Fantasy Weapons Scrutinized: Highlander - Kurgan sword
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- FWS - episode 03
Playlist for the series: • Over-Thinking Fantasy ...
The original Highlander (1986) film featured a particularly ludicrous sword, used by the Kurgan. Whoever designed it clearly didn't give a damn about functionality... in the motel scene, before Candy appears, the Kurgan just sticks the individual pieces together, including the two parts of the blade!
Sure, it's just entertainment. But that sword is ridiculous enough to rant about it, thus making more entertainment. Geek talk for the win! :)
Why not fight with an over-sized carpet knife? You know, the type of blade that intentionally allows you to snap off parts of the blade? Might as well.
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thats the point of the detached tip, you can make it fly towards your opponent and end him rightly.
+Phoenix Fire LMAO 'end him rightly' - if the flung pommel doesn't get him, the flying blade will.
Oh my god, this made me laugh too hard. What if it was threaded and he had to unscrew both the pummel and the sword tip, mid-fight?
Oh my god, this made me laugh too hard. What if it was threaded and he had to unscrew both the pummel and the sword tip, mid-fight?
+Phoenix Fire I agree. And the suggested "almost flying into space" commentary suggests incredible velocities. I also believe there's room to install a spring-loaded mechanism inside the blade. Nets thyself a sword and a mini-ballista.
tactical spetnaz longswords, since the VIII sec.
I suspect even the most fanatical Highlander fans find this lot less painful than the sequels. :'D
;^D
There was no Highlander 2.
Only the movie and the TV series.
@@casbot71 what about end game
I am a fan of the highlander films but I totally agree with him now I want to see more on highlander
@@casbot71 what about The Source?
"If you're not supposed to criticize entertainment...then...shut up." BEST LINE EVER! You win the internet for best quote of the day!
I cracked up so much at that. lol
shut up bum lick
You know you are a sword nerd when you watch a movie about immortals who kill each other to absorb the others light energy and end up being able to read minds ..... and the weapon is the part that you found hard to believe.
For me it was Lamberts terrible accent :)
Maybe I'm weird but I have less of a problem with magic than with the idea of using a steel lego sword. :)
***** Please make a video about a Lightsaber!!! Best weapon ever OR instant self decapitation?
Maniac Ace Why would it be an instant self decapitator, you don't hit your own neck with a normal sword either, do you?
***** Accidents happen man, what if you drop the blade on your feet? Or what if you parry and the blade slips away and touches your legs or arms? OR it mailfunctions and opens while you have it holstered?
Maniac Ace How about the fact that light cannot be trapped like that?
Only someone with a good understanding of the force would be able to hold the laser in place. Otherwise, it'd just continue off and basically be a super-powerful laser.
And then there's the fact that the lightsabers would actually just pass through eachother, since they are made of light. Which means that they also would not be able to deflect laser bolts. (which travel extremely slow according to George Lucas)
I do love that suitcase scene. The only way to make it more ridiculous is if he managed to attach a silencer or scope onto the sword, but oh how I love that scene. Hell yes. =P
If Highlander is a cartoon or Kamen Rider-ish series, then the filmmakers would say, "What? No silencer or scope? How are we gonna sell more craps to children?"
Those little spikey things are actually bayonets because a sword can never have too many of them.
Scope?
You'd fit a Laser sight, maybe the one from the Terminator.
Hell yeah. Infrared scope and a lazer!
"what's your name?"
"Candy"
"Of course you are"
While all of this is true, it has a threaded pommel so you will clearly win any fight.
But with a sword with that weight, could you end them rightly?
you could rightly end them
Hot peened wedges are the best.
IFR is foggy.
What is this joke even referring to? When in history did threading even come about? Probably well after people stopped using swords?
I love how when it comes to people defending fictional weapons while criticizing him for criticizing them, Skallagrim gives no fucks. He's just "Shut up, this weapon is stupid."
AlphaXTitania he gives lots of working arguments. The people critisizing him are the ones going 'no shut up. Its fantasy"
But has he tested his theories? I mean to say it will work this way but not actually test it means there is a chance he is wrong.
He isn't the expert on all things swords as he tries to appear.
Tigerfire75 he kind of is a bit of
an expert, and what you've said us kind of like if someone said, "if you jump off of a cliff, you will fall," and you said, "how do you know? you haven't tried.
Well I have jumped off a cliff and I flew. Many people have. You ever see those wing suits? Maybe a hang glider?
Tigerfire75 what these people are saying is you can jump lf naked, and if you flap your arms hard enough you will fly
Skal's longsword made a "shwing" when he drew it...
+Level 58 Death Knight In his review of that sword, he said he didn't like the scabbard because it has metal on the opening.
IAmBadatStarcraft Did he? That's a stupid design decision.
*gasp*
"If you're not supposed to criticize entertainment what-so-ever then, shut up."
Love it.
Exactly!!🤣🤣🤣
Throwing a pommel wasn't rightly enough now the kurgan feels the need to throw half the blade too!
Mf =Ip*Pe
Mf = Magical force required
Ip = How impractical the design is
Pe = How well the sword performs on screen.
a simple equation that shows just how much the audiance has to suspend their disbelief. Lower score is better.
If could also have been Electromagnetic, equally silly but the round grip could have had same serious batteries in it...
Unpronouncable s
I love this equation.
They should have included a scene where the Kurgan presses a button on the bottom of the sword, and the end piece becomes rocket-propelled and shoots off, just to make your head explode.
They did, it's called season 1 episode 1 of highlander the series
@@jasonjohnson6938 , Richard Moll slan quince. Great bad guy, almost as good as the kurgan.
@@waynes4612 fucking awful bad guy, like a cheesy wrestler, glaring out of the side of his mask like a pervert
That miss quote at the end, it's not "there can only be one" it's "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!"
Basically what I was expecting: Aside from the two-piece blade nonsense, the design isn't horrible in and of itself. Just overly thick and heavy. (Which was probably partly done in the movie to emphasize that the Kurgan was a brute of a man - strong and direct, no real subtly, just overpowering strength.) It's really more a club with an edge than a sword, which fits the character. Lighter would be better, but it wouldn't be visibly as weighty to an audience, which was the likely point.
