Wireframe exploded image of the Tidus' Longsword on a white background. Prints Focian Icon top and central. Text: Purple Prints Focian, Tidus' Longsword, FInal Fantasy X and dark grey Assembly Guide

Introduction

 

In this Assembly Guide I’ll be offering help and advice to get the most out of your purchased Print It Yourself or Raw Build Kit for the Final version of Tidus’ Longsword from Final Fantasy X.

 

Check out the links below for the available versions:

 

 

This guide is here to offer technical help to you in a build, if you would like to see more of this item check out the Overview.

 

Whether you’re building this unofficial replica for decoration, or if you’re looking to use this as a cosplay prop, the information in this guide should assist you in making the best-finished product you can!

 

3d design above the raw build kit above a finished prototype of Tidus Longsword from FFX

 

 

 

Difficulty

 

  • Easy – An exceptionally easy project, most or all of the parts assemble in a very obvious manner. You’ll have difficulty going wrong on this project. Accessible to all build enthusiasts!
  • Normal – This will mostly be a straightforward project. Some of the finer details may need to be checked against this Assembly Guide, but most build enthusiasts should have no issue creating a great looking finished model.
  • Heroic – This will have a fair few tricky moments. It will need more care and attention to get the best out of it when compared to easier models. I would not recommend this for a first project as the difficulty could be frustrating.
  • Legendary – I do not recommend purchasing a piece of work that I have deemed as Legendary Difficulty unless you are an experienced builder or maker. Projects of this nature will need a lot of work, time and patience to complete. Technical knowledge about the material used will help, as will a versatile toolkit.

 

White background banner. Purple Text saying Raw Build Difficulty. Dark grey text saying Normal

White background banner. Purple Text saying Print It Yourself Difficulty. Dark grey text saying Heroic

 

 

Package Contents

 

 

Raw Build:

 

All components are printed in PLA on an FDM Printer and when fully assembled, the approximate specifications are as follows:

 

  • Height: 855mm
  • Width: 115mm
  • Depth: 36mm
  • Weight: 516g

 

All sections of the raw build unassembled.

All sections of the raw build loosely assembled.

 

Breakdown of each component:

    • Blade Tip
    • Blade Base
    • Hilt
    • Handle
    • Pommel
    • Hilt Studs * 8
    • Handle Studs * 3
    • Pommel Studs * 3

 

 

Handle in grey PLA

 

  • Handle
  • Infill: 40%
  • Weight: 88g

 

 

Hilt in grey PLA

 

  • Hilt
  • Infill: 25%
  • Weight: 66g

 

 

Pommel in grey PLA

 

  • Pommel
  • Infill: 40%
  • Weight: 11g

 

 

Tidus Longsword Component in grewy PLA with a red background: Blade 1

 

  • Blade Base
  • Infill: 15%
  • Weight: 195g

 

 

Tidus Longsword Component in grewy PLA with a red background: Blade 2

 

  • Blade Tip
  • Infill: 10%
  • Weight: 140g

 

 

All the studs in grey PLA

 

  • All Studs
  • Infill: 100%
  • Weight: 17g

 

 

Raw Build Support Rods

 

 

The support rods recommended for the Raw Build versions are:

  • One Green: 10mm * 500mm
  • One Yellow: 6mm * 200mm
  • Two Purple: 4mm * 100mm

 

 

Image of design of Tidus' first sword with Raw Build Support Rods highlighted

 

 

 

Print It Yourself:

 

Tidus Longsword Print it yourself exploded view

 

A single purchase of the Print It Yourself version of Tidus’ Longsword will grant you files to print the design, and you’ll also receive a BY-NC-ND 4.0 license for the files.

