Saturday 21 March 2015

Raising the Flag

Introduction

A little while ago, I showed how I had painted the Amera F214 Castle Keep.  At the time, I observed that the model would be improved by the addition of a flag.  Even though this was really a throwaway observation, I thought that I detected a subtle note of disappointment from my loyal followers that I hadn't attempted such an enhancement already.

Well, I haven't been able to come up with any compelling reason why I couldn't add a banner to the model, so I sat down this morning and got on with it.  Total time spent was perhaps 30 minutes on the build and rather more on the computer (designing the flag), so this wasn't a difficult project!

Materials

 The flag itself is made from paper.  I drew a suitable shape on the computer and filled it with an appropriate design (the golden, double-headed eagle on a black background matches the heraldry used by some of the Sheriff of Nottingham's men-at-arms in my Robin Hood collection).  This paper flag was then fixed to a simple flagstaff made from 2 pieces of bamboo skewer, notched slightly and glued perpendicular to each other.

Since I wanted the flag to be removable (partly for ease of storage and partly so that I could use different banners in the future), I made the pole much longer than you might have thought necessary.  The socket itself was created by cutting down the casing of a cheap pen that had just stopped working, very conveniently for me!

To brace the socket and prevent it from tearing off the model, I cut out 4 right-angled triangles from thick plasticard (though I imagine that any stiff material - scraps of cardboard, MDF or plastic - would do).  Originally I had made these triangular, with shorter sides of about 2.5" (8cm).  However when I tested them, I realised that they were too deep and so I cut the tips off them.  These parts are structural rather than aesthetic and therefore my original mistake won't matter in the finished model, but it does show once again the importance of dry-fitting everything before applying any glue!

Assembly

Working from the underside of the model, I drilled a hole in the middle of the keep.  This was just large enough for the flagpole to fit loosely.

 I cut down the pen casing to the right length and glued it over the hole, taking care to ensure that it was perpendicular to the surface.  Note: check the length before gluing!  You really don't want the pen to stick out below the base of the model!

The last part of the construction was to glue the 4 supports around the pen casing, thus giving the socket a considerable amount of support.

Finally, turn the model over and drop the flagstaff into the hole.  Simple!

Conclusions

  • The flag and staff were made very quickly and without much attention to detail, but there's no reason why one couldn't spend a lot more effort on such a piece.
  • I did consider placing the socket in one of the corners of the keep, instead of in the centre.  However it would have been greatly more difficult to work with the sloped plastic that is found there, so in the end I went with the much simpler option: the middle of the courtyard.
  • When the flag is removed, the hole in the courtyard is barely visible (and would be even less so if I dabbed a little black paint over the edges of the drilled plastic).  I can still use the keep without a banner, if I desire.



18 comments:

  1. Very clever technique and most effective. The flag looks really good and I do like the design you created.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Bryan. It seems like a rather obvious solution to me, though. Hmm - I wonder if I should make a variety of different flags and banners for the castle?

      Delete
  2. The end result looks great C6!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, HW. I don't think it's my best work ever, but it'll do.

      Delete
  3. The structure underneath is a very good idea. Not only will it support the flag but also it will strengthen the whole thing. Big thumbs up from me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the floor of the castle keep was pretty robust before my modification and didn't really need any additional bracing. But this will indeed add some extra strength nevertheless :-) .

      Delete
  4. That's quick but very effective. The flag does add to the keep.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Robert. It's about as good as I had expected for 30 minutes work :-) .

      Delete
  5. Good idea. Like the result too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, David. I think the flag does indeed add something to the castle.

      Delete
  6. Very simple and effective. perhaps you could consider another "plug-in" to camouglage the hole ? (- Maybe a statue, a gibbet, a cross or a fountain - there must be quite a few things that take up little space)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joe. I don't think the hole really needs to be disguised: even when the flagstaff is removed it isn't very noticeable. But all of those are good ideas and each would give a different character to the building. I'll think further on this...

      Delete
  7. Original and very nice, well done!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very inspired and well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cedric. It was quite simple, really.

      Delete