Northeast Wars X

Previously Inside the Hobbyist’s Studio, I showed how I approach magnetizing my bases.  Today’s article will continue in this theme and I will show how I currently am producing magnetic movement trays.

Magnetic bases and movement trays are very useful to keep “unit cohesion” when moving a unit across the battlefield.  Not having to constantly stand models back up that have tipped over is great.  And let’s not forget those situation when your unit of beautifully painted but metal minis stops on the slope of a hill and they all want to slide into a pile of bent lances and chipped paint.  Also, if the minis are stuck tight to their trays, the trays themselves can be part of how to store them for transit.  Instead of plucking each mini out of a foam nook before each game and then having to place them back in, wouldn’t it be a great time saver — as well as way cool — to be able to just lift movement tray full of already ranked troops out of your movement case? Continue reading

This is the first in a series of articles I intend to write regarding various projects I am working on while waiting for next year’s Northeast Wars.

Today’s article will be about how I am currently magnetizing my bases.  I make no claim that this is the best way, it is simply the method that is working for me now until I start tinkering with a different method.

But before I get into technical details, some of you maybe asking what I am talking about in the first place.  Magnetizing bases and or movement trays  is a process where magnets are used to make the base of a miniature and a movement tray stick to each other.  This is useful for two reasons.  The first is that movement trays are much easier to use if the miniatures resist tipping over as you move the movement tray.  This is especially true with heavy and/or tall miniatures.  The second reason is that transport is easier (and safer for the mini’s) since the mini’s are stuck tightly their trays and not bouncing around.

Now with the “Why” covered, I will move onto the “How.”  The aspiring magnet master must first decide if they want to have the base of the mini, the movement tray, or both to be magnetic.  I have gravitated to a solution where I glue neodynium magnets inside the base and either attach a piece of steel to a movement tray or (more recently) simply use a piece of steel ( a tie plate to be exact) as the movement tray.  This article will cover how I do the first part.  A future article will discuss how I make movement trays out of hardware for building a house that blends nicely onto the table top. Continue reading