WIP Magnetising Assault Terminators weapons and Quad-cannon

So this post is about something slightly different than my normal painting posts. Usually prepping models is pretty straight forward (although sometimes time-consuming), but sometimes you get models with multiple weapon options and miniatures being as pricey as they are, you wanna keep your options open. Enter magnetisation!

The idea is simple, add small (but strong) magnets to your model and you have the option to exchange parts freely depending on what you want to use the model for. The necessary tools are quite straight forward, as all you need is plenty of magnets (rare-earth magnets for proper strength), some superglue and a drill in the appropriate size. I also opted to get a small hand-vice for better drilling. All items are readily available on Ebay for a few quid.  

The main reason for getting started on this project was to magnetise the weapons on my Assault Terminators as they come with both a Stormshields + Thunderhammer load-out or dual Lightening Claws, both which are viable options depending on opponents and other units in the army. 

After having removed mold-lines etc from the models i glued the bodies together as normal and then drilled a 3 mm hole in each shoulder. Testing the size of the hole with a magnet before gluing is a must as you want it flush with the surface. Also, be sure to watch the polarity of the magnets! I marked one end of a rod-magnet and made sure the inserted magnet always stuck to my rod.... After adding a drop of superglue you have to be quite fast and precise with positioning the magnet as it dries almost instantly. 

Finally the torsos will look something like this...

Same procedure for arms containing claws, shields and hammers..

After leaving the models to dry completely for an hour or so you basically have 10 models for the price of 5 :D

 

Now the models are ready to be painted, which I've been working on for quite many weeks now. Expect another post on this soon :D

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Secondly, I also recently bought the Aegis defense line, which is turning our to be an almost must-have in larger 6'th edition games. Apart from the wall itself, the model also comes with the very powerful Quad-Cannon which is great for sniping flyers and other pesky vehicles from the distance. As the weapon is turret-mounted I opted to magnetise it to allow it to spin 360° without feeling flimsy.

After putting the parts of the gun together I took a piece of steel plate and cut it to fit inside the housing. I then glued a 5 mm magnet to a steel nut to get the correct distance from plate to gun.

The plate was super-glued to the mount and the nut to the gun...

And voila! A turret-mounted gun that can spin 360° and now has some grip so it wont spin randomly around in its socket. Furthermore, the added weight of the metal plate makes the whole gun feel more stable on rough surfaces...

Using magnets in models are easy, fast and cheap and really adds to the value of our expensive models. Definitely something I will be using a lot in the future :D