Realm Collections Blog

Now that the episodes of Assassin’s Creed: Lineage are settled in it’s cool to go back and examine some special effects and other film attributes. My favorite were the costume clothing, and specifically, the assassin’s clothing. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, it is a short three episode movie series released on YouTube in October and November of this year. The story is a prequel to the video game Assassin’s Creed II. It centres around the father of the game’s main character, Giovanni Auditore de Firenze. Giovanni is an assassin living during the Renaissance in 15th century Italy. At this dawn of a new era, a conspiracy is being plotted by one corrupt family to overthrow the powerful Medici family and destroy a unified Italy. As an assassin, Giovanni must face this threat and bring justice. The story introduces the situation before Assassin’s Creed II, and the enemies of both characters.

For those of you who have seen the videos these images should be familiar to you:

The assassin Giovanni wears an outfit very unusual to the ‘assassin image’. I would expect assassin’s to wear less loose dark clothing to blend in with the night. Giovanni wears bright color coats and capes. This clothing was tranformed from the video game to the screen without flaw. Giovanni is bod and brave and needs not hide in the dark. From his over tunic to his under tunic, from his boots to his belt, this Assassin’s Creed: Lineage costume is something to behold. I just wish I had the pieces for Halloween! Oh well, maybe next year…

Here you can find the complete costume and outfits of other Assassin’s Creed: Lineage characters:
Assassin’s Creed: Lineage Costumes

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a 2009 American live-action film adaptation of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy franchise. It was released on August 7, 2009. I’m not going to go into detail about the movie but you can get a great summary here.

I’m here for the goodies produced from this movie fully licensed United Cutlery G.I. Joe Swords. There are a total of two kinds of swords. They are the Snakes Eye Sword and the Storm Shadow Sword. Apart from their look and quality, what I like about these swords is that each one is unique. Unique in the sense that each individual sword has its own serial number. This will help prevent knock-offs from corrupting the G.I. Joe sword market. United Cutlery received the license for these swords and did an impressive job from bringing them from the screen to your hands. Nice job UC! So lets go into a little more detail about the swords themselves.

Name: Snake Eyes Sword

Blade Length (inches): 24.25

Blade Material: High Carbon Steel

Carry System: Hardwood, Leather Wrapped

Handle Material: Stainless with ABS Overlay

Overall Length (inches): 36.63

Special Features: Licensed Replica, Serial Numbered, Certificate of Authenticity, Custom Display Stand

Name: Storm Shadow Sword

Blade Length (inches): 27.00

Blade Material: High Carbon Steel

Carry System: Hardwood, Leather Wrapped

Handle Material: Hardwood with Ray Skin and Genuine Leather Wrap

Overall Length (inches): 38.25

Special Features: Licensed Replica, Serial Numbered, Certificate of Authenticity, Custom Display Stand

Pre-Order Yours Today!

Remember that cool looking sword that the elf army used at the beginning prologue thing of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring? The one where they did a sick uppercut maneuver with. I remember all the LotR forums were crowded with comments talking about it. Well nine years later and I finally got one. Just thought I’d make you all jealous.

I recently saw the new establishment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I have to say I was impressed. The movie was fresh and funny. Although I was long there were hardly and parts that dragged along and I found myself laughing as though I was watching a comedy. I did read the book when it first came out (can’t remember how many years ago that was?) but I still was surprised at times and eager to know what was going to happen, as if I didn’t already. Overall, it was a fun and fresh movie.

Are you a Harry Potter fan too? Check out these fun collectibles and gear to help you jump-start your own magical adventure!

For those of you who are not sure or need a quick refresh on what a crossbow is/does then listen up. A crossbow is a range weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shots bolts (ammunition, similar to an arrow). The development of these weapons dates back to Ancient Greece and they played significant roles in warfare till the introduction of guns. Here is a picture to further spark your imagination.

