Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

Splayed Paint Brush // A wargamer's hobby blog

Making flags and objective markers

Posted on July 1, 2014 by spbdave
This article was written back in 2012 and was originally published on another website that seems to had died a
death, but I wanted to republish the article to share with everyone.

The Steamroller rules pack has a number of scenarios that require players to fight to control certain
points on the table. These points are represented in game by zones, flags, and objective markers. I
want to talk about actually representing them on the table, and Ill show you what I have done for my
flags and objectives to use with my Mercenaries.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_end.jpg)

Zones
Zones are areas of the table top players fight over to try to occupy or deny their opponent, they come
in different shapes and sizes depending on the scenario. There are a number of ways to represent
these on the table top. Some work better than others and basically break down into two categories:

1. Marking out the perimeter/corner points of the zone with various objects. Glass beads for the

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 1 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

corners/perimeter of zones. Tile spacers for the corners of zones.

2. Flat sheet material cut to size. Paper/card, acetate, rubber, felt/material, plasticard.

To be honest I think the zones are the least interesting to do any modelling with so Ill skip past them
rapidly. However if you have any ideas, or have seen some interesting solutions for marking the
zones, share them with us in the comments below.

2014 update: I now use these (http://zinge.co.uk/index.php?

route=product/product&path=108&product_id=198) zone markers from Zinge Industries.

Flags
Now were are getting to the interesting stuff! In SR2012 flags are defined as models with 40mm
(medium) bases, with a selection of rules that effectively mean you can ignore them except that
models cannot end up on top of them. Last year I used some spare bases with a quick summary of the
flag/markers rules printed on to a circle of paper that fit in the recess of the base. This year I want to
make something that will look good on the table.

So what can we do with those spare 40mm bases? Well if your army is mounted on a specific type of
base, just use a few more 40mm bases with out any models attached. If a plain base is a little
on the dull side for you then the obvious choice is to grab a spare standard bearers flag and stick it to
a base. Most factions have some form of standard or flag available to them, some of them could be
used by anyone with a little bit of work. Of course you do not have to use a Privateer Press
component there are lots of different companies out there that have standard bearers in their model
ranges. Or just sculpt your own (I say just as if I can even do that lol).

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 2 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_standards.jpg)

However just because these points of interest are called flags does not mean they have to be
represented as flags. Throughout history standards have been a way of identifying units on the
battlefield and representing a rallying point for the unit, something of a badge of honor. Other objects
can be thought of as rallying points, statues and obelisks being prime examples. An obelisk would be
very fitting for Menoth players to use. I have always thought that the Sword Knight leader model
would make a cool statue for Cygnar players too.

You could also treat them more like mini objective markers, how about:

A small arms cache, a few crates stuck to a 40mm base.

Injured models or a spy/informant awaiting rescue.
Chest full of coins, or even just X marks the spot.

If you are a No Quarter Magazine reader than in NQ40 there was an article on making Circle scenery.
In that article a method was shown for producing floating stones. A smaller version of these on 40mm
bases would look good, especially for a Baulder tier list. Just use a little imagination or look around
for some inspiration. Browsing the forums is a great idea; you can see what other people are doing
and take inspiration from their ideas. There has been a thread recently (2014 update: not so recent now
and I cannot find the link) in the Privateer Press Painting and Modelling Forum about converting a
Leviathan with the addition of soul cages. This sparked off an idea for some Cryx flag markers that
would use some large soul cages mounted on a 40mm base.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 3 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

Finally I dont think a bit of humour is out of place when it comes to modelling. The flags dont have
to fit in to your lists for purely army background reasons. How about a set of archery butts for a
Lylyth2 list? Undead concubines for Goreshade1? Weather vanes and lightning conductor rods for
Kruger? How about 40mm bases representing flocks of sheep for the furry circle lists, make them a
play on the saying a wolf in sheeps clothing.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_sheep.jpg)

Objectives
In SR2012 the rules about the objectives have become interesting. Your armies can now interact with
them significantly and in different ways depending on the scenario. Again they are defined as
models, this time on 50mm (large) bases, however they act more like models in that they can be
attacked, block line of sight etc etc. Depending on what scenario you are playing they have different
effects on the table top.

