by Aldus Marius on Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:26 am
Salve, mi Iohanne!
Avoid Museum Replicas.
Oh, my Gladius from them is okay, if all I want to do is show the Faire nerds that I've got one; they make me peace-tie it, so it never leaves the scabbard and nobody sees the oh-what-the-hell blade. It's not that MR's suppliers don't have the skill to make an accurate one; their helmets are exquisitely crafted...and exquisitely wrong.
I think it's the attitude. Their original resident Expert, Ewart Oakshott, had medieval swordcraft down to a science. But he was flatly dismissive of the Romans when he bothered to mention us at all. This seems to have seeped into the "corporate culture" as just not caring enough to get our stuff right. A pity, then, that they're making so much more Roman stuff than they used to...and attracting an ever-growing chorus of reenactor howls with every new release.
The clothing's much the same story; it's either period patterns done in non-period fabrics (satin; poly-cotton blends...), or good fabric wasted on Hollywood designs. Pour me another round of frustration, easy on the ice...
Their selection in general has become more and more wedded to the movie industry: Spartans, Templars and pirates dominate this month's catalogue.
Sigh...(but see Collegium Artium-->Roman Humor for a True Story about my sword.)
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.