Now that we set the mood lets get back to the topic on hand shall we. That is, Crossbows in the Medieval Era. Crossbows played an important role throughout the Medieval period. The crossbow was really the first hand-held weapon that could be used by an untrained soldier to injure or kill a knight in plate armor. The most powerful crossbows could penetrate armor and kill at 200 yards. Crossbows are easier to aim than longbows because the crossbowman doesn’t have to use a hand to hold the string back while aiming. It was easier to master then a typical bow, therefor making it ideal for unspecialized soldiers. The only downfall to this was that a crossbow took a lot longer to reload.

In the armies of Europe, mounted and unmounted crossbowmen, often mixed with javeliners and archers, occupied a central position in battle formations. Usually they engaged the enemy in offensive skirmishes before an assault of mounted knights. Crossbowmen were also valuable in counterattacks to protect their infantry. The rank of commanding officer of the crossbowmen corps was one of the highest positions in any army of this time. Along with polearm weapons made from farming equipment, the crossbow was also a weapon of choice for insurgent peasants such as the Taborites.

Based on how we praised the crossbow above you may be surprised by the following statment. Medieval crossbows were inefficient. The reason for this is that the draw length and the lathe (also called a prod) of crossbows are short. So even though a crossbow may have a great deal of stored energy when spanned, the tips of the lathe do not have enough time to reach the maximum velocity, so the amount of stored energy is not transferred fully to the bolt. It is the lathe tip velocity that determines the speed of the bolt that is loosed.

Hey readers! Sorry about the long delay but we are now back in blog business. OK so a couple of blogs back we talked about a new line of items that are out based on the Assassin’s Creed video game series (there are two games atm I believe). We I am going to do now is kinda review individual items and talk about what makes it so special. We’ll do one at a time and today start with the ‘Amazing Assassin Extension Knife’. With ‘Amazing’ in the name it must be something! Sounds corny to me, I’ll have to look into that.

So lets take a look at this ego-driven Assassin’s Creed collectible shall we. Alone this product is fun but has its limits. This is because there is nothing to hold it to your arm! There are hinges on the sides which you can custom make some straps to secure it. Once you get the glove and vambrace your life will be much easier. With the blade hidden the base measures 10-3/4 inches from tip to tip. The weight is perfect, only 1.2 pounds. The finishing is done by hand but looks professional and not hurried.

While I was bringing out the blade for the first time I was impressed with its size. “Man, how long does this thing get!”. The entire blade (or at least what sticks out) is 8.5 inches and .5-.75 inches wide, Bringing this entire contraption to 18-3/4 inches. Only about 4″ of the blade is naked; the rest is shielded off but not 100% invisible. While it still serves poking purposes (be careful near eyes and other delicate body parts), the blade is unsharpened/dull. All pew pew assassin action stays put in the virtual world. This Assassin’s Creed collectible is all show and tell.

One of my favorite features is the secure lock it has which prevent the blade from engaging/disengaging on its own. To engage the blade you just move the lever found on the base up. Simple enough. So do you just move it down to disengage? No! There is a button (yes, a button) that needs to be pressed before you touch the level. Mastery engineering if you ask me. Well that pretty much sums up this Assassin’s Creed collectible. Catch me next time when I review the impressive Altair Over Tunic With Hood.

Amazing Assassin Extension Knife:

Pros:
-Safe
-Perfectly balanced weight and dimensions.
-Looks wickedly cool!

Cons:
-Needs to come standard with a hand strap thingy.

If you’re new to the whole renaissance faire business then you might be stumped on what to wear. If this is your situation do not fret, help is on the way. There is no right or wrong way to dress for a renaissance faire. You will see kings and queens, knight and pirates, witches and wizards. The themes you should shoot for when deciding on what to wear at a renaissance faire are history or fantasy. What I mean by history is more so middle-ages/renaissance. Fantasy also should somewhat relate back to these time eras (e.g. wizards, witches, fairies, and even centaurs).

