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I have never magnetized before, but I just recently got 2 new wraithknights and I really want to magnetize them so that I can field either one as any of the three variants. So I’m going to be YouTubing how to do it

Loads.
If a squad has options, I work out the max number that will need it and do them.
A SM tactical squad has 10, with a serg, special and heavy. So, I magnetise 3 of the 10.
I went a bit wild doing my veterans though, and did the heads. A SM body might have a standard head, a vet head, a dev or otherwise, I ended up with a squad with 4 magnets in the torso.

Stuff that changes a lot, like Necromunda or Tempestus Scions, I will do everyone.
Scions could be a squad of 5, with 3 specials, a voxcaster and a serg. Then there's the command squad, so everyone got done. Less than half got their backpacks magnetised.

I magnetised a few tyranid MC's years ago and didn't like the results. My painting is okay but I'm not much of a converter, and I could do without the extra time involved drilling holes and gluing magnets in place to ultimately make my models look worse

Also I've never played at a level where everything needs to be optimised.

 Snake Tortoise wrote:
I magnetised a few tyranid MC's years ago and didn't like the results. My painting is okay but I'm not much of a converter, and I could do without the extra time involved drilling holes and gluing magnets in place to ultimately make my models look worse

Also I've never played at a level where everything needs to be optimised.

It's not about optimisation for me, it's just about options. One day I can run a Gallant, another a Crusader. One a choppy Fex, another a dakka Fex. Just more variety

I use magnets on Dune crawlers

It usually boils down to the expense of the model and the number of weapon options it has.
My list of reasons and model types I put magnets in... I really had not thought how much I have "gone nuts" with magnets.
It all boils down to cost effectiveness.
What is funny is I have to keep little containers with each type of model to store all their options, I found for a while it was getting hard to find anything other than my original load-out.

I find in most cases for infantry models they get fully glued together: I do not see the benefit of adding magnets for them heavy weapons or special weapons.

I tried magnets for custom characters and it gets unwieldy: I find the model is too unstable with all those bits "loose".

AM/IG heavy weapons teams: the tripod I put a magnet in and make it look like the gun is operated from a console (with ammo / power pack attached to the gun) so I can swap from lascannon / heavy bolter / autocannon.

For normal bikers, I tend to put a magnet in one shoulder to field the gun or CC weapon flavor of the month. I saw no reason to add them to attack bikes but it would work well for them.

Vehicle add-ons like a hunter-killer missile or pintle weapon I add a magnet.

Sentinel roofs I add magnets so it can be a scout with it off or an armored one (also the gun mount).

Bull Ogryn shield handle to swap between the 2 types (like it was designed for it).

Tau suits, they have so many options on weapons and add-ons it would be silly not to use magnets, they even have mating features that help them sit more stable without needing guide pins.

Dreadnaughts, at the shoulder.

Vehicles, if there is an option for the weapon, it gets a magnet (turret barrel, sponson weapons ports).

Oddly, no magnets for the Land Raiders.

Magnets for keeping doors shut on drop pods.

Magnets on the bottom breach on Basilisks to keep the barrel up if needed, or push down for direct fire.

For knights, at the waist I put in a BIG magnet, no wobbly bits (you can pick up the model from the top half), elbows and top of carapace all have magnets.

Baneblade: main barrel swap-out, sponson twin linked weapons and oddly, I added a magnet on the sponson lascannon turrets which really did not need that: they turn nice though!

Shadowsword: Committed to the "turret" to be back and magnet the 3 types of barrels that could be used, I committed to the heavy bolters on the sponsons however.

<whew!> Hope that gives some thoughts / help on magnet use.

I magnetize special/power weapon options, usually, vehicle weaponry and larger models for ease of transport.

A fully-magnetized model won't fall apart if you shake it, provided that you used the proper magnets.

All special weapons get magnetized, so that makes 3 out of 7 plague marines are magnetized in each squad, now that the new Edition made it possible to give the others CC weapons that ratio could become higher. All terminator and dreadnought arms are magnetized as well.
I also regret not having magnetized the command squads of my daemons, as I have far too many banners and musicians now.
So, aside from some Bolter guys, Cultists and Daemons everything is magnetized. I also enjoy magnetizing, it's a fun part of the hobby, much more interesting than basing or even painting. It's also a huge saving of money and time to paint even more models. And I have Marines that I can use as Havocs, Plague Marines, CSM, Raptors or Chosen.