Its a fantasy sword ment to look cool in the hands of a 7 foot tall immortal psychopath, this video is madness.
Its for the views. Ironically this was the vid that i first watched with skal
Real swords, like the one you are wielding in the video are just *way* more nicer looking in my opinion. Not even only because they work better, just look *way* better. Nothing against fantasy swords and weapons tho, and just my opinion.
The redesign transformed it in a much more beautiful (and practical) sword!
Absolutely agree with that.
Of course!!!, althought it could be redesigned as a great sword as well.
I actually questioned this when I first watched it.
But hey, the film had a fucking great soundtrack.
And now that I think about it, this movie had a lot of shit they didn't explain out right.
Hypothetically speaking, could the flaws explain away each other: The thickness of the blade and crossguard conceal some unspecified retaining mechanism that anchors the tip to the hilt. The weird spikes are part of the mechanism that locks the whole thing together. To keep the lower blade springy, it is actually a sandwich of two spring blades with a tip retaining wire inside, all 3 layers sliding slightly when the sword flexes. Of cause, each edge would be on only one layer, the other one being narrower.
I've been explaining this for over 25 years. That's his PRACTICE blade. The real one is down in the car!
First, you're absolutely right. However, the suggestion in the movie is that all these swords are "exceptionally made." Now, while you and I can see that it's an IMPRACTICAL PIECE OF JUNK, the movie suggests that 1. it is concealable. After all, it fits in a briefcase. Metal detectors can't see through briefcases. We all know this. 2. Because the craftsmanship is so incredible, it can be assembled to act like a full tang sword. When he snaps the blade together, it's supposed to look like the pyramids in Egypt, fitting so perfectly as not to require mortar to keep the bricks together. He then, DOES, swing it around. I mean...he actually does this in the movie, so maybe they used superglue or a real bade that looks just like the piece of junk he assembles, but the fact that he practices at near full speed is meant to further enhance the viability of the piece of junk. And finally, at least in the movie, it holds up when striking things--including Connor's sword.
Please dissect every weapon from Skyrim.
He'd probably be upset at my elven short sword from Oblivion that had fire, ice, and lightning.
I hope people realize that this is fun because sometimes taking things that were supposed to be worry free overly serious is fun in its own right. It's almost our own little fantasy where we pretend we actually care all that much about inaccuracies in media.
+10 disclaimers in the video about how it's for entertainment purposes and you shouldn't get butthurt -> scroll to comments, essays worth of people being butthurt "you shouldn't criticize because there's magic in it".
That's internet fer ya.
F4c2a Yup. :)
Although does that automatically confer a free pass? If I said I was going to unleash a racist tirade "for entertainment purposes", and that nobody should be butthurt about it, should that automatically disqualify any subsequent criticisms of the racism?
Yes, but I wouldn't be tutting and shaking my head - I'd be laughing as he'd be receiving a well deserved beating.
F4c2a Ah, but that's a slightly orthogonal point; to clarify, you WOULD still harbor an element of criticism for those who were offended?
F4c2a It's not a binary; you don't have to take sides. These are two independent propositions:
a) The racist is a retard
b) The people who are butthurt at the racist are stupid for being angry
Do you hold both these positions?
I'd completely forgotten that The Kurgan's sword blade was in two parts. The wall hanger sword was probably made in one piece because it was cheaper to do that. If it was cheaper to make it 'realistic' to the movie then they would likely have done that, since the cheapest way possible seems to be part of the mantra.
“What is the audience? 10 year olds on meth?”
I was about 8 when I saw it, and at that age you don’t need meth, you’re always high...
So yes!
When this movie came out, us idiots would get together and have a melee with wooden swords. I even made the Kurgan sword out of wood surveying laths. Complete with a two piece blade with a coupling made from tongue depressors. I made a big show of putting the sword together in front of my cousins before our epic battle! On my first mighty swing the sword blew into two pieces. The top part of the blade flew across the battlefield and smacked our youngest cousin in the head! The bottom part of the blade hit me in the face. Our moms freaked out from all the blood (head wounds bleed heavy) and put a ban on movies involving swords.
This part always bugged me actually. A blade in two pieces? C'mon
How many pieces was Aragorn's sword in?
conans sword from the original conan movie.
My explanation is that Arnold Schwarzenegger has muscles on his muscles and those muscles have muscles.
In 1984 I was 9 yrs old, so I'm of the demographic that loved that awesome sword. :)
Clancy brown was so cool in the tile , that you never questioned the viability or usefulness. We all knew.
Love this series, the disclaimer, everything about it. Hope you have a swift recovery, Skall. Don't worry about posting videos man; you gotta take care of yourself.
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE...piece.
love the sound of the sword being drawn from the sheath
6:53-7:13 I am SO quoting you on this. May I?
Sure. :)
***** please do the z sword from dragon ball, it would be really cool to see how much it actually weighs and how ridiculous it would really be.
The purpose of the z sword is not for combat. The z sword is a container for old kai.
does it really matter tbh?? i just wanna see him scrutinise it for shits and giggles.
co8wei He was imprisoned in it, but it was just a legendary weapon forged by the Kai's originally.
I have to make a comment about what you say on the weight of a sword, and I mean it respectfully, as I appreciate your material.
The actual damage of a strike with a blade, in a purely physics-NYA approach, would be proportional to the work needed to bring the tip of your blade to a stop. Work in physics is a force exerted over a distance. The force in that case would be the resistance put up by your enemy's flesh and armor in response to the pressure of your blade's edge, and the distance it's exerted on would be... well how deep it sinks in.
So we will agree that the actual thing we're trying to maximise "damage wise" is the distance the blade travels through human flesh. The resistive force exerted by it is a constant (unless you pick your target of course), so the only way to increase damage is to increase the "work needed to bring the blade to rest". To do this, the kinetic energy of the sword must be maximised. You are right to say that Energy = 1/2 * Velocity squared * mass, but it's not true that if you cut the blade's weight by half the velocity will double. In fact, the velocity will only increase by "square root of 2", assuming that the energy you are able to input into the blade remains the same. The kinetic energy you put into the sword will be the kinetic erergy your enemy's flesh has to bring to rest; mass and velocity will just balance each other out.
