Modelling 25mm hoplites

[Anonymous]

I've recently acquired some 25mm Spartan hoplites in a fit of impulse buying. They're by Black Tree Design (formerly known as Harlequin) and while probably not on par with Foundry, nevertheless I think they're quite lovely models.<br>
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I was wondering if any experienced modellers could tell me how they went about making spears from metal wire. Do you simply tap one end with a hammer to flatten it and then file/cut out a spearhead? Wouldn't this method produce a spearhead that is closer to one side of the spear haft (i.e. the side resting on the table while the hammer taps from above)? What sort of wire and what thickness do you recommend? The Foundry figure catalogue suggested florist wire, but if they're anything like the ones I got with the hoplites, they would be too soft for my liking and bend easily. Is brass wire a more rigid option? Would it be harder to flatten the tip of brass wire?<br>
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Any help would be appreciated, thanks. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Check at your local hobby shop, sometimes they have all kinds of steel rod that is very small. You could hammer this, but hammer it on both sides, perhaps this would create an evenly angled point. Or, you could flatten it out, then sand it using a dremel or some sand paper to the shape/angle you desire. <p>"Only Trajan could go to Dacia."<BR>
<BR>
Magnus/Matt<BR>
Optio<BR>
Legio XXX "Ulpia Victrix" </p><i></i>

[Catiline]

steel or brass rod of the correct diameter should do the trick. it'll tap flat with a small hammer on a vice/anvil/any old bit of scrap metal, then you can shape it with a file or a dremel. Remember though that these stay hard and sharp, and are very good at drawing blood, especially when whipped out of your grip by a dremel, hence i file them. I find one confident whack with the hammer works better than several smaller taps, which tend to distort, and weaken, the metal more.<br>
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If you can get hold of them Foundry sell packs of pikes, which are lengths of steel sharpend at one end. tapping these flat with a hammer is easy as above, but with the advantage of avoiding the sharpening bit, which is what takes the time. I believe they've started making them sharpened at both ends, you then cut in the middle, which sounds like a good idea. in principle theey come in packs of 80, but someone doesn't seem to count, i got over 200. That's what most of their pictures have in them, despite the notes about florist wire. Of course you then have to pay Foundry prices, so probably not worth it unless you can buy them through another supplier to avoid hte worst of the postage, or get them as part of a deal.<br>
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Incidentally for those whop are interested Foundry have a new website, www.foundryarcana.com and have some good offers on at the moment, big big discounts.<br>
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[Anonymous]

www.oldgloryminiatures.com/<br>
<br>
if you are in North America you might try Old Glory<br>
while I havent used them myself I have heard good reviews<br>
Dave <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Hi all,<br>
<br>
Brass wire is good (more stiff than florist's). Make the tip, add a strip of paper below the spear "blade" for the ferrule (is this right?) and make a small groove near the end for the butt spike (and sharpen the end a bit) and you'll have a lovely spear in the lenght you want. For the first few make the piece of brass/whatever a bit longer than you need: if you mess up you can always cut it off and start over.<br>
As for Old Glory spears: I have some of their 8 cm "pikes", they are quite good, but the spearhead is a lot wider than the shaft and looks out of proportion when finished (the shafts look too slender). I used to make spears, etc for myself, but I've found it a lot easier to just buy them, especially if you need a lot. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your helpful suggestions. I'll give brass rods a go and see how they turn out. I'll let you know about the results. <p></p><i></i>

[Daniel S Peterson]

Auxilia,<br>
an alternative to metal spears is to use nylon brush bristles if you can find them thin enough. The beauty of these is that they will flex back when bent, rather than staying bent like metal wire. It probably depends on how "rough" you are with the figures.<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>

[Praefectusclassis]

A nice trick for WWII antennae are guitar snares. Maybe the thicker ones would be suitable for 25mm spears? <p>Greets<BR>
<BR>
Jasper</p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks Dan and Jasper for your suggestions, but I prefer the rigid, realistic brass rod spears, though I see your point about the flexible spears being able to bounce back straight. I believe some modellers use the nylon bristles for their 15mm armies, particularly Macedonian pike phalaxes due to the fragility of the long pikes. Myself, I go for rigid any day. Just have to be a bit more careful with the minis, I suppose.<br>
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<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=auxilia>Auxilia</A> at: 11/8/02 1:31:52 am<br></i>