Spirit Deluxe Wide Blade Sword (2017)

I was pretty sure I was going to learn something from this experience that I honestly already knew: NEVER order from the website. Shop in-person. Though, to be fair, this seems like a bad idea even if you find one without a hole in the tip. The paint is ghastly. Those two giant spots look to have been simply slathered on, after the fact. The support rod isn't nearly wide enough; the outer-thirds are super pliable. There were small random chunks missing from hilt, as well. By far and away, the worst Spirit product I've ever touched. I guess I applaud them for their ambition, but it didn't work out.

If you're impatient, into gambling, and okay with losing out on the shipping charge, you can at least return online orders in-store.

2022 Update:I did not ever expect that they'd be willing to fix this, BUT OMG, THEY DID. They had a few, yesterday, and to my utter shock they were all fully erect. Did they put more support rods in here? Is the blade smaller?

I FIGURED IT OUT!!! The perfectly circular hole, the flimsiness...the longest support rod must have fallen out of the original one I had. ...Annnnnnd, they shipped it to me, regardless. Lovely. Make sure to look out for the paint issues, missing chunks, and giant holes, but if you can find one that's in good shape and can hold its shape, BUY BUY BUY.

I am ecstatic over this. I never dreamed I'd actually get to own a solid copy of this!

CLOUD REPRESENT.

If you wanted to cosplay, or go trick-or-treating as Cloud and Sephiroth, with one of your kids, this would be a perfect Masamune, for them!

Spirit Battery-Operated Toy Gun ()

If you're going to get one of these, you're going to want to put some thought into how it will end up leaving your possession. I would NOT recommend donating it. I gave mine to an adult friend. Prior to that, it sat on my rack with the rest of my Silent Hill collection and I never answered the door with it in my hand. Heed that advice yourself. Don't response to the bell with a Wiimote in your grasp, either.

I'm going to excise my ramblings, leaving nothing but my assessment of the piece itself, since I have parted with all of my Silent Hill media.

It's undeniably cheap, but it fits the bill and it won't crumble in your hand. However, I wouldn't drop it. I didn't even know it had a sound! Yes, a single sound. It's more of an extended, violent WHOOSH than a gunshot, but I wasn't expecting anything, so it's icing. I don't have a Youtube channel any longer and I'm not going to bother the rest of the Nut Blog crew over it. You can try it in-store. It says you can, right on the packaging. Be kind and replace the plastic tab, if you do. Even if the batteries are dead, the click is heavy and satisfying.

2023 Update: It seems like Spirit is only selling the entirely orange ones, now. I can't blame them.

It also looks like the M92F from RE5.

Threshold Oil-Rubbed Towel Tower ()

Oil-Rubbed!?!? I can't 😂  Oooooh, ooookaaay... I don't remember seeing that on the box! Right, so it's pretty sturdy, even if you choose to forgo the side-rails, like I did. You'll need a Phillips-head screwdriver for assembly, regardless of your desired level of completion. If you really want it for towels, that's cool, and it'll definitely do the job flawlessly. I think its true strength is in storing bladed toys that are too pliable for their own good. Hanging vertically (and level) they won't have the chance to move, and consequently warp, in any particular direction. Assuming their hilts are wide enough to comfortably rest upon two of the rails, and their blades are thin enough to fit between them, this is an ideal set-up. It's five shelves high, so unless you've got a 1:1 scale replica of Sephiroth's Masamune, you should be fine.

I love how it looks loaded up, because it evokes those moments in games where you get to retrieve your inventory, after being separated from it for some back-to-basics/stealth/PANIC! times. Or, if you're Constantine, for the duration of two cutscenes...

Spirit Deluxe Katana ()

I'm going to excise my ramblings, leaving nothing but my assessment of the piece itself, since I have parted with all of my Silent Hill media.

I traded up! There’s a good reason: our neighbor’s grandkid has been going on about how he wants Leonardo’s katanas. Guess who has had one of those~ Alright, there’s two reasons: this is the BEST costume accessory weapon I have ever held in my hands. JEEBUS H. FISTO, it is just shy of perfection (in its tier, of course). Simply take a look at the tip to make sure there isn’t any paint scraped off and you're good to go. The support rod runs just shy of the tip, like something else I reviewed, but the blade is so uniformly thick that there’s no chance of accidental warping. You’d have to deliberately try to wrench it out of shape. It’s super weighty and has a rounded guard!!! There was no way I was passing this up. It was a the-stars-have-aligned situation, through and through.

It has every right to call itself deluxe.

In the intervening years, it has occurred to me that there's a huge benefit to the fact that this feels impressively long, even in an adult's hands: If you wanted to cosplay, or go trick-or-treating as Cloud and Sephiroth, with one of your kids, this would be a perfect Masamune, for them! That's what it's going to be on my rack, from now on!