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I'm currently working on a DoA army, but thinking for the future I wanted to magnetise all the jump packs on my assault marines so I can use them with regular backpacks in case I ever decide to try my hand at a mech army.

The problem is, I have no idea what I'm doing. This is my first time trying to magnetise anything. I currently have 1/8th inch magnets, but I'm just... not sure how to go about attaching them. Should I file off the bump on the marine's back, glue one magnet it in its place and then fill the hole on the assault pack with green stuff to fit a second magnet? I dunno.

Please, anyone with experience, I'd sincerely appreciate your help and be as detailed as possible. Thank you.

What I did for my BA, was :

1. snip off the bump on the back

2. Using a drill bit the same size as the magnet, drill a hole somewhere on the now flat surface of the marine's back (by hand or with tool). Stop every couple of rotations and fit the magnet into the hole to see how much deeper you need to go. You will eventually get good at eyeballing the depth required.

3. Always check polarity, and I found it useful to have an original prime marine which all future ones were based off so that all backpacks can be interchanged (this can be simply made with any of the numerous extra torso's you get in kits)

4. Place a small drop of superglue into the hole you drilled.

5. Place the magnet in the hole. The magnet and marine back should be flush.

6. Now use the same bit and drill a small hole in the jump pack/back pack approximately in the area that would line up with the magnet already on the marine's torso.

7. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for jump pack.

Green stuff may be required on back/jump packs depending on the size of the magnet.


Always be sure of polarity.

^ this is a great method I use a similar one to magnetize vox casters on my Ig and to do special weapons for my IG and SM.

+1 for some great advice Ulterior

Thanks,

On a related note, if you plan on magnetizing any marines so that you can swap out special weapons; Consider putting a small 1/16" magnet in the fist 'gripping' the handle of the gun and then a matching one in the weapon itself. It's a lot easier to paint one set of arms and just a bunch of weapons than the other way around!

Ulterior wrote:Thanks,

On a related note, if you plan on magnetizing any marines so that you can swap out special weapons; Consider putting a small 1/16" magnet in the fist 'gripping' the handle of the gun and then a matching one in the weapon itself. It's a lot easier to paint one set of arms and just a bunch of weapons than the other way around!

Haha I just started doing this such a great way to magnetize weapons. Just make sure you use smallish amount of superglu for the fist magnet. It gets sloppy and doesn't fit together great if you don't.

Not to scare you, but double check your magnets after you put the glue in the hole.

I have put magnets the wrong way, luckly it was the upper part of the arm with space marine. I was able to cut it off and hide the damage with the pauldron. The weapons still don't quite sit in the right place in there hands.

Thanks for the advice guys! I've got some spare torsos/backpack from the honor guard box set (I got it for the bits and apothecary) so I'll be able to get things down to a science before attacking any of the stuff I plan on actually using with a drill.

Another quick tip. When the two magnets your about to use are stuck together. Take a modelling knife or a file and mark the outside flat edges so you can visually see which side goes into the hole. If that makes any sense.

Another bit of warning: figure out where you really need to magnetize then STOP magnetizing.

I started magnetizing a single box of 5, count them 5 GK Termies...I ended up magnetizing pretty much all three f&^#*@( sprues due terrible OCD.

I have magnetized grenades that replace apothecary vials!!?!?!?!?!? I have the servitor skull on a magnet and every single other bit save a couple of purity seals.

Please dont do what I've done...save yourself...AAAGHHHGHAGHHGHGH

I have 1 rule when it comes to magnetizing marines....Keep it simple stupid.

I use disc, 1/8" x 1/16" size magnets for arms and backpacks on my GKs and on my tanks.

The method I use isn't much different then Ulterior except I don't cut off the nob on the marines back I drill a hole above for the magnet to sit in(gives the backpack more support/less wiggly) and triple check before gluing. Then when that's done I take the 1st set of arms/back pack and use them to set magnets in the rest of the marines so after I am done with the squad it doesn't become a guessing game of which ones work on which cause they'll all be the same polarity .

Just remember not to let your magnetized arms and backpacks stay on too long while your gluing in the magnets on the body just a few seconds and seperate.