Once you know what your characterizing make sure you stay in that category. Don’t try to pull off a half-witch/half-princess outfit. For women the simplest outfit would be a dress with a historical touch. You can find a ton of dresses that are actually based on historic replicas and the price is extremely reasonable. Other outfit ideas that are popular for women include: a shirt, bodice, and long skirt combo or a classic chemise.

Common outfits for guys revolve around the imitation of warriors and knights.

Pirates are also very common at Renaissance Faires. These costumes can go from simple (white shirt, black pants, and a tricorn hat) to very creative (eye-patches, weaponry, sashes, etc.). All you need to make your pirate costume or any other Renaissance Faire outfit for that matter can be found at Realm Collections. Now that you know the countless possibilities, you will never wonder what to wear at a Renaissance Faire. If your not into all that dressing up, going in everyday clothes is also fine!

Looking for a social group where you can discuss anything and everything revolving around the Celtic realm? Well so was I and after some exploring I have stumbling upon this small but growing Celtic social network, The Celtic Friends Network.

The Celtic Friends Network is a place to make friends and discuss or purchase Celtic jewelry, art, music, crafts, and more. I have connected with many new faces: artists, writers, store owners, and just those who want to learn more about the Celtic ideas.

This Celtic social network lets you fully customize you page with pictures, videos, text, and a variety of page designs. You can join groups, start or participate in discussions, write blogs, and much much more. So if you’re looking for a Celtic social world, the The Celtic Friends Network is my strong recommendation.

The Celtic Friends Network is an international social network that allows people with Celtic interests to make friends and discuss Celtic subjects. We are designed for the exchange of information, pictures, videos, and ideas about Celtic topics. This site is similar to other popular social networks like MySpace, yet provides a focused topic, which is anything Celtic.
-http://www.celticfriendsnetwork.com/

Out of ideas for a Valentine’s Day Gift? Don’t fret just yet, there is some time! If your lover (or maybe just a friend) has any interest in history or fantasy then these gifts may ease your hindrance.

Celtic Jewelry
Celtic Jewelry is a foolproof Valentine’s Gift. Not only is it jewelry which every woman loves (right?), but if she has any interest in the Celtic art your gift will be both beautiful and thoughtful. So if this sounds like the Valentine’s Day gift you have been looking for check out this collection of Celtic Jewelry from Realm Collections..

For the Fantasy Fans
If your significant other is a fantasy or video game fanatic a gift corresponding with his/her favorite movie/book/game would be perfect. Some options include Lord of the Rings Memorabilia, Assassin’s Creed Replicas, and Pirates of the Caribbean gear. for more options check out www.realmcollections.com.

These are just some ideas I thought go well with the holiday. If you are seeking some other historical gifts for Valentines Day (clothing, decor, swords, armor, etc.) you can find it all at Realm Collections.

If your an antique collector or just looking to buy/sell antiques you will be very pleased with this online auction site. It’s called SeeAuctions.com and is very much an ebay for antiques and vintage collectibles. I have tried the site myself from the seller perspective and have found it extremely user-friendly, and best of all, free! There is no fee for creating auctions and you can list as many items as you want. There are antiques of all sorts ranging from furniture to swords. So if your looking for a free, user-friendly antique auctions site with a great community be sure to visit www.SeeAuctions.com!

SeeAuctions.com specializes in exceptional authentic antiques and highly collectible items, providing a secure venue for live online auction hosting. Most auctioneers on the website have a passion for quality antiques and an acquired taste for exceptional deals. With over 50 years experience in the antiques and collectibles industry, SeeAuctions.com is committed to ensuring extraordinary value and opportunities to acquire “non-reproduction” items which meet their members’ demands. As a full service, integrity-oriented auction hosting company, SeeAuctions.com continually strives to provide the services and tools necessary to ensure every buyer and seller receives the best possible service and auctioning experience available. (http://www.aboutus.org/SeeAuctions.com)