Kit Rae swords.

1
I'm currently eyeballing two Kit Rae swords, Luciendar, and Anathar.

But I'm not quite sure, as they always seemed kinda fake-ish to me, alot of it looks like plastic and stuff. So I have a few questions...

First off, the black Luciendar looks awesome, but a blade painted black just seems kinda lame to me, so if anyone has seen it in real life, does it look and feel authentic?

Also, are there any plastic on any of the Kit Rae swords?

And lastly, do the swords look and feel authentic and sturdy?


Thanks in advance.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

2
I don't own those 2 Kit Rae blades, but I own a lot of his stuff, the last 3 things of his I bought were Mithrodin, Avoloch, and Exotath. His blades are very sturdy, well made and beautiful in person. I also own quite a few of his daggers. There are no plastic pieces whatsoever on any of the blades I own.

I wanted to get his entire swords of the ancients collection, but LOTR took precedence over his (sorry kit).

Actually, Kit Rae's sword of Vaelen, the first sword in the SoA collection was the very first sword my parents bought me to start off my collection.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

3
Allright, cool. I think I'm gonna buy the Anathar, and wait a little when it comes to the luciendar. I'm not so sure on the black blade, although it looks awesome, it's also somewhat likely to look kinda fake.

By the way, does these swords have like, wood parts and leather parts?

Re: Kit Rae swords.

5
[quote=""Darlak""]I does it look and feel authentic?

[/quote]


I can only really answer this question, as I don't own any, but from being familiar with the designs, no they don't look authentic at all. And if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc...

I understand your concerns about them looking fake, but that's what you get with these. They're not really weapons or swords. More like sculptures. Think of them in terms of that.
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

7
[quote=""Sedhal""]
I understand your concerns about them looking fake, but that's what you get with these. They're not really weapons or swords. More like sculptures. Think of them in terms of that.[/quote]


I agree with this, these are swords that I look at as works of art, just as some people like Picasso or Da Vinci or whichever artist you like... I love the multiple blades, the patterns on the hilts, the theme these swords have.

As for your concerns Darlak, these are either swords that you are into or not, in my opinion... They are fantasy blades, they work nicely within the realm and story and time that Kit Rae has designed and written about. In OUR world... no, these blades are probably not the most practical weapon to pick up. Some in fact, post just as much threat to the guy holding the sword as it does to his enemy. Some, like Vaelen are pretty much straightforward designs, Molotoch for instance looks the Elven Warrior sword in shape, but if Elven Warrior sword was a goth in high school and went down the dark side (to me that is)

Re: Kit Rae swords.

8
I love the Kit Rae line, and don't find any of them (Besides the Kilgorin sword) to be fake looking. I too would like to own the Anathar as well Darlak, so if you know of anyone who is selling please do share- can't seem to find it newhere. Wish i would have gotten into collecting a few years back.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

9
You know, Kit used to visit the forum pretty often. He hasn't since April of last year. His "NEWS" section of his website has not had an update, nor has he sent out his newletter since December 1st. I wonder what's up with him. He has a new sword up on the UC website and in the new 2010 catalog. It's called the Vorthelok, but there is nothing about it on his site.

I have alot of his swords, knives & axes. There have been three or four of his that have been just too over the top for me, but overall I like his work. His were some of the first swords I ever collected. This new Vorthelok is one that is just a little over the top for my taste.

Anather was very cool, and the largest of the Swords of The Ancients collection. I have it and it is one of my favorites of his.

Sure would like to know what's up with him. If your lurking around out there, Kit, pay us a visit and update us.
Last edited by Steel Servant on Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
When you get to hell, tell them I sent you! Then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience!

Re: Kit Rae swords.

10
Ya, we all know that Kit is an extremely busy guy, but i hear ya Steel- some updates would be nice. I called UC not to long ago to let them know that their blade info on some Kit Rae items was incorrect, at which time I asked about the Vorthelok sword. I too saw it on their site and i believe the lady told me it is going to be released in March. It does look pretty extravagant and a bit over the top for my tastes as well. Time will tell

Re: Kit Rae swords.

11
Actually i'd love the Vorthelok sword if they dropped the shiny gold colour and the skull pommel.
"I had the blues, 'cause I had no shoes, until upon the street, I saw a man who had no feet"

The biggest problem about a zombie-apocalypse would be to hide my excitement about it

Re: Kit Rae swords.

