Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Is it worth magnetizing characters to try different options out with out having to buy a new model? Also would magnetizing work on forge world models?
Thanks in advance

What type of character and what type of options? Are you talking weapon options only or cloaks, iron halos, spirit helms, etc?

For example I have magnetized all my Tau battlesuits allowing me to alter options whenever I like, and that extends to my commander suits. However battlesuits are pretty easy to do this with

Characters with a whole range of different loadouts on a much smaller model would become that bit more fiddly. It can be done, you just need to plan ahead a bit.

Regarding FW models you can stick magnets to resin and therefore, yes it will work

I've seen a lot of great looking magnetized plastic warmachine models. Sure it saves money, but one of my favorite things about the hobby is the actual building and painting of the miniatures. So I always would rather have three models that are static than the option of arm/head swapping.

If it is an item that can be/ or is run in several different configurations then yes it is definitely worth doing. Also I know its a long way off but when the next edition of the rules or your codex comes out you don't have to worry about load outs becoming illegal.

Porcupine el Josh wrote:Is it worth magnetizing characters to try different options out with out having to buy a new model? Also would magnetizing work on forge world models?
Thanks in advance

Depends on what you mean by "worth it".

Magnetizing is a simple concept on the surface, but with a little bit of GS and some imagination you can make some very bizarre things.....and magnets are fething COOL. Thats the important part.

As far as being time efficient, well only if you are doing basic shoulder mags. Anything beyond that becomes very very time consuming due to GS needing to cure between steps. You will learn A LOT about modeling if you take it seriously though.


A few pics of my unfinished umm....idunnowhat thats magnetized at the elbows, shoulders, used to be mag'd waist, head, and with a backpack adapter that is also magnetized. Oh, and the base is magnetized at 5 points.

Magnetizing is a lot of fun! At first I magnetized every single option. Now I magnetize as I go, depending on what I need for my next game. When I need to change weapons, I'll do it, but I still magnetize it. There is only a very few things I would not magnetize, like termagant weapons. For me, "worth it" is not about money, it's about how fun it is to find a way to make the magnets work, i.e. stick hard enough while allowing for different poses.

In a word: yes

I see no reason not to. All my terminators that aren't assembled already will be magnetized, and the left arms of my sergeants are always magnetized. As far as Plastic HQ's go...Don't leave home with magnetizing them

I think magnetizing the options is the way to go.

If all you are doing is shoulder joins to model WYSIWYG, it takes maybe 5 minutes per mini. You don't even have to GS if you get the right magnets.


Then again, using a lot of them you can build a fething transformer!

Comes down to if you have the cash to fund a non-magnitized venture. I personally own one SM commander for every loadout I will ever use. Same goes for my Hive Tyrants (I own three).

I can relate to magnetizing hive tyrants. I feel you simply just need to. I have two and can represent every build on them, even the Swarmlord when needed. Magnetizing the wings at the standard sockets position without using the sockets, was an interesting and challenging project (pictures from it can be found in my signature).

"I liked it so much I bought the company..."

Not really, but I find that well thought out magnetizing adds all sorts of possibilities. Personally, I tend to magnetize just things that have an impact on the actual game, such as weapon options, rather than purely aesthetic stuff. As someone else mentioned, it also allows for those inevitable rule changes, so I try to plan ahead and magnetize things like Smoke Launchers in case they become options with a points cost again.

Having said that, I am making a completely posable Space Marine, but that's just for laughs rather than any practical purpose.

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:Comes down to if you have the cash to fund a non-magnitized venture. I personally own one SM commander for every loadout I will ever use. Same goes for my Hive Tyrants (I own three).

Hi there, magnetizing saves a TON of money compared to this. Like....a ridiculous amount.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

BloodQuest wrote:
Having said that, I am making a completely posable Space Marine, but that's just for laughs rather than any practical purpose.

I'd love to see this. You making pose-able knee's?

MechaEmperor7000 wrote:Comes down to if you have the cash to fund a non-magnitized venture. I personally own one SM commander for every loadout I will ever use. Same goes for my Hive Tyrants (I own three).

