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Crafty-Jack β Germanic Warrior
Published: 2011-02-11 02:29:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 3742; Favourites: 52; Downloads: 390
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Description
So...the Germanic warrior project was something I came up with when my son was born. I decided I wanted to make him a set of toys that I would have loved to get when I was a kid. The plan was to make everything "somewhat" accurate to historical data, so that he could play and get a little in touch with his heritage at the same time.The whole thing was made in 2:1 scale. That way everything would fit when he was about 3 feet tall (as opposed to the full-scale 6-foot tall warrior).
The fun part was that I was done with the set before he was old enough to be aware that I was making it, so I assembled it into a big coat of arms based around the shield that hung up on a high wall (about 15 feet up where he couldn't mess with it), and as he became aware of its existance I insisted that it was just decoration.
Christmas 2009 I brought him into the room, and you should've seen the look on his face as I pulled it down and gave him the whole kit. He's had a blast with it ever since.
He's pictured here at the Irwindale Rennaissance Pleasure Faire in 2010. His shoulders were too narrow to really wear the shield, so I had to tie the straps together. He was a big hit, and he loved the attention.
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Comments: 48
warriors; they get younger every year.
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Indeed they do. By Odin's beard it seems like it's only been a fortnight since the wee bairn was playing down by the fjord.
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This is really cool, I dressed my kids up in armor when they were really young like this and when they were in high school, they really enjoied looking back at the pics and sharing them with friends from school.
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Thank you...yeah, it's a lot of fun for both of us. (...and much easier to craft things at his scale instead of mine.)
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Ha Ha...yes he is.
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Thank you.
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Thanks...the awesomeness is all him.
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Awesome set of toys, and great attention to details. I like the bit of background story with it, the idea to make your son believe it was a decoration before giving him the toys is great!
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It was a fun, cinematic moment....like right after I pulled the kit off the wall and gave it to him I should have started telling him that he was left at our doorstep with a medallion of royal lineage.
...and thanks for the compliments.
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A proper Germanic warrior. good to see your raising your son right and not just plopping him in front of a tv set with a game controller in his hand. Great Job!
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Thanks, man. I try my best...all our friends find it inconceivable that I don't have any kind of satellite or cable hook-up for our TV.
I love your gallery, by the way...kick ass stuff that. Seeing it reminds me of some of my brother's stuff...check it out if you have the time:
[link]
[link]
(sorry for the plug/spam...thought you'd like it)
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Unbelievable levels of cute... You are one of the best parents ever!
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Thank you very much....it's fun for both of us.
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I hope all your efforts come to fruition in the end
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So far so good...as of this morning I came home to find he had made a suit of armor out of grocery bags with a kite shield and sword made from the side of a cardboard box and decorated with markers.
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You have done well!
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Ha! thanks. ...and thank you for all the favs.
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A big hit, I bet! I got excited just seeing the thumbnail. I thought "No way! A little kid in full blown bad ass armor!?"
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HA! He was definitely a big hit. Thanks!
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THis is awesome, my kid would love this kind of thing. very well crafted sir.
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Thanks, man. Anyone as artistic as you can get into leatherwork if you're inclined to...it's way easier than it looks.
...and, yes, my kid loves it.
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Very nice sir! Truly a craft worthy of a noble warrior.
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Thank you...I can only aspire to fashion implements of war worthy of, indeed, the noblest of warriors.
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What a wonderful looking boy. Wish my father would have done something like that. Best thing is that the memories attached to these items will follow him for the rest of his life
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I hope so... and that sentiment ("I wish my father...") is EXACTLY what got me into all of this.
...and thank you very much.
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awwww! He looks so happy and cute, he's amazing!
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I completely agree! Thanks.
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That is so very adorable! And the story you provided to go with it makes it even sweeter.
What a cute little warrior!
Iβm always glad to hear about parents who care about these things. It makes me feel a bit better about future generations.
I hope he wonβt outgrow it all to quickly!
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Thank you so much. We try our best, though I'm sure our parenting style is outnumbered by the consumerist, TV-watching, couch-potato ilk.
I didn't outgrow it....I guess we'll see.
By the way, you have a great gallery. My wife would love those uterus earrings, she's a childbirth-educator/birth-doula/lactation-educator.
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Awesome, I had honestly never even thought of that. The earrings probably would make a good gift for a person working in that field!
My parents were like that I guess. I never outgrew it either, so they must have done something right!
Wish you all the best with your little family!
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I couldn't have imagined having such an amazing set of stuff as a kid! My family did craft some things for me, and I was certainly happy with them, but this is awesome. And he looks so stoked! All, THAT'S RIGHT, I'm a warrior!
I'd love to be able to do this sort of thing for my kids one day, should I ever have them. I ought to start learning metal, wood and leather craft now! Hahah.
It's wonderful work, by the way. I've been through the other submissions of specific pieces and your detail work, and tribute to historical accuracy, is rather impressive. You are very skilled and your son is a lucky kid. =] Hopefully he takes after his dad's love of trade / craft!
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Thanks for the detailed/articulate comment.
...and you're right, he was all "That's right, I'm a warrior." All 30-something pounds of him was mad-dogging people that outweighed him by a couple hundred bills.
...you should (learn those crafts). Having no experience in them growing up, they seemed like very intimidating skills, but once I jumped in, I've learned that it's just common sense mixed with a little creativity. I've seen your gallery, so I know you've got the creativity/artistic-ability. The actual craftsmanship and skill is something that you just have to get from practice. The more I do it, the more it seems that I end up doing a good job on accident (instead of a bad one on accident).
Thanks for the compliments. Yes, he's got his own set of tools, and I'll work on something while he nails together a couple of thin pieces of wood. It's a ton of fun, and the wife is totally supportive of our "father-son manly guy time."
Thanks again.
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Thanks...he had a blast.
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....and conquer he did. He had quite a few fangirls.
Me: "What is best in life, Liam"
Liam: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women."
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Oh man this is cool! Such a cute warrior haha. This has to be every little kids dream!
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He loved it...funniest part was how seriously he took it. I gave him a little speech about where our family comes from, and it was like he KNEW that this whole heritage thing was a big deal (even though I didn't put any pressure on him or anything), he kept mad-dogging people that outweighed him by a couple hundred pounds....hilarious.
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