Moreover, we aren't psychic beings, and we can't just "input kinetic energy into a sword". We actually input the kinetic energy into a sword + an arm. An average male human arm weight 8 pounds. but we can assume only the forearm and hand need to travel at a similar speed to the blade, so we can go for a safe 3 pounds of meat.
The sword you use does not affect the force your muscles exert on this 4-8 pounds resulting object of meat and metal, it should be fairly constant whatever. The distance travelled by your arm (over which the force is exerted) is also constant whatever the weight of the blade is.
So you find yourself in this situation where the kinetic energy you put in your arm-sword is constant, and you are trying to maximise the kinetic energy in the edge of your blade. The only way you can do that is by making a more heavy, or more top heavy blade.
I can make a metaphor for simplicity: what can you throw harder, a rock or a smarties. Obviously the rock, because the weight of the projectile is actual 3 pounds of arm + some grams of projectile in both cases, making only a minimal difference in release velocity... and a large difference in weight, resulting in a large difference in kinetic energy.
Tldr: Heavier blades actually strike harder than lighter blades.
However the actual impact strenght is only a minor factor. Weight decreases maneuverability and thus your likelyhood to hit the enemy before you're recklessly murdered. This is why there exists a weight sweet spot for weapons, and different weapons against light or heavy armor.
Moreover, the blade energy has little to no impact on thrust damage because the pressure on a blade's point is so high that blade elastic resistance becomes the limiting factor.
Thank you for reading.
BUT:
The benefit of a heavy weapon has diminishing results, if the inertia of your arm becomes negligible compared to the inertia of your weapon. That means that swinging a buster sword around will not result in a significant increase of damage compared to a zweihander, because you already have 80-90% of the energy input from your muscles being put in the weapon's inertia. An other problem with weight is that a low velocity strike (of similar kinetic energy) will allow more elastic recovery of the skin and armor, and also transfer more kinetic energy to the target (like playing pool), breaking his poise more but cutting less. Poise breaking could in some instances be practical against heavy armor.
I would estimate that since the arm down from your elbow weights roughly 3 pounds and since most weapons are struck in a circular motion, the diminishing results would become highly problematic passed the mass of 4-5 pounds for one handed weapons, and 8-10 pounds for two handed weapons (although two handed weapons have the posibility to be struck with only wrist motion instead of a slash, making their diminishing return threshold very low).
What this means is that historic weapons have an optimal weight, optimising damage while losing as much velocity as possible. Fantasy weapons are too heavy losing manevrability while gaining little blade kinetic energy. Aluminium props or knives make poor slashing weapon as well, because most of the kinetic energy is wasted into your arm; not into the blade edge (while unlikely to be slashed like a sword, a knife's edge can be used effectivelly to increase thrust damage or allow executions).
Ok. Now I think that's all I had to say.
By the sheer fact the Kurgan uses his sword later on and it works fine proves that the assembled sword that you saw in the motel scene is a practice sword of some kind and not the sword that is actually used in battle. As to why the top portion doesn't fly off when he swings it... Immortal Magic!
with the weight of the kurgans sword, think about it like, throwing something. you can throw a one pound shot further than one that weighs as much as an ounce. just like you can fling a golf ball further than a bb. the kurgan is supposed to be the worlds strongest man and if he used a lighter sword, his power would be wasted.
you also have to factor in wind resistance. i can throw a one ounce rock much further than a one pound rock if the wind resistance was the same.
the daedric sword from skyrim needs to be looked over greatly... same with the battleaxe, it doesnt even have an edge.
Called sword
Is a sabre
But I would like to see an episode on it.
And for ebony sword... he could use it as a REALLY bad design.
Definetly this. Spikes everywhere. The weapons in skyrim are ridicolous. So much that i'm on a mod project that will replace the weapons for more realistic looking and practical designs.
There is a high quality picture of daedric sword
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305235239/elderscrolls/images/3/3f/Daedricsword.png
Greatsword
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305234851/elderscrolls/images/3/3d/Daedricgreatsword.png
War axe
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305235240/elderscrolls/images/1/1c/Daedricwaraxe.png
Battleaxe
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305203756/elderscrolls/images/6/64/Daedricbattleaxe.png
Mace
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120512225653/elderscrolls/images/f/f3/Daedricmace.png
Warhammer
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305235240/elderscrolls/images/3/32/Daedricwarhammer.png
I wouldn't say there are spikes everywhere. They are mainly on parts you are supposed to hit enemy with, although I remember what Skall said about it.
"There comes a point where something is so ludicrous that it's ridiculous and pathetic." Right, so the rest of Highlander is perfectly reasonable until you get to the swords?
the point of the series is to analyse the weapons, swords mainly, despite their setting to see if they would be practical outside of their world, and in ours.
No, just that sword in particular.
There's a thing in fiction called the suspension of disbelief. If given sufficient justification, the viewer or reader, can accept things being true in the context of a story. In the case of Highlander, we can accept magical immortals engaging in deadly combat, because otherwise, there wouldn't be a story to tell that would resemble Highlander.
It's the reason we can also accept magic in a fantasy story, creatures that violate known laws of physics, and, for sci-fi, faster than light interstellar travel. These things do not outright break the logic of the narrative, and more often than not, are given sufficient explanation and justification.
However, there will be things that if not given sufficient justification will break that suspension of disbelief, such as the Kurgan's sword being impractical due to the blade being two separate pieces. Anyone that knows weapons will know that sword will snap in half. Moreover, Highlander didn't give sufficient justification in the narrative for it, and is one of the things that can break a viewer's willing suspension of disbelief.
I believe the Orcish Sword in Skyrim deserve to be scrutinized
Ebony sword. Nuff said.
ArcaneNyte I- I did not think of that
It's literally a sharpened ebony ingot. >.>
ArcaneNyte Funniest part: Ebony isn't even metal
Yep.
