Flag Poles and Standards - A Request.

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

I have scores of units - all periods with broken standards and flags. What
I am asking manufacturers to do is to recast flag bearers WITHOUT the soft
metal flag poles and cast the color guards with an open hand so that we can
use a far far tougher material - like piano wire. Nothing is as irritating
as to retire an otherwise unit because of a silly ass flag pole that was
cast too close to the miniature to replace.

This is particularly true of the ungodly long poles of the 17th century.

Anyone have a good way of replaceing these things?

And once you get Samurai, you will understand pain.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

Nevertheless I feel Mike's pain. I was just thinking about this
Saturday and wishing for the old days of Heritage's 15 mm
Napoleonettes. They had the flag securly molded to the figure and they
rarely broke. But that's . . . . progress?

Regards, Bill Gray

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

Well you could cut off the standards, drill out with a pin vice and put your
own in. I have found that 3/64ths looks good for 28mm figures.

Of course by providing the standards in the first place manufacturers
provide the best of both worlds.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

I too MUCH prefer cast on flags. Paper flags never hang right. I have some
old Washington's Wars figures with cast on flags, properly hanging which I
cherish. Let's face it, to get flags to stick out the way the separate cast
flags and paper ones do, these guys would have to be fighting in a 60 mph
wind.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

>I have scores of units - all periods with broken standards and flags. What
>I am asking manufacturers to do is to recast flag bearers WITHOUT the soft
>metal flag poles and cast the color guards with an open hand so that we can
>use a far far tougher material - like piano wire. Nothing is as irritating
>as to retire an otherwise unit because of a silly ass flag pole that was
>cast too close to the miniature to replace.
>This is particularly true of the ungodly long poles of the 17th century.
>Anyone have a good way of replaceing these things?
>And once you get Samurai, you will understand pain.

I will have to completely agree here. I hate those stupid cast poles.
For years now I have been cutting them out. But its time consuming!

I remove the pole and then carefully drill a hole in the bearer's hands
so that a wire can slip into and secured with a little touch of CA. For
poles with say an Emperial Eagle at the end, I have to drill a hole into
the bottom of the eagle so that it doesn't just snap off. It would be so
much easier if figure companies will just cast flag bearers witout the
dam pole! Some companies do this with lancers, so why don't all do it
with flag poles and save us the trouble of replacing it.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

>I too MUCH prefer cast on flags. Paper flags never hang right. I have some
>old Washington's Wars figures with cast on flags, properly hanging which I
>cherish. Let's face it, to get flags to stick out the way the separate cast
>flags and paper ones do, these guys would have to be fighting in a 60 mph
>wind.

Actually, my paper flags (homemade) are so much better looking than any
cast flag. Also, you can have them different. Cast flags are all the
same. In short, I don't like cast flags anymore. In the long distant
past, I liked them because the technology wasn't there to print good
flags. now a 600dpi printer is more than enough and considered old tech
now.

It how you form the paper flags that makes a world of difference and
what paper, glue, and printer you have. Inkjets do not work but
laserjets seem to be a charm.

The thing with using paper flags, with a little skill, you can make them
look just like real flags... just very much smaller.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

I pretty much agree with you on the look, but for me that's not the
question here. Its simply the damn things are prone to break during
play. I'm looking at an old Heritage 15 mm Austrian Grenadier color
bearer right now. Say what you will, having a molded flag with one edge
conveniently attached to the bearskin of the lad holding it, makes for
a very sturdy proposition . . .

WITHOUT the need for extra time and skill to drill holes and what not.

That's why I wrote, "But that's . . . . progress?"

Ciao, Bill Gray

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.historical (More info?)

Great request! I second the notion. I would also like manufacturer's to
supply the correct number of flagbearers, such as two for each British
Regt. and none for light infantry that never had any. ALso I would like
the pole length to be correct.

I use a brass wire and superglue it to his hand or just glue the flag to
the stub of the pole.

Mike Hillsgrove wrote:
> I have scores of units - all periods with broken standards and flags. What
> I am asking manufacturers to do is to recast flag bearers WITHOUT the soft
> metal flag poles and cast the color guards with an open hand so that we can
> use a far far tougher material - like piano wire. Nothing is as irritating
> as to retire an otherwise unit because of a silly ass flag pole that was
> cast too close to the miniature to replace.
>
> This is particularly true of the ungodly long poles of the 17th century.
>
> Anyone have a good way of replaceing these things?
>
> And once you get Samurai, you will understand pain.
>
>