Flags and Banners

I've been playing Epic for a little while now and it makes for a great visual experience - with all manner of armoured vehicles and tiny 6mm troops shuffling around the table, it doesn't take much to imagine you're commanding a huge armoured engagement taking place upon some war-torn planet.

When it comes to individual Units within Formations, it can be difficult to differentiate characters and some specialist units from amongst the crowd.  That's where banners come into play.

Sure, having a huge banner declaring to the world you're a worthy target might not be the smartest of moves, but when they're done right, they can really add to the game. A few of the guys from my club are absolute experts in this regard, frequently hand painting unique pieces to complement their models - seriously, some of them are works of art. Myself, I'm a little more of a hack, and at 6mm scale, there's only so much detail I can afford to attempt.

Typically, especially with 28mm games, a banner is tied to a specific model. I've found that in 6mm, there's something to be said for versatility - my armies lists might change from game-to-game, so being able to designate different specialists on demand makes a lot of sense.

One of my clubmates suggested using pins and cork 'rocks' to apply banners on demand - what a great idea! And as pins are typically steel, they can also be held by magnets too. During the last little while, I've been experimenting with a variety of methods and materials and thought I'd share one way that seems work well. I'll show you how I can create a half-dozen banners with very little overhead and quickly.

Materials required: long pins, superglue, some light and flexible metal, sandpaper, a paper flag, and varnish (I like gloss, but matt would do too), and some plyers.

Step 1: prepare a length of metal sheeting, just a little shorter than a pin's length.

Step 2: cuff the pin using a few millimeters of the metal sheeting.

Step 3: use your plyers to ensure that there's little free play between the pin and metal - basically you're wanting a tight tube in which a pin can slide. Then remove the pin.

Step 4: scuff the metal with sandpaper - the tiny grooves just make the glue and paper stick all the better.

Step 5: one side at a time, cover the metal with superglue and apply the paper 'flag'. I wrap the paper around the pin-end/side and then trim it off.

Step 6: cut the banners to length - a 1-inch sheet might give you 5 or 6 banners? It all depends upon how you want them to look.

Step 7: thread each banner onto a new pin - if it's hard to do, you know it's going to be hard to shake loose! I also use my plyers to crimp the banner and pin together - you can see the little horizontal crimp marks I've got on some of my banners.

Step 8: twist the banners around as if they're being whipped by the wind and give them a varnish. That's it!

You might want to experiment with different approaches e.g., free handing onto the banner, printing some clever stuff that you stick onto the banner, or even other materials. They're so quick and easy to make, I wouldn't get too worried about messing some up. If you do give it a try, be sure to share your results with me :-D