I believe the fact that the blade has to be assembled from two pieces must come from those spy/action movies where the assassin assembles his sniper rifle - it's basicly a 'this is so cool' factor. Doesn't take away the stupidity of the design, however.
While i appteciate your practical views on the production/function/etc. Of the reproductions are spot on, and i truly value your opinions on such matters, i must say as a kid, a handful of movies inspired my sword obsession, and Kurgan and his sword inspired my goth phase and was one of several influences that got me into blades & swords in general. The fantasy aspect of course, as everything youve discussed on this sword is accurate and true!!
But you best believe im getting a wall hanger and that sexy AF darksword recreation!!
Thanks for your quality videos & reviews Sir Skallagrim, still one of my top 3 go-to's for quality reviews!! 🤘
You should do the 3-bladed sword from Sword & Sorcery next, because reasons.
Hey! I bet they put some neodyme magnets in the sword to hold it together!
Seriously this 2 part blade is shockingly ridicilous :D
Doing that wouldn't affect the blade's edge sharpness by shifting the steel particles?
But then again, even if the blade itself is made out of a non ferrous metal, only the attachment pieces, it's still a crappy idea to have a two part blade.
The magnets won't hold if you move them laterally. Moreover they are extremly brittle. I could only imagine it fixed by a pin, but still I would not trust the design too much.
edi
Man, it was a joke... Please!
You think they had *neodymium magnets in the 12th century?
We don't know that his sword in the 12th century flashbacks disassembled, it could have been a modern modification.
awesome video Skal. As an author i want to adress the thing about suspension of disbelief.. It is NEVER EVER the audiences responsibility to suspend their disbelief, its the creators responsibility to make them suspend their disbelief. With realistic swords if thats what it takes.
Two questions, if you see and have time to answer my comment.
1: What, in your opinion, is the best "Gateway sword"? Y'know, cheap but not horribly made, the sort? I don't know if you've done a video on this before.
2: Have you ever cut your beard with a sword?
SAO Kirito's sword, any of them.
Please, I'd love to see that
Agreed. We need to see it.
Kirito carries all of his swords on his back, so we're already treading stupid fantasy BS. He also dual wields (ugh) two straight swords (which is retarded) and even a greatsword and a sword on both hands (what the fuck) at one point. I think that already says enough about practicality in SAO.
which makes it even more interesting imo
first to be fair to the kurgan near 3000 year old hedonist had some common sense in the extended highlander cannon the sword he puts together in the hotel room is a replica of his sword that is meant for training and not a sword meant combat, he kept the real weapon in his car. i would think the extra extension's on on the guard are just something he had added to the sword at a later time cause he thought they were cool. the replica also made a click when he put it together and this tells me it had some kind of mechanical locking mechanism. i think he had the extra extension add put on the blade at a later time cause he tought it looked cool.now i am going to switch gears to state my theorys on some of the problems you had with the weapon.
the Kurgan's real sword was custom made in the British isles, in 1269 and may be a early version of the Scottish claymore. seeing as the Kurgan is stated as being around 7 feet tall but seeing as the actor, Clancy Brown is 6 foot 4 inches tall i would say the Kurgan is the same height. given the size of the man using it it makes sense that the sword would be a bit longer then normal. seeing as the handle for the prop had to be a certain size to allow the electric cable to be attached to it i would say the real thing would have a proper shaped handle on it. the reason for the large guard is most likely just something the kurgan thought it was cooler to have a very thick guard so he had the blacksmith who made the weapon make a thicker one after it was made. would you try to tell someone like the Kurgan that a thick guard is impractical? (this is a question i hope you will answer in a reply Skallagrim. my answer to this is no i would not question what the guy wanted.)
in ending i need to say this: i need to defend my favorite evil immortal man!
it isnt about suspending belief, it is a kind of magic....the clue is in the song
The term is about disbelief, but the movie is about belief.
Lost myself after "Shut up" argument! =)
Thumb up and subscribed.
Still one of my two fav movies; the other being the original cinema version of Blade Runner. But you're so right about the Kurgan's sword.
you should review the lightsaber
How should a laser be limited to 1m. Why should you be able to parry with light?
If you swing it to fast it would only burn you on the surface.
If they ever made one, then I want the compact battery.
edi
It could be plasma instead of light.
edi The answer to every one of your questions is on the Star Wars wiki explained in relatively scientific terms(I say relatively because it is still fiction after all) The blade length is usually attributed to an electromagnetic engine in the hilt that loops the blade back around at the top in order to form a blade. Parry shots from blasters and other lightsabers, again the blade is surrounded in an extremely dense and powerful magnetic field. The cutting issue, the blade isn't just a normal laser, it's burning at roughly the heat of the sun, just the heat is limited to the surface of the blade; thus the reason the entire room doesn't burn up when you turn one on. And if you bring up the "if it has such a powerful magnetic field on it, it'd be impossible to hold" that's where the force comes in, Jedi and Sith use the force to be able to hold their sabers and swing them at such insane speeds, and in order for a non-force user to be able to use one let alone even hold one, he'd need incredible super human strength; which is why the only non-force using human to ever use one ever was Boba Fett.
spongebobsmokes Well I don't think they require superhuman strength or the force to use. Plenty of non force users and untrained padawans are shown to use them with ease throughout. Anyway, it's still a useless weapon unless one has the force which is why no military will ever bother inventing one.
edi its feesable but rather than light it would have to be a burning hot, luminous material, there is a scientist who shown how it would be possible but it doesnt use light it instead has a strong ceramic pole that springs out and it has holes in it for this gas to escape and it generates light, summet like that aha :)
Well you can use this sword as a surprise attack. The enemy doesnt have to know that the blade is made of 2 peaces. And as soon as you swing the sword, the second part will fly (hopefully) into the enemies face xD
+AnimeProporQ just throw the pommel
+AnimeProporQ Key word: Hopefully
+AnimeProporQ , yeah, but they need to cut off the other one's head ... and that is a bit tougher with a half a sword.
Whenever I am feeling a bit gloomy, I come back to this episode to cheer myself up. On face value, the narrator might seem odd with a bit of ASD thrown in there, however, his pragmatic explanation gives off the vibe that he simply does not GAF what anyone thinks.
