The craftsman behind the armor and props
Blacksmith, model maker and graphic designer from Karlovac, Croatia. Since 2010 he has been making historical and fantasy armor, helmets and swords — for film and TV productions, theatres, museums and collectors around the world.
Story
As a boy he played with small knight figures he painted himself and used them to conquer castles — all the while dreaming that one day he would become a knight himself. He made his first helmet at thirteen, out of cardboard; the next one out of metal.
He became skilled at model making and in 2010 started making knight’s armor. For a long time it was just a hobby, but his experience in forging iron allowed him to make armor from every age of chivalry, as well as armor from fantasy and science-fiction films. What began as a hobby became a serious business.
His training as a graphic designer helps him sketch and shape his clients’ wishes, and then comes the hardest part of the job — working and forging the metal. Besides armor and weapons, he has also worked on medieval-style interiors, castle models for films and series, and thrones.
Since 2016 he has been a member of the Brotherhood of St. Michael association, making equipment for its members.
Looking at his work as a whole, one has to say that he is also an artist — and a very good one.
Collaborations
Game of Thrones, HRT’s documentary series “Republika” and armor for filming a documentary series in the US.
The Croatian National Theatre and the Zagreb Youth Theatre.
The museum exhibition at Medvedgrad and Dubovac Castle in Karlovac.
Orders from the US, the UK, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Germany, France and other countries.
Projects
Click a project for details. Each project has its own link.
TV series · armorGame of ThronesKingsguard armor for the third, fourth and part of the fifth season.
For Game of Thrones, Pavel made Kingsguard armor for filming the third, fourth and part of the fifth season, which were shot in Dubrovnik. He also worked in Ireland, where he made a throne of swords for fans of the series.
Working on big projects like ‘Game of Thrones’ is challenging. We were on the sets in Dubrovnik, and I was also in Ireland, where I made the throne with all those swords they needed for the fans.
Museum exhibitionMedvedgradEquipping the newly designed museum exhibition and the armor of Franjo Tahi.
For Medvedgrad he took on the big job of equipping the newly designed museum exhibition, where everything had to be authentic. He also made the armor of Franjo Tahi, for which he found the source in a stone figure in a church.
When I get an order for armor from any century or on a particular theme, I study the historical sources and make a sketch so that everything is authentic.
Historic site · modelDubovac CastleWork for Dubovac Castle in Karlovac and a castle model.
He carried out a larger project for Dubovac Castle in Karlovac. One of his models is also at Dubovac — castles of wood and stone at 1:72 scale with tiny figures of people fighting and on the walls.
For several years I’ve been making models at 1:72 scale; mostly castles of wood and stone with tiny figures inside — people fighting, climbing the walls.
Documentary programmingHRT — the “Republika” seriesEquipment for documentary programmes, including a series about Dubrovnik.
For HRT, which often films documentaries, he also worked on a series about Dubrovnik called “Republika”.
TheatreCroatian National TheatreArmor and props for theatre productions.
The Croatian National Theatre (HNK) is among the theatres Pavel makes equipment for. Details of individual productions will be added soon.
TheatreZagreb Youth TheatreEquipment for ZKM’s theatre productions.
The Zagreb Youth Theatre is one of the theatres Pavel has worked for. Project details will be added soon.
About a dozen suits of armor were made for filming a documentary series in the US.
Working on a production, an exhibition or a themed space?
Describe the project — we’ll agree on the scope, timeline and concept together.
From Karlovac to the world
Armor, helmets and props have been delivered to clients in 13 countries.
The process
Every suit of armor starts with research and ends with hours of hammer work on the anvil.
Studying historical sources — how armor from a given period or of a film character really looked.
Detailed sketches and patterns, which are then transferred to metal plates and cut precisely.
Hammers, an anvil and persistent work give every part its shape; thicker material also needs heat treatment — forging.
The parts are joined with rivets, leather straps are added, and finally the metal is polished.
Mild steel, spring steel, stainless steel, titanium and more — the thickness is chosen for the purpose: a display piece or gear for real use.
Leather, ABS foam, fiberglass and 3D printing. Carefully painted, they look like real replicas and are used for theatre costumes, films and TV series.
Media
19. 10. 2020.Read the articleFor years the US and the UK have been my biggest markets, along with Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Germany, France, China, Russia — really all over the world.
8. 6. 2019.Read the articleWhen he’s hammering on the anvil in his forge he’s definitely a blacksmith; when he builds historical scenes for film and sets for the theatre he models and engineers; and at the computer he designs.
29. 6. 2015.View the galleryHe started his armor-making business after discovering, quite by chance, that he was very good at metalworking.
Media quotes are taken from articles published in 2015–2020 and describe his work in that period.