Hi guys I am new to painting and I want to convert one of my Guards Camel Corps soldiers to bear a Union flag and I am just wondering what are the best places to get flags for conversions. I am based in the UK as well, any help would be appreciated on how to convert figures and where to get the best items for it.
Armies in Plastic conversions (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter emmerson4
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binder001
Command Sergeant Major
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Depends on what you want, but here are some options;
1) get picture of the flag that you want from the internet, print it on paper. Reverse the image (most basic image programs can do this) and print the other side. Glue the two halves together around a wood, plastic or metatl flag pole and add it to your figure. If you laminate a piece of aluminum foil in the middle the flag can be bent to "wave".
2) look for decal flags - I know that they have been made but I don't remember who might be printiong them currently. Apply the decal to a basic structure such as aluminum foil or plastic. Attach to pole, then attach to figure.
3) paint your own (requires steady hand)
Just a few suggestions.
Gary B.
Waverly, NE
1) get picture of the flag that you want from the internet, print it on paper. Reverse the image (most basic image programs can do this) and print the other side. Glue the two halves together around a wood, plastic or metatl flag pole and add it to your figure. If you laminate a piece of aluminum foil in the middle the flag can be bent to "wave".
2) look for decal flags - I know that they have been made but I don't remember who might be printiong them currently. Apply the decal to a basic structure such as aluminum foil or plastic. Attach to pole, then attach to figure.
3) paint your own (requires steady hand)
Just a few suggestions.
Gary B.
Waverly, NE
theBaron
Major
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If you'd like to try your hand at painting the flag, I would use a piece of brass rod for the staff. For the cloth, there are a couple of choices.
I use metal foil, like kitchen foil, but also the metal foil wrappers from some chocolate candies. I laminate it with CA (cyanoacrylate) glue, folding the foil to the desired sizes, and flowing the glue between the layers. The advantages to this, I find, are scale thickness (or thinness), but when the glue sets up, the flag is rigid.
You could also use the foil used to wrap the tops of wine bottles; it used to be lead, but more and more, that's being replaced with plastic. You can also buy lead foil, which is sold for these kinds of applications for hobbyists. But I like to scrounge it, instead of paying for it. I even scored a batch of lead foil from dental X-ray blanks. I was talking to my dentist about my hobby, and he had a whole bucket of the packets for X-ray blanks. He couldn't throw it out, because of the environmental/safety concerns about lead, and it was too little to pay a service to dispose of. So I took it off his hands, a whole bucketful (he's since switched to a digital X-ray machine, eliminating the use of film).
You could even use putty, rolled very thin, for the cloth.
Personally, I don't like to use printed flags. I find that a hand-painted flag goes better with my toy soldiers.
Do show us your work, as you progress on this piece!
Prost!
Brad
I use metal foil, like kitchen foil, but also the metal foil wrappers from some chocolate candies. I laminate it with CA (cyanoacrylate) glue, folding the foil to the desired sizes, and flowing the glue between the layers. The advantages to this, I find, are scale thickness (or thinness), but when the glue sets up, the flag is rigid.
You could also use the foil used to wrap the tops of wine bottles; it used to be lead, but more and more, that's being replaced with plastic. You can also buy lead foil, which is sold for these kinds of applications for hobbyists. But I like to scrounge it, instead of paying for it. I even scored a batch of lead foil from dental X-ray blanks. I was talking to my dentist about my hobby, and he had a whole bucket of the packets for X-ray blanks. He couldn't throw it out, because of the environmental/safety concerns about lead, and it was too little to pay a service to dispose of. So I took it off his hands, a whole bucketful (he's since switched to a digital X-ray machine, eliminating the use of film).
You could even use putty, rolled very thin, for the cloth.
Personally, I don't like to use printed flags. I find that a hand-painted flag goes better with my toy soldiers.
Do show us your work, as you progress on this piece!
Prost!
Brad
johnnybach
Major General
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- Nov 24, 2010
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- 13,663
Contact Giles Brown at Dorset Soldiers ( http://www.dorsetsoldiers.com/ ) - if you want a soft metal flag with a cast metal pole.
The flag is best cut off the pole - and a metal rod one substituted ( as suggested by the Baron). The metal pole is soft too - and bends too easily - but the flag is just the job! And yes - do paint it yourself - you will soon get the hang of it - and they look better painted too!
Check out bubble packaging around pills too - these are often made of thin metal sandwiched around a plastic centre - and useful bits between the pills can often be found to cut out easily with scissors - to form flags, pennants, straps etc., - which hold their shape when bent with fingers, to form folds. Super-glue to either brass rod - or even paper clip staffs - and there you have a flag - for next to nothing. jb
Hi guys thanks for all your help im in the process of sorting out the flag and carried on with some converted dismounted camel corps. So I thought I would share some with you.