While watching this I tought you were being way too harsh and that other than the useless spikes and the guard being a but big, it was fine, then I saw that the fucking blade were two pieces puted together like lego blocks, that surely is bad design. Even in the most over the top weird and bizarre fantasy blades I've seen the blade is solid.
I think the criticism is valid; however, the idea that only "ten year olds on meth" would not splutter in outrage at this scene is a bit off-base. It's not going to occur to many non-sword experts that a two-part blade is implausible.
Out of interest, would the design be more plausible if each piece had e.g. a 50% overlap with the other? Imagine that each piece is around 2/3 the length of the full blade, one having the inner core for its overlap half, one having the outer shell for its overlap half. I assume the flex would still be questionable, but might it at least have decent strength in the face of a side-on impact?
One should take the Kurgans sword with a grain of salt. Unlike the parrying daggers you mentioned, the spikes come up out of the guard and don't have a utilitarian function (the daggers have stops to prevent those prongs from coming down, the spikes on this would not stop anything). They are just there for aesthetic.
Also, having had a replica with working spikes, the guard was mostly concave where the spikes fold in. The usable part of the guard was mostly solid except for the extra material. The thin material covering the spikes there wouldn't be particularly useful and just makes a mess of the guard, especially if used to stop anything.
I did some academic fencing in my time. And even 2lb 'Schläger' becomes very heavy after 20 rounds.. and then you have to do 20 more...
and I saw a blade break and fly throught the room, ending in a wall.
So much about 'pushing two parts together, it will hold. With friction. Or some springs. Or something'. No, it won't.
+methanbreather, who stated that "pushing two parts together, it will hold. With friction..."? Cant find the comment.
watch the videos.
I meant, couldn't find your comment,
I just want to comment on the comments... Highlander should be a stand alone film... the sequels and the TV series were awful and completely lame and not written by the original writer. The director's cut of Highlander II removed all references to the immortals being aliens and instead the immortals were from Earth's past and scattered through time by priests to prevent the prize being won in a single life time - but even that was lame compared to the original story - the original story didn't have the quickening and did not have a prize. In the book, Kurgan's sword was taken from an immortal Mongol after Kurgan killed him.
Nymeria Meliae Damnit, I was hoping that I was merely having a nightmare about immortals, aliens and some weird shield... That means I spent money on a movie ticket and lost 2 hours of my life.
Coffeehound
yeh the original Highlander 2 movie in the cinema was about aliens but the director's cut got rid of them. I too was suckered into going to the cinema to see it.
Nymeria Meliae I have to disagree with you there. The Highlander TV series was awesome.
The movie sequels were lousy, I agree with that.
Nymeria Meliae all I can say in respect to the sequels and TV show (even if that was not that bad, by comparison) is:
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!
I mean, seriously, they even said it themselves. WTF?
***** You summed it up very well
What I find ridiculous about the two part sword idea is: if the sword is designed to join so easily, then it must also separate easily...for it's specifically designed to be a take-down weapon, concealed inside a case (of which they never show its disassembly). Thus, if it separates easily, it is _inherently_ weak at the connection.
But regarding the thickness of the hilt, it's done that way to conceal the width of the spring-loaded spikes.
I know it's not technically a sword, but could you please do the assassins creed hidden blades?
Fantasy Weapons Scrutinized
Weapons
I think it fits.
Aqull True, he's just pretty heavy on the swords, but point taken.
6:52 - 7:14
- I literally Laughed Out Loud. xD
I do not regret subscribing!
00:00 - 8:35
Were my favorite part
All of your comments are VALID. As a martial artist, I see the inherent weakness in the blade and I see no way that it wouldn't have shattered in combat. If anything you had me rolling in the floor in pain (laughing) at the way you described it.
I love these videos! I thought I was the only one who did this...
initially when i saw the movie i though...that was soooo stupid (for the reasons that skallagrim said)...then i thought the genius bastard..the enemy will never see this coming..you have the sword ..then taunt the enemy and he moves closer..and then you slash in the air and the top comes out like throwing a huge knife outta nowhere...a surprise hit to the torso (since none use at the movie an armour) and you are in trouble..and then the Kurgan has a shortsword with no pointy tip but the enemy is fucked up right now
then i see the fight and realized that they missed a really damn good opportunity to make the sword fanatics look stupid for a few secs....yeah skallagrim is completely right at what he says..this sword is stupid
I'm surprised that no one else including our host has recognized the source for that scene. The Kurgan sword is of course nonsense. The notion that it is assembled in two parts comes from pool. That sword's assembly is a copy of a similar scene in great Robert Rossen film 'The Hustler'. It that movie Paul Newman opens up his little case and assembles his pool cue. He screws together two pieces to get a full length pool cue. In pool that would work but not in sword fighting. There are a couple other things in ' Highlander' that are a little inaccurate. The protagonist is immortal, he can breathe underwater, his wounds heal overnight, and several other strange things. Compared to all these other features the Kurgan sword is not so outrageous.
Perhaps you could make a video on the lightsaber, not on it's properties but on how fucking WRONG is the way they are used in the most recent movies, and how would a proper lightsaber fight go =)
*Warning: Nerd moment incoming*
Its *really* difficult to say how a "proper" ligthsaber battle would go for one very large reason- "The force". One can easily argue that while the maneuvers they execute would make absolutely no sense with "Real" swords/fighters, its dubious to say that same logic applies to combatants that are able to *see the future*. What may look like a "swing at nothing" by force-user-1, may be them blocking/parrying an attack that is "yet to come" from force-user-2- Maybe force user 2 then "sees" that his attack is going to be blocked, and wants to do something else- but knows force-user-1 is *going* to be swinging there *anyways* to block his future attack, so if he doesnt put his saber up hell open himself up to either that attack or another, so he puts his lightsaber up to divert/alter the block that force-user-1 was "going" to do.
The concept is messy/muddled- But you get the idea. Applying convention fighting tactics to people who have weapons that require no effort to lop off limbs and can see the future is pointless. I dislike a majority of "hollywood" sword fight scenes, buuut am guilty of giving a "pass" to starwars because of their fictional characters abilities to predict the future.