13
Ah, could you link a pic of the sword? Can't bother going through the whole list lol.
"I had the blues, 'cause I had no shoes, until upon the street, I saw a man who had no feet"

The biggest problem about a zombie-apocalypse would be to hide my excitement about it

Re: Kit Rae swords.

17
Although I like alot of his works, and have collected many, I almost have to agree with Sedhal on this one. It's TOO over the top. I'm not queezy, but was left scratching my head. I won't be getting that one.
When you get to hell, tell them I sent you! Then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience!

Re: Kit Rae swords.

19
It's a fantasy sword. What do you e xp ect? I absolutely love mine, but Kit has not really done anything I have not liked. I just got in two days ago. Reminds me of his first sword, the sword of Darkness. I have that one, the Mithrodin, Exotath, and Avoloch. All four are killer pieces, but I have to say the Votrthlok is by far my favorite.

I have a buddy why has Anathar. Don't know what ypu mean by "fake" looking, but it is a very nice piece. I'm positive the grip is some type of plastic or composite, but it has none of the mold-line looking marks like plastic grips typically have. It appears to be some kind of amber or something. It cant be real though, becasue the sword cost him less than $150.

I have to agree that I don't like the gold versions, but the new pix on Kit's site of the Vorthelok gold don't look that bad. Probably one of the better looking golds he has done, but I'm just not into gold.
Last edited by Domenicnas on Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

20
[quote=""Domenicnas""]It's a fantasy sword. What do you e xp ect? [/quote]


xP


I truly loathe when people say that. All subjectivity aside (and Kit Rae specifically), because it's cool if you like them -- why does a "fantasy" sword need to be outlandish? Why does it need to look like anything in particular? Why should we e xp ect such designs from a fantasy work? Not to mention, that basically sounds like "meh so what if it looks bad, that's what it was designed to do". I don't care if it's fantasy or not. A fantasy genre doesn't equate to every prop looking like granite rock got caught in Dr. Brundle's teleporter with a velociraptor. There are great fantasy designs out there (like Ron Cobb's Conan the Barbarian pieces or John Howe's LOTR blades) and then there are fairly thoughtless throw-togethers will all the contrived junk like spikes, claws, saw-toothed blades, tribal-tattoo engravings up the rear, and bat-wings Ozzy might try to eat. It's forced, it's bland, and nothing screams "fantasy" so much as "no". Why is the standard for fantasy so low that we come to accept (and even like) these blades solely on the fact that it's called just that?

"Oh, fantasy! Well now it doesn't look like crap anymore -- I love it!"


*sigh* look what you made me do...


But again, I'm not trying to criticize your taste or Kit Rae's toys so much as the attitude and viewpoint that fantasy is basically synonymous with stale outlandishness (bad OR good). To answer your question, what I e xp ect in fantasy weapons is for them to be thoughtfully designed with harmony in its overall design, practical to some degree (fantasy or not, they should still be believable), and to reflect themes of the contexts in which they are based. What I see here is just "SPIKES SPIKES SPIKES" with a paper-thin (and laughable) degree of "wow that's hardcore man". Context. Context, people. It does wonders. If I saw the baddest mo-fo on the planet approach me with a sword adorned in tribal tattoos and skulls I'd probably laugh. Yawn. Talk about forced. But again, I'm straying from my point... :)
Last edited by Sedhal on Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

21
Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but I was simply pointing out what it is. Kit calls what he does 'fantasy', and since he pretty much created the fantasy weapon market, I think he can can define it however he wants. He has also called it "sculpture in steel". That says it all. Clearly you are not into it. If you don't like Kit's work, may I suggest you are probably in the wrong section of this website?

And whoever said fantasy should be believable? ****, look at Kit's art. Half naked chicks with swords. Come on. That is the context for these designs. I imagine his fantasy world is some f'd up version of the Taarna sequence in the old Heavy Metal animated film. This is fun stuff, not even remotely associated with reality.

