How would I make this?
I have been wanting to cosplay Dante from DMC 3 but I'm unsure about how to make the sword. I've already made a base out of hard cardboard but its bent and become flimsy. My plan was to use joint compound and paper mache but I feel like that wouldn't hold up too well. I was also planning on making the blade of the sword first and I was going to attach the handle to it instead of making the base all one thing (I'm not sure how I would make the blade sturdy enough to attach to the handle though so I'm really reconsidering that). I'm considering using stuff like EVA foam, cardboard, foam clay and any other suggestions. I want to point out though that I don't have a 3D printer and this is my first time making a prop like this. Any help with this would be great, thank you!