Magnets: How do they work?

Fellow Archons, I'm gonna be getting my next batch of plastic crack here soon and I'm wanting to totally magnetize some ravagers and venoms.

I'm not sure what sizes I will want or need to magnetize the guns, the gun mounts, the base, and the sails on the ravager. I want to be able to swap between D-Lances, and D-CANNONS, and to use it as a raider.

For the venom I just want to have the guns and the base magnetized.

Any advice, knowledge, or experience you wanna share will be greatly appreciated.

My Raider/Ravager bases are still popping onto their ball joint after 18months of use, average one game a week. When they start to sag I'll experiment with magnets, and I think I'll go 2 or 3 stalks, 3mm magnets (height and diameter). If you want just one stalk, ask someone who has tried it!

My Raids and Ravs have a magnetized prow gunner: again, 3mm magnets, one buried in the prow, and the other replacing the pivot of the gun. The gunner herself is free-floating above the floor by a small gap.

My Ravagers have a gangplank on each side (you only get one on the sprue, sadly), with a 3mm magnet buried if the fretwork, then 4 of my retired Lanceborn Warriors had 3mm magnets stuck to their bases, so my Rav looks like a Raider carrying two sniper guys.

The only time I have gone down to a 2mm magnet is for limbs on infantry, and Caltrops on a Reaver, where I add a spare set of tail fins, painted like blades, to the underside.

Limited experience, but hope it helps!

3mm for the sail. I used 2mm for the forward gun mount and same for the side mounts.

I didnt magnetize individual weapons, as I though it'd be to fiddly, especially with crew. So I just made a few sets of dissies and lances. Just swap them around. Harder to do on a ravager though.

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Thank you very much, was informative. Will reply back when I get into the project.

Good advice flak monkey.

i'll add one thing. Why would you magnetize the guns on a venom? if you can't afford the second splinter cannon, you cant afford the venom!!!

For the once in a blue moon that you don't need it (say for a suicide venom) then I doubt anyone would give you grief.

My own vehicle magnetising projects got a lot easier once I realised that the disintegrator and dark lance shared a common stock. Now, I cut off the barrels and magnetise them, while being free to glue the gunners hands to the handles of the stock.



I used these magnets in the barrel (http://store.aetherworks.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=16847), and if memory serves a fatter one in the stock.  

I haven't been game to try a Raider/Ravager magnetising project - although I magnetise the gangplank to be retractable/extendable, which is pretty fun Then I can show a transported squad by having a guy ride on the gangplank, and slide it back in when they get off (or more commonly, get blown up )

A magnetized gangplank? That sounds damn awesome! You have pictures of that? How did you construct it?

Silverglade wrote:

Good advice flak monkey.

 Why would you magnetize the guns on a venom?

If you ever want to run your dark eldar as corsairs, magnetized venoms are pretty handy.  Although corsairs can take the dual splinter variant, they can also take dual shuriken cannons or scatter/splinter cannons versions.  The stock one comes with a shuriken cannon and twin link lasblasters, although I haven't found a good way to represent the latter.

The forward gun is easy to magnetize, so there isn't too much reason not to do that one unless you are concerned about losing bits.

Venoms aren't optimal in a corsairs list, but I have used them pretty effectively alongside falcons.  Running 20 bikes every game is better of course, but gets boring pretty fast.

This may help.

As for size: 2mm (diameter) x 1mm (depth) is what I used for the guns. A lot of the parts on the Raider/Ravager don't even really need magnetising - they push fit just fine.

Erebus wrote:

This may help.

As for size: 2mm (diameter) x 1mm (depth) is what I used for the guns. A lot of the parts on the Raider/Ravager don't even really need magnetising - they push fit just fine.

Much food for thought and wonderful work. Thank you

Silverglade wrote:

Why would you magnetize guns on a venom?

I tend for forget when a weapon is destroyed and I feel this will help with that.

CptMetal wrote:

A magnetized gangplank? That sounds damn awesome! You have pictures of that? How did you construct it?

I don't have any WIPs, but this how it fits together when finished. Sorry for the poor quality phone pictures, hopefully you get the idea

Extended:


It fits a 25mm base quite snugly:


(Also, the first outing my Wrack here has had in months!)

When retracted, it doesn't need anything to hold it in place; the natural tackiness of the paint is ample.


The secret sauce is a pair of magnets that lock the gangplank in place when extended. This gives it the strength to support a model, and also stops me from accidentally pulling it out!

One at the very base of the gangplank:


And another drilled into the lower half of the hull, right near the gangplank opening. This pic is a little misleading in that I usually come from the top down during assembly, but I invariably go too far and drill through the whole section so drilling from underneath to retrofit a magnet would probably have the same effect! Just take care not to block the path the gangplank will take when it retracts.


Hope that helps

I use @creeping darkness 's style.

i found the 1mm by 2mm magnets off ebay work great. You can get 100 for about 3$ and they work great for magnetizing troops as well because they are small enough to really hide.

I havent found much I have needed the bigger magnets for but I keep 3mm by 1mm and 4mm by 1mm handy incase. If I did whole gun placements I would probably use the 3mm by 1 mm. the 4mm by 1mm being used mosly for MC bits.

All of them are on ebay for relatively cheap. Should get 100 for about 5 bucks give or take a dollar depending on the size.

Just remember dont keep them near any kind of hard drive. (In case you carry a laptop)