I have seen some pretty "outlandish" atrocious fantasy crap coming out of China and Pakistan that simply looks like they hashed together various parts of Kit's designs, with no regards to symmetry or flow. Kit's stuff never looks like that. All I see in his designs is "thoughtful harmony in overall design", as you put it. Nothin functional about it, and it's not supposed to be. Kit would be the first one to say that if you asked him. I think he puts whatever he thinks looks cool to him into his swords designs - with no thought to fuction. It's not as over the top as some stuff I have seen, like the Frostmourne sword from WOW, and some other atrocious video game designs. Sometimes his fantasy stuff is calm and restrained - ex. Mithrodin sword - and sometimes not - Molotoch. I love all of it, but functional historical swords also bore me to tears these days so I prefer fantasy.

Have you ever seen his UC Black swords? If I ever see another Samurai sword I am going to puke, but his look excellent.
Last edited by Domenicnas on Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

22
You were pointing out what it is, yes. You were also incorrectly implying what it is (fantasy) is solely comprised of outlandish designs with no function in mind.

"It's fantasy, what do you e xp ect"


^ That's as if to say fantasy can never include designs with real intellect and attention for function AND aesthetics (here, I see neither, but that's beside the point). They ARE swords after all, right? And as swords, they should be believable to some degree. Art in weaponry is the combination of function and beauty. I highly doubt any designer would flat-out say "Uh I throw things in that look 'cool' with no regard to function".


And Kit certainly did not create the fantasy market. What he's done (and apparently continuing to do) is shape the false impression of fantasy swords as something which can never transcend unbelievability. Actually, I take that back. He designs what he wants and I applaud that. It's not his responsibility to do anything other than that. It's everyone who seems to think fantasy designs can't be good (and somehow need all this dollar-store halloween product decorating the fittings) -- that's the problem.


What I'm saying is: To each his own, but don't lump fantasy under Kit Rae. Lump Kit Rae under fantasy.
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

23
I think you are repeating yourself, but I will just say I don't find Kit's work "outlandish designs with no function in mind". That's just you. I find it beautifully elegant sculptures in steel.

"Uh I throw things in that look 'cool' with no regard to function" - He did not say those exact words in the moronic fashion you imply, but he has said on another forum, and maybe it was here, that function is the last thing on his mind when he designs fantasy weapons. And he did say he puts whatever he likes and thinks is "cool" into his works.

As far as Kit creating the market, I beg to differ. The production fantasy weapon market did not exist before Kit started it. Before him we only had the small custom knife maker community, with fantasy knives from Cronk in the late 70's, and then came the other hand made guys, like Hibben, who were inspired by him - or rather Hibben's two designers, Paul Ehlers and Kit were. Outside of that very tiny community fantasy knives were not available to the public until Kit started doing them in the mid 1980s. Fantasy swords available to the masses did not exist before Kit created the Swords of the Ancients. Him and United were probably the people responsible for that term even being used today. China trashed that marked in the past few years, but lets give proper credit where it is due on who this all came from. Considering that Kit designed almost all of the Hibben fantasy knives UC made [its on his own website], and probably still does to this day, and all of UC's fantasu knives, I would say that qualifies him as the guy who started it all. If you know someone else that was around before then I would like to know because I have been collecting this stuff for a loong time.

As far as what the definition of fantasy is, you can define it however you want. I'm just pointing out what I think Kit's definition is - and this is a Kit Rae thread.
Last edited by Domenicnas on Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

24
Thought I would point something else out.

I know the Vorthelok was never intended to be in any way functional, it is just for decor, but I am noticing how functional the design actually is. Simple, clean two handed grip, with a stopper ridge just before the hand guard. The cord wrap feels very good, and does not slip. There are no hooks or points pointing toward the hand from the guard like some of Kit's other designs. In fact, the curve of the two big hand huard guard talons keeps the guard from interfering at all with handling the sword.

The pommel looks functionally intrusive to me, but the profile of the sculpted head and horns actually sweeps right back with the the flow of the handle grip. It does not interfere with handling the sword, and is a good counterweight to the blade. The blade has Kit's trademark scallops and points, but nothing to interfere with function if it were made of a different steel.

Other than being a bit too weighty for me to handle personally, put a carbon steel blade in this, cut the fullers deeper a bit deeper, and this would make a very functional cut and thrust sword.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Domenicnas""]I think you are repeating yourself, but I will just say I don't find Kit's work "outlandish designs with no function in mind". That's just you. I find it beautifully elegant sculptures in steel.[/quote]

Good. At least I'm being consistent. Contradiction in 3, 2, 1...


