Conversion Tales 1 ..
SO, as we've said elsewhere there we were mid first lockdown, using the time to finally clearout all the LOTR models we didn't actually need...
Khandish were first to be "ratified" and with far too many metal Axemen, we decided creating standard bearers would be a good future for 3 of them .. and the search for metal flags began ....
Great thanks to Simon at Steel Fist Miniatures for the Samurai flags ... (we now realise why he lists a brass version , which likely would have been easier to wrap around a brass bar and also lighter ...(doh!)
But the flags are great lead casts which seemed to have more character , although the actual the poles are a little thin and bendy , so in the end it was a matter of drilling out the flag loops enough to fit a 1.2mm brass pole right the way through ... painful !
Then there was the puzzle of Centre of Gravity - despite packing the bases with lead shot , they were still tipping over with the weight of the full flag .. so trimming began .. but it was only after severely shortening the first blue one, that by accident we found that by tipping the figure forward by just 1mm , the physics were totally changed and it would suddenly hold the whole flag ! - dang !.. anyway, we trimmed the green one anyway to give a medium version for variance and all was well...
Then decoration .. now who would have thought that a University in Mongolia had developed a translation programme to convert modern Mongolian into Ancient Mongolian script ?!! Bolt on Google Translate to get English to Mongolian and we had a pathway to create phrases appropriate to Genghis and his followers !! I've forgotten what the phrases say, but safe things like ... "There is Only One King" ! .. but hey, more importantly we thought they looked great !!
and then we managed to apply them with home made water-transfers ... but they are another story for a separate Blog.... Hope you enjoy the photos ...
The things you discover through simple modelling - history, physics, languages, geography and art ..all in one little hobby !!
Happy converting, Al.Bear