"Show me your flight stands!" Topic

I read a post yesterday and the poster had a link to some of his pictures. His flight stands are EXACTLY what I'm looking for (Pajaro Muerto was the posts screen name….signed off as Rolando)

If this is you, please let us know how you created them! Anyone else want to share how they made their flight stands. I'm more interested in the telescoping stands.

Thanks!

Well, we sell and use these for aerial combat:

topgunmarketing.org

I bought clear plastic Lego bricks (single cylindrical)to use. There have been some previous posts on this. Quick height changes and cheap. Can probably only deal with systems using up to about 6-8 height bands though. But that is fine for Thud Ridge, Downtown series(conversion from boargame)and Phantoms-thats what i wanted.

Please post the link to the pictures. Or at least the link to the thread/post that links to the pictures.

Garcias,

Glenn

Here are my lego flight stands: link

Planes are held on with magnets. The white one with black rings use small o-rings from the hardware store.

You don't want to see my flight stands…they ain't pretty…but they do the job.

Actually that was a picture of the stands that I use. The rods are telescoping pickup magnets from an online autoparts distributor that are attached to furniture coasters with a screw hole that is conveniently the correct size to fit the rods. I add some metal washers to the base for weight.
A better picture of the stands:

link

Mark

Yup, clear Lego bricks does the job for me.

link

Here's mine (1/300 minis)…

picture

…and a brief how-to (the descriptions don't appear in the slideshow -- to read them you need to select a photo from the album)…

link

Sorry Zasgard: those stands that I posted a link to were actually Microbiggie's!

Mine are either straight and level magnet stands,

picture

…or a stand with a steel ball glued on top, with a donut-shaped magnet on top, where the aircraft with magnet attaches. Sorry, no pics of these yet…

Rolando

Thanks gents!!

I think I'm going with the telescoping stands with magnets.

Well I make mine out of Red Oak and Radio Shack Antennas

link

I will be selling these on E-bay soon!

mjc

How do you attach them to the planes? I'm assuming a pin of some sort? Mind telling me where you buy them and what they are called? That looks like an easier setup than the magnets :)

I use a similar system to Quid's for my larger scale planes. I use the top part of a push pin superglued into the fuselage for the alligator clip to hold: picture

Instead of antennas I have used brass and aluminum tubes in one, two and three segment lengths to mark heights. The base is very similar and you can see the first height length in the base: picture

Magnets are easier, cheaper, and more secure…..

Zasgard
The telescoping rods have a magnet. Just glue a magnet on the bottom of the model. Tricky part is making sure you have enough telescoping rods with correct polarity to mount your planes. I make sure that I mix up the magnets that I attach to the models.

Mark

We sell them in matched polarity sets to address that issue.

Rob
Topgun Marketing LLC

Top Gun

Thanks for the offers, but I need quite a few of them and at $10+ a pop I just don't have that much scratch.

Nice stands though…..very nice indeed.

I use the telescoping antennae too with a rare earth strong magnet. My games are 3D. One needs the altitude. I like the clip idea to invert the aircraft when needed. I use a floor caster base, but for extra stability, I glued the base to an acrylic hex 2" in diameter. Big a/c like B-29s (1/300) reaquire the base support. I can also game in 1/100 with these stands (15mm). Die cast models' weight presents problems. I keep the telescoping antennae low for die cast models.

Yup, clear Lego bricks does the job for me.

link

Cfielitz, i havent bought my magnets yet although i have my lego. Can you advise what size magnets you got? obviously having the lego, i know how big the hole is, but its a fine judgement, and knowing ho big your magnets are/how close the fit for use with glue, would be helpful.

Marcus

No too long ago, my local Harbor Freight store had telescoping magnetic ended pickup tools for $1 USD a piece. The tool was orange and collapsed to resemble a pen with a clip to put in your shirt pocket. The clip was held by a screw which was easily removed and the aweful orange paint easily covered. The screw was easily replaced to screw the telescoping bit to a weighted base. The magnetic end is pretty big at about 10 or 12 mm across. I use a tiny steel screw in the bottom of the 1:144 aircraft, which is held handily by the magnet.

Here is a link to their online sales; price is $3 USD each

link

Jim

I use Rob's 4" "top gun marketing" stands. Great product. Pics at facebook, here:

link

Kevin in Edmonton.

For those of you using antennas what is the collapsed length and the extended length, I am trying to figure out how much height I want with my 1/300 planes. The problem I have seen as the antennas get longer and longer the problem of tipping over gets larger. I am looking at 3.5 inchs to 13.5 inches antennas! What do you guys with antennas think about that range?
William

The telescoping antennas are really best to show relative height difference. You would need a big heavy, probably impractical base to keep 4 engined bombers up at the max extension. At least thats how we use them.

"…using antennas…how much height I want with my 1/300 planes….the problem of tipping over gets larger."

I cut down the rabbit-ear antennas I bought to end up with 3-inch sections and drew a mark in the middle --the resultant 1-1/2 inch "level" is distinguishable with my 1/300-stuff (IMO).

An aid in fighting the wobbly/tippy aspect at full-extension is to increase the internal bearing surface so that the thing is sturdier. As-purchased, there was only a tiny (1/4-inch) slivver of the section left inside: fine for tuning in the telly, but no good with a metal mini on top! I beefed them up to five or six times that much and it helped a lot. That does make the lowest, fixed section taller (by the amount of bearing surface), but since I use a scale marked on that section to track stuff/stats I don't mind too much.

(The link to photos of what I'm talking about is in my previous post above.)

Thanks gwierda
How easy is it to take the antennas apart, it seems pretty easy?

So you can cut them down to any size you want?
William

WK-
Getting them apart isn't tough, though you will (most likely -depends on the specific piece, I imagine) have to cut the bottom off so that all the sections can be slid/pushed out --if you're planning to keep the bottom intact (to preserve a mounting tap or…?) it may not be an option.

Cutting the sections down is easy, but requires a tubing cutter to create the rolled-edge that will retain the piece inside it. You could cut off the bottom of the section instead (with a razor saw or somesuch) but then you'll have to drill holes for the bearing-surface/locking shims. Either way there is a fair measure of tedium involved.

The real problem is trying to come up with a project/construction that will use all those leftover cut-offs…I built two-dozen six-segment stands, so I have a box of tubing rattling around my bench that's begging to be made into something!