A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

All matters to do with gaming, painting and uniform information
Post Reply
User avatar
Belg
Major
Major
Posts: 172
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:32 pm
Location: Collegno (Turin - Italy)
Contact:

A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Belg » Fri Jul 10, 2015 2:28 pm

Please, could you tell me how long they are to do the flagpoles for Napoleonic 28 mm miniatuires (i.e. Front Rank)?
Both for the Infantry and the Cavalry.
I think those of Infantry should be a little longer than those of Cavalry.

How much long do you them?
:oops:
thank you very much.
Sergio
User avatar
Greystreak
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 294
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:12 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Greystreak » Fri Jul 10, 2015 9:25 pm

Hi Sergio. For 28mm figures I use flag poles of 60mm length for infantry, and 50mm for cavalry. Length does not include the 'finial' (ornament) on top of the poles. Use what seems to look best for your figures. :D
Bryce
User avatar
Belg
Major
Major
Posts: 172
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:32 pm
Location: Collegno (Turin - Italy)
Contact:

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Belg » Sat Jul 11, 2015 10:03 am

Greystreak wrote:Hi Sergio. For 28mm figures I use flag poles of 60mm length for infantry, and 50mm for cavalry. Length does not include the 'finial' (ornament) on top of the poles. Use what seems to look best for your figures. :D
Many thanks for your answer.
Best regards

Sergio
Ronan the Librarian
Captain
Captain
Posts: 148
Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:34 pm
Location: The Wilds of Surrey

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Ronan the Librarian » Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:56 am

Hi Sergio,

Yes, take a look at Greystreak's Russians as they provide a good "middle ground" between historically accurate length and sufficient length to show off a unit's flags without looking like Thirty Years' War pikemen.

Most infantry flagstaffs were around 8-10 feet (2.5-3.0 metres) from top to bottom, including finials etc. This meant that the flag would typically cover 1/2 (French sizes) to 2/3 (British) of the flagpole, with most nations somewhere in between those figures. British flags were slightly over 6 feet (1.80 metres) square, and were usually carried into battle half-furled - so you could just see the central badge/wreath in the middle - in order that they could be managed one-handed, leaving the ensign's other hand free to use his sword. They certainly were not vigorously waved about as some wargamers insist on depicting them!

Unfortunately, most of the miniature flags available to us are too big, so wargamers are left with no choice but to use flagpoles that are 12-14 feet (3.5-4.0 metres) in scale terms, which - in my view - looks particularly bad on cavalry with their smaller flags. As I said, Greystreak's models are a good compromise.

RtL
Ssshhhhh!!!!!
User avatar
Belg
Major
Major
Posts: 172
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:32 pm
Location: Collegno (Turin - Italy)
Contact:

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Belg » Thu Jul 16, 2015 1:23 pm

Ronan the Librarian wrote:Hi Sergio,

Yes, take a look at Greystreak's Russians as they provide a good "middle ground" between historically accurate length and sufficient length to show off a unit's flags without looking like Thirty Years' War pikemen.

Most infantry flagstaffs were around 8-10 feet (2.5-3.0 metres) from top to bottom, including finials etc. This meant that the flag would typically cover 1/2 (French sizes) to 2/3 (British) of the flagpole, with most nations somewhere in between those figures. British flags were slightly over 6 feet (1.80 metres) square, and were usually carried into battle half-furled - so you could just see the central badge/wreath in the middle - in order that they could be managed one-handed, leaving the ensign's other hand free to use his sword. They certainly were not vigorously waved about as some wargamers insist on depicting them!

Unfortunately, most of the miniature flags available to us are too big, so wargamers are left with no choice but to use flagpoles that are 12-14 feet (3.5-4.0 metres) in scale terms, which - in my view - looks particularly bad on cavalry with their smaller flags. As I said, Greystreak's models are a good compromise.

RtL
Hi Ronan,
many thanks for the clarification.
The measures suggested by Greystreak seem to me a little "short".
Front Rank puts in the envelopes of the miniatures rods longs 10 cm for the Infantry and 7 cm for Cavalry.
I wondered if they were the correct measurements.
For flags, currently made by us only for the units of the SSW, we used the following measures: 4 cm for Infantry and to 2.5 cm for Cavalry. These measures relate to the height, the length then comes from the shape of the flag, which is not always a square.
Do you think that such measures may be fine even for the Napoleonic period?
For the SSW period, we used rods long 8 cm for Infantry, while for the Cavalry we used the heavy spears of Medieval Knights.

Image

Image

For the flags for our Napoleonics (at the time French and English) we are planning to order them to this company:
http://www.gmbdesigns.com/
Do You know it by accident. Have you already ordered flags to them? Is it reliable?
Many thanks.
Cheers,
Sergio
User avatar
Friedrich August I.
General of the Army
General of the Army
Posts: 2182
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:23 am
Location: Vienna, Austria

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Friedrich August I. » Thu Jul 16, 2015 1:51 pm

Hi Sergio,
To tell the truth many Wargamers, me included, use some "artistic license" when it comes to Flag Sizes. We call it the "Heroic Style" when doing them larger than historic reports tells us.
I use a somewhat larger style for my Napoleonic Saxon Cavalry because a 90x90cm square in reality would be a less then 10x10mm square in miniature with almost no visible details.
To your questions for GMB: Those are very nice flags which you can order in different sizes. Just state it when ordering them from Grahame Black.
Very clean and sharp details with bright colours.

Look at my different Treads in this forum to find examples.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Günter
Last edited by Friedrich August I. on Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
„Macht Euch Euren Dregg alleene“

"Sort your filth out by yourself!" The King of Saxony Friedrich August III., at his abdication 1918, referred to the quarrels in the parliament and the squabbling within the provisional government.
User avatar
Belg
Major
Major
Posts: 172
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 2:32 pm
Location: Collegno (Turin - Italy)
Contact:

Re: A question regarding the length of the flagpoles.

Post by Belg » Thu Jul 16, 2015 4:55 pm

Many thanks Günter, you are always very nice, as well as many other Friends of this Forum.
Yes, I agree with you: I also like the "Heroic Style".

Regards,
Sergio
Post Reply