Privateer Press make some excellent generic objectives

(http://privateerpress.com/files/products/91067_ObjectiveMarkersWEB.jpg), but there is no reason
why you cant tailor them to suit your own army by either using an appropriate colour scheme or the
addition of some choice model parts.

There is bags of room on a 50mm base, so a mini diorama is on the cards, now you can really let loose
your imagination.
Cryx a Stitchthralls surgery table.
Menoth a shrine, or a Knight receiving a blessing.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 4 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

Docs Mercenary Objective Marker

I have waffled on about flags and markers in general, now it is time to put my money where my
mouth is and talk about building my own objective marker. After receiving a miscast Rocinante gun
when I bought the upgrade blister I got a replacement from PP customer service. The miscast gun has
been sat in my bits box for a few months now and I have been wondering if I could use it in some
way. This was the inspiration for my objective marker, finding a use for a miscast component. All
guns and equipment need servicing and maintenance from time to time, so how about a an objective
marker representing some equipment under going repair.
The easiest way to allow my objective marker (and flags for that matter) to fit in with the rest of my
army was to use the same resin bases that my models are mounted on. I picked the flattest resin large
base to build my objective on.

Crane
The crane was built using some plastic odds and ends I had lying around. I used a H section for the
upright and a T section for the horizontal beam, with the base simply a square of plasticard. Once the
vertical beam was glued in place I cut some small hexagon shapes from some scrap plasticard to
represent bolts holding the plate down.

The hook and lifting apparatus was made from plasticard again. The hook being a section of brass
rod bent around a drill bit and cut to size. The pulley for the cable to go round was a thin slither of
plastic tube cut to be roughly the same width as the diameter of the brass rod. This was sandwiched
between some plasticard to make the complete hook. Similarly the pulley arrangement on the
horizontal beam was built in the same way, just a thin section of tube sandwiched between two
sections of plasticard.

For the rope/cable I stripped the plastic sheath of a sort section of small gauge wire. I took 3 of the
individual strands of wire and twisted them together. The cable was threaded through the pulleys
and the remainder wrapped around a section of plastic tubing to create the winch drum. This was
then mounted on a bracket made from plasticard. Finishing touches were added to make it look
usable. Bolt heads, hexagon shapes cut from scrap plasticard, as well as locking lever for the winch.
Although it can barely be seen behind the winch handle, which is part of Zinge Industries
(http://zinge.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=110_79&product_id=199) modelling
bits range.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 5 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_crane_1.jpg)

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 6 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_crane_2.jpg)
Docs top tip: polystyrene cement is excellent for gluing polystyrene plastic to polystyrene plastic.
Nothing else. Use superglue for the hook and cable. Poly cement does not set as fast as super glue
but it also wont stick your fingers together either! You can use the slower drying time of the poly
cement to just tweak the positions of what you are gluing together, dont mess with it too much
though.

Trestle
I wanted to build a cradle for the gun to sit on. I wanted it to have a ramshackle, quickly put together
look. To build this cradle I used a wooden coffee stirrer. I picked up a couple when I last got a take
away coffee. I cut 4 short sections of the coffee stirrer to make the frame of the cradle. Two of the
opposite sides had a U shaped notch carved into them to support the gun barrel. I then glued them
together to make a square. The insides of the corners were supported by short lengths of matchstick. I
then used the remains of the coffee stirrer to make some legs. The legs were going to be glued on at
an angle, so I cut the bottom of each leg at a slight angle so that they would sit level on the base.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 7 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_trestle_1.jpg)

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_trestle_2.jpg)
Docs top tip: keep the gun/object you intend to mount on the trestle close at hand. Then you can constantly
check the size and fit of the pieces you are cutting, helping you get them to fit just right.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 8 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

