Fell Bats and Flying Sticks

[Angie]

I have six metal fell bats and a bunch of those flying sticks, but I am slightly at a loss when it comes to attaching them in a way that's easy to transport but stable.

I would prefer to attach the flying sticks securely to the bases, and have the bats loose and able to just snap on them. I could glue them to the sticks I suppose, but my experience with Bretonnian pegasus knights was pretty bad, leading to snapped sticks lodged in the belly of the pegasus.

Do you have any ideas how to attach them well? I've been thinking about using grey stuff to fill in the hole, press in the stick and pull it out and leave the grey stuff to dry. How did you guys attach your bats, and how do you transport them without the sticks snapping?

 

[Mad 'At]

I drilled deeper holes into the fell bats and just let the sit on top of the sticks. They don't stick very well but it works. That idea with grey stuff doesn’t sound too bad though and I might have to try it myself.

 

[Markond]

It may be worth doing a scenic base for them instead of using the sticks, having them swarming around a tree or a victim with pins drilled through them so its completely secure. Makes them a bit bigger but also a lot sturdier, and gives you a chance to add character and flavour to them. The other option is magnetizing them, but that a lot of work for very little reward in this case.

 

[Von Calyptra]

I drilled deeper holes into the bats for stability and then glued the posts in. I cut the foam in a GW case to house them. They take up two levels.

I haven't had problems with them breaking, but lately I have been thinking about removing the plastic posts and replacing them with some sort of metal rod - ideally something with some spring to it - both for added stability and to vary their heights more so that they rank more easily.

 

[Angie]

I ended up widening and especially deepening the holes in the bats and then filling them in with grey stuff, before pressing in the rod and letting it harden out. They sit very snugly on top of their sticks now. Ranking them up still is awful, but at least they won't fall off now

 

[Shadespyre]

I just found these from Hawk Wargames for their Dropzone Commander game...

http://www.hawkwargames.com/collections/misc-flight-stands-and-widgets

 

[Duke Danse Macabre]

Another option if you ever do any more is brass rod, you can fit it the same way but it's easier to change the heights of them to make them easier it rank up.

 

[Fodderboy]

I drilled the bats and sticks with a 1mm pin vise, pinned the sticks with about 10mm of paperclip, and glued the sticks to the bases.
To centre the bit on the top, I cut an x across the tip with a hobby knife.

Bats sit on reasonably well, and the tips don't break.

 

[Mioum]

I used thick metal rods for mine, because I hate to see plastic rod breaking. Plus I varied the length so they are easier to rank.

See theme here.