SidewaysGts wouldn't that render the fight itself pointless and narrow everything down to the same concept with magic duels in Eragon's universe, where both guys sit there and do nothing until one finds a weakness/blindspot on the other's mind and kills him instantaneously?
But what I was actually talking about was not the exaggerated swings, but the reason to swing *at all*. If you have a "blade" that can literally cut through the enemy with 0 force applied to it, why the hell would they need that much momentum? Why bother sweeping your saber so much to try and get a heavy swing if touching the enemy with the same force a light breeze would produce is enough to kill in a second?
Thiago Freitas there are multiple light saber forms form 2 is the one that uses precise foot placement and blade use. for instance one technique that form 2 uses known as makashi is the grate technique were they place there blade and apply force to there opponents blade and maneuver there blade to touch there opponent and slide the blade back and fourth.The reason why we don't see this too often is because of the style of the different characters such as anikin and obiwon use different styles and different trains of thought. however dukou is a practitioner of makashi and uses very Little effort in his technique.Also yes jedi and sith have foresight but that really only comes to play with blasters and predictions of there deaths and foresight is very inaccurate because the future is ever changing. When you see a lightsaber duelist swing at nothing it is simply to change there stance and in lightsaber dueling stances are what make and break you.But i digress in comparison to the old films the new ones demonstrate overall better depictions of lightsaber duels and the use of their styles.the reason why they need that momentum is to break though there opponents guard or to simply create an opening. also yes it takes very little effort to cut someone in half also a lightsaber in terms of a weapon could be seen as a downgrade in some respects because it instantly cauterizes the cut you just made. also not all attacks are swings and they vary the use of different types of attacks. also duels should only be proper in a contest. In an actual fight fighting properly is just holding back and that will get you killed. Yes a lightsaber only needs to touch you to do great harm however the hard part is touching your opponent with the blade its not as easy as it looks.
Thiago Freitas
" wouldn't that render the fight itself pointless and narrow everything down to the same concept with magic duels in Eragon's universe, where both guys sit there and do nothing until one finds a weakness/blindspot on the other's mind and kills him instantaneously?"
Not overly, from the way its typically explained think of it as more along the lines of spidermans-spider sense, very mild precognitive prediction- And also keep in mind theyre constantly doing things to change that prediction. You never know for "sure" until you actually do it. Youre reacting to a prediction, which changes what really happens.
As for why youd have to swing at all with some force, because youre still expecting some resistance, from your opponents light saber. If you swing with no force, youre that much easier to parry/redirect. Lightsabers have basically no mass in the "blade", so all the "momentum" comes from you.
The Cludd I'm sorry for being a grammar Nazi but, the plural form of "his/her/its" is "their", not "there"; that made it so damned hard to read the text until I realized it was *never* "there".
And well, I never knew how cannon the saber styles from the Old Republic's series really was, so I was trying to focus only on the movies; if the fight went down as you are describing, there wouldn't be any missed swings; what would happen would be half movements; like, if the jedi suddenly precognized his enemy coming for downward cut from his left, he would begin to raise his saber to defend that; the opponent would, however, precognize his reaction and immediately change his attack, let's say, pulling his elbow backwards as to miss the jedi's saber on it's way down and be free to make a stab attack; the jedi, before throwing his saber uselessly in a head defensive position, would then see that his enemy was coming for a thrust, and change his movement, maybe stopping and lowering his saber again or maybe just turning his fist to the side, to make his blade wipe his enemy's to the side...
He definitely wouldn't complete his high block and then follow it up with 5 seconds of spinning his saber left and right above his head.
Well the movie had an R rating so it was made for adults.
I saw this movie when I was 12, and even at that age, I thought that scene was moronic.
"If you are not supposed to criticize entertainment... then shut up!" cheers to you Skallagrim.
Since you showed two weapons from Skyrim in the opening, could you do a weapon from that franchise next? Perhaps the Steel Greatsword, as it looks pretty accurate to some Scottish greatswords, or perhaps one of the Deadric weapons, which don't look very practical at all.
They all have no blades, everything in skyrim is as sharp as a table. And never look closely at the bows.
I mean by the design, not the limitations of the graphics.
Fakenit it's no graphical limitation you can easily make them look sharp for next to no if no additional polygons or rendering effort.
Since you said "One Piece" so many times, what do you think of Yuro that gets used by Hawk Eyes?
+Schwarzer Ritter I think it's safe to say that he'd find the sword to be functional if it wasn't so absurdly large.
+Raptormann0205 Yeah, if we scale it down it surely looks like usable but many fantasy weapons seems usable to us non-experts but in reality are far from usable...
well, to be honest even the Buster sword if scaled down to the size of a bowie knife would be viable, just as long as the handle is changed
Thank you! I'm glad someone has finally stepped up and pointed out the second stupidest part of the movie. The Kurgan's blade was a jigsaw-maker's fantasy that would have fallen apart after the first swing.
What's the stupidest part, you ask? The fact that Brenda (Roxanne Hart) Wyatt is supposedly a sword expert, but she repeatedly calls MacLeod's sword a "Samurai." The proper word is "katana", and she should have known that.
Do an episode on the lightsaber :P
I too want the lightsaber to be reviewed, as well as a reflection on the style change in the prequels. The original interpretation was that the emitter was a heavy piece of tech. Reminiscent of knights/samurai. I have to wonder about the fact that all the weight is in the hands, non in the laser-sword, so it would have questionable practical application from the lack of mass/gravity/weight in the blade, IE, how do you duel with it? I think George should have said that the light part, the cutting laser, had a type of literal mass. It's sci-fi, so why not have more fun with the fantasy tech?
Drakeslayer Amnon Well a sword is different than an axe, a sword is supposed to be light and agile, it gets all its power from the sharp edge. So, especially considering the fact that it's a LASER, not just a sharpened edge, you probably wouldn't need mass in the blade. In fact, it being more agile would make it even better, because then it's that much quicker.
chandelure99 Yes, but without any weight in the blade, it would have issue parrying, blocking, ETC., would it not? Samurai swords actually were unbalanced and had the weight mostly in the blade. Western swords were generally evenly more balanced. Point is, without mass, it'd be hard to use the sword. Against other LS'ers I'm sure they'd be fine, but what about other weapons and weapons of substance? I feel that Lucas didn't quite appreciate this issue. If you look at blaster bolts, and other things, the force from this would likely knock a LS out of a Jedi/Sith's hand. Even rapiers had weight.
