HMCS Flagg project

[TheCheznit8]

This is the Flagg I am working on.
I have made sketches and mockups, but no actual building as of yet, that wont be for a few months more.

It will have a large play area within it, and also be used for Dio purposes, but that won't be for a while, I first have to build this thing (which may take up to a year).

Link:

http://www.joecustoms.com/board/showthread.php?tid=34824&page=1

Page 1 of the link has the sketches
Page 2 has the pics of the cardboard mockup
Page 3 has Paintshop drawings of the completed Flagg

[Sonneilon]

I can't believe you are building a FLAGG! AWESOME! I suppose trying to do it to scale (w/ let's say, a Thunderwing), it'd be too big... But it's amazing what you are doing.

[TheCheznit8]

well this thing will be 8 feet in length, 3 feet wide, 4 feet in height, so it will be able to have more plains on the deck than Hasbro's Flagg.

thanks for the kind words

[chaosdjinn]

IT LOOKS AWESOME!!!

The plans you drew up would make for an amazing dio.

Might I suggest using plastic and epoxy instead of cardboard-(I posted this on joecustoms but will reiterate here).

I find that cardboard and tape lose their connection over time and might lose it's integrity.
Matt

[Sonneilon]

I wasn't going to say anything about cardboard cuz I'm the type of idiot would who try and use wood. Well, regular wood, basswood, balsa, whatever I could get my hands onto. I'm learning about the wonders of foamcore too... 8 feet long. THAT'S cool. 4 feet in height... I hope you have dio plans for it.

[TheCheznit8]

yeah, I definitely have dio plans for it, thats why im building it with accessibility in mind. its going to come in pieces for easy storage and for camera use, but I dont want to get ahead of myself just yet, I havent even built it yet!

also, I explained the cardboard thing on other forums, but basically that tower I built out of cardboard is ONLY for reference purposes (measurements and stuff) and the final version will be made of wood for the hull and perhaps foam board or styrene for the inside rooms and walls.

Although Chaosdjinn brought up using plastic and epoxy on another board, and that really sounds like a good idea as well. it will be lighter than wood for sure, and slightly felxible which is good.

So im still in the phase where im deciding what to use in building the Flagg.

thanks for the suggestions

what do you guys think? wood or plastic?

[Sonneilon]

Whichever is cheaper. It'll be pricy no matter what...

[chaosdjinn]

I'd probably go with wood for the skeleton, foam board for the main floors and plastic for the vertical structures/hull/doors/tables/consoles/etc. Of course use screws and epoxy to hold it all together along with a dremel and hacksaw to cut the plastic.

If you check out my warehouse in the pictures archive, you'll see that it's very heavy just from looking at it because it's all wood. That building is relatively small compared to what you're planning and I'm not a big fan of moving it as it is.

[chaosdjinn]

[QUOTE=Sonneilon]Whichever is cheaper. It'll be pricy no matter what...[/QUOTE]


I would estimate about 30-40(ferring strips are relatively inexpensive and lightweight) for the wood, 30-50 for the foam board, 40-50 for the plastic and 20 for the paint...
all in all less than 200 at most retail depots.

or you can scour local dumpsters, dumps, etc. and find resources and piecemeal it all together.
(not highly recommended though)

Then add any additional chairs, consoles, etc to make it look l337.

[TheCheznit8]

wow, thanks chaosdjinn for your estimates, thats actually not a bad price point, considering how much a Flagg in good condition can run you on ebay.

I was scared about how much this project would cost me, but I read your posts and checked out my local Home Depot, and they have large sheets of wood (6 feet by 4 feet, even larger sheets) for about 20 to 30 dollars each, which is not bad at all.

[TheCheznit8]

anyone have experience building chairs and stairs (and sea carriers?? sorry, coudnt resist completing that rhyme)? :p

Im going to need LOTS of chairs for the Flagg, and also staircases. Not the solid stair cases either, but the kind they have in submarines and naval vessels; im going for the steep, metallic, and welded look.

[chaosdjinn]

[QUOTE=TheCheznit8]anyone have experience building chairs and stairs (and sea carriers?? sorry, coudnt resist completing that rhyme)? :p

Im going to need LOTS of chairs for the Flagg, and also staircases. Not the solid stair cases either, but the kind they have in submarines and naval vessels; im going for the steep, metallic, and welded look.[/QUOTE]


Chez,
Check out my warehouse pictures(I think they're still in the photos section?). I used wood for the side supports, hacksawed them on angle halfwar though for the steps to be put in, and then squared off popsicle sticks for the actual steps. Then I used 2 different size dowels for the railings and extra flat wood for the landings. A ton of epoxy to affix it all and then painted it with rustoleum aluminum exterior oil paint(had it extra from my home's window wells)- got the paint at home depot for $8 per quart---nice and shiny.

As for the chairs, I found doll house chairs 2 for $1 at a local dollar store(they're in my warehouse also)...they're regular chairs so maybe for your use I would cut off the legs, cut a dowel and epoxy as a stationary chair to make it look more realistic on a carrier. If you like the chairs, let me know and I'll see if they have any more.
Good luck,
Matt

[TheCheznit8]

do you know what page they are on in the photos section?

[Sonneilon]

You only need to find 1 of ChaosDijinn's pics. ONce you open it up, you have an option to view ALL his pics. Try going back a page or 2 just to find 1 work by him.

[chaosdjinn]

I removed the stair shots from the pics section. I'll try to re-shoot them to give you a better idea of the warehouse stairs. As for the chairs, they're still there.
Matt

[TheCheznit8]

Im going to try out the dollar stores, see if I can find some nice chairs.

I would like to see the stairs that you made, but I get the idea of using popsicle sticks to do the steps. Very easy to do

[ToneGuns]

Man what a crazy idea, are you nuts?

Well I am. And I hope see it done. Great idea, but it'll take a time from you, ah?

Good luck!

[TheCheznit8]

yeah, it will take a lot of time to do. So far i've got drafts, sketches and the items/equipment that will go into the Flagg itself, but I haven't actually built anything yet (except for the tower). I Dont even have the materials as of yet, have to get a job first :rolleyes:

So I've given myself a year to do this, which gives me alot of time to sort everything out. I have had no real experience in cutting, measuring and preparing wood up to this point, so this whole project is overwhelming sometimes, but im glad for the support I've received from the Joe fans so far. and count on more questions from this fan when I finally do start to build this monstrosity. (where the @#*@ am I going to store this thing?!?!?!?) :rolleyes:

[chaosdjinn]

I uploaded alot more pictures including the interior of the warehouse with the stairs and chairs.
Matt

[ToneGuns]

[QUOTE=TheCheznit8] I Dont even have the materials as of yet, have to get a job first :rolleyes:
[/QUOTE]

Maybe you can find tons of the Flagg's items trough ebay.

[TheCheznit8]

thats something I wont be doing. That would be way too expensive, im trying to keep the costs of this project down.

So far I think I have enough to accessorize the Flagg already, bits and pieces that come from the joe line and other toy lines (theres at least a few hundred dollars worth of stuff in there). With the wood, paint, and everything else, I think I can do this for 400 to 500 dollars, which is good, considering how much a Flagg goes for on ebay.