[quote=""Domenicnas""] he has said on another forum, and maybe it was here, that function is the last thing on his mind when he designs fantasy weapons. And he did say he puts whatever he likes and thinks is "cool" into his works.[/quote]

:huh: (by the way, it's not just me)


[quote=""Domenicnas""]As far as Kit creating the market, I beg to differ... [/quote]

So this went from fantasy weapons to fantasy swords to non-handmade fantasy swords to quite specifically, the Swords of the Ancients. Yeah. He did create that line. You're right.

[quote=""Domenicnas""]As far as what the definition of fantasy is, you can define it however you want. I'm just pointing out what I think Kit's definition is - [/quote]

Which is... ?

Outlandish (by the way -- by definition and comparison to historically functional weapons -- that's more fact than a mere viewpoint) sword designs don't define the fantasy genre.

But I'll get out of the Kit Rae thread if you want. Typically discussion boards are for just that: discussion of the intended topic. I didn't see a "fans only" rule in this sub-section. But if we continue I'm more likely to keep repeating myself, assuming my point still isn't understood.

Happy collecting, Domenicnas.







[quote=""Domenicnas""]Thought I would point something else out.

I know the Vorthelok was never intended to be in any way functional, it is just for decor, but I am noticing how functional the design actually is. Simple, clean two handed grip, with a stopper ridge just before the hand guard. The cord wrap feels very good, and does not slip. There are no hooks or points pointing toward the hand from the guard like some of Kit's other designs. In fact, the curve of the two big hand huard guard talons keeps the guard from interfering at all with handling the sword.

The pommel looks functionally intrusive to me, but the profile of the sculpted head and horns actually sweeps right back with the the flow of the handle grip. It does not interfere with handling the sword, and is a good counterweight to the blade. The blade has Kit's trademark scallops and points, but nothing to interfere with function if it were made of a different steel.

Other than being a bit too weighty for me to handle personally, put a carbon steel blade in this, cut the fullers deeper a bit deeper, and this would make a very functional cut and thrust sword.[/quote]



PLEASE :laugh:
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Domenicnas""]Ahhh, took me four times responding, but I see you are just here to make corrections, repeat yourself for those who don't get it the first time, and then point out contradictions in whatever is said in my reply...over and over. My mistake (true). Sorry.[/quote]

Apology accepted. I'll apologize as well. I know I told you I'd leave your thread. But if you want me to do so, you should probably stop replying to me. Make up your mind man. :huh:
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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Guys, guys! Please!

Beauty (and taste) is in the eye of the beholder. You both have some valid points. Don't let it get personal.

As a fan of much (not all) of Kit Rea's works, I understand Domenicnas' passionate views about something he likes. But, as I've stated before, there have been several of Kit's works that I have not been very fond of, the Vorthelok being one of them.

I have gotten into some debate with Sedhal about this very subject, and I fully understand that he hates that form of work. But, believe it or not, I DO see his point in what he is saying, and do somewhat agree with him. Not that the line looks like crap, but the throwing so many types of swords under the "FANTASY" label, and having works such as Kit's version of fantasy being in the same line with the LOTR blades or those of fantasy sword designers like Jody Sampson. I do think there should be different categories. The respect that I have for fantasy blades from some of our great fantasy films like the LOTR trilogy or the Conan movies is a totally different feeling than I have for Kit Rea's designs, and I see where it bothers Sedhal. I'm with you on that one my friend.

Domenicnas, please understand that under all of this production of "art" and design of these "fantasy" blades, there is another underlying factor that drives these artists to produce some of these "over-the-top" works. PROFIT! Even Kit Rae stated in an interview that he did some time ago that he has produced quite a few fantasy blades that he was not particularly fond of. He works for United Cutlery, a mass production cutlery maker. A company who is in business to make a profit. He has made some of his most over-the-top designs simply to meet the need of marketing to the taste of one of the niches in the market. They go to him and say, "we need something for this video game or for that animation that is really wild", and he in turn designs it. That is, of course a simplified way of stating it, but you get the picture. Understand that UC is now owned by the same guy who owns Bud K. Have you seen some of the stuff they market? My point being, Domenicnas, that if you think that Kit Rae or Gil Hibben have a heart-felt passion for every work that they produce for UC, you're kidding yourself. The almight dollar plays a big role in this, and as long as there is a market for it, UC will try to capitalize on that.