Gun
I wanted to take the miscast gun and make it look like it was under repair. The jacks hand and the
muzzle were the miscast sections of the component. The muzzle looks like a bit of battle damage so I
decided to leave that, but I clipped off the hand trying to not damage the gun as much as possible, I
will replace the handle later. I decided to open the breach of the gun, and also remove the magazine (I
assume that is what it is meant to be). I carefully cut these off with a razor saw. At this point I decided
to hollow out the rear chamber of the gun, after all I have removed the magazine and the gun breach
so you would be able to see inside of it. I did this carefully using a cordless drill because the drill bits
required are too big for my pin vice. After securing the gun in a modelling vice I drilled a pilot hole in
the centre of the gun breach using a 1mm drill bit. I then enlarged this hole with the largest drill bit
that fits in my pin vice (2.2mm). Using a 3.5mm drill bit in the cordless drill I slowly enlarged the
previous hole. I then finally stepped up the size of the drill bit to match the size of the hole I wanted
6mm. I did this because using the full size drill bit to set off with gave a poor hole finish. I used the
cordless drill on the lowest torque setting and went slowly with the drilling, you are not putting
shelves up after all. Also you are drilling into metal with a relatively low melting point, and the
drilling action generates a lot of heat. I replaced the old handle with one made from two short
sections of brass rod bent to shape and a short section of brass tubing. The gun breach door was
pinned and glued in place. Finally the holes where the chains attached to Rocinantes gun were filled
with putty and two loops of brass rod pushed into them.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_gun_1.jpg)
Docs top tip: If you choose to take power tools to your models be careful. Only attempt this if you are
competent to do so.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 9 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_gun_2.jpg)
Docs top tip: gradually increasing the size of the drill bit rather than just going to full size right away
helps a lot. It removes less material in one operation meaning less force is required at the cutting face.
You can therefore use a lower torque on the drill, and the cutting will generate less heat. You also end
up with a nice surface finish. If you are attempting this you should be taking your time about it any
way so what does it matter if you use 3 or 4 different size drill bits rather than one.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_gun_3.jpg)

Docs top tip: pinning the breach door is a good idea as it has a very small contact area and wont take
much to knock it off.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 10 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

Crate
To make a wooden crate I first built a basic box out of plasticard. I had based the size of the box on the
number of matchsticks I was planning on using to cover it with. So that made my box 5 matchsticks
wide by 5 high. I glued a set of matchsticks round the bottom to form a solid base to work from. The
matchsticks used to clad the sides and top of the box were cut in half length ways. This was to
give the appearance of a sturdy crate with a solid frame and thinner panelled sides. Also cutting the
matchsticks in half gave a courser rough cut wood texture if used with the split surface on the outside
of the box. Finally more matchsticks were used around the outside to complete the frame.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_crate.jpg)
Top tip: Careful measuring and cutting of the matchsticks making up the frame is needed to
make the crate look good. I have a few gaps on mine which spoil the effect a little.

Final Finishing Touches

A few little details can make a massive difference to a model or base and in this case an objective
marker. Objects and items added to add some sort of human element to a model. In the case of my
objective marker I thought some tools and a mug of tea would do the trick. They are shapes cut from
scrap plasticard or tube, with a little imagination you can really get some good results. So dont be
afraid to experiment.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 11 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_tools.jpg)

Docs Mercenary Flag Markers

I have made 2 simple flag markers for my Mercenary army so far. A second two are on the cards I just
havent decided what exactly they will be yet. the first 2 markers used the very steam-punk looking
Banelegions standard from the Erec One-Arm model. These are nicely cast resin pieces which are very
flexible, for such thin pieces it is definitely better than being brittle. However to help mount them on
my armies resin bases I decided to put a thin 0.5mm brass rod pin as far up the standard pole as I
could. This will support the resin standard pole while still remaining flexible. The other end
of the brass rod was be glued into a brass tube pinned into the base.

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_flag.jpg)

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 12 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

The Finished Flags and Objective Marker

Below are my finished markers all I have to do now is get them painted up for the ETC. I was aiming
for the Welsh Open but missed that deadline by miles, so dont hold your breath folks.

2014 update: well 2 years later at least I can add painted images of my objective and flag markers!

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_paint_01.jpg)

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 13 of 14
Making flags and objective markers | Splayed Paint Brush 10/26/17, 8:26 AM

(https://splayedpaintbrush.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/flag_obj_paint_02.jpg)

Advertisements

The epic WW2 game

Command in real time,
defeat your enemies!

This entry was posted in Tutorials and tagged conversion, flag, hordes, modelling, objective,
steamroller, tutorial, warmachine, Zinge Industries. Bookmark the permalink.

Blog at WordPress.com.

https://splayedpaintbrush.com/2014/07/01/making-flags-and-objective-markers/ Page 14 of 14