Magnets on all models.

As a Tau player, all of my battlesuits, drones and vehicles are magnetized. Infantry is not, but even then every model has a magnet under the base for easy transport.

I just recently started magnetizing vehicles. My first attempt was a Deimos Infernus, did the magnamelta & infernus cannon along with a tank commander either fully up in the hatch or hunkered down. next were the Armigers, I did the torso-hip and carapace-weapon. I really like how they turned out and are easy to transport(altho take up more real estate).

the contemptor (plastic) was relatively easy to do the arms. I now have to cut the elbow to allow for resin weapons.

next up is probably a Leviathan and apparently they're pretty easy.

as for doing every squad, I cool off that.

I have used magnets before but not nearly as much as I would like. I don't really have good tooling for it and very little experience. More than a couple of projects have been on pause due to that.

I don't bother with infantry magnetization. I don't consider the monetary saving worth the trouble of the magnetization process and the possibility of losing the bits.

Magnets are amazing

Just dont go full magnet. Magnetizing your Wraithblades/guard and making a Crimson Wraithfighter are super painful.

 CynosureEldar wrote:
Magnets are amazing

Just dont go full magnet. Magnetizing your Wraithblades/guard and making a Crimson Wraithfighter are super painful.

I would never go "full magnet", that's going over the line. But yeah your point is a good one.

 CynosureEldar wrote:
Magnetizing your Wraithblades/guard and making a Crimson Wraithfighter are super painful.

I managed to do the Wraith fighter, with concessions.
The cockpit wings had a magnet fitted, to hold either the small Hunter 'ears', or the wraith spine section on. The tail-end of the spine was left loose, which slots in anyway. The guns are push-fit too.
The upper-side wings are two magnets at either end.
It was a challenge about how to do that model, but it works.
I only did one of the 3 I got though. Deciding whether to paint them either Craftworld colours for Wraith of Aspect for the Hunter was the biggest decision. I went CW for them all, no Crimson paint at all.

Most of the newer kits don't require much magnetizing. Plus when you consider the time and effort and expense when it comes to magnets. Not to mention risk of damaging your model mounting them - you are better of getting a spare model and having 2. Different load outs.

I do use magents sometimes though - usually to do something like mount a carapace weapon on a knight - this is mostly do to the fact if you mount it with glue - IT WILL break off.

I tend to use magnets for things like weapon options on vehicles, where it's relatively straightforward to magnetise, but I don't bother with small, fiddly models like infantry. Like some others have been said, it's not necessarily about ensuring I can use the absolute best weapon from edition to edition, it's more about choice without having to get loads more models.

There are some circumstances where I'll go against my usual policy - for example I got 3 Wraithknights and I'm probably just going to glue up one of each variant. Partly to save the time and effort that would go into magnetising and painting all the extra bits, partly because I feel having one of each is perfectly acceptable (rather than being able to run all 3 the same). I feel that while it would be easy to magnetise, it would be tough to do a perfect, hidden magnet job. I'm not interested in magnetised models where it's obvious to look at them that it's full of magnets - I want magnetised models where you can't tell until you reach in and pluck a piece off.

In addition to that my models all have magnets under the base so that I can transport them in a steel toolbox.

You can buy 100 neodynium N45 magnets off that there Ebay they have now for about $10 CAD, with which you can magnetize the weaponry of, for example, 25 Marines

Time consuming is subjective, though I've personally never really worried too much about the twenty or thirty seconds extra it takes me to drill two, three or four shallow holes and drop a magnet in - nor the calories I'm expending in doing so - but it definitely 100% is not expensive.

Especially when compared to just buying the same model twice.

 Skinnereal wrote:
I managed to do the Wraith fighter, with concessions.
The cockpit wings had a magnet fitted, to hold either the small Hunter 'ears', or the wraith spine section on. The tail-end of the spine was left loose, which slots in anyway. The guns are push-fit too.
The upper-side wings are two magnets at either end.
It was a challenge about how to do that model, but it works.

