[usagi_tetsu]

Let me get this out of the way first: I hate modeling and painting. Well, okay, I hate doing them myself because I am no good at them and never have been. I love looking at well modeled and painted pieces, don't get me wrong, but I will never, no matter how hard I try and practice and work at it, ever win a Golden Demon or other modeling/painting award. So, when I got back into the game and started into working up a Tau army, there was one huge reason I went and bought a brand new Megaforce instead of someone else's pre-owned and painted army off of eBay - the instant modification you get if you magnetize your pieces. It really fascinates me to be able to be able to use half the models to represent a far wider range of options easily and simply.

You've seen the DIY guides other places about using magnets, so I'm just going relate some of the procedures and hints that I use myself. Most are "slap-forehead, utter *d'oh!*" simple, but the last is the one you want to read if nothing else.

1) 1/8"x1/16" (roughly 3mmx1.5mm) disk magnets work well... in areas with lots of plastic. If the weapon/system or piece you are attaching it too is real close to 1/8", you may want to move down to the 1/16"x1/32" disk magnets. Keeping a hand drill (1/8" is too big for my pin vise drill) centered when you have 1/32" excess on either side is really hard without slopping over. Super glue fixes many sins, yes, but your piece just won't look as good as it could.

2) If you're doing an entire army, go for bulk when purchasing magnets. It's cheaper per magnet at the higher numbers bought, and you will use a lot more magnets than you think. A non-commander plastic crisis suit fresh off the sprue will use 12 or 14 magnets for all of it's attachment points (4 or 6), weapons (5), and systems (3). Look for neodymium rare earth magnets online (RE magnets have a HIGH attraction to each other, my 1/8x1/16 ones will start reacting to each other's presence at roughly 4" away!), there are quite a few sellers in the States.

3) Slow speeds. If you're using a powered hand drill, slow is key. Bits like the ones I use (titanium coated tool steel, good for everything except tool steel and masonry) will scream thru modeling plastic. Don't use Dremels, they rotate way too fast.

4) When putting your magnets into vehicles and suits, you want them all to line up the same way, and the same with weapons and systems - everything lined up the same way so you can swap things around between different models. The way I keep track of these (don't bother marking each "N" side with paint or marker, this is less time consuming) is to install one magnet into a model. Doesn't matter which way you put it in, you're going to use that first magnet to line up every other magnet to follow it.

So, your first magnet is in, and let's just say that S is inside the model and N is pointing out of the piece (grade school science here kids: magnets have two attractive sides, commonly referred to as North or N, and South or S) like this:

(air) N
****S****

(sorry about the way this looks, this board doesn't handle spaces real well)

Most people suggest countersinking the magnets in the bodies, and leaving the magnets in the weapons and systems hanging out abit, and I've tried it. It works pretty decently, so try for that, looking like this:

****N**** <----weapon
(air) S

**** **** <----vehicle
****N****
****S****


Anyway, how can you tell which way your magnets are pointing, based off are marker magnet? I stumbled across this trying to figure out a better way to handle the magnets when I'm putting them into the model. Tried using plastic tweezers, my fingernails, and even just gravity, and kept having problems. Then it hit me: leave the magnets on the stack. The stack is big enough to handle by hand, and the magnets are attracted enough to each other that you have to really force them apart. As they say at my job, Too Easy!

Now comes the neat part: wave the stack over your marker magnet, and if the stack is attracted to the magnet, it's aligned to be put in a vehicle or suit. If it repels, the stack is aligned for use on weapons and systems.

Okay, visual representation of a stack that attracts the marker magnet for those who want it. This stack you would use on vehicles and suits.

(air) N <---stack
(air) S | |
(air) N | |
(air) S | |
(air) N | |
(air) S | |
(air) N | |
(air) S <---stack
**** **** <---vehicle
****N**** <---marker magnet
****S****

N attracts S, N repels N, so if the stack is lined up to attract the marker magnet, when you push the bottom magnet into the hole, it will line up S down, and N up, just like your marker magnet. Vice versa for weapons and systems: when your marker magnet is repelled, and you insert the bottom magnet into the hole, N will be into the hole, and S will be pointing out, making the weapon attractive to the marker magnet (and all other vehicle/suit mounted magnets, if you followed my instructions).

As for putting the magnets in the holes, I usually push the magnet in, and then scrape the stack sideways to remove the bottom magnet from the stack. Surface mount magnets you pretty much just have to squeeze the stack (use a short stack of like 10 magnets on these for easier handling) and piece together until they bond enough you can tip off the rest of the stack. And be careful with excess glue, as you can glue magnets to each other. It's a pain getting them apart.


Hope that's helpful, let me know what you think.