# Of Magnets and Movement Trays



## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Of Magnets and Movement Trays
_*Introduction*_
In my Warhammer 40K life, I am a Tau player. One of the things I like most about the Tau is the degree of customization that the Crisis Battlesuits are capable of. One of the things that I disliked about that flexibility was the need to buy a ton of models to be able to have the different configurations that could be called for in putting together an army list. After all, a Tau list designed to fight Space Marines is not the same as a list designed to fight Imperial Guard. Being essentially a penny-pinching cheapskate I went to the trouble and rather modest expense to incorporate rare earth magnets into my models so that I could purchase 15 Crisis Suits and then, using the magnets on the model and the weapons choices, was able to swap weapons to customize my Elite choices before each game.
*The Problem....*
In Warhammer Fantasy Battles, I found less need to be able to swap weapons but found that moving a unit of 20 gangly models with swords/spears/shields, etc to be difficult to say the least. To make matters worse, some models were top heavy and would not stand on their own without some form of bracing. 

As a first step to solve this problem I purchased GW plastic movement tray kit from my local hobby store and paid about US$10.00 for the kit. From this kit I was able to build about 8 plastic movement trays. That works out to about US$1.25 apiece. They worked just fine, but the models kept either falling off or getting jostled and I had to keep setting them up. Some the models were so intricate and the spacing in the unit was so tight that they would only fit together on the movement tray in a certain way. I still wasn't getting what I was after. I needed a movement tray that would hold the models securely and on which the models could be left set up in the way that they fit best. Obviously, here was where using magnets might help out.

I know that I am not the first to think of this because at our local gaming store I see models sticking to movement trays constantly. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I could do better than what I was seeing. I observed that many players purchased FlexSteel or Paper Steel so I purchased some as well...at $2.00 a 80mm x 100mm sheet. Added to the cost of the GW Movment tray and I was investing $3.25 per unit. At this rate it would cost me a bundle just getting the Flexsteel needed to magnetize 15 units. I'd rather spend the money on models. (Also, the magnets did not stick to the FlexSteel very well. A hard jostle and all the models would simply fall off.) I will say this, though, the product is easy to cut with scissors, is self-adhesive, and is easy to use. But I think it is expensive and it doesn't provide a firm enough metal surface to really hold the model in place (especially if it is a metal model!) and it really did not get me what I was after.

Some players used what looked to be flattened galvanized metal outdoor deck hardware. The magnets stuck but the hardware was warped and was filled with holes which made the models lean at random angles and looked a bit odd after half the unit had been eliminated from play. The unit would have two ranks left on the movement tray and two ranks of what looked like regularly spaced craters following behind them. I didn't care for it. I wanted the movement tray to disappear into the scenery when it did not have a model on it. So....

*The Movement Tray*
At the local hobby store I purchased a 12"(304.8mm) by 24"(609.6mm) sheet of 3mm thick hobby plywood. It cost US$4.00. I initially designed these movement trays for my Lizardmen Saurus army which have 25mm bases so I laid out the movement tray at (25mm base x 4 ranks + 5mm/front for the sprue border=) 105mm by (25mm base x 5 files + 5mm/side for the sprue border x 2 sides=) 135mm. Using these measurements on my piece of plywood gave me a total of:
10 each - 105mm x 135mm unit movement trays
2 each - 54mm x 135mm Cavalry movement trays
5 each - 24mm x 110mm Single Rank mini-movement trays, just the right size for my DE Repeater Crossbowmen.
I used scrap sprues for the movement tray edging because they were free and I had more than enough leftover plastic to go around. All total, the base movement tray, before adding the metal needed to mount magnetized models, worked out to cost about US$.24 each. However, I DID spend a lot more effort and time than the GW Movement Tray kit required to get to the same place. On the flip side, my homemade trays cost about US$1.00 each less than the GW Movement tray.

To get the same number of movement trays from their kits, I would have had to spend the better part of US$40.00 instead of the US$4.00 plus my time.

The plywood sheet before layout:









The movement tray layout prior to cutting:








The movement tray layout - top view.









Details of Cavalry and Single Rank mini movement trays.









Details of Saurus movement tray layout.









Cutting across the grain. I used a knife and a straight edge to keep from losing wood to a saw's kerf. Be careful and don't try to cut through the plywood in one pass. I made 10 passes with the knife to get through the 3mm sheet.









Top view









Final cuts using a miter-saw.