I didn't think about that... You always see the jedis deflect the blaster bolts with their lightsabers, right? if blaster bolts were the same type of laser the LS is made of, then either the lasers would stick to the blades or when jedis fought their lightsabers would bounce off each other.
Well you obviously know more about Star Wars than I do. :P
I still think it's ridiculous to take FICTIONAL weapons and scrutinize their lack of real life application. This is like me reviewing the Cricket from Men in Black, where I go on to explain that the recoil would've seriously injured anyone who operated it and it would have been too impractical. I'd like to add that this sword was used by someone who was IMMORTAL, I think that should give a hint as to how serious you should take this weapon ;)
Watching the movie through a kids eyes was amazing, I guess this is yet an other movie that one should not rewatch as an adult.
Yeah I always hated that scene in the movie. Such a small thing but it just annoys the hell out of me. It doesn't make me like the movie any less of course. I think it's absolutely brilliant, and the Kurgan is one of my favourite movie villains of all time.
superchief86 The funny thing is that the Kurgan's blade is the only sword in the movie that suffers from any of these problems. Except maybe Connor Mcleod's Claymore that he used when he was younger, and even that is more practical despite it's hilariously large heft. All of the other blades were perfectly serviceable and practical.
Even the "One of a Kind Masamune" Katana that Ramierez used and then passed on to Mcleod, while perhaps not very likely to have existed in the timeframe in which it was supposedly made, was still a properly forged Japanese Katana. (also, if the blade really was folded over a thousand times, that makes it one of the most beautifully forged weapons in history.)
The "Toledo Salamanca" wielded by Aman Fasil, (the guy in the Madison Square Garden Parking lot fight) while not a historically real weapon is very similar in design to the 15th century Spanish Espada Ropera, which is a blade fully capable of cutting an unarmored opponent in half despite the "rapier-like" design of it's straight blade.
And then there is the weapon wielded by Sunda Kastagir, which just based on the brief glimpses that you do get of it, seems to be similar to a Turkish saber or perhaps a Tulwar or maybe a Turkish Yataghan. Once again, in design, perfectly servicable and practical. The Tulwar is the design that I think may be the most likely to be what Kastagir actually uses, mostly because it's light enough to use quickly but also has that nice cutting and slashing power needed to cut a man's head off.
Conan's fuck huge sword.
If you're talking about this sword :
cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server4900/364bb/products/109631/images/76390/288254__92797.1342527562.500.500.jpg?c=1
- it doesn't seem so ridiculously oversized as other fantasy weapons.
it's Atlantean sword ;)
Huh, I remember it being much larger, or maybe I'm thinking of its weight?
frogsonfire55 you know, it certain scences in the original movie, he actually show some dexerity with it which peaks my interest, but most fighting scences, is just a stiff brute force monster
I love the way you start by the movie for explaining how a sword is making. Sorry for my poor english but continue your videos, they are very interesting.
Review Corvo's Sword from dishonored
Hey skallagrim do a video an corvos sword from dishonored i want to hear your opinion on this video game design of a sword
That would be a good video. www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-23/dh-corvo-sword.html is a good picture of the sword. I don't think its that bad. Its not really used as a battle sword more of an assassination weapon. Which as long as it is sturdy I feel it isn't that bad.
TroopperFoFo That is basically a large folding knife from the looks of it. Provided it locks into place solidly there is little problem with it, although frankly you could just use a lightweight dagger for throat cuttings.
You are right Kallagrim that Highlander Kurgan Sword is ludicrous design of two parts snapping together to form a single blade. One quick snap of the forward momentum would cause the blade to disjoin and furthermore severely weaken the blade causing it to easily break when striking anything. Only a sword of one single piece of metal is strong enough to impact other swords and perform as a sword should.
as a recovering 10 year old meth addict i found this video offensive.
Well then you need to get some thicker skin...you did that to yourself.
no i didnt! society did it to me!
Sure kid... I'm 16 never had that problem. Oh and its your fault you did that...and no one else.
dude you do realize its a joke right?
Kyle Callaway And you failed all points to indicate it was a joke like playful smiley emote, or any form of text-based emotes to give anyone a clue it was a joke. If it is a joke it's bad taste anyway and a rather lame point to attack the review anyway since it was a one-line comment that was over and done with.
This video's for entertainment? I watch these to learn stuff.
Ahahaha, omg Skal
That burn at 6:53 was to the highest degree
So attack speed is much more important then dmg itself.
+Mr.Burek yes cause u dont need weight for swords. maces and warhammers do. swords power comes from the sharpness of the edge and the speed to deflect and thrust and parry and riposte and feint, which all is better with more speed
fact is by increasing the speed u increase the velocity of ur blade which means the cut goes deeper so to be really fair : More attack speed = More dmg
Do an episode on $25 Amazon. com swords that are ridiculous.
***** I bought one and i was pleasantly surprised with the construction despite the price, however I have heard plenty of stories. I think I just got lucky.
***** I got a $10(?) assassin dagger on Amazon. I was....actually quite surprised by how absurdly durable it is. While the blade isn't sharp, it's pointy enough, which is all most daggers really need- so it's pretty much fully functional too. XD
Lord Camelslayer I have the same one, and I am surprised how sturdy it is. The steel is poor, but it makes a decent thrower.
Odood19 Well yeah, stainless steel and whatnot, but not too horrible for a dagger really.
"It looks like an orc with arthritis made it."
Insulting my people? How dare you.
Anyone think we can get him to talk about Frostmourne?
I hope so there are so many BS weapons in Wow that just make me go facepalm but I would love to hear him rant.
Yeah, I mean with frostmourne it seems like the most reasonable fantasy sword in the game, only thing I can actually find wrong with it is its guard.
