GW Movement Trays

[Morgrim]

I've been casually putting together a lizardman army for a while, just a few hundred points to learn with, and finally gotten around to making movement trays for my saurus. I have sheet and tin snips and magnets and the plastic GW modular movement trays, but I seem to have hit an embarrassing snag.

How the frick do you cut this stuff down to the right size?

I got told you just scored it and snapped it. Well, I've been scoring and bending and it won't snap, so I'm clearly doing something wrong, and all my searches are just turning up instructions on how to build non-GW alternates. Please help. Do I need to go find a hacksaw? It's too thick for my clippers to neatly cut.

[Chaoschrist]

You're referring to the ones GW sells? The large plastic "sheets" with the squares on them as well as the corner & straight pieces on a sprue?

I've always ended up using an x-acto for the sheet itself. Just use a metal ruler to keep a straight line when using a blade. Just go over that a few times and at some point you can break it off quite easily. If they don't give way, you should probably apply more pressure on the blade. I never had issues getting through the plastic.

The plastic edges that go on them are a bit harder, but I always clipped them with GW clippers. Clip once from the top, clip once from the side and break it off. Use a file or sandingpaper to smoothen it out.

[Morgrim]

I tried scoring them with a blade, it hasn't been working too well. Maybe I need a bigger and/or sharper one. Do you score both sides or just the one?

[Katharon]

Use one of those small, thin-bladed hand saws. Works like a hot knife through butter. Also, use a metal ruler to keep it straight.

[Deadlift]

Stanley knife, score, then I break it with hands. Tidy up edge if needed with file.

[SaveModifier]

time to hit the gym if you're struggling to snap those movement trays.

[Wildeybeast]

I've tried using a hacksaw on them, but you need two vice(s?) to hold them steady, the plastic is just too thin and wobbles all over the place. A really sharp, fine saw would probably work better, but scoring them is the easiest method. I can do it without the standard craft knife that GW sell, but as Deadlift says, a more workmanlike blade is probably best. You can go through the edging strips with a knife as well, but it takes a while, a saw is probably easier for them.

[Kaptain Badrukk]

The GW tools are ideal for the job, but if not then a decent Stanley Knife and a metal rule do the trick just fine.

[klunc]

I mark out the areas I want with a Sharpie, then score it a heap with a stanley knife. Most of the time you're in the grooves anyway which helps keep you straight.

[Cactus]

By Stanley knife, use a big, sharp utility knife. And by score, they mean cut deep.

The score should be cut fairly deep, then I slowly bend and fold them back and forth until it snaps off. The guards that go around the edge are a bigger pain and a jewler's saw or a hack saw will work better.

[Mr Mystery]

Remember, sharp blade is a safe blade!

If you're careful, you don't need a steel rule. The indents are deep enough that a well controlled blade will deepen the score, allowing you to snap it out.

[Morgrim]

A combination of scissors (I didn't have a stanley knife) and jeweler saw separated them. Thank you for the advice everyone. Hopefully it will make the next batch easier. The next batch will have to wait a bit until the stitches come out of my hand though... (it would be ironic if they were from the movement tray but I actually gashed my hand on the sharp edge of the metal I was cutting to fit onto the tray base so I could magnetise it).

[YourSwordisMine]

Use a metal ruler as a straight edge.

Line up the cut you wish to make and then take your X-Acto Knife and score along the straight edge using the reverse of the blade not the sharp edge.

Score it multiple times, not just once. The knife will continue to follow the score much easier than if using the blade edge.

Keep scoring until it looks at least half way (or close enough) through the plastic.

Then line the plastic sheet along a table edge so that the score is along edge. Snap downwards along the scoring. IT should snap fairly easily by this point.