USA-1 updated with paper flag "how-to"

[snapper]

This is AMT's USA-1 monster truck.

[zbuckster]

Nice work. Love the photo on the Rocks.

[68chevy]

Yes very nice truck AWESOME job colby.

[snapper]

Thanks for the nice comments guys!

[snapper]

Now that the review and photo shoot is over, I can add extras. I wanted to add a flag just like the real 1:1, and I had a hard time finding any online resources for purchasing or making your own. A gentleman in our local Georgia Mountain Modeler's Club is great with constructing paper models, so I contacted him for some tips for possibly make a flag from paper (thank you Chuck!). I modified a few things here and there, but here are the basics for making a paper flag in just about any size. It was very quick and easy. It came out ok, but I feel that I could do a better job next time. These steps can of course all be modified, but here's what I did:

1 - Locate and save a digital pic of your flag in the highest resolution possible.
2 - Paste your copy in a Word document (or something similar like Open Office, Paint, etc.) and size. Copy and flip the flag in the document if you don't have a digital reversed, or rather flipped, copy of the flag. This will allow you to print both sides of the flag.
3 - Carefully tape a portion tissue paper on to a regular sheet of paper by taping all the edges down. Avoid wrinkles in the tissue (this was the hardest part of the process - took me two tries).
4 - Print a draft copy on a regular sheet of paper first to make sure it all "hits" the tissue paper ok. I used a slightly "off white" tissue paper for the USA flag.
5 - Verify, adjust if necessary, and print again in best quality. Let dry. Seal it with some light coats of spray matte fixative (the same spray that is used to seal pencil and charcoal drawings).
6- Optional - I added an additional layer of tissue (with no print) on the inside of the flag using spray adhesive in order to give the flag more stiffness. However, if you are planning to shape the flag realistically, more tissue may decrease your ability to that.
7 - Cut and remove your tissue flag from the copy paper with a sharp hobby knife.
8 - Spray adhesive to the flag "backs" and fold over (or stick them back to back if you printed them separately). Align accordingly.
9- Shape the flag with your fingers, tweezers, etc. or just leave it flat depending on the look you want. I found that clamping with flag with tweezers and then "rolling" the tweezer in the direction of the ripple helped with some of the finer areas (if that makes any sense).
10 - Seal it again with spray matte fixative in order to help the flag keep its shape more permanently.

Given the opportunity to do this all over again, I would try it without an extra layer of tissue in order to see how that would affect the shaping. In the pic, you can also see the sheet of copy paper where I had the tissue taped down to it.

pic below: flag printed on tissue and flipped to backside along with an extra piece of tissue glued to the backside

[shreddedtire82]

thats awesome!!! i might have to try that one day

[zbuckster]

Good tip, thanks for sharing that.

[Nacho Z]

Hey snapper, first off, nice truck!! I too like the picture of it on the rocks. Second, thanks for taking the time to share the flag making tip with us. Third, the picture that shows the flag - I guarantee you that most people would believe that is a picture of the real truck - great job!

[snapper]

Thank you guys, I appreciate it. I hope the flag idea can help someone else. It may be more for military modeling, but I think it can be used with some automotive modeling ideas too.

[tool]

super truck !

[EmJay]

nice. is that the re-issue that came in the lunch box?