Oh I as an actual Historical swordsman can find quite a bit. For example near the hilt that barbed section completely and utterly useless. Number two the extra blade 'guard's that are literally an inch above the normal steel guard. And the whole ram's head thing is too over the top and it just causes it to way more. Besides those parts it is usable as long as you don't mind scarring your soul. ;)
Well if I get to become a king and end up wiping a raid before my climactic demise I am fine with that. But yeah the ram's head is why I was saying the guard. I am not the most experienced with swords much to my dismay, even though I used to do alot of fencing.
i criticise you
I criticise your criticism.
Kingdom of the Saints - Everyone's a critic! :P
The redesign you showed at the end is way more attractive and would actually look just as good on screen as the one they used.
hey Skall, what about the Soul Reaver - Legacy of Kain -- Would be very interesting :-)
Not at all a practical blade, but it's got a special place in my heart.
I'd love to see it torn apart by Skall, ahaha. I second this!
Could you unscrew the pommel of this sword, and end someone rightly?
***** He said this in one of his other videos. It's what they used to say back in the day, when you had to kill somebody, they have to been ended rightly.
***** Ill give you a link to it, ill have to find it.
I loved the movie but hated the scene when the Kurgan assembled his blade from TWO parts for the same reason cited! I did not realize the other fatal flaws of the Kurgan sword design. Very enlightening video.
Skallagrim do Ashbringer from World of Warcraft please. :)
Oh god!!!!!!! That weapon is complete and utter bullshit. I want to hear the rant!
Josh Campbell And it looks dumb as hell.
Oh I know dude, I played that game for years. But it would be sooooo funny to hear Skall rip it up one side down the other drag it behind his horse trample it a few times then spit on it.
The problem is that functional/historical swords would be boring.
Maybe.
+Valken in the witcher 3 they sure aren't a problem...that game is the tits.
One thing I would like to bring up is your mention of the increase of force by having higher velocity. Force is a measurement of both mass and acceleration. If a person is strong enough to swing a 5lbs sword at the same velocity as a 3lbs sword, the 5lbs will hit with more force. Also, a person will favor a sword that feels right in their hand. If you are superhuman, a regular persons sword will no doubt feel much to light, and probably even flimsy in their hands. Having a heavy sword probably just feels better
What do you think about this sword here? (Rebellion - Devil May Cry 4)
1:i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/548697283/Devil-May-Cry-4-Dante-Rebellion-Cosplay-Weapon-Awakened-Version-.jpg
2:img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110312094040/devilmaycry/images/6/6f/Rebellion.png
3:img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080424220152/devilmaycry/images/f/f5/Rebellion_DMC4.jpg
And, this is the size of this monster with Dante (note: Dante´s height is something between 1,88/1,92 cm):
1:fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/226/a/6/dante__devil_may_cry_4__by_sterrennacht-d5b0447.png
2:img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120624040548/devilmaycry/images/6/63/Dante_4.png
3:img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121021205839/devilmaycry/images/7/79/Dante_DmC4.png
4:fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/024/5/c/devil_may_cry_4___dante__1_by_ishikahiruma-d5sjqv1.jpg
That´s all Folks! and, Skallagrim, congratulations for your work. Greetings from Brazil!
I can tell something already.
First of all: The spikes on the skull, do I need to explain?
now i'm not tearing you down, or anything like that, but complaining about the little design flaws like the parrying blades on the hilt and the snap together assembly is all well and good.
but complaining about the size and the weight?? it's pretty much a heavy cavalry sword, or heavy infantry. basically used to dent armor with it's weight. or if being used by an unmounted soldier, take out an opponent on horseback. kind of like the traditional long swords were ment to do.
also I find it funny how you're comparing it to a sword designed specifically for stabbing through armor, unlike the kurgan's sword which is designed to hack and stab.... the stabbing swords were designed to be a bit more flexable than the ones made to hack through oppositions, or horse legs which are like trying to slice through a tree. which would nessesitate the need for it to be a heavy blade, and why a strong person would be the one to use it. in this case "the strongest of the immortals"
Trying to use any sword to "dent armor" or stab through it (plate, anyhow) is a terrible idea.
CarnalKid not really, being the sword like any hand tool is designed for a specific purpose.
the one he's holding, how it's shaped almost to a perfect point, is an armor piercing sword. designed for stabbing and punching straight through plate mail armor.
broad heavy swords are designed to dent, or crack armor. and aren't as sharp as those designed for slashing and stabbing. katana are designed to encompass all three, build strong to dent armor, given a fine edge for cutting and slashing, and sharpened points for stabbing.
terrible idea?? doesn't seem so given the centuries of practice
No sword ever made can stab through plate armor. End of story. Piece through gaps? Sure, and this sword isn't pointy enough to be optimal or even suitable for that, really.
CarnalKid really?? so you're saying they didn't teach you anything when you learned to use a sword?? like where the jinx in the metal's smith work is for the best ways to breach it?? or crack it with a heavy strike then pierce it??.....
yeah i'll take the books I've read explaining these things than wikipidia is showing you. least they have some sense on the design differences in the sword construction
CarnalKid
You need to be careful when you say such a crazy sweeping statement like this.
Its true, that by the late 15th Century (gothic era), plate armour in Europe was so well engineered that piercing it became impractical - hence the uptake in broadswords, designed to break bone by smashing into the plates.
But earlier plate armour wasnt anywhere near as effective and certainly some blades of the time would have been able to pierce this no problem if hit correctly.
If you're interested in digging a bit deeper into into it, I recommend Ewart Oakeschott's books - he single handedly re-defined sword history! :)
I know this is a pretty old video, but the sword Kurgan assembles in the hotel room is his practice sword. He keeps the real one in a secure location, according to the lore.
what do you think about Ice from game of thrones? you should also do a review on some swords from Bleach.
Most swords from bleach are based off the katana sword with exception to when the characters go into bankai state.
Also, most bankais or shikias are based off Asian culture in some way. Examples being ichigo's shikai and soifon's shikai.. Its shaped after a knife meant for cutting fish fast. and soifon's is meant to be stealthy like a finger claw it was based off of