I was long convinced that the wildest thing that UC would ever produce was the Kit Rea swords & knives (with exception of some of the stuff in their Tomahawk line), and hoped they would not go down the road of makers like Master Cutlery and start producing the cheesy video game weapons. But, the market was there and the quest for the almighty doller won out. They came out with such hideous works as the "Devil May Cry" Red Queen sword and the God of War hunk of crap. I was very disappointed that they went down that road, but from a business perspective, I understand why. The market is there.

If I sound like I'm leaning towards Sedhal's side, I kind of am. Only in that I understand where he is coming from on the whole "FANTASY" label thing, and, no disrespect intended to you, Domenicnas, but I think you are deluding yourself that you have an understanding on where Kit Rea's heart is on his works that he produces for UC. But, my point is that you both have very valid points. Just understand that it's a matter of opinion and taste. don't make it personal.
When you get to hell, tell them I sent you! Then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience!

Re: Kit Rae swords.

30
I don't take anything personal and I understand where all of you come from, even Kit to some extent - having met him at the Blade Show and read all his posts here, and the various interviews.

Obviously he does certain projects for profit - that's his business and he has to earn a living. Even all of the crappy video games replicas you mentioned went through him. All of those are listed on his design studio scrapbook page as having been replicated by his design studio company. I think that anything he puts his name on would be something he actually wanted to do however, not strictly driven by profit, but I won't claim to know anyone's mind. And I also think Kit can put whatever he wants under his "fantasy" weapon label since he was the originator of the fantasy weapon market - I will say it again - he is the person most responsible for this market even existing for us today. Everything from UC, Hibben, most of the major film blade replicas, including LOTR, all tie back to his name.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

31
Thanks for understanding, Steel.


[quote=""Domenicnas""]I don't take anything personal and I understand where all of you come from, even Kit to some extent - having met him at the Blade Show and read all his posts here, and the various interviews.

Obviously he does certain projects for profit - that's his business and he has to earn a living. Even all of the crappy video games replicas you mentioned went through him. All of those are listed on his design studio scrapbook page as having been replicated by his design studio company. I think that anything he puts his name on would be something he actually wanted to do however, not strictly driven by profit, but I won't claim to know anyone's mind. And I also think Kit can put whatever he wants under his "fantasy" weapon label since he was the originator of the fantasy weapon market - I will say it again - he is the person most responsible for this market even existing for us today. Everything from UC, Hibben, most of the major film blade replicas, including LOTR, all tie back to his name.[/quote]

Yes, market


You're taking a WIDE range of material found in the genre of fantasy (which cannot be summed up by popular mass-produced swords) and narrowing it down to one small component, whereas that component falls under the genre -- not the other way around. You're saying Kit can define fantasy how he likes? So his taste overrides LOTR, Conan, Narnia, Harry Potter, etc? See, this is why I'm repeating myself. It's not about me not liking his designs. It's about the mentality that mainstream viewpoints of fantasy are practically synonymous with Kit's.... and that all boils down to a couple weapon designs. I'm sorry but that's not fantasy. It falls UNDER fantasy, but that's not what defines it. He created the fantasy market, you could argue. That has nothing to do with his styles dominating the concept of fantasy as a whole. I'm talking about the genre, not the production blade market (that's not a genre).

The remark "what do you e xp ect, it's fantasy" is what I'm going after here, not Kit's work. Whether you'd like to believe it or not, he's just a small fraction of the total body of work found under fantasy. That's his style. But he's not fantasy's style. See the difference there?


Look:

Fantasy

- Kit and many others



Not:

Kit Rae & half-naked women with outlandish & mainstream sword designs

- fantasy
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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I think you'll find that there WERE other artisans making fantasy weapons before Kit. Jody Sampson, among others, started making "fantast" weapons well before Kit Rea, so I have to agree with Sedhal. To say that because Kit has been a prominent name in that market for several decades does not mean he INVENTED it. I do have to disagree with you on that Domenicnas.

Don't let your passion for his work shade the facts, Domenicnas. I don't think anyone is trying to put him down. Unlike Sedhal, I do like much of his work. And, as I said, I've had a debate with Sedhal on this before. But, I came to understand where he was coming from. He's not trying to put your taste down, or even Kit Rea. He just would like a clear separation that Kit's work is just one aspect of much larger genre that has the label "FANTASY", and it gets under his skin when people think that Kit's type of work DEFINES the fantasy genre. It's really just a small sub-category.