I know my conversions havent got the goggles on the Helmets but this being my first paint I was hesitant with smaller fine details and ones especially where it requires a free hand draw. I would love some plastic dismounted camel corp figures if anyone has got some 1:32 homemade conversions or casts from metal soldiers. I am sourcing moulding materials now and have bought a small tub of composimold and tried making my own silicone from silicone caulk. Any help on getting cast figures or cheap moulds for the anglo sudan war will be a help. Again cheers for any help and I will share my progress with you all.
I know my conversions havent got the goggles on the Helmets but this being my first paint I was hesitant with smaller fine details and ones especially where it requires a free hand draw. I would love some plastic dismounted camel corp figures if anyone has got some 1:32 homemade conversions or casts from metal soldiers. I am sourcing moulding materials now and have bought a small tub of composimold and tried making my own silicone from silicone caulk. Any help on getting cast figures or cheap moulds for the anglo sudan war will be a help. Again cheers for any help and I will share my progress with you all.
theBaron
Major
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Here are some photos to illustrate my method. These are all made with metal foil, folded or laminated with CA glue, and wrapped around a piece of brass.
That last one was the very first one I ever did, over 25 years ago, and the staff is cast along with the rest of the parts for the figure. In the mold, it's cast doubled back on itself, so you have to bend it straight. I hadn't yet worked out to replace that with wire.
You could even use the classic Stadden method, which is to solder a piece of tinplate to a brass rod. This standard was attached at the factory:
Prost!
Brad
That last one was the very first one I ever did, over 25 years ago, and the staff is cast along with the rest of the parts for the figure. In the mold, it's cast doubled back on itself, so you have to bend it straight. I hadn't yet worked out to replace that with wire.
You could even use the classic Stadden method, which is to solder a piece of tinplate to a brass rod. This standard was attached at the factory:
Prost!
Brad
Here are some photos to illustrate my method. These are all made with metal foil, folded or laminated with CA glue, and wrapped around a piece of brass.
That last one was the very first one I ever did, over 25 years ago, and the staff is cast along with the rest of the parts for the figure. In the mold, it's cast doubled back on itself, so you have to bend it straight. I hadn't yet worked out to replace that with wire.
You could even use the classic Stadden method, which is to solder a piece of tinplate to a brass rod. This standard was attached at the factory:
Prost!
Brad
They look really good, I am emailing Dorset Soldiers to get some flags at the moment and I will definitely hand paint them as they look much better than the decals thanks for you tips.
johnnybach
Major General
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Here's a Flag, from Dorset. (so are the German Navy band, for that matter!). As you can see - it's an easy conversion of the same marching figure. I removed the cast-in flag-pole, which was made of soft metal - and then drilled into the flag for about 5mm - and substituted it for a more solid short section of brass rod of a suitable thickness, (hobby store) - or it may have been a piece of thick paper-clip ( can't remember). ^&confuse
Found a suitable arm - made up the baldrick and cup (cross-belt) from Milliput, to suit - and there it is - a Standard Bearer. Just look up whatever Flags/standards etcetera you fancy on Google Images - and you're off! Easier than you think - this way.
jbP.S - all of the various arms/ instruments/ weapons etc - are from Dorset Soldiers too - and all of these are pennies to buy - with most separate casting parts costing around 40 pence - or so. Toy Soldiers don't HAVE to cost the Earth.
Good luck
jb
Here's a Flag, from Dorset. (so are the German Navy band, for that matter!). As you can see - it's an easy conversion of the same marching figure. I removed the cast-in flag-pole, which was made of soft metal - and then drilled into the flag for about 5mm - and substituted it for a more solid short section of brass rod of a suitable thickness, (hobby store) - or it may have been a piece of thick paper-clip ( can't remember). ^&confuse
Found a suitable arm - made up the baldrick and cup (cross-belt) from Milliput, to suit - and there it is - a Standard Bearer. Just look up whatever Flags/standards etcetera you fancy on Google Images - and you're off! Easier than you think - this way.
P.S - all of the various arms/ instruments/ weapons etc - are from Dorset Soldiers too - and all of these are pennies to buy - with most separate casting parts costing around 40 pence - or so. Toy Soldiers don't HAVE to cost the Earth.
