Magnetising Models

[alshrive]

Hi All,

recently been getting into the swing of this posting malarkey and finally thought i would pose a serious question regarding my future modelling.

i am in the process of building the new Hive Tyrant/ Swarmlord, and am debating making the arms magnetic for all the possibilities. I have got my hands on some 2mm diameter x 1mm depth Neodymium magnets, will these be strong enough to hold the arms in place solidly?

if anybody has actual experience magnetising pieces i would really appreciate your feedback and input.

ALShrive

[GRUNDZ]

The only way to know for sure is to try it, what I did with my bugs is place a tiny brass rod offcenter and "pin" the arm onto that, the magnet only holds the arm onto the pin, the pin takes all the weight.

that solves many of the issues with having strong magnets that pop off of their glue spot, or having limbs fall off randomly when you move the model. The downside(maybe) is you have a single static pose.

[alshrive]

that is, quite simply, a brilliant idea! use a pin as an anchor! i am not overly bothered about it being pose-able, i just wanted the option to swap weapons between games. i will definitely keep you updated about how i get on! Cheers

ALShrive

[Kamui]

I like the pin and magnet method on larger pieces. Without the pin the arms will tend to droop unless you're using a relatively large magnet. Either way I would try to use the largest magnets you can fit into the joints. I've often wished I'd use larger ones, but I've never wished I'd used smaller ones.

I would also recommend you find drill bits that match the diameter of your magnets so that you can sink them into the model. They're much less likely to pop off that way.

You should pick a polarity and stick with it. After you mount the first item use that item to check the polarity of every magnet. You'll want to be able to use every arm in every socket.

[GRUNDZ]

Another fun trick I use is glue a magnet to the bottom of my magnet-holder, that way they are always oriented the same way when I grab one off the stack, really helps no not screwing up polarity

[alshrive]

yes i had thought about this and will be checking polarity religiously while sticking them together.

fortunately i happen to have a 2mm drill bit, and think that i will first of all try the magnet and then add a pin if required by the piece.

after the hive tyrant i plan on trying it on the Tyrannofex i require for the army so for that i will be purchasing the larger magnets!

ALShrive

[Drakkan Vael]

For weight allone, 2x1 mm magnets are to small to hold the arms of a Hive Tyrant. You need at least 3x2 but I'd advise you to take even larger ones. (3x4)