I aplaud your taste in what you like, Domenicnas, and I respect and understand both of your views.
Last edited by Steel Servant on Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
When you get to hell, tell them I sent you! Then apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience!

Re: Kit Rae swords.

33
I have to side with Steel and Sed on this one. No disrepect to Kit Rae, but he is being given credit here for something he did not create or invent, though he certainly plays a prominent role in. Just because you are a prolific sword designer with a recognizable brand name doesn't mean you are solely responsible and should take credit for the success of every other sword designed and sold that falls under the wide umbrella term of "fantasy." I wouldn't presume to speak for the man, but I daresay he would agree with us.
This Space for Rent

Re: Kit Rae swords.

36
[quote=""Steel Servant""]I think you'll find that there WERE other artisans making fantasy weapons before Kit. Jody Sampson, among others, started making "fantast" weapons well before Kit Rea, so I have to agree with Sedhal. To say that because Kit has been a prominent name in that market for several decades does not mean he INVENTED it. I do have to disagree with you on that Domenicnas.[/quote]

Jody is a custom maker and did not contribute much to the rise of the fantasy weapon market. If you want to talk custom makers, there were others that came out of the late 70's that were much more influential, but I laready mentioned them. I love some of Jody's stuff, but lets be honest, if it were not for the Conan swords no one would know his name. And lets be even more brutally honest - Jody had absolutely nothing to do with the design of those swords. That was all Ron Cobb and the guy who sculpted the hilt parts. Jody made the blades to Cobb's design and assembled them. That was it.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Domenicnas""]No. I am only talking about the fantasy sword/knife market.[/quote]

I said "taking" not talking. And your reply only proved my point -- you're taking a fairly big genre and attempting to deduce it to a sword/knife market.


If that's fantasy, where's the story? Where's the context? Characters? Settings? Themes? Why do swords exist at all if nobody made them for no purpose whatsoever? You need to place them within a world. And ideally, design them FOR that world -- not design a world for these swords (that's why story takes a back seat to a freaking prop). Not how I want fantasy to be thought of.
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Domenicnas""]Jody is a custom maker and did not contribute much to the rise of the fantasy weapon market. If you want to talk custom makers, there were others that came out of the late 70's that were much more influential, but I laready mentioned them. I love some of Jody's stuff, but lets be honest, if it were not for the Conan swords no one would know his name. And lets be even more brutally honest - Jody had absolutely nothing to do with the design of those swords. That was all Ron Cobb and the guy who sculpted the hilt parts. Jody made the blades to Cobb's design and assembled them. That was it.[/quote]


So? The two of them together still have everything to do with this discussion. Look at how many inspirations Kit draws from their work.
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Valkrist""]I have to side with Steel and Sed on this one. No disrepect to Kit Rae, but he is being given credit here for something he did not create or invent, though he certainly plays a prominent role in. Just because you are a prolific sword designer with a recognizable brand name doesn't mean you are solely responsible and should take credit for the success of every other sword designed and sold that falls under the wide umbrella term of "fantasy." I wouldn't presume to speak for the man, but I daresay he would agree with us.[/quote]

Maybe, and this type of thread may be why he does not visit here anymore, but other than Hibben and Cronk on the custom side, who else was there? I'm not talking about fantasy artists, writers, or film makers. Who else brought this stuff (fantasy weapons) to the market that the average person could go out and buy prior to Kit's stuff in the late 80's? I recall nothing on the market, and no one doing it before him.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

40
[quote=""Sedhal""]So? The two of them together still have everything to do with this discussion. Look at how many inspirations Kit draws from their work.[/quote]

Indeed, he has said Ron's designs for Conan were a big influence on him. Just pointing out that Jody gets credit for something he did not do. I don't know how many times I have seen him get credit for those designs over the years in articles and on the web. Ridiculous. Ron created them, the armor, and pretty much the whole look of that film.

