FFXIV – Malignant Mogaxe

This item was produced for a private client and also marked one of my first experiences with CNC production.

As with the Antiquated Murgleis project, I started by ripping the low-poly model from the source game to use as a reference. Given the absurd size of the axe – a bit more than five feet long end-to-end – 3D printing seemed like the preferred choice for production, as it would keep the overall weight of the axe down. It had to be remodeled in high detail for 3D printing, and the model subsequently needed to be carved up to actually fit on the printers available. It was kept in as many separate components as possible to try and simplify the painting process, and I used pins between the sections to try and reinforce the joints of the 3D-printed areas. 

After some discussion with the client, we determined that it’d be fun to make the handle out of actual wood. I planed down a maple log and routed the handle shape out on an Avid Pro4896 Router in a two-sided operation to ensure that I could get it to fit snugly inside the 3d-printed parts as designed. After many hours of sanding, priming, and finishing work, painting came together fairly quickly due to the prop’s basic color scheme.