The Chakram

After decades of searching for, it finally had appeared. Probably the most iconic Xena prop, her trademark weapon will always be the chakram. This screen-used hero chakram of the first design was seen in season 1 to 4 of the series, and used by Lucy Lawless herself during the series. A truly legendary piece of television history.

The chakram is made of solid “Dynacast” blue resin, it is a lightweight cast of hard resin with sprung steel armature for reinforcement. Mostly all the hero chakrams were made of this material, except the metal ones for specific close-ups. All the paua shells are intact in the right position, 9 per side. The chakram is in excellent condition after almost 30 years it was made.

Sometimes, people aren’t able to distinguish a real hero prop from a replica. Well, here is a quick tutorial about it: The hero chakram are about 25 cm diameter unlike the replicas, which are smaller. The set used chakrams weren’t mass produced so they present differences in the placement of the holes for the paua shells (seen in the first seasons).

 Also, the chakram with non-geometric shapes on the golden details were very common in the first seasons, you can appreciate the irregularities in the jagged pattern side and they had a rust appearance. The prop department decided to redesign the chakram from season 3 on, they started to more pay attention to details and symmetry.

 

 

 Another fact to consider is that the set used hero chakrams has a blade thin sharp edge, unlike the replicas (Creation or Todd’s) that used to be thick and blunt; it doesn't look "sharp" enough to props seen in the series.

Well, this year I have made a master class on materials to understand everything. Well, the considered “hero” props are made basically of hard heavy resin, it is the most accurate, polished and detailed version used by the main actor besides the metal ones, that wasn’t very common on the set due to inconveniences for actors safety and their difficult handling. On second place, the considered “stunt” props are usually made of soft materials as foam, rubber, plastic rubber or wood to prevent any injuries to actors basically. The “stunt” props were used by the main actor or stunt double in sequences that requires the greater security in fights, running scenes, gallop, throw the chakram or similar.