Hi all, Was wondering how many people use magnets and metal movement trays for their models? I'm thinking of magnetising my Saurus so wondering if it was A) relatively easy to do for a guy who has 10 thumbs B) cost effective and C) still looks good for the tabletop. Also if anyone has an example of where they got their metal plate for the trays, that'd be awesome. 49.
A) Yep, very easy to do. Just a little bit of snipping and gluing, almost like having 2 extra arms on each model except you don't have to paint them. B) Cost effective? Well it is going to cost more money for something that essentially won't lead you to having a better looking army or putting more models on the table, so I'm not sure how you define cost effective. Sheet magnets, metal (make sure you get some that a magnet will stick to, lots of metals are non-polar) and small rare earth magnets are all pretty cheap though. C) You won't even see a difference, except your models will be much harder to accidentally knock over during a game or transport. The only potential trouble I could foresee is that saurus are on slotta bases, so you won't be able to just put a sheet underneath the base unless it covers the bottom thus making the unit a millimetre or two higher. Small rare earth magnets will easily fit though with no work. I haven't personally done it myself, so this is just going from what I have read from other people. There are a few on the board who have done it though, so hopefully some of them will come along and give a bit more detailed advice.
cool thanks strewart. I meant as opposed to the GW modular movement trays, but didn't word it very well sorry. I'm prepared to put a little more time & money into the magnetic trays if it means i don't have to keep righting the damn BSB every time it moves. If it works out that it's a significant increase in cost then i'll probably won't bother.
I use the GW modular trays with magnets. You just need to cut a piece of sheet metal to fit the tray and glue it down. A coat of spray paint and you won't even see the metal sheet. For magnets, I used small rare-earth magnets which I superglued under the bases. The smaller magnets fit around the saurus slots and still provide more than enough holding force. You should be able to magnitize your whole army for $20 or less if you shop on-line for the magnets - you have some flexibility on size so you may be able to find overstocks or clearance sales which will make them even cheaper. For the sheet metal, the best source is probably a local hardware store or home center (like Home Depot or Lowes in the US). The magnets will help keep that BSB upright (I had the same problem with my Temple Guard standard bearer), but the big advantage in my mind is with set-up time. I hate getting ready for a game and having to wait 1/2 hour for both players to pull out models individually and place them into units, taking time to maneuver tails and weapons so everything ranks up properly. With everything magnitized, I have each unit ready to go before I leave the house. The magnets keep all the models in place during transit, so all I have to do is pick up the movement tray from my carrying box and plop it on the table - ready to play in 30 seconds.
Might want to check these guys out, thay sell surplus stuff real cheep and they cary a lot of magnets, http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm/subsection/11
Can anyone offer what strength magnet to use? I imagine a magnet that holds 3 pounds would be like prying your model off a piece of hard candy melted to the dashboard of your car. Kaax Taat
I used ZD1 magnets from K&J Magnetics (http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=ZD1). They are 1/4" x 1/16" with a pull force of .86 pounds. They hold saurus securely, even upside down, but are very easy to remove. For larger models, I just put more than 1 until I feel it holds as strong as I want. And they are pretty cheap - 500 for $20 US.
Of course! I never even thought of that! Found some 6mmDx1.5mm magnets on ebay for around $0.11 AUD ea, will need to figure out how much pull they have though. (sounds exactly the same as the 1/4" x 1/16" magnets described above, so perfect) They're easily the cheapest I've found here. 49.
I bought my first lot from KJ Magnetics too, they were pretty good and delivered fast to Aus. Also they have a newsletter you can sign up to with discount codes in it.
Magnets ordered, should be here by the middle of the week. Stage 2 is getting the sheet metal from Bunnings, after confirming it's actually magnetic first. In the meantime i'll use the 4x1.5mm ones i ordered to weigh down my drunken faceplanting hormagaunts. 49.
I couldn't find any sheet metal here in the Netherlands.. But a friend of mine helped me by providing some thin sheet metal cut from old computer cases. Your bound to have a useless computer lying around somewhere.. or someone does. ~MM
I actually ordered some magnets from K&J magnets last week. This past Friday, I picked up a piece of aluminum duct work from a Lowe's (home improvement store). I put my models on the sheet, then marked the edges of the trays. Then went to work with the tin snips (that part was a huge pain in the a$$ as you can easily cut or puncture yourself on the rough edges). That done, I got my dremel tool out and sanded the edges (this removed the really sharp edges). Next, I took a small sanding block that had a finer grit to it and used it on each of the trays. They are now safe to touch. The next step is to paint them with a green paint (thinking to match the tables). On my trays, I put no lip as they do not need them because the magnets hold the models in place.
Very true, but if your trays do have a lip then you don't have to worry so much about sanding. The lip covers the rough edge.
True, I have made trays in the past with a lip. I like the trays without the lip better. It looks like the models are on the field. I was thinking of painting the trays green (probably a darker green) to match the table (most of them anyway).
I made 4 or 5 trays for under ten bucks recently. Staples sells rolls of magnetic tape which is almost perfectly 25mm wide. So just cut every 25mm for squares that cover entire saurs bases. And sheets of tin from home depot are were 3 bucks. The tape isn't as strong as rare earth ones but for me thats good. mean your not try to wrest them off every killed. And tis strong enough they'lll almost go upside down. (I tired this once and it was messy)
http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com Purchased 100 for $20 US Part Number NSN0566 Imperial Dimensions 0.125 inch diameter x 0.0625 inch thick Metric Dimensions 3.175mm diameter x 1.5875mm thick Material Sintered Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NdFeB) Shape Disc Plating Ni-Cu-Ni (Nickel) Magnetization Direction Thickness Grade N40 Pull Force (lbs[g]) 0.67[304] Surface Field(G) 3106 Maximum Operating Temperature 80 Deg C (176 Deg F) Dimensional Tolerance +/-0.005" Magnet Quantity 100 Volume (cm3) 0.01 Weight (g) 0.09 Brand Magcraft Packaging Magpak Tube UPC 897970000662 One is strong enough to hold any plastic model securely in place. I used the larger, stronger, square magnets on my metal Dwarf Army and they will hold a unit of 20 Hammerers upside down.