Garuda’s Spine, Final Fantasy XIV
Garuda’s Spine is the largest single item I’ve built to date and was the culmination of many hundreds of hours of work. Commissioned as a cosplay accessory, the project went into full excess when my client said his deadline was malleable and I could take my time to get all of the details perfect. The finished product took over a year but it’s easily my favorite replica in my portfolio and amongst the prettiest items I’ve ever created. It’s rare I completely lose sight of a project’s budgeted hours but I loved the design of this and worked to make the final result something truly special.
The bow is 6’4″ tall and has a wingspan of 38″ – this is 85% game scale to my 5′ tall client, mostly because a 7′ bow wouldn’t be portable and the wingspan would exceed the width of a standard door frame. The wings are vacuum-formed styrene attached to epoxy bases which can be removed from the main bow for transport and storage. Main limbs of the bow are cast in epoxy resin with an expanding foam core to keep weight at a minimum. The assembled bow weighs just over 12lbs.
