He-Man Power Sword – 1981–82 Original Two-Sword Version

This is a remix of the excellent HE-MAN Power Sword MOTU, redesigned around the original 1981–82 Masters of the Universe concept in which He-Man and Skeletor each possessed one half of the Power Sword.

Each half assembles into a complete display sword of its own. One can be finished as He-Man's sword and the other as Skeletor's. Embedded magnets allow the two swords to join together to form the complete Power Sword.

The original exterior design belongs to 3dworkbench. My modifications include splitting the model, redesigning the internal assembly around support rods, and adding the captive magnetic joining system.

Wall mount: The He-Man shield inspired wall mount depicted in a few of the pictures is separate from this model.  It is available on Cult3D should you be interested:  🗡 He-Man Power Sword & Shield Wall Mount – 1981–82 Inspired・ STL File for 3D printing・Cults

What you'll need

• Two 3/16" (4.76 mm) rods, one for each sword

• Approximately 12 round magnets, 4.9 mm diameter × 1.8 mm thick

• Adhesive as needed for final assembly

• Paint/primer if desired

I printed mine in PETG with a 0.6 mm nozzle at 0.30 mm layer height.

Important — inserting the magnets

The magnets are completely enclosed inside the finished prints. This means the printer must be paused while the magnet cavities are still open.

Before starting each part, inspect the sliced layer preview and locate the last layer before the printer begins covering the magnet cavities. Note the estimated print time at that point and plan to be at the printer a few minutes early.

Pause the print, insert the magnet, make sure it is completely seated below the nozzle path, remove any filament that has oozed from the nozzle while paused, and resume printing.

The exact pause time is different for every section and will also vary with your printer and slicer settings, so use the layer preview rather than relying on a specific time.

Magnet polarity

Polarity is especially important because once a magnet is buried, it's staying there!

After completing the first sword half, use it as the polarity guide for the second half. Place loose magnets over the embedded magnets in the completed half and position that sword beside the printer in the same relative orientation as the half being printed.

When it's time to insert them, slide each magnet off without flipping it and place it directly into the corresponding cavity. This ensures the two halves attract rather than repel.  The last two images show how to line up a pre-printed part so the magnet pockets line up.

Assembly

Each sword uses a 3/16" rod running through its sections for alignment and strength.

Rod diameter and surface finish can vary slightly, so test-fit your actual rod before assembling the entire sword. If the fit is excessively tight, lightly sand/polish the rod until the sections slide on with firm hand pressure.

Glue can be used between sections and on the rod itself as needed to keep everything aligned.  I found it helpful to add the glue then slide two components together, then flatting it on a surface so the rotation of each component is aligned properly.

Once assembled and painted, you have two separate swords representing He-Man and Skeletor's halves of the Power Sword — bring them together and the buried magnets join them into the complete sword.