.......and Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First, Mikey fooled me into thinking that it was going to be three to four weeks before these things showed up. Liar, liar, pants on fire :p They showed up a week to the day from our phone conversation, a very nice surprise.

To elaborate a bit: I had originally called Mike to cancel my Brescia order. As much as I loved that design it just seemed that the sword gods were conspiring against us on that particular project, so I decided to put that baby to bed and asked for a refund. I had thought that I would put the money towards a custom project. I could have payed a bill or some kind of grown-up thing, but where's the fun in that? I made a few contacts and wouldn't you know it no one had anything available. Consequently, I placed another call to Mikey and told him to make it an exchange instead of a refund.

All's well that ends well because I've just taken possesion of two very fine swords.

Observations:

No surprises with the Baron. It's exactly what I was hoping for, an excellent execution of an early medieval H&H. A quick sword that belies its size, and it makes a great companion for the Big Johnsson.

As for the Regent: HOLY HOLLOW GRINDING BATMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric and Nathan both told me that I'd love this sword, and they were both very correct. This sword rocks! The hollow grinding is executed to perfection. The sword is quick and fast, but big (I like'em big *g*). I normally hate to use terms like perfect and flawless but I'm afraid that they apply in this case. This is a sword that is just as striking in its handling as it is in its appearance. Albion broke new ground with the introduction of the Next Generation Line. They've raised the bar even further with these hollow ground models. Yes, there are other hollow ground blades on the production market, but they don't possess certain critical geometries and volumes that are critical to function and design. The Albion NG's certainly do. Big Kudos to Steve Fisher, Jason Dingledine, and everyone else involved in the blade making division at Albion. You guys have impressed me.

I won't elaborate further as these swords will be the subject of their own respective reviews. We don't normally like to announce upcoming features prior to release, but I was so excited that I had to share.

The folks at Albion did a great job of quickly rectifying a very frustrating situation. Well done.

I told you you'd like the Baron. :) It's quite a sword. I'm having fun figuring out how to use it.

The Regent is even more amazing than the Baron (which is amazing).

Congrats Patrick! The Regent was my favorite Albion, that I had the privilage to handle at the Atlanta Blade Show.



William
aka Bill

AAAAAAAAAGHH!!!!!! I ordered mine a week ago too! And it hasn't come yet :cry:
'Course Mike told me 3-4 weeks as well, so I need to be patient. need to be patient... need to be patient... :blush:

Congrats Patrick! Hurry up and put Mac to work on getting some pics up! Seems everyone be getting goodies around the same time...good side by side shots requested :eek:

Congratulations, Patrick .... you medieval trooper you !

It's great to hear the spirited inflections of a satisfied man !

May the cruciform be with you , Mac

Congratulations on the new swords, Patrick! As always, I look forward to your excellent reviews of each. I am especially interested on reading your thoughts on the Baron as I have just paid off the remaining balance on mine today and look forward to delivery sometime next week.

Congrats again,

James

I like my Regent too.

Tell you what though, that Landgraf is a sleeper that sneaks up on your when you play with it.

As a fellow Baron custodian, I'm glad you like it. I just received the Knight and will post a review with pix Tues or Wed. I'm very impressed with the handling of this sword. If you get the chance, try out one of these.

Regards,
Brian M

Hi Patrick,

Congratulations on receiving your two new beauties-- The Baron, Regent, and Sovereign are currently my favourites from the NG Medieval range. I chose the Baron as my first one and the Regent would be my second choice so I heartily applaud your good taste :) .

Having said that, while I was the first to order a Baron I still haven't received mine-- so I envy you the pleasure of holding it. This isn't a complaint, incidentally-- it is a consequence of wanting a scabbard with it. I asked Albion to make me a custom scabbard for it (which I am told will be finished this week!!!) and decided that I would rather wait and receive sword and scabbard together than separately... although I have questioned my wisdom since then :)

Either way, congrats and thanks for your feedback on the Regent-- it makes me want it all the more!

David

Congradulations Patrick!

Two very nice choices :D

Nathan Robinson wrote:

Quote:

I'm very eager to see what scabbard design they choose for the Baron!

Me too, Nathan.

Originally I had ordered the scabbard on the basis of it being a custom job. I'd corresponded with Peter J on the style (placing it within its proper historical context), and the feeling I was hoping to convey with it-- the story it would tell, if you like. When I communicated my thoughts (most of which were really Peter's thoughts-- credit where it is due :) ) they suggested that (seeing as Peter had already given his input) it might be just as well to make it as the standard Baron scabbard rather than a custom.

At this point I'm not 100% certain as to whether it is being approached as a custom scabbard or "the Baron Scabbard". If it is "the Baron Scabbard" it is possible that they have made some changes from my original proposal. I'm fairly relaxed with it either way-- having seen Kevin and company's work (online at least) I am confident that they will amaze me whatever they do. I'll put up some photos as soon as I have it.

David

[quote="David McElrea"]Nathan Robinson wrote:

Quote:

At this point I'm not 100% certain as to whether it is being approached as a custom scabbard or "the Baron Scabbard". If it is "the Baron Scabbard" it is possible that they have made some changes from my original proposal. I'm fairly relaxed with it either way-- having seen Kevin and company's work (online at least) I am confident that they will amaze me whatever they do. I'll put up some photos as soon as I have it. David

Hey David, Kevin is working long hours to bring your scabbard to life. I know you will be very pleased. He has spared no level of research and has redone several of the fittings to get it right. Your scabbard will be a "custom" scabbard that will serve as the prototype from later Baron scabbards. Kevin is trying to figure good processes for doing these in the future. So, you are getting a "custom" scabbard, but future projects will be "custom level" scabbards. Basically, the first scabbard is always a custom since we never have done it before. For fear of jinxing it, I won't give you a date, but you should have your sword and scabbard soon. Sorry for the delay...but it will be worth it...in fact, I want one...

Great to hear it, Patrick :)

The Baron was going to be a purchase until I realized that I didn't need another hand & a half ;) It is still a very drool-worthy, beefy sword that I may still one day get, as it seems to be the largest currently in the NG lineup and will likely be the largest for a while to come.

The Regent... well, as others have said, it is a beauty. Not particularly my style, but I do like the hollowground blade. The grip makes for a minor turn-off, however. The Kingmaker should feature another exciting hollowground blade, so I'm looking forward to seeing that.

But first, a Sempach, and then a Sovereign... that'll put 4 NG's in my collection and I'll likely hold there for some time.

Eric McHugh wrote:

Quote:

Hey David, Kevin is working long hours to bring your scabbard to life. I know you will be very pleased. He has spared no level of research and has redone several of the fittings to get it right. Your scabbard will be a "custom" scabbard that will serve as the prototype from later Baron scabbards. Kevin is trying to figure good processes for doing these in the future. So, you are getting a "custom" scabbard, but future projects will be "custom level" scabbards. Basically, the first scabbard is always a custom since we never have done it before. For fear of jinxing it, I won't give you a date, but you should have your sword and scabbard soon. Sorry for the delay...but it will be worth it...in fact, I want one...

Thanks for that, Eric (and Kevin)-- again, I have no doubt that it will be magnificent. On the one hand, (like anyone) I find it to be an agonising wait, but on the other, I know that you guys are wanting it to be the best it can be, so time is necessary-- I honestly have no complaints. It's a privilege to be able to do this with you. Thanks for explaining the process, though.

Yours,

David

Patrick,

What colour grip did you go for on the Regent (and the Baron, for that matter)?

Thanks,

David

congratulations Patrick! I handled the Baron in Atlanta and it is a "Real Man" type of sword.