There are 21 parts and a base to mine. No concessions where made. Never again. (starts magnetizing rank and file infantry)

I magnetize any model which is slighly more expensive and has multiple options. I do not magnetize infantry.
So far:
- Three ork fliers are magnetized to be build into Dakkajet, Burna Bommer and Blitza bommer within seconds. Sadly the Wazzbom didn't exist back when I build them, otherwise they could probably be all four
- Nine killa kanz and two deff dreads are magnetized so they can take arms from a common pool: Skorchas, Rokkits, Grotzooka, KMBs, extra close combat weapons, 3-5 per weapon
- I have four battlewagons magnetized to put a kannon/zzap gun/killkannon in their turret. The rest of the wagon is modular as well, but it doesn't need magnets
- My PBC can switch between spitter and entropy cannons
- I have two hellbrutes which have all weapons magnetized besides the flamers and storm bolters. They can be build in any combination on their datasheet, but they were by far the hardest models to magnetize

My buddy used 50lb magnets on his stompa arms. They aren't fiddly, and since he struggles to take them off, are stronger than any glue.

So mainly magnets are used for arms/weapons, so basically mainly its common to just do the arms of the mini instead of every thing.

Also another question, with these upgrades you can get "upgrade kits", i assume they presume that you already have magnetized parts and that's why they sell upgrade kits right?.

Thanks heaps.

Upgrade kits are often sold alongside the main kits. They want you to buy more bodies to use with the upgrades.
But, while they sell just the kits, I'll magnetise them.

Yes though, mostly just the arms get done.
Backpacks are done if the arms need it (Plasma hoses, missile loaders, voxcasters, etc)

To be fair, it depends on the model.
I'll honestly use magnets simply for cost reasons though

My 30k salamanders has 2x 10 heavy support squads which I can swap out 4 different weapons on.
I don't want to buy another 60 marines just to glue weapons to them.
I also don't feel like having to paint another 60 lol.

To me, magnets just save time and cost.
They also create a form of future proofing units.
New book changes your possible unit layout? Just swap it about, job done.
No cutting and repainting parts.

The first thing I magnetised was the current Leman Russ demolisher kit, when it was released. It (and subsequently my other Leman russ tanks) is magnetised so I can have sponsons on or off, swap the sponson weapons, swap the hull weapon, the turret weapon, have a storm bolter, heavy stubber or no pintle weapon and also a removable hunter-killer missile rack (and the missile is also removable separately so I can mark when it's fired. i also magnetised the turret stowage boxes so I could swap them for the plasma power cells for the Executioner variant and also magnetised the 'dozer blade.

After that, I didn't bother so much. Infantry? not worth the effort; I always field squads as they are anyway so I don't need to swap anything. I've done my dreadnoughts (including the Deredeo from Forge World and the plastic Contemptor) and the sponsons on my Sicaran and Javelin Land Speeder. Not sure why I bothered, since to get options I'd need to buy another complete vehicle anyway.

I did my Adeptus Titanicus titans, too, since it was so straightforward.

I had done my Knight when I only had a couple, but now I have six, so I've just built them as one of each type and a second Paladin (although I've done the carapace weapons). One or two have a magnet at the elbow, but most of them just had the shoulder pauldrons magnetised so I could simplty remove the entire arm and swap them around

Awsome thanks for the feedback guys. In the future i will do just the arms and what ever the main things that get changed are.

Cheers.

Having mastered the arts of magnets I am a mistress of all things magnetism!

All my knights are fully magnetized. I have figured out how to fully! magnetize a Dragoon/Ironstrider and my pinnacle of achievement is making a Baneblade that can be all 8 variants AND the sponsons are customizable and able to be moved to all 3 positions.

I mostly magnetize my bigger models (My knight, and PBCs for example), but I am currently converting a sorceror on palanquin of nurgle. I am going to magnetize the sorceror so he can be an on foot model in case the indices ever get completely removed from the rules.

I Like to buy them already done and painted or commision them with them but not tried to do it myself as looks very fidely.