 

The following components with their respective [FILE_NAME] will be instantly available for download upon purchase:

  • First Part of the Blade –  [TLS_PIY_BLADE_1]
  • Second Part of the Blade –  [TLS_PIY_BLADE_2]
  • Third Part of the Blade –  [TLS_PIY_BLADE_3]
  • Fourth Part of the Blade –  [TLS_PIY_BLADE_4]
  • Fifth Part of the Blade –  [TLS_PIY_BLADE_5]
  • First Part of the Handle –  [TLS_PIY_HANDLE_1]
  • Second Part of the Handle –  [TLS_PIY_HANDLE_2]
  • Pommel –  [TLS_PIY_POMMEL]
  • Hilt –  [TLS_PIY_HILT]
  • Handle Stud –  [TLS_PIY_STUD_1]
  • Pommel Stud –  [TLS_PIY_STUD_2]
  • Hilt Stud –  [TLS_PIY_STUD_3]

 

Print It Yourself Support Rods

 

 

The support rods recommended for the Print It Yourself version are:

  • One Green: 10mm * 500mm
  • One Red: 6mm * 200mm
  • Three Purple: 3mm * 200mm
  • Four Yellow: 3mm * 10mm

 

Image of design of Tidus' first sword with Print It Yourself Support Rods highlighted

 

 

License Type:

 

With my 3D files, you will also receive a non-transferable Creative Commons Licence. As standard, this will be the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, although other types are available upon request.

 

The “human-readable” version of the license type can be found here.

 

I would like to highlight the Non-commercial part. “Non-commercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.” If you are using any designs of mine as part of your work (such as a cosplayer), then this is absolutely fine, and actively encouraged! Or perhaps you made an item a while back and now want to sell it on? You didn’t buy the item for the primary purpose of selling it on, again this is absolutely fine!

 

However, if you are purchasing the STL files with a view in mind to sell the output, raw or finished? This will require a commercial license.

 

 

 

Assembly

 

 

Unique Build Infomation:

 

 

The visible Z Banding defect has been resolved, these images will be updated soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the base of the blade meets the hilt (sand the blade more than the hilt, because the bottom of the blade is hidden).

 

 

 

Notch and protrusion on the blade components with rods between.

 

The back most section of the protrusion on the base of the blade.

 

Support Removal:

 

 

I remove the majority of support material to check the part has printed properly and looks good. While I do remove the bulk of the support, I do not remove every part; areas highlighted below will definitely need attending where the support was attached. The design of this sword allows it for it to be printed without much support required. There is only one part that may cause an issue:

 

 

Blade Tip

 

Tidus Longsword Component in grewy PLA with a red background: Blade 2 underside highlighted

 

The orientation needs to be flat, leading to the above surface from the contact to the support material.

 

 

General Information:

 

  • Small hand tools are used in the support removal and some small marks may be present
  • Ensure you wear eye protection when removing support material as it takes just the smallest amount of force to ding a shred of plastic into an eye
  • Material colour is subject to change
  • Take more care when sanding any resin products, both in terms of waste material and the ease of accidentally ruining the finish
  • I make all the holes for the support rod with an additional 0.5mm tolerance on the diameter, and 2mm on the length 
  • If the metal rods you have are quite shiny, I’d recommend a gentle sanding with low grit sandpaper to help glue adhesion
  • All support rod holes on Raw Build Kits are drilled and checked with the correctly sized rod to ensure a good fit
  • All support rods displayed are not essential and only included if explicitly stated
  • Consider lighter support materials, such as tubing or wooden dowel, if weight is a consideration. On a shelf? No issue. AFter eight hours carrying it around? Every gram makes a difference
  • For the Print It Yourself versions, I try and ensure that no single part is longer than 250mm
  • If you have a larger printer and would rather have the files used in the Raw Build, feel free to message me before or after purchase

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

If you enjoyed this, perhaps you would like to see another Project? 

 

Love what you saw? Got a project in mind? Feel free to reach out and let me know!

 

Prints Focian Icon on the left, a purple and white septagon with the words Prints Focian on the right, also in purple

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Start Date:
7th January 2021
portfolio diversity:
14 Project lines