Table Bling, Custom Objectives

Since #bringthepanther in February, my painting mojo has been on a low. Covid has slowed down gaming to a minimum and, with the lack of games, so does my desire for painting diminish.  So, in an attempt to get some hobby stuff done, I turn my focus on another part of the game.

Flames of War is a game where 90% of victories are decided by taking or defending objectives. Battlefront(BF) makes new tournament objectives each year and lots of people put great effort into making a mini diorama for their own unique objective marker. If you prefer the flat type, you can buy one of the many division specific ones that BF release with every new book.
But what if you want a flat, one of a kind, good looking objective?  What do you do then?
Well dear reader you are in luck, because this article will show how I make some simple good looking unique flat objective markers.

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What do you need?

Every project starts with a basic list of supplies that you will need and this is no different. You will need:

2mm thick plexiglass.

Double sided tape, preferible 3M sheets but other kinds will do.

A Picture/Background edited in goggle docs.

Self Adhesive felt(available in hardware and hobbystores)

Hobby knife.

Getting started

First up you need to decide what you will but on the objective. Do you want a map of the fighting, an iconic building, a famous general or soldier, Your name or the name of the event you are going to.

When you have decided this and put it into your text program or photo software, you print it out in 7cm x 5cm. I use Goggle Docs as it’s free and easy to use.
The reason we print the picture larger than the finished base is that this will allow us to not be 100% accurate when putting the pieces together. At the same time we can cut out the self adhesive felt into a similar size.

Next up is the plexiglass. Cutting plexiglass can seem like a challenge if you don’t know anyone with a lasercutter or other fancy equipment.  However, you can cut it using any little saw with a fine tooth blade.  Mark the objective size, take your time and cut nice and slow, letting the saw do the work.
With the cutting done it’s time to smooth the edges of the plexiglass. Here you can use a file or sandpaper or if the cuts aren’t to big, scrape it with a sharp hobby knife. JUST WATCH YOU FINGERS. At the same time you should bevel the edges so they don’t look too sharp.

Now the only other thing we need is to cut the double sided tape to the same size as the photo and felt and we are ready for the next step.

Assembling

Now the fun part begins!

Remove the protective film from one side of the double sided tape and fix it to the plexiglass. Before going to the next step, be sure that there are no air bubbles or areas that are not properly glued. You can do this by scraping the back of the tape with a table edge, going from one edge to the other.

Next remove the protective film on the other side of the tape and carefully place it on top of your chosen picture or background. Using the edge of the plexiglass as a guide you can now cut the part of tape and paper sticking out, using a sharp hobbyknife. Now glue the self adhesive felt to the back and cut of any parts sticking out.

The little extras

At this time your objective is ready to go. But to make it just a little nicer, you can round the corners with a file or sandpaper and you can make the edges stand out by painting them in any colours of your choice.

That’s it. You just made a one of a kind objective marker and it only took you 30 minutes. As always, I hope you liked the article and if you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to let me know. Happy hobbying, Soren.