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Made in us
Dakka Veteran





San Jose, CA

I recently magnetized the bases on my Brets to two reasons:
1. To store them in a metal toolbox. This was cheaper than foam, and I can fit a lot more models in a similar sized case.
2. To keep my models from sliding off their movement trays. This is a big pet peeve of mine- I hate it when I move onto a hill and all my models slide off their tray.

Magnetizing the bases are pretty obvious- glue a magnet to the bottom of the base. Gale Force 9 even sells pre magnetized bases I believe. I used rare earth magnets since I store my models along the sides and lid of a metal tool box and didn't want them sliding around.

After having finished a few movement trays and being pleased with the results I decided to share how easy it is to magnetize movement trays. This is my first tutorial, and my camera work is pretty awful, so if you have any questions please ask!

1. Tools
Most everything I needed to do this I already had, and it only cost around $20 to buy what I didn't. You can enough sheet metal to base an entire army or two at Home Depot or other hardware store for less than $10. The tin snips were around $10 as well. I used Gorilla Glue because I already had some and it's very very strong.
I will shamelessly plug the GW modular movement trays. They are awesome, and at $10 well worth the price (which is something I almost never say about GW products).


2. Measure
Measure the inside area of the movement tray. Make sure to leave a little extra room on the sides. I used a T Square to make sure the lines were strait and as accurate as I could manage and marked the metal with a sharpie.
As quick note, with the GW movement trays you will need to fill the gaps with green stuff, spackle, or some other material. I found it was easiest to do this before I glued the metal down.


3. Cut
This is as easy as it looks, just cut along the line you've drawn. When using tin snips avoid cutting to the tip of the snips or it will bend the metal.


4. Bend
After cutting the sheet metal I found that the metal was usually bent a little at the corners. Use a pair of pliers or your hands to straighten the metal out. As you can see on my picture, the trays can be slightly curved all over as well. Straighten it out as best you can, but a slight cure shouldn't really matter if you clamp the tray when you glue it.


5. Glue
Apply glue to the movement tray. If you're using Gorilla Glue note that it expands and so you need to keep it a fair distance from the edges. If it seeps out it is easy to cut off with an exacto.


6. Clamp
Clamp the metal to the tray until the glue dries. Read the glue's bottle for how long the glue needs to dry. I would clamp at least the corners down as well as the center of the tray. You can find small clamps for cheap, but you can also use binder clips or stack weights on the tray as well.


7. Paint
Now just base, prime and paint your movement tray as you would the bases of your models. I found that the flat edges of the movement trays needed some sanding to help the basing grit adhere well. I've found with use that the primer will scratch off of the metal with use. If you're bothered by this it's easy to touch up with some black paint.

   
Made in ca
Pyromaniac Hellhound Pilot





Calgary

Simple, yet cool.

It's better to simply be an idiot, as no one can call you on it here. -H.B.M.C.

Cap'n Gordino's instant grammar guide:
"This is TOO expensive." "I'm going TO the store, TO get some stuff."
"That is THEIR stuff." "THEY'RE crappy converters."
"I put it over THERE." "I'll go to the store THEN."
"He knows better THAN that." "This is NEW." "Most players KNEW that." 
   
Made in ca
Regular Dakkanaut





Canada

I've been doing this for awhile now, really helps transport/move your guys around. It's especially useful when you put guys on those pesky hills. No falling all over the place for your guys!
   
Made in au
Snord





Australia : SA

Very cool for my raptors



Kreig - 2850 pts
Skaven - 3450 pts
Orks - 1950 (pro painted)


 
   
Made in gb
Ambitious Marauder






Cool!
where can you buy small magnets???

Meh armez

Iron knights=785
Chaos warriors= 1500





 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





San Jose, CA

Gale Force Nine makes pre-magnetized bases that are pretty nifty, but not super strong (similar to the magnets on your fridge). These are fine if all you want to do is prevent your plastic models from sliding about on the tray during movement.

You can find plenty of online retailers who sell rare earth magnets which are extremely strong. Just give it a quick google search. These are strong enough to hold large metal models on your tray, or hold your trays upside down without the models falling off. Since I store my Fantasy kit in a metal toolbox I opted for the strongest magnets I could find.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2010/05/25 02:48:56


 
   
Made in us
Hardened Veteran Guardsman





Gainesville, Florida

The method I used was I got a big box of small washers at home depot and put one in the spot for the miniture in my trays and just added small flat magnets to the hollow bottoms of my bases and they hold well even metal minis and they allow for room to move and it too is cheap and doesn't require any tools just glue.

Jtw1n
Vostroyan XCIX "The Heirs Apparent" 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




Sorry in advance for the necro bump, but you can also buy rolls of uncut refrigerator magnets, cut them to size and glue them into position. The hold isn't as strong but the effect is the same, and it is a lot less expensive.
   
Made in us
Hellacious Havoc




Northern VA

Johnny Thunder wrote:Sorry in advance for the necro bump, but you can also buy rolls of uncut refrigerator magnets, cut them to size and glue them into position. The hold isn't as strong but the effect is the same, and it is a lot less expensive.


Where can you buy this at?

"Do they speak ENGLISH in WHAT!?!" 
   
 
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