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Newest update on this project: I seriously need to find out how big flight bases are. 30mm for the small ones and 50mm for the big ones? Or are they some funky kind of size?

I hate flightsticks.



These things just tick me off. Since I've started a new Tau army, I have rather a lot of them in my future. I'm considering taking a 'no flightsticks' vow. Doing my entire army, including dramatically posed Crisis Suits, skimmers, and drones, all without using any of these clear acrylic flight rods. Or pins, or crosses, or any other visible means of support which hasn't been somehow concealed within the scenery of the model.

What do you guys think? Would this be interesting to anyone? Anyone got good ideas on how to do it? Think it's a good idea/terrible one? More importantly, if I were to do this, would anyone else be willing to take the same vow with me? Make a communal project out of it?

I know I hate the clear flight stands and I fully intend to never use one, much prefer scenery as a way to mount the models, got at least a few examples tucked into my gallery such as my screamers and blight drones if those would be any use to you. Unfortunately I've got nothing in the bunch of stuff I have left to paint that would use a clear stand at the moment so I can't join you in the challenge!

It's plenty doable. You just need to put down poses that look like the model couldn't possibly be at rest in that position. For example, I've done my tiny pool of CSM models to be running.



So long as you have the smallest amount of contact between the base and any part of the model, you'll be fine. Of course, given that you want them to look flyingesque, you'd need to take this to an even bigger extreme. Having a riptide touching the base with nothing more than a big toe, for example.

In these cases, you're going to have to do some serious work (like spending a lot of time pinning, for example) to get the structural integrity to keep the model on the base, but I'm sure you'd get better at that over time.

The one thing I would definitely not suggest is to put some piece of terrain underneath to prop it up. Usually this just looks bad, and actually detracts from the idea of flight.

I do indeed plan to do the Crisis Suits in a similar fashion to your Chaos warriors, Ailaros. Great stuff there. Loving those dynamic jumping berserkers, Ignatius.

My drones I was planning on doing in a variety of poses among foliage. With the plastic or resin drones, I was thinking that I could run thin wires from the plants to the drones. I've got some metal sniper drones, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle them yet.

I started hating them with a passion after my Ghost Ark's flight stick cracked and I now have a bit stuck inside it. I have considered doing the same as you, but I still am not sure how.

For my destroyers / skimmers I will likely try to make rocks or buy some ruins to cover a metal rod. Anyway, please do that, the flyer bases and sticks are complete hell-spawn.

Yeah I hate those things. I have been doing the following that buypainted made a tutorial for- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw5bCNnDiXE

I feel this change is far better than the clear sticks. You are basically using a metal rod and will still see it but I feel it is much less obvious.

The only problem I can see are drones. on such a small model it's be hard to run a pin through it, except for the top plate. I think you should just use a metal rod going into a regular base on those.

I am not a huge fan of these either. I have already broken 2 for my devilfish. I am in the process of making replacement ones with thick acrylic rod and a magnet sunk in the top. On tau skimmers ( or even eldar ) the flying stand can be low profile enough that its mostly hidden.

Drones would be an issue I think, a thin metal rod would look as out of place as the flying stand.

 Mecha_buddha wrote:
I am not a huge fan of these either. I have already broken 2 for my devilfish. I am in the process of making replacement ones with thick acrylic rod and a magnet sunk in the top. On tau skimmers ( or even eldar ) the flying stand can be low profile enough that its mostly hidden.

Drones would be an issue I think, a thin metal rod would look as out of place as the flying stand.

This works or you could cut off the flimsy tip (I've broken enough of these off in models). If you cut the tip the ticker piece doesn't break and all you have to do is drill a slightly larger hole in the vehicles for it to rest on.

It probably would not work for all drones but for drones on the crisis suit or riptide you can make them look hard wired to the suit but set it up in suck a way that you can remove the drones if they are destroyed.

So, I've picked up a Dark Eldar army, and it's reinvigorated my lust to do a flight stick-less army.

I'm getting ready to start the No-Flightstick Challenge, but I'm at a little bit of a loss for how to start. My Reavers were going to be my first attempt, but I can't figure out how to do their bases. The flight bases are curved, so I can't glue down the terrain I want without it looking all weird (I want to use building fragments to conceal the flight sticks). But I can't find a flat base that is the right size. Regular 40k bases (28mm?) are too small, and 40mm are too big.

Any advice?

Well, I used fire for St Celestine

That looks really great! If I ever make a signature banner for this challenge, would you mind if I included that pic?

Sure, go ahead, and thanks.

Back to the new question: anyone know what size the clear flight bases are? I'd like to find some flat ones of a similar size.

Anyone?

The small ones are 30mm

The big ones are the same size as the top of a 60mm base.

I am not a home this week, so I can't get a more precise measurement.

Personally, I have no problem with them being clear...I have a problem with how they attach to the models.

For my drones;
I cut the top of the stand, and place a magnet on it. and put a magnet (1/8) in the bottom of the drone.
This works well, as I don't have to worry about them breaking, and I don't need a base for every single drone...as I rarely play with more than a dozen ever.

For vehicles:
I use a 1/4" acrylic rod either with a magnet on the top, or just sliding into a 1/4" hole I make in the bottom of the mini.
You can use either a small tube in the bottom of a model, or use some epoxy putty, and just drill a hole.

For flyers;
I use 1/2" acrylic rod, for the stand. Putting a small piece of 1/2" (interior diameter) pipe on the base, and another one in the model. This has the benefit of allowing me to break down the stand for easier storage (my flight stand bases are only 1" high).

What ever you do, enjoy the creative process of making something new and unique to your army.

best of luck!

Okay...I still can't figure this out. I just got some PP bases. (30 mm, right?) But they're not as big as a small GW flight base. So what size are those damn bases? Is there ANYONE who sells a flat base that size?

just.... try this. Get a brass rod, make a model or whatever, paint it up to desire, and instead of using any clear plastic, just use the brass rod. I thought I'd hate it and I'd lose my junk trying to find out how to hide it, but after having the model and having it painted, the brass rod didn't bother me at all once it was done. It's worth trying it on some models just to see whether you can suffer it, otherwise you can add things like bushes, smoke, or trees (having it hang under the tree, for instance, is also an option and mixes it up), or, for the sake of amusement, you can have one having an explosion and an electrical discharge that's keeping it afloat. There was one bloke i met who had a damaged drone in his kit when he opened the box, and all he did was get a piece of slate, stand it up, and model the darn thing as if it had crashed into the rock, and just played with that.

At this point, I have tons of basing options I've picked up. The only thing I DON'T have is flat bases to attack them to. Seriously...does anyone know how big the two GW flight bases are?

The large ones are something in the 50mm range, maybe 58mm comparing them to 60mm large bases. The small ones might be 30mm compared to 25mm bases. But I have no idea, those estimates are just from eyeballing.

For vehicles, its hard to make a custom flight stand for them without it making it only looking proper for one certain setting as found to be.

But with like that Sisters of Battle HQ unit, can use that anywhere as it looks if she created it under her to begin with and it looks very great effect