Inventory showing quantity and scale.









Alternate view of Inventory.










*The Metal Mount*
A trip to the local "big box" hardware store and I walked out with a 24" x 24" (609.6mm x 609.6mm) sheet of 28 gauge galvanized steel for about US$11.00. A little calculator work, a pair of metal shears and 30 minutes later, I had a total of 10ea 95mm x 120mm, 2ea 50mm x 120mm, and 5ea 25mm x 100mm metal sheets with enough steel left to cover a second batch of movement trays. That works out to about US$.32 each vrs the US$2.00 each for the FlexSteel. As an added benefit, Rare Earth Magnets really, and I mean, REALLY stick to the galvanized steel. There is nothing wimpy about magnets that will hold a large metal model on the sheet steel even when upside down and being shaken.










However, again, while I saved cash, I spent a lot more time and effort figuring, measuring, cutting, smoothing and such for the galvanized sheet steel than I would have by simply using the FlexSteel products. There is no free lunch. It either costs more or it takes more time and effort.
I am a cheapskate. Just ask my son....

Cutting the metal magnet mount. Again, be careful. When the steel is cut it leaves a very sharp edge that either needs to be filed smooth or hammered flat. It can cut fairly badly. (I didn't take any pictures of the blood I left on the metal sheet, but take my word for it, wearing work gloves until the "edge" is removed does not make you a wimp. It shows a wisdom I lacked.) In the picture below you can see the sharp edge at the bottom of the picture.











*Mounting the Steel*
After pounding the raw (and very sharp) cut edges between an anvil and a hammer to remove the rough edge, I smeared some contact cement (purchased for about US$5.00 in the same local "big box" hardware store) on the back of the flat, smooth piece of galvanized steel AND on the surface of the homemade movement tray, waited about 5 minutes for the glue to mature, then stuck them together and clamped them, especially around the edge. I left this overnight to dry and harden. I should confess that this took the longest time of all for each of my movement trays had to be glued, clamped, and let set overnight -- individually. Now it didn't take much time to glue and clamp, but to mount the steel to all the movement trays and let them dry properly overnight took over 1 month including the RL interruptions.

But.... once they were done, the steel was mounted FLAT with no waves, ridges, or holes and was permanently mounted to the base movement tray. Also keep in mind that with this project I am making 17 movement trays, each capable of holding one full unit so it should be a while before I need to make any more.

As a side note, I used only a very small portion of the contact cement. There is plenty left to do other projects so I have not factored it into the total cost of this project. I wonder if it might be a good glue to glue metal components of GW models together permanently.

The Model Layout on the Movement Tray









Contact Cement on both pieces to be joined:










In particular clamp around the edges so that the metal sheet does not buckle and develop sharp ridges. Expect some glue to seep out from around the edge. Let it dry and harden then scrape it off carefully with a craft knife.










*The Magnets*
I have been working with rare earth [Neodymium] magnets that I have acquired from a U.S. supplier called K&J Magnetics. Here is a link to their website ==>www.kjmagnetics.com. Be very careful! It is a very easy place to buy way more than you need because all their products are so cool.

For this project, I purchased 250 each of the small rare earth magnetic discs, Product No. D203 for US$27.50 (not counting shipping). I could have purchased a smaller quantity and spent less money but you get a discount for higher quantities and I figured that with both my Dark Elves and my Lizardmen armies I would find use for the magnets. 250 magnets will magnetize more than twelve 20-model units. This product is 3mm in diameter by approx 2.5mm thick. They just fit under a model's base with a bit of superglue. The price works out to US$.11 per magnet. Each movement tray will hold 20 models so the cost of each unit's magnets is US$2.20. I would have paid this cost whether I used my homemade trays or the GW trays so have not factored it into the cost of the project since it would have been the same either way.

The D203 has a pull force of .60lbs which is way more than needed to keep even the heaviest models firmly mounted to the steel mounting sheet. (If you absolutely have to you can mount two or more of them under the base and lock the model down. I've only needed to do that with a Lizardman Oldblood Saurus Champion. They are really heavy.) In fact, the pull force is almost too strong for plastic models. You have to be careful not to break the plastic model when removing it from the tray. They do sell other products that are not a strong that I could use for the plastics, but, again, you get higher discounts the larger quantity you buy and the weaker ones are not strong enough to hold the heavier metal models on the tray.

