Terradon Magnetic Problem

Ok, so to make the transporting of my terradons easier, I put earth magnets on the top of the flying base, and a magnet inside the belly of the terradon. Here's the problem, it's so heavy it wants to tip over backwards and even the strong magnet won't hold it. I know I need to somehow even the weight out, but I'm not sure how. Help!

--DF2K

Really? The terradon is heavy enough to make the magnets not hold? That surprises me. Are the magnets flat against each other and touching?

If so, I wouldn't bother with a counter-weight. The whole model will be balanced, but still very fragile. Any kind of bump and it will tip either forwards or backwards. You either need a stronger (bigger) magnet, or to try something else. Another good detachable transporting method is to use a fairly long pin and not glue it, so you can slot it into place as you need and take it out easily.

I agree with Strewart. I would not bother with the magnets either, to be honest. Sounds like more work than it is worth.

For my Gyrocopters I faced a similar problem, so I used spring steel rods. I use 2mm rods, the meter costs about 0,80€ (should be about 1$). A piece of that rod with a length of about 4 inches will not bend unless you REALLY work for it.

The rod fits right into the hole for the flying base´s pin, and if it is not glued in place the base will be removable. And while the clear pins tend to break on a regular basis just at their tips, the rod will remain solid.

Greetz, the Maniac

I use .5 inch acrylic rods (available at Hobbytown in the states). I then cut them to the length that I want. Once that is done, I mount a small pin in the existing hole in the terradon. I then drill out a matching hole in the center of the acrylic rod. They still tip over fairly easily, but it is a much stronger base than the thin plastic piece that they come with.

Here are the stands (side view). The one on the left is a plasticard base that I am working on.

Next up is one of the terradons with the pin (actually a brad nail from a nail gun) inserted into the hole and secured with GS.


Here two of the terradons are inserted into the stands.


Here are the same two terradons laying on their side so you can see the stands more clearly.

yep teradons are ANOYING!!! i like evil

here is my solution of the terradon problem:
http://picasaweb.google.sk/mstrenk/WHMiniatures?authkey=Gv1sRgCNbv5vz86I2-KQ&feat=directlink - see the last 2 pictures


I used some wooden flooring pieces as the base, a thick wire as the support and enlarged the holes in the terradon's belly a bit to fit the wire.