1/48 HMS Surprise, who makes the best flags.

[ratskiss]

The flags that came with my AL 1/48 Surprise are not so realistic. Do any of you out there in the sea lanes know who makes the most realistic flags for model ships? I would like to replace mine. If you have read Patrick O'Brian I would like to recreate the flags for the ending of "Blue at the Mizzen" So I would like to know what the blue flag would look like and which line to run it off. Thanks.

[Tim Moore]

In case you don’t end up getting other flags, I just completed the AL 1/48 Bounty and had the same concern about the garish plastic looking flag in the kit. So I sanded it fairly aggressively across the face and edges and rolled it for a while to give it a weathered and frayed sort of look that seems appropriate.

[Jim Rogers]

Make your own. Find what you want on the net, copy into print program, size it. Tape a white tissue sheet to a regular printer sheet and run it through the printer cut it out done. Here is one I made.

[Chuck Seiler]

4 minutes ago, Jim Rogers said:

Make your own. Find what you want on the net, copy into print program, size it. Tape a white tissue sheet to a regular printer sheet and run it through the printer cut it out done.

    That is what I have done also.  All told I have made over 100 flags for various projects.  My paper of choice is cigarette paper because it is thin but strong.  Unfortunately it is also small, so it cannot be used for large flags.  Onion skin paper is also good, if you can find it...or tracing paper.  I am not sure if you mean Kleenex tissue paper.  I would NOT recommend that.  Very fragile and rips easily.  Could rip loose and jam printer...or so I am told <ahem>.  The tissue paper used for gift wrapping works.

 

    "Flags of the World" is the site I use.

[Gregory]

Technique from another Chuck

 

 

[MEDDO]

I used the Chuck method on my Queen Anne Barge and the flags came out surprisingly well.

[allanyed]

 Keep in mind, that whatever material you use and you are looking for realism,  the flags are not normally flying, especially if there are no sails or the sails are furled, but rather are draped as Jim has shown in the photo in his post.  I never really thought about printing my own flags until reading the posts above.  I just tried a sample on silkspan and it worked!!!  I taped the silkspan onto a plain white page before printing.  Once done,  Silkspan is easy to drape if wetted with some matte medium.   BUT, keep in mind water proof versus non-waterproof inks.  Laser printers are the way to go for this feature.  If an ink jet printer is the only choice, matte medium is not a good follow up for draping, but rather some other medium that will wet the silkspan and not cause the ink to run.      My little test print on silkspan  follows-  about 2.5X3.5"    I would be interested to see if anyone has more info on draping a flag without ink running .       Allan 

 

[MEDDO]

2 hours ago, allanyed said:

will wet the silkspan and not cause the ink to run. 

I used Krylon mattte fixative on my tissue paper run through a color inkjet printer. Worked great