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I'm in the planning stages for building a Daemons army which can be used for Fantasy or 40K and as a result I need some magnets to let me combine the bases.


At the moment I'm thinking:

1) Troops - use 2mm thick magnets and then use a metal sheet to form the base of movement trays with some green stuff worked on so that the round bases can be arranged into neat rows as if they were on the square bases. The only downside here is that it does mean I'll need a range of movement trays, but on the plus side it mean easy movement on the table top and means I don't have to make up a whole pile of square bases with magnets on top.

2) Other units - use 1mm thick magnets on the bottom of the fantasy base with a corresponding magnet on the top of the 40K base - thereby letting the two magnets line up and slot one base onto the other.


At the moment those are the plans, but I'm curious as to if anyone else has done this and if there are any additional options I could use; in addition to what magnetic power rating you've used for your models.

I have magnets on the bases of my minis (40k) for my display board, which I also use to move them between games at events.

For the basic plastic 25mm model, I use 1/8" n52 magnet.
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D21B-N52

For a metal mini, or a 40mm mini, I use a:
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D41SH

If its really heavy, I use two.
You an also use a: 1/4" N52, magnet.
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D41G-N52

For MC's I use one or two of the N52 1/4 inch.

Flying large oval bases, I use either a couple of the n52 14 inch, or a 1/2" magnet;
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D81

they keep the minis in place fairly well.

best of luck!

Why not putting the magnets into the (feet of the) figures and the bases, so that you can just swap them...?

I'm not playing WHFB, but from the shared kits I know that it uses more base sizes than 40k. 25x25 and 40x40 are no brainers of course, but there are rectangular bigger bases and smaller 20x20mm bases.

My 40k models are all magnetized for transport, so I have fiddled quite a bit with magnetic foil and magnets.

Since the models have to line up exactly in WHFB and are scattered in loose formation in 40k, I'd glue the models to the WHFB bases. That way you are 100% correct where the models need to line up.

The only problem is then the correct 40k base size. In general, the idea is that it's ok to use a bigger base, but not ok to use a smaller base. That means the 20x20's and 40x50 or so rectangular bases need to be upped to 25 round and 60 round respectively, but that should be it.

For magnetizing bases, before you start, consider that there are two ways to go - stick magnets in the base and use metal as regiment/transport tray or stick metal in the base and place magnetic foil on the tray. The later is easier. You can buy hundreds of washers (just bring a magnet to check they are indeed ferromagnetic) and glue them into the bases to be flush with the bottom. Then cut the magnetic foil to tray size and you are done. The other way around you'll spend more money on precut foil, neodym magnets or a lot of time cutting things to size.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Atropamin wrote:
Why not putting the magnets into the (feet of the) figures and the bases, so that you can just swap them...?

For infantry size deamon feet that is a tall order.
Plastic will break if there isn't enough left around the drilled hole. The depth of the bore hole also is problematic depending on the angle of the leg.

Thanks for the input all!

The idea of using magnets on the feet, I agree, would be a lot of very fiddly work for little gain over just using the bases. (though on account of the odd base sizes the blood crushers might warrant this approach).

Stephanius - I honestly didn't think of sheet magnets! I certainly agree that a sheet would be far superior to fiddling around lining up magnets on trays and will cut out a lot of work.

On the base front the round bases for regular troops are smaller than the square fantasy bases. It's my thinking that some greenstuff on a sheet of magnetic material would give me the spaces for the round bases that would keep my models in the exact correct positions. Considering that I'll be using movement trays anyway it seems easier in my view to just make the tray the modified part and then have the bases suitable for 40K on the warriors themselves.

I can then use magnets in bases for the handful of models that operate solo or in smaller groups.