I'm assuming you're looking outside the realm of the obviously plastic ones? I think the cheapest (well made metal one) I've seen was a $120 one that was similar, not exact, at a Viking faire in California last year.

Are you looking for a mounted one, or one for cosplay?

Yes, I mean steel replicas, not plastic toys. And $120 is *gulp* a lot. For me at least.
I was thinking more along the lines of a wall-hanger, though one that had a scabbard and could be carried about on "important occasions" would be nice. I don't do cosplay (though LARP sounds kinda fun).
Most of the ones I see online are slightly altered versions- missing the blade inscription, different blade shape, things like that. The really faithful replicas are more in the area of $100 , like the one you mentioned. My experience with swords in general is that they're usually cheaper in an actual store/in-person-sale than online, but I guess that's not always the case.

As a cosplayer and costumer who both makes and purchases cosplay and decorative items on a regular basis, I would hazard a guess that most of the ones you're going to find right now (that are metal) will be on the more expensive side. Inscribed blades are generally more expensive and not usually mass produced, and any truly accurate reproduction right now would either have to be approved by (or produced by) Weta, or flouting certain copyright laws. Weta did sell some at some point, and at a lower price, but they aren't currently selling them. Perhaps keep an eye on eBay and other similar sites? I saw this one on eCrate, but I've heard that their sellers can be more hit-and-miss. I'll keep an eye out, too, as the festival season will be starting back up soon, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Short of paying for a custom build from an actual swordsmith, hitting on a completely accurate metal one is going to be sheer luck.

Another option, if you're really intent on it, is to do a resin cast, which is something a lot of cosplayers do because it looks real, but passes all inspections. This is important for cosplayers since you can't bring anything that could be an actual weapon to a con (vs a faire or festival, where peace tying is acceptable).

Perhaps keep an eye on eBay and other similar sites? I saw this one on eCrate, but I've heard that their sellers can be more hit-and-miss.
Another option, if you're really intent on it, is to do a resin cast, which is something a lot of cosplayers do because it looks real, but passes all inspections. This is important for cosplayers since you can't bring anything that could be an actual weapon to a con (vs a faire or festival, where peace tying is acceptable).

The one you mentioned looks great, but I noticed the second, third and fourth pictures are different from the first. Could they have maybe got the first one from another source?

How difficult/expensive is a resin cast?

It's very possible that the picture was pulled from an official promo of some sort, or an instagram or something else like that. Apparently that happens quite a lot.

How difficult/expensive is a resin cast?

You'd have to do the math to see how many ounces of resin you would need, but eyeballing it, I would say you'd end up spending about $50 on resin and then maybe an additional $15-$20 on spray and bottle paints, unless you already have them on hand. If you're going really fancy, you could budget for some leather/pleather and get that detailing on the handle, instead of just painting it in.

If you're already a maker or you have a lot of crafting experience, it's not that difficult. I mean, it isn't the easiest thing around, but casting is one of the easiest ways to make props in the cosplay world (I personally think it's easier than foam).

If you've studied up on it and take your time, it can be pretty intuitive. While blades are a good thing to start with, because the models are easier to build, this would be more complicated simply due to the length and engraving. In my opinion, the most difficult part would be making your master version for the molding process. Most of the time people wood cut, 3D plastic print, paper-maché, or carve (clay) their master for the cast, and then go from there.

If you're wanting to research it, I would recommend checking out the videos in this series, as well as this woman's more at-home process. If you're more of a car person and have access to body shop materials, you might consider checking this guide out.

Well, after about a month of trying to get out of paying any significant amount for the sword, I finally broke down and got this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013F ... UTF8&psc=1

It was a relatively cheap version, so it has some minor flaws, like engraving that wasn't gold, a slightly off-center blade, and some scratches here and there on both the sword and the companion plaque,
but... it looks great if you don't scrutinize it, so I'm happy with it. (As in THRILLED to own anything that even looks like the coolest sword out there. )

Very cool, Cleander! Yes, I've found that first blades often have a special place in the owner's hearts, no matter how flawed they might be. Besides, it's awesome to have a bit of steel just to look at and be inspired by.