For me, it wasn't so much the cost as the time to paint multiple models. I have 6 Assault Marine sergeants with different loadouts from before I discovered magnets - it just gets a bit silly in the end. Plus you end up filling figure cases with models that never see the light of day.

Peter Wiggin wrote:I'd love to see this. You making pose-able knee's?

Neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, knees and ankles! Completely over the top, but just for fun!

BloodQuest wrote:

Peter Wiggin wrote:I'd love to see this. You making pose-able knee's?

Neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, knees and ankles! Completely over the top, but just for fun!

Man after my own heart! Good show m8, good show.

Flinty wrote:What type of character and what type of options? Are you talking weapon options only or cloaks, iron halos, spirit helms, etc?

For example I have magnetized all my Tau battlesuits allowing me to alter options whenever I like, and that extends to my commander suits. However battlesuits are pretty easy to do this with

Characters with a whole range of different loadouts on a much smaller model would become that bit more fiddly. It can be done, you just need to plan ahead a bit.

Regarding FW models you can stick magnets to resin and therefore, yes it will work

I would be magnetizing weapon options, the model I would be magnetizing is a terminator captain made of resin. Also where would i buy the magnets and do the arms fall off?

PM me a link to the model and tell me what you want to do with it.

I think it depends on if you want to swap weapons a lot. I tend to play test a lot and decide what I like, so magnetizing doesn't make a lot of sense for me. It is cool when it works though.

I love magnets. They make switching load-outs simpler. The thread about "how much over points do you let someone be" is a great emphasis on why magnets are great. Personally I only use them on my vehicles, Dreadnoughts, Landspeeders, are the simplest, granted my landspeeders have 10 magnets dedicated to each one, the dreadnoughts have 6, but sponson weapons can be magnetized as well for those types of vehicles.

I think magnets are a great investment of time for the models, especially if you play different styles or need to shed points fast or want to increase the points real fast. Again I personally don't mess with magnets on the smaller infantry models but thats a personal choice, some players magnatize the arms for all their troops, and packs in some cases, and I haven't gotten far enough to deal with Xeno magnets yet but it is clearly viable there for the larger models as well, again to alter their load-outs for whatever type of force they wish to build.

Magnet are a blessing when there is a rule change. Add the change to the core rule with the change to the special rules like apocalypse, new codex, FAQ, Mission objectives, army of the ennemy and you spend your time changing the configuration of your unit.

I just magnetized my Plague Catapult/Warp Lightning Cannon so that I can swap out between kits. I have my land raider sponson weapons magnetized so that I can swap out weapons as needed and it makes them easier to paint.

I am a firm advocate of magnetising weapon options etc on tanks. Weapons on infantry models? If you've got shoulder joints that are appropriate for it, sure! I think that some character models, where you have a really cool idea, might be worth building unmagnetised, as even if you want a different tactical loadout, the model is still cool.

How would you attack the magnetization of the knees? Chop the leg off below the kneepad? Sounds painful.

Seriously though, I think it'd be something to do for ha-ha's, but still would be cool and a fun project. I'd like to see how many magnets I could actually get onto a regular space marine.

if your gaming buddies are cool they should let you play "counts as" so the figure can represent different weapon loads- my buddies and I agree that you can do this but you must disclose the weapons load at deployment and upon request of the opponent. If you intend to go to a tournament then you will need to WYSIWIG the figure. I have a Ravenwing bike squad that I magnetized so that they can run with any of the assault weapon options. It is cheaper than six dedicated bikes with six different weapons but my acquisition cost for magnets is $5 US for two. I have now magnetized a Terminator seargent to carry both bolter, powerfist or chainfist- and Thunderhammer/ stormshield options. Kinda convenient to have choice. Good luck!- Magnetizing is easy BTW.

shifty556 wrote:How would you attack the magnetization of the knees? Chop the leg off below the kneepad? Sounds painful.

Seriously though, I think it'd be something to do for ha-ha's, but still would be cool and a fun project. I'd like to see how many magnets I could actually get onto a regular space marine.

The knee joint is basically a ball joint.

He's about 80% done, will post some pics soon!