Flail (Morning Star)

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Sun May 16, 2004 4:42 pm

After a full day of playing board games all day, then watching the Lakers take their revenge upon the Spurs, I had to cap a perfect day by making another custom weapon.

The constructed mace has been around for quite a while - it's just there for comparative purposes. The flail is a fairly skilless operation - I cut up a chain into two parts with one thin-bladed cut in the middle of the sixth link from one end. The cut link was twisted slightly to create a gap and slid free from the other link. I then have two pieces of chain with a connector at one end, one with five links, and a longer one. The five link half has the connector placed on a wand and two links are super glued (gel style glue since that stays put much better) into the interior of a gear. Done.

I looked for a more elegant Lego solution rather than glue, but they ended up making the whole thing look clunky. Parts Masters may wish to resolve what I was too lazy to address late at night.

And I thought I'd throw in two round shields that have been asked about on another thread in the customized section (though that whole thread is correctly MOC, not Custom, despite its title). The shields are mounted on "beer taps" which the minifig also grips.

And the other half of the chain? The extra links can be cut out to make another flail, but instead I threaded the cut link through the hole on the end of a grappling hook.

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Sun May 16, 2004 5:05 pm

I never thought to use the technic gear for a flail... I'm not sure why, because I already use them for maces. Good work.

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Sun May 16, 2004 6:37 pm

And here are two variations.

Foot soldiers often used a two-handed staff version, and this is simply the basic chain assemby stuck over the "umbrella stand" pole. It fits down nicely over the stop.

The other just is there to illustrate that you can splice back in the other end of the chain - look close and you can see the cut in the link. This way you have a proper connector to put on whatever will fit (not the gear directly, alas) to make your weighted end. I think it looks fine as is and didn't bother with anything extra.

The extra links? You can customize the length of your chain for your drawbridge without lots of clunky connectors marring it.

Barbapple · Post by **Barbapple** » Sun May 16, 2004 6:44 pm

Man, two-tonic, You've done it again!
These are absolutly butiful!
Great work! Great work!You are the master!

wlister · Post by **wlister** » Sun May 16, 2004 7:41 pm

Very Nice and the drawbridge chain extension is a great idea as well.

Will

Rubberchickenknight · Post by **Rubberchickenknight** » Sun May 16, 2004 9:55 pm

So that's how to make a flail!!

Nice design TTK

Sir Terrance · Post by **Sir Terrance** » Sun May 16, 2004 10:19 pm

Nice work there, and I am glad to see you liked my shield idea (the round 2x2 tile).

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Sun May 16, 2004 11:04 pm

Sir Terrance wrote:Nice work there, and I am glad to see you liked my shield idea (the round 2x2 tile).

See my thread on "Making Round Shields" on Lugnet from three years ago:

http://news.lugnet.com/castle/?n=10527

I had a fistful of the darn things - I keep meaning to make up some stickers for them, but I always look at the target design and remember the Gary Larsen cartoon ("I told you these shields were a crock!") and just leave them as is.

Sir Terrance · Post by **Sir Terrance** » Mon May 17, 2004 3:00 am

Oh okay, here I though I was so smart making up an idea when someone already did it.

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Mon May 17, 2004 4:22 am

Sir Terrance wrote:Oh okay, here I though I was so smart making up an idea when someone already did it.

I'm sure someone beat me to it, too.

Post by **Bruce N H** » Mon May 17, 2004 7:40 pm

Hey,

I saw these on Brickshelf and think they look great. I only have a couple of chains, though, so there's no way I'll take an exacto knife to mine. I really wish they'd make a few different sizes of chains like they have different lengths of the strings.

Bruce

The Blue Knight · Post by **The Blue Knight** » Mon May 17, 2004 8:51 pm

Man how do find the time? Another great custom, though your choice of b-ball teams leaves much to be desired. You must be independently weathly, not only to have so many Legos and so much free time, but to live in so cal

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Mon May 17, 2004 9:15 pm

The Blue knight wrote:Man how do find the time? Another great custom, though your choice of b-ball teams leaves much to be desired. You must be independently weathly, not only to have so many Legos and so much free time, but to live in so cal

I can probably do the flail in all of two minutes. I think even the lowliest peasant hovel takes considerably longer - I wonder how everyone else finds the time to make the glorioulsy complex and detailed buildings that they have.

TwoTonic Knight · Post by **TwoTonic Knight** » Mon May 17, 2004 9:22 pm

Bruce N H wrote:Hey,

I saw these on Brickshelf and think they look great. I only have a couple of chains, though, so there's no way I'll take an exacto knife to mine. I really wish they'd make a few different sizes of chains like they have different lengths of the strings.

Bruce

Yeah, I've always wished the same. I've had it in the back of my mind for quite some time to cut out extra links and reconnect the ends, but there's always that vague dread at wrecking a part to no good end. It was just a case of sorting some parts and finding some of the spare chains I had socked away from earlier auctions.