While waiting for miniatures to dry last night, I figured it was a good time to get a flight base put together. I had seen these for sale here and there, and figured it couldnt be that hard to make my own.
To start with, I had my diecast Apache Longbow, a base, and a cheap mechanics mirror from the local auto part store.
First thing you do it remove the mirror. Just a pair of pliers at the edge will let you get a grip on the glass and remove it without breaking. Then you twist it around until the weld fails. It should leave you with a rod with a flat end.
In the bottom of my diecast model was a hole for the flight stand. I took that hole and drilled it out a bit further after cutting the flat tip off of the end of the rod in the picture above. You could also take the flat end and cut/drill out a flat slot for it, but since I had the tools (in this case, a 'dremel' tool) I cut it off and drilled out the hole.
Once you are done with that, you will need to remove the part from the rest of the rod. Mine was a screw with nut on the other end, easy enough to take apart. I then glued it into the bottom and allowed it to set.
While waiting, I took the round base and put a nail through the center. Next time, I would use a bigger nail that fits into the rod better. Once it is in, you will want to cut it off so that the rod can telescope back down. It is just needing to be far enough in so you can apply glue so the rod is secured firmly to the base. Try to make sure it is straight.
Once it dries you can reattach the helicopter if you want. I wanted to base mine, so I kept going.
Basing was the same as for the rest of my desert miniatures. A layer of sand/gravel glued down, a layer of country tan, some Woodland Scenics Earth Undercoat, a drybrush of Bone White, then some "Arid" static grass.
The end result is a flight base that should blend well with anything else on the table, as well as one that can fly low or high as necessary for the desired effect. It can also tilt to make for strafing runs or such.
AH-64D Apache Longbow (Wikipedia)
To start with, I had my diecast Apache Longbow, a base, and a cheap mechanics mirror from the local auto part store.
First thing you do it remove the mirror. Just a pair of pliers at the edge will let you get a grip on the glass and remove it without breaking. Then you twist it around until the weld fails. It should leave you with a rod with a flat end.
In the bottom of my diecast model was a hole for the flight stand. I took that hole and drilled it out a bit further after cutting the flat tip off of the end of the rod in the picture above. You could also take the flat end and cut/drill out a flat slot for it, but since I had the tools (in this case, a 'dremel' tool) I cut it off and drilled out the hole.
Once you are done with that, you will need to remove the part from the rest of the rod. Mine was a screw with nut on the other end, easy enough to take apart. I then glued it into the bottom and allowed it to set.
While waiting, I took the round base and put a nail through the center. Next time, I would use a bigger nail that fits into the rod better. Once it is in, you will want to cut it off so that the rod can telescope back down. It is just needing to be far enough in so you can apply glue so the rod is secured firmly to the base. Try to make sure it is straight.
Once it dries you can reattach the helicopter if you want. I wanted to base mine, so I kept going.
Basing was the same as for the rest of my desert miniatures. A layer of sand/gravel glued down, a layer of country tan, some Woodland Scenics Earth Undercoat, a drybrush of Bone White, then some "Arid" static grass.
The end result is a flight base that should blend well with anything else on the table, as well as one that can fly low or high as necessary for the desired effect. It can also tilt to make for strafing runs or such.
AH-64D Apache Longbow (Wikipedia)