Jody on the other hand, never said that. He always gave credit to Ron and the other guy on his website and stated he only made the blades.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

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[quote=""Domenicnas""]Maybe, and this type of thread may be why he does not visit here anymore[/quote]

I sincerely doubt that. Throughout all his posts here over the years I've found him to be nothing but polite, respectful, and extremely helpful. Hardly behaviour that one would credit somebody that would only come here for adoration and nothing but compliments. What you are implying is that Kit doesn't come here because his feelings are hurt by our opinions? Hardly. I think he has far thicker skin than that, and that he would understand that not everyone in the world is going to love his work. So long as the criticism remains constructive and not a personal attack, I'm very certain he's ok with that, and nowhere have I heard him be personally attacked in this thread or elsewhere in this forum, for that matter.

We are merely e xp ressing our opinions that Kit Rae is not the sole driving force behind the fantasy weapon market, or the only reason it exists today. That's like saying the Beatles are responsible for the music market, we should forget about music that existed before them, and that everything that came after them is due to their influence.
This Space for Rent

Re: Kit Rae swords.

44
[quote=""Valkrist""]I sincerely doubt that. Throughout all his posts here over the years I've found him to be nothing but polite, respectful, and extremely helpful. Hardly behaviour that one would credit somebody that would only come here for adoration and nothing but compliments. What you are implying is that Kit doesn't come here because his feelings are hurt by our opinions? Hardly. I think he has far thicker skin than that, and that he would understand that not everyone in the world is going to love his work. So long as the criticism remains constructive and not a personal attack, I'm very certain he's ok with that, and nowhere have I heard him be personally attacked in this thread or elsewhere in this forum, for that matter.

We are merely e xp ressing our opinions that Kit Rae is not the sole driving force behind the fantasy weapon market, or the only reason it exists today. That's like saying the Beatles are responsible for the music market, we should forget about music that existed before them, and that everything that came after them is due to their influence.[/quote]

No, I did not mean that. I meant he probably would find this whole discussion a bit silly. I don't think he is the sole reason the market exists, but he is at the top.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

46
[quote=""Sedhal""]Geez, let's try again...Then what is fantasy? What makes them fantasy weapons?[/quote]

I think we are just going in circles, but with regards to this work - the designs, the fantasy art that the weapons originated from, the mythology behind them. Fantastical designs, art, and fictional tales - from a fictional world with fantastical elements.

??? Not sure where you are going.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

47
That's where ^


You may be on about a fantasy sword market but what makes them fantasy is context -- the larger picture. And they fall under a genre: a genre Kit Rae did not invent. They are part of a collective concept that cannot be defined by mass-produced props. You implied earlier that Rae's designs could sum up a large and diverse genre in general, then claimed you were only referring to the blade market. Those weapons still originate from the fantasy aspects for which they were designed. If you want to ignore the rest and focus solely on the fact that they're production replicas, fantasy shouldn't even come into play. But since we acknowledge they ARE a particular type (fantasy), then we can't ignore what makes them so... con-text (which is NOT merely in design). Starting to understand this yet or do we need to keep... going in circles? :huh:


In other words, it's wrong to look at a sword as a stand-alone artifact and go "oh well that's obviously fantasy" or "that's just historical". Where are they from? What were they designed for? That's what matters. So the fantasy market is nothing without the existence of fantasy to begin with.

Did I do better that time?
-_-

Re: Kit Rae swords.

48
[quote=""Sedhal""] You implied earlier that Rae's designs could sum up a large and diverse genre in general[/quote]

No actually, that was your implication not mine, but you know that. You just keep trying though.

[quote=""Sedhal""] If you want to ignore the rest and focus solely on the fact that they're production replicas, fantasy shouldn't even come into play. But since we acknowledge they ARE a particular type (fantasy), then we can't ignore what makes them so... con-text (which is NOT merely in design). Starting to understand this yet or do we need to keep... going in circles?
[/quote]

You tell me? This all seems to be a response to an internal dailogue you are having with yourself, not anything I posted. Circles.
Last edited by Domenicnas on Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Kit Rae swords.

49
Oh I guess I just imagined your posts then. My bad...


And seeing as how this is all a product of my imagination (my own fantasy world, you could say), the story goes like this: thoughtless remark addressed, point made, point missed, irrelevant tangents pursued, point made, point missed, point made, point realized, realization suppressed, doubts arise as to where to go next, and the last resort is: "stop talking to yourself".

And as long as we're telling each other what we know, you know I'm right... right? :huh:
-_-
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