I've finished my 'coke can' (actually Pepsi-Max) flag for the Grenzers and am quite chuffed with the result. I cut the aluminium for the flag with my craft knife and then superglued it to the flagstaff, bent it into position and amazingly it lined up first time.
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| I paint the flag after assembly. |
The figure is a converted AN/21. Hungarian Officer, charging although I think this is actually a DK version. The flag itself is painted freehand using some pencilled guidelines. The design is a mash up of images from the internet and my own photo (below) taken this year at the Naval Museum in Venice.
I'm not sure what an Austrian flag was doing on display at an Italian naval museum because strangely the signage wasn't in english. The museum was however a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city being a bit out of the way by the old naval dockyard.
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| The rather stylish entrance to the dockyard just around the corner from the museum. |
There is a quite a lot of stuff in the museum relating to WW2 and how Italian frogmen managed to blow up British battleships using manned torpedoes. Not one mention of Taranto though!
17 comments:
Cracking work on the flag it looks great.
Getting the flag to line up first time on your first metal foil flag is pretty special, I've messed up a few at that stage - luckily that's before the painting stage. Really good painting too, I cheat and use pens for lettering and fine line black detail.
Austrian flags in Venice - not so strange as the Austrians did 'own' Venice for much of this period. Bonaparte did away with the Venetian Republic then ceded it to Austria (both in 1797) to compensate them for other North Italian territories he took off them. Napoleon then took it back in 1805 only to lose it in 1814. It then remained Austrian, despite a few attempts at independence, until the Austrians were unable to hold on to it after being trounced by the Prussians in 1866.
Cheers Donnie!
Rob, I guess that explains it but it seemed out of context in the naval museum!
The Austrians had a navy, and arguably their most famous victory was in the Adriatic in 1866 although Venice was not used as a naval base (not suitable).
A lovey looking flag Ian…
It’s a nice museum…I had a far too brief visit there the last time I was in Venice…And yes definitely more peaceful than the rest of the city.
All the best. Aly
How you all paint a flag already mounted on a pole is beyond me, especially one with so much detail work. At least with my paper flags I can paint them flat on the desk. You guys and your Pepsi can flags are brave, or nuts...
"Brave or nuts" and the difference is... I'll go for "brave". This is heroic and glorious and I have absolutely no intention of trying to emulate. Not at my age. I look forward to having these brave (and rather pretty) fellows in my lines one day.
Aly, the museum was curated in a quite old fashioned way but I still found it interesting.
David, I have become used to it because I’ve painted so many cast-on HH flags for the British and French!
Nigel, they will be honoured to have you command them!
That is really good work!
Thanks Matt
Bravo, Ian! I was equally nervous when I decided to try making flags like this, but the actual construction part turned out to be a doddle. They have a very reassuring permanence about them. Paintng them is a bit more of a challenge, but you've mastered it!
Best regards, WM
My goodness you have painted that flag so, so perfectly Ian!
I like using bits of old scrap metal from wine bottles and the tops of cans too. It's great for shaping them to get the flowing look, isn't it? My flags are nothing like yours though!
Regards, James
Thanks Matthew, your own superb flags provided the inspiration to have a go myself!
Thank you James and I may use that excuse to up wine consumption!
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