Ultimate Collectors' Forums

I would like to share a story with my fellow collectors and "Highlander" fans:

My biggest hobbies over the last 20 years include Swords, History, and Martial Arts. So it is no surprise that one of my favourite movies and TV series growing up was "Highlander"...constantly fueling my passion in these areas. I can't count the number of times i would go to the "sword store" just to drool at the $400 Marto Sword of the Dragon that "Duncan MacLeod" used...which was far more than i could afford at the time. Even though "Highlander" meant so much to me, and Duncan's katana is still one of my favourite sword designs of all time...i still do not have one in my collection of 80ish swords. At first it was because i could not justify $400 on a sword...but later i found out that Sal D'Aquila, who made the sword used in the TV seasons 1 and 2, was still hand making replicas for fans...but placing them on Hanwei blades. It does not get much better than this...but had to save...as you can imagine, these are not cheap. Fast forward the story a little bit... Mr. Daryl Kyle took over "Point Gallery" from Mr. D'Aquila - and is a lot more open to customizations...all the way up to getting a handle molded off a screen used original!! So i figured - i still had time to save up...as these offerings were just getting better...

BUT...
Early January 2014, i found out that Adrian Paul, star of the TV series, will be attending the "Central Canada Pop Culture E xp o" in March...which...coincides with not only being in my home town, but also during my time off!! So, within 1hr of finding this out, I contacted Daryl Kyle / Point Gallery in order to get one of my dream swords custom made...so that i may have my childhood hero sign it for me!

"Jash is giddy with excitement"...is a major understatement.

Ironic - the day i finally decide to share this story...is the day they decide to cancel this E xp o...

Oh dear, that's a huge letdown

Yeah , that totally sucks

But it's not a total let down - Adrian Paul is now scheduled for the Central Canada Comic Con in Nov...which my friends and brother are attending and will get the sword signed for me. But, i still won't be able to meet him, which to me - is the whole point of getting an autograph... *sigh...still bummed about this

On the bright side - the sword should be made and in my hands in a few weeks!!!

And here she is, after waiting 15ish years... the blade is T10 folded steel tachi style, the handle is kevlar / carbon fiber with "ivory" aging, and the tsuba is solid bronze. I haven't uploaded a pic directly to a thread in years..hope it works lol. This is my current FB cover pic

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...don't think so...?
Let's try this - i just posted it to the member gallery:
photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5581&ppuser=1445

Ooooooo! Now that is one nice sword!

I especially like the aging on the grip, congratulations on getting it. You must be ecstatic right now

Damn, two perfect acquisitions in one week! Talk about a dynamic duo. That's one fantastic looking sword!

Jash you must be over the moon to own such a fantastic and amazing sword I'm happy for you that you finally scored this after so many years of waiting.:jaw:

Thanks everyone! Yup, i was smiling all day (while my VISA card went hiding after the last 2 purchases lol). To be honest, now that i've had time to fully inspect the sword - there are a few minor issues with it. I just emailed them to see what is an actual issue versus what is just a variance in any custom piece.

The aging was tricky! Daryl can age these handles from a pure white to a dark yellow - matching almost any episode (which the oclour changes a great deal depending upon how old that particular sword was). I asked for an "aged ivory" look...so not white, not yellow, but enough to show the detail while still looking "clean". I think Daryl pulled it off! Depending on the light (i took lots of pics lol) - this particular sword can look like whitish pinkish bone...to more of a yellow ivory.

Update:
Daryl of Point Gallery is simply awesome to work with! He had me send the sword back - and he fixed the minor imperfections, along with making the handle weathering more to my liking. Long story short..the sword came out perfect! Exactly what i pictured it to be! And it arrived just in time for Central Canada Comic Con where Adrian Paul would be. I met Mr. Paul 3 times over the 2 days i attended the Con. Such a cool guy. He was even giving me some sword advice on why he liked some of the "Highlander" katana versions better than others! I didn't say much...i was a little star struck lol. Here's a pic of the final result - One of my dream swords signed by my childhood hero