The blade that seals the darkness. A hidden little build guide — tucked at the bottom of the Operation Series, because every good game has a secret.
▲ The One Rule ▲
The secret isn't the printing — it's the sanding. Prime, sand, prime, sand… until every layer line disappears. Patience is what turns a print into a forged blade.
A short shopping list — cheap, and you'll reuse most of it on the next build.
Filament
~470 g PLA
Glue
Superglue or epoxy
Filler
Bondo spot putty (seams)
Primer
Filler primer, spray
Sandpaper
120 · 220 · 400 · 800 · 1000
😷 Respirator
sanding dust + spray fumes
Paint
Silver · blue · gold spray
Clear coat
Matte + a little gloss
Optional
LED / backlit resin (the glow)
The respirator is the one thing that isn't optional — sanding dust and primer/paint fumes are the real hazard here. Mask on, window open.
The Models
Someone already did the hard modelling — print theirs, it's free. Popandsicle's is the pick: it snaps together (barely any glue), the parts are split by colour, and it's one of the lighter full-scale prints. Most other Master Swords eat more plastic.
★ Master Sword (BOTW / TOTK) — Full Scale
by Popandsicle · Printables · ~470 g · no-support, snap-together, colour-split
MakerWorld models come with tuned print profiles — one click and it's slicing, great if you're on a Bambu.
On filament: Popandsicle's is ~470 g. Most other full-size Master Swords run 500 g – 1 kg+ (a comparable one is ~0.5 kg / ~20 h of printing). Want to spend less plastic? Grab one of the “material-efficient” cuts. So pick as much by grams as by looks.
It's a metre long, so it comes as segments you print a few at a time and join.
Material
PLA (sands + primes cleanly)
Filament
~470 g · ~€8
Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
3–4 (strength at seams)
Infill
10–15%
Supports
only where the guard overhangs
Cheap “from China” PLA is totally fine for a sand-and-paint prop — just pick a semi-decent budget brand (eSun, Sunlu…) so you're not fighting jams.
Finish It
The printing is the easy part. This is where a good sword is actually made — budget a few evenings.
Join the segments — a dab of superglue or epoxy at each seam. (Popandsicle's design even snaps together, so you may barely need glue.)
Fill the seams — Bondo spot putty into every joint line.
Sand — 120 → 220 → 400 grit, knocking down the layer lines.
Filler primer — a heavy coat that fills the fine texture.
Sand & repeat — prime, sand, prime again until the lines vanish — then wet-sand fine: 600 → 800 → 1000 grit for a glass-smooth, forged-metal blade (the finish the Vader manual swears by). This is the secret; patience beats skill.
Paint — mask and lay down the colours below.
Clear coat — matte on the grip, a little gloss on the blade.
Paint It
Blade — silver / steel (a whisper of blue) Winged guard & grip — blue Fittings, wrap & Triforce — gold Centre gem — amber (or just paint it blue) Optional — the sacred blue glow (LED / backlit)
Only got silver, blue, and a gold spray? That's basically the whole sword — silver blade, blue hilt, gold accents. You're already set.
The Quest Log
~470g
filament
~€8
plastic cost
~25h
printing
1 m
full scale
★★★★★
a few weekends
Through the Years
The Blade of Evil's Bane has been reforged in every era. Here's how it changed — pick the version you want to build.
1991
A Link to the Past — its debut. Purple grip & blue guard in the pedestal, red grip & gold guard once drawn — and that crystal-blue blade that's been its signature ever since.
1998
Ocarina of Time — the version everyone pictures. Blue handle, green grip wrap, the blue winged guard, a yellow gem, and the Triforce etched on the blade. First time in full 3D.
2002
The Wind Waker — toon-shaded and chunky, a bold purple grip. Lost its power… then woke back up.
2006
Twilight Princess — darker, grittier and battle-ready. A deep blue-purple grip and a heavier, realistic look — the "cool" one.
2011
Skyward Sword — the origin. It starts as the Goddess Sword (with the spirit Fi living inside it) and gets tempered, step by step, into the Master Sword itself.
2013
A Link Between Worlds — back to the classic top-down look, and temperable into stronger, golden forms.
2017
Breath of the Wild — ancient and battle-worn, glowing crystalline blue near Malice. The one most people 3D-print.
2023
Tears of the Kingdom — decayed by Gloom and shattered, then restored longer and reforged. Fuse it with items to change its look and power.
Before You Start
⚠ Stay safe, Hero
◆ Wear a dust mask when sanding — PLA dust is fine and you don't want it in your lungs.
◆ Prime and spray outside or by an open window. Primer and paint fumes need fresh air.
◆ Get a grown-up for the sharp + hot stuff — craft knives, files, the printer nozzle and a soldering iron for the optional LED all bite.
◆ This is a display prop. Leave the edge blunt, don't swing it at anyone, and remember PLA is brittle — it's for photos and shelves, not battles.
“It's a secret to everybody.”
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial, fan-made bonus — a hidden little easter egg tucked inside
The Operation Series, built by a kid and shared free.
It is not affiliated with, authorised, endorsed by, or connected to Nintendo Co., Ltd. or any related entity.
The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, the Master Sword and the Triforce
are trademarks of Nintendo. This guide is for personal, non-commercial use only and is not for sale.
The 3D model belongs to its creator, Popandsicle — the links above point to their public
Printables page, and no files are hosted here. If you print it, drop them a review and a like; makers run on that.
Always check a model's licence before printing, and print for yourself, not to sell.
Free to share · free to remix · free to fail and start over. Now go forth and pull the blade from the pedestal. ✦