'm arguing on the price, but just what it stands for. I also learnt from this that FedEx charges brokerage! I had many shipments come in via FedEx, but this is my first one charging me brokerage! And i thought UPS was bad, and now FedEx - at least we still have USPS..lol.[/quote]

Sorry to hear about that Jash. I also had to pay 20 bucks on customs for Barbossas sword, even though I got it for $80, and shipped through USPS. UPS really screwed me though, I bought ren wax and a belt from MRL about a month ago, cost $60 including shipping, and they charged me $40 for customs and brokerage.
Jash wrote:2) While searching the web for Jack's sword, i came across the Black Pearl Ship replica made by NECA...and would definitely purchase this before the sword.
Nice, I would love to get a model ship, and it would be nice if it were the pearl. Unfortunately, I'm not to interested in Neca's version, it bugs me that it doesn't have full masts. Let us know if you decide to get this though, I would be interested in a review. And congratulations on the khukuris.
Do you have the maniacs, or the schizophrenics, or the astrophysicists in your family?

Re: POTC Barbossa's Sword

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Ouch Grima,
$100 for Ren wax and a belt? I guess UPS doesn't pay off unless you purchase something pricey. Actually, on that note. I ordered an antique kukri from Atlanta Cutlery / MRL ... i called them and asked if it were possible to ship via USPS and they said "no problem" and they did. I have my fingers crossed that there will be no brokerage fees, i've been lucky with USPS so far..but just thought i'd throw that out there - you can ask ACC/MRL to ship via USPS to Canada.

Regarding the model ship...i'm still on the fence. But i did come across a slightly varied ship which might be of interest:
http://www.handcraftedmodelships.com/pi ... -ship1.php
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