DIY Breakaway Battleaxes

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 2, 2011

I found this video on Google by searching:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-make-home-made-battle-axe-and-pole-axe-out-cardboard-for-your-cosplay-399629/

The problem is it looks too fake.

Here is the solution I'm working on.

Use this as the axe head by cutting off the handle with X-Acto blades:

http://www.mooncostumes.com/item/7733

And replace the handles with Balsa Wood Dowel handles painted like real axe handles and prescored to break.

The nice thing about Balsa Wood is I can file down the end of the dowel to make it fit the axe head.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAU02&P=0

I'll post photos when it's all together.

Cracker Funk · May 2, 2011

I think it looks pretty damn good, all things considered. You gotta keep in mind that, in this video, we're focusing directly on this weapon, for a long time. We are afforded the ability to really nit-pick it's deficiencies.

So, when you shoot the movie, you don't allow the audience the same luxury. Any time they see the weapon, it is either far away from the camera, or out of focus, or actively being used (if this weapon is in motion, no audience could see that's a fake).

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 2, 2011

One difference too is their axes are not breakaways. Mine will be. I want to see how real the axe heads look when I get them. I can re-paint them to look more realistic. The plastic heads should be re-usable with new dowels after the handles shatter.

knightly · May 3, 2011

Balsa is a great choice... but can still hurt quite a bit, Many show jousters use balsa tips on pine lances to avoid as much injury (they also break in a much more spectacular way).

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 4, 2011

Thanks Knightly. I'm using balsa wood from previous experience of using breakaway bar stools made of balsa wood that shatter really well when scored properly.

I have a scene where the goddess Artemis will kick and shatter a battleaxe out of the hands of a silver demon hunter. Lucky for use, the actress playing Artemis is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She should have enough training on how to throw a high kick with enough force to shatter the axe. But, we will rehearse it enough as well.

Also, the cyborgs vambraces are real leather armor. The vambraces will shield their arms for the axes to break on them.

wheatgrinder · May 4, 2011

just being a geek here. .that video shows halberds, not battle axes..

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 4, 2011

Isn't it the same principle if you were making battleaxes. I did google battleaxes, and that video popped up. So the people who submitted it must have used battle axe or battleaxe as a tag for search engines.

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 5, 2011

Color Scheme:

I have the axe head in 2 styles: One double-sides and the other single-sides. I bought chrome spray paint for the axe heads. For the handles, since they are breakaways, I'll paint them to resemble the outter wood brown color of a tree. That way, when the handles break and sound like wood, the wooden paint scheme makes sense.

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 14, 2011

Here are the raw materials I purchased for the axe.

I'm recasting tomorrow. So, there is no time to build one yet.

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · May 31, 2011

Here we go:

See how the axes will break:

And, here:

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC · Jul 15, 2011

This is followup for actually using the breakaway's on set. Too many of the axes were actually made of hard wood dowells and not Balsa Wood because of the actual product availability. The wood had to be cut to the point of almost broken in order to break. But, they broke at that point. And, we got our shots.