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I'm creating a freebooter ork army, and the one thing I'd like to do is make cutlasses to replace the choppas for the boys. I've looked online, and I can't seem to find any. The ones I do find are too small for an ork hand. I've fiddled with green stuff and plasticard, and made a decent blade, but it's lacking polish and I'm a bit OCD regarding things like this. I could spend more time making it snazzy, but it would take forever outfitting a large squad with them, so what should I do? I've thought of perhaps going to a company with a 3d printer, but I'm unsure of the cost.

Make one decent one and copy it with Instant Mould?
http://www.warpathgames.com/wholesale/warpath.php?m=detail&p=71992

Just a thought, have you tried Lego pirates cutlasses?

 Kroothawk wrote:
Make one decent one and copy it with Instant Mould?
http://www.warpathgames.com/wholesale/warpath.php?m=detail&p=71992

I've seen that stuff before, and I've got casting materials in case I ever wanted to replicate a bit. Do you have any experience with it?

Also, um...I think a lego bit would be waaaay to small.

Yea, take all the time you need to make 1 or 2 good ones, and then cast em up.

No personal experience but heard a lot of other's experience.
Make Istant Mould soft with hot water, take the original, put IM arount and let cool down. cut it open and mould is ready to accept some greenstuff. Mould can be reused for other forms, just soften it again in hot water.

 Necroshea wrote:

 Kroothawk wrote:
Make one decent one and copy it with Instant Mould?
http://www.warpathgames.com/wholesale/warpath.php?m=detail&p=71992

I've seen that stuff before, and I've got casting materials in case I ever wanted to replicate a bit. Do you have any experience with it?

Also, um...I think a lego bit would be waaaay to small.

Okay, then. The Ogre Maneater? One of the Sartosan Vamps has a fairly meaty sword to it. Several Cryx models, namesly the Black Ogrun (arms separate here and here . Also Terminus' blade, which might be useful for a Warboss sized one. Finally we have, with a little modification, as I've seen it done on many Pirate Nomad jacks, is to get the standard blades that come with the Ogre Bulls and add a plasticard hilt to it.

try:
http://www.blackscorpionminiatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=129

If lego is too small, what about Playmobil?

http://www.playmobil.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-GB-Site/en_GB/Product-Show?pid=4127&cgid=

I've used instant mold quite a bit, it takes alot of practice to get a 2 part mold correct though, it's excellent for one part press molds. I recommend using silicone mold making practices for instant mold when doing a 2 part mold -

First, make the first side with keys & let it harden, then with a sharp hobby blade smooth it out, then do the same with a new blob of instant mold, so that you should have a solid-looking block around the part. Let this harden, then you should be able to peel the 2 halves apart. I prefer to cut the end off the mold for larger items such as torsos, to give the extra GS a place to squish out to ensure the best possible copy since the instant mold will stretch if you press hard enough & you do need to apply a decent amount of pressure on it.

My google fu is strong:

http://tablewarfare.com/cutlass-pack-1.htm

Yep. Instamold is freakin' awesome, and a good bet.

Keep in mind the instamold gets soft when it gets warm, so it's best to keep that in mind when deciding a casting material.

Resin is probably Ok, depending on the type. Any form of epoxy will ruin it. Greenstuff/miliput would work just fine.

IF you do want to really be able to cast this custom bit, another (more permenant) option would be to get a molding/casting kit. Check out Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Amazon, etc. The brand Smooth-On is rockin.

Permanent mold for however many bits you want. It's only a 1 part mold really, so you don't need any fancy gear or super casting skills. Youtube that crap and you'll know all you need.

Not that I'd do it, but the Megablocks pirate cutlasses are actually perfect size for an orkish hand.

Wow, thanks for all the replies guys!

Lots of good links Grim, but regretably the only thing I can make use of is the ogre weapon idea, as I've got a ton of those.

I've seen that site before bubber, and while it's an awesome model, it wouldn't really work for me in this situation. Remember, I need like 40 of these cutlasses, so I need to figure out the cheapest way to get just the cutlass.

I appreciate the playmobil idea, but I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for, lol.

Pretre, I know reaper sales cutlasses too, but the problem I have is that they work on regular human models, but look waaaay too small in the hands of an ork. I'll have to email that company about it, see if they can help me out on that front.

In regards to the instamold, I was wanting to have a basket grip on the swords, which I'm not sure how I would do as a one piece. I've been meaning to see how a SM pauldron would do size wise for the hilt. But yeah, with a hilt and blade I'm not sure how I could make it into a once piece mold. I've tried two piece molds and that's a nightmare, at least with the clay i was using to hold the model.

Also yes, smooth on is great stuff.

How about the curved scabbard that comes with Khorne Berzerkers? Couldn't you smooth one of those out?