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Posts: 2,374
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Location: Buckinghamshire, England
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paul chen, fantasy katana review -
05-13-2004, 08:20 AM
hello all, i just recieved this today, so this will just be a short review as i dont have time to test it yet.
What struck me the most about this sword was the long long tsuka.
my god, its huge!!! but lovely. 
As you all know the tsuka is long, and the tsuka-ito is made from real leather, which feels really comfortable on your hands, and doesnt get too slippery when your hands sweat.
the ornament or menki, (soz dont know the word) seems to be golden, though im not sure what it depicts.
the rayskin is plastic, but seems to be nicer than that which you find on the PK.
the rest of the fittings on the sword are antiqued, which is quite a nice effect but isnt really that noticable.
the tsuba is much nicer than what you see in pictures, and complements the blade nicely. However the tsuba is quite large, and bigger than the winter bamboo i got to replace it.
the saya seems to be exactly the same as the one on the pk, except for that the sageo has been tied into a knot, which is a good thing!
the blade seems to be pretty much the same size and has the same sori (curve) as the pk does. But, there is a wonderful wave hammon, much like that on the ppk.
the sword isnt really that heavy, as i was expecting it to be. it seems to be about the same weight as the pk. but when your holding the extended tsuka, the point of balance seems higher, as the tang doesnt extend all the way down the tsuka.
All in all, this is a really good value blade, and while not being as nice as the ppk, is an excellent in-betweener, for the PK and the PPK.
id say the high points of this sword are;
*value for money
*hammon
*long tsuka (though possibly a downfall for others)
*can break it down
thats about it for now, though ill add some more later on, when i have more experience with it. |
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05-13-2004, 08:21 AM
pic2
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05-13-2004, 08:22 AM
pic 3
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05-13-2004, 08:23 AM
last one.
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05-13-2004, 12:31 PM
unless i'm mistaken, the menuki are the same as the musashi: oars and a hat, maybe sandals as well.
les yeich (pronounced yike)
helden wie wir sterben doch allein,
einsam unerreicht werden wir sein.
- the "great" jasmin wagner
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05-13-2004, 01:20 PM
I wasn't aware these could be taken apart other than by force.
Hmm...
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05-13-2004, 03:52 PM
you can take this apart, as its attached with two pins.
i have not been able to yet, as im still at uni. but i have heard from others that its not too difficult.
thats one of the main reasons why i bought it, so i could break it down...
your right, the meunki does look VERY similar from what i can see, but they dont look identical.
either way, its still a cheap sword giving you good value for money.
though perhaps with the long tsuka, its a bit unwieldy
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05-13-2004, 04:28 PM
Nice Musashi, I personally would never go with one as I function better with a shorter tsuka. Even the tsuka on my PPK is too large for me, but nonetheless it's a nice sword all and all. 
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. - Nietzsche
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05-13-2004, 04:34 PM
its not a Musashi, its a "paul chen practical fantasy katana"..phew 
though its basically the same as one, and i dont really see why the Musashi is so much higher in price when the two swords look VERY identical.
anyways, i have a new love in my life. |
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05-13-2004, 04:36 PM
what a beauty...
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05-13-2004, 05:52 PM
Oh weird, sorry about that... It does look an awful lot like the Musashi. Anyway nice sword anyway, hope you enjoy.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. - Nietzsche
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05-14-2004, 02:40 AM
Originally posted by william.m
its not a Musashi, its a "paul chen practical fantasy katana"..phew
though its basically the same as one, and i dont really see why the Musashi is so much higher in price when the two swords look VERY identical.
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the musashi has a much beefier blade. it actually has raised shinogi, as well. better polish, as well. basically all the price is in the blade.
les yeich (pronounced yike)
helden wie wir sterben doch allein,
einsam unerreicht werden wir sein.
- the "great" jasmin wagner
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Settled in Comfortably
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Posts: 18
Join Date: May 2004
Location: U.K
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05-14-2004, 04:58 AM
hopefully I'm gonna get mine in 2-3 weeks. Can't believe how cheap it is compared to the U.S. It costs $400 over there and the UK it would be $220 equivelent
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05-14-2004, 05:12 AM
wierd, usually you seem to get the better deal..
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05-14-2004, 05:35 AM
Ah *smacks herself in the forehead* doi I noticed it does have a different tsuba going back over the pics. Odd I never heard of the Practical Fantasy until this thread? Is it new?
Yeesh only 2 hours of sleep. o_O umm off topic...
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. - Nietzsche
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05-14-2004, 05:36 AM
well im not sure about the usa, but here in the uk, its very very new.
and like i said only a few people have it in the uk.
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05-14-2004, 06:52 AM
you guys didn't look too hard. i found it in the u.s. for $243, a buy it now for $178 and $199. in fact, the only place approaching $400 was mantisswords, which is pretty over-priced on everything.
les yeich (pronounced yike)
helden wie wir sterben doch allein,
einsam unerreicht werden wir sein.
- the "great" jasmin wagner
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05-18-2004, 07:11 AM
Originally posted by william.m
what a beauty...
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What sword is that? |
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05-18-2004, 08:35 AM
Don't rightly know, but it's at MRL. Some straight blade (tai-chi style) in a cane like the Chen Zatoichi..
- Brent Taylor
"Swords are fun!"
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05-18-2004, 09:08 AM
yeah, i had asked them about postage to the uk, but they never got back to me..
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05-18-2004, 12:46 PM
This sword looks a lot like a Ken mounted in a black lacquered shikome-zue koshirae. A Ken fits the double edged straight sword design Japanese in nature.
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05-20-2004, 01:43 PM
I'm almost sure I've asked this before, but I still don't know if the Fantasy Katana is the one used by Morpheus in the Matrix Reloaded?
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most obvious of which is to never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well known is this! NEVER go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!! Hahahahha! Ah hahahaha!! *dead*"
-Vizzini, The Princess Bride
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05-20-2004, 04:19 PM
okay dum dum.. the answer is YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES  |
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05-20-2004, 06:52 PM
Ummm...congratulations on getting Hattori Hanso to make you a sword...
Yeah, that's the movie prop. Now all you need is the digitally created Fu-Dog on the side of the blade and you're set.
~Jonas Greene~
"I send my love to you with the flick of the wrist...my paper airplane valentine hits you in the eye."
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05-21-2004, 03:43 AM
*slaps head in disbelief*
wrong movie num-nuts!
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