*Finishing*
Afer a sprue border was glued to the edges, the movement trays were then primed with a commercial anti rust grey primer then painted using cheaper Artist's/Craft Acrylics rather than the miniature paints used on the models themselves. Model Railroad Ballast will be used on the edging (US$4.00 for a 6" bag full of ballast. The bag purchased will last a LONG time.) and Static grass and the occasional pebble/rock to finish the tray. I will use the same ballast on the models in the unit so that there is visually a seamless transition from the tray to the models. I will also glue model railroad turf blend to the base of the movement tray where the models mount to hide the metal edges and provide a cleaner transition as models get removed from play. I will post some pics to this thread when I have them totally completed. Right now my time is spent on the Painting Challenge.

*Summary / Random thoughts....*
Well, this tutorial/Project Log turned out way longer than I thought it would, but I wanted to cover everything. I ended up making a total of 10 movement trays based on 25mm bases along with two Cavalry movement trays and five single rank movement trays. I purchased another piece of plywood and have laid out another 19 movement trays based on mounting models on 20mm bases for a grand total of 36 movement trays premounted with steel sheets that are unnoticable to the casual observer.

For these magnetic mount trays I spent a total of about US$19.00 (not counting the magnets themselves) and several evenings pleasurable "puttering". That works out to about US$.53 per movement tray ready for magnetized models. That is a cash savings of about US$.72/movement tray (US$25.92 total savings for the 36 movement trays. That's enough for several special characters or a box of plastic models.) 

After the first few movement trays I found I spent less than 5 minutes glueing and clamping the steel to the movement trays. I would stop at the workbench in the garage as I was coming in from work each day, smear contact cement on the steel and the movement tray, pop the clamps from the previous nights effort which had set up, position the glued steel/wood, reclamp the new tray, and then go into the house. The next night, I did it again until they were all done. It took more time to glue the cleaned up sprues to the movement trays and make them look decent than it took to mount the steel to the tray.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading the whole compendium. As always, your comments, questions, suggestions and other constructive criticisms are welcome.

Gripes and complaints are handled by my public relations office in Nome, Alaska. Their offices are open for you to visit from 11:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m on alternating Tuesdays. Messages are accepted when delivered by dog-sled or Canadian Goose only.


For the Greater Good
Apidude


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Great tutorial. I am ok with the GW movement trays for my Dwarfs, but when I start in on my Skaven I may be raiding your garage:biggrin:


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## sphere830 (Aug 4, 2009)

I too have gone through the frugality blues with spending significantly more for WYSIWYG gaming. Magnets being the most logical answer to spending way more than a casual gamer needs to. I certainly fancy myself more of a hobbyist anyway. This is a great tutorial and allows other gamers how you can end up with great looking, and as importantly very functional alternatives, to GW only products. Not that GW doesn't make good products, but one can be clever and certainly find alternatives. When I originally started painting miniatures most of the hobby supplies had to be brought from a host of suppliers. Now it seems that GW builds and supplies everything but at a steep price. So here's to being clever and engaging in bricolage. Cheers!


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## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

*Magnetic Movement Trays: Final Stages*

Well, I've nearly finished my movement trays so I thought that I would show the final four stages after the metal sheet had been glued and clamped to the base.

This shows the result after the contact cement has hardened and the clamps removed.









This shows the tray after sprue borders/edging has been applied.









Primed with a commercial anti rusting heavy duty primer. Note: the gaps will be filled with either White "Tacky" Glue ( an extremely thick craft glue) or painter's "Spackle" crack filler before painting.









After brown paint was sprayed on the tray, but before the paint had had a chance to dry, the tray was liberally sprinkled with model railroad "turf blend".
This shows the end result.









The only thing remaining to do is to glue dark brown model railroad ballast (a very fine sand/stone) to the edging and we are done.

This has been a fun project and thanks to all of you for following along. If you have comments or questions, feel free to post or PM me. I'd love to hear from you. 

For the Greater Good......


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nice finished product. My only question is whether or not the basing material on the surface of the tray causes any issues with your models standing up straight?


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## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Midge913: You wrote, "My only question is whether or not the basing material on the surface of the tray causes any issues with your models standing up straight?"

The models stand just fine. The turf used is so fine that it does not affect the way the models fit on the tray or stand. I will post another picture soon that shows a unit on the tray to show this. 

The only effect I have noticed is a very slight lessening of the magnetic pull which does affect heavy models some but does not affect plastics in any way.


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