Good luck
Thanks for sharing I think I will get some brass rods. Could I paint acryllics onto them? Do you have you any experience in casting your own figures, what is the best product for mass production of plastic models, and what will I need. Also can any metal soldiers manufacturers produce plastic figures from there moulds? It may help me reduce my costs because I am after Sudanese army figures in plastic. If anyone can help me again its appreciated I will share my project as I go along.
johnnybach
Major General
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Once primed - almost any paint will stick to metal. I'm a Glossy painter - through and through, though.
I don't cast my own figures - but buy and adapt them from a variety of sources. There are a lot of British manufacturers that will supply metal castings at reasonable prices ( and some more expensive ones). Dorset Soldiers are among the reasonably priced options - so I use them a lot for some of what I like. I don't often paint onto plastic figures - as experience has taught me that paint can often eventually come off, over time - especially on the finer and more flexible parts.
I don't know whether anyone produces plastic figures from metal figure moulds - but I doubt it - as the injection moulding system of making plastic figures is different from the centrifugal or drop casting methods used for metal.
I have used metal Flags - on plastic figures before - with some success - but prefer metal figures - where available - so can't help with what you are after, I'm afraid. jb
theBaron
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I'll second John, I can't say I've ever heard that anyone used a mold made for casting in metal, to cast in plastic. I don't think that silicon rubber molds would hold up to the heat and pressure involved in the injection-molding process. However, you might be able to use silicon rubber molds, like Prins August molds, to cast using cold-cast 2-part casting resins. You'd have to cast a single figure at a time, but I don't see why that wouldn't work. I don't know if the same would work with metal molds; I suspect that the resin might stick to the mold, ruining it.
Prost!
Brad
Prost!
Brad
Mike Niederman
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You can use a mold-release spray if you are casting with resin, so just about any type of mold is useable. I recommend checking out Wolfgang UK's posts under Casting in the How-To section - excellent SBS descriptions of mold-making and casting. However, it seems from his post in another thread that emmerson4 wants to recast AIP figures: "Im using Armies In Plastic but the box sets dont have enough kneeling and fire poses per box so I thought I would cast some of my own." It might be easier to contact the company directly and see if they'll sell him the figures he wants.
(One small point - Prins August molds aren't silicone rubber, they are heat vulcanised rubber. ;-) )
(One small point - Prins August molds aren't silicone rubber, they are heat vulcanised rubber. ;-) )
Wolfgang_UK
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I guess one can more or less make a resin casting out of almost anything. It may of cause depend on what type of mold you want to cast what resin in. I would not advise useing resin for casting into a metal mold. A metal mold is most likely not flexible enough to remove a casting undamaged. Furthermore if you are in need of a couple of extra figures of that special pose than by all means buy an additional box and get your extra troops in that way.
Molding and casting with resin has become a huge and vital part of my very own Toy Soldier World. It is facinating, rewarding yet demanding and quite expensive at times. There also is a learning curve and the definate need for some rather expensive equipment/hardware if you really whish for some - more or less - perfect castings.
rgds
Wolfgang
:salute::
Molding and casting with resin has become a huge and vital part of my very own Toy Soldier World. It is facinating, rewarding yet demanding and quite expensive at times. There also is a learning curve and the definate need for some rather expensive equipment/hardware if you really whish for some - more or less - perfect castings.
rgds
Wolfgang
:salute::
Mike Blake
Private 2
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There is a casting material called Aluminite which is a two-part liquid mix which I keep meaning to try out in silicone and metal moulds. Has anyone used it?
Another way is to use two part epoxy putty (Greenstuff etc) pushed into the mould. Greenstuff in particular is still quite 'forgiving' even when set and so should come out of a metal mould OK.
I have been using Bluestuff reusable silicone to make moulds for small pieces of equipment with modelling putty as the casting material and it works beautifully. Using a quick setting repair putty speeds the process up too.
Whilst I take all the points made about hand-painted vs pre-painted flags, there are some very nicely done wargames flags available now. They are for smaller scale figures but blow-up on a scanner to 54mm OK and when finished with a little extra hand painting they do look very good. An example is GMB Designs www.gmbdesigns.com who will even scale up and print to 54mm if you order the flags that size!
Another way is to use two part epoxy putty (Greenstuff etc) pushed into the mould. Greenstuff in particular is still quite 'forgiving' even when set and so should come out of a metal mould OK.
I have been using Bluestuff reusable silicone to make moulds for small pieces of equipment with modelling putty as the casting material and it works beautifully. Using a quick setting repair putty speeds the process up too.
Whilst I take all the points made about hand-painted vs pre-painted flags, there are some very nicely done wargames flags available now. They are for smaller scale figures but blow-up on a scanner to 54mm OK and when finished with a little extra hand painting they do look very good. An example is GMB Designs www.gmbdesigns.com who will even scale up and print to 54mm if you order the flags that size!