Land Raider Magnets

I've seen lots of people magnetize their predators and land raiders, but I wanted to posted mine because my solution is a little different from those I've seen and maybe someone will benefit from it.

Got some magnets from amazingmagnets.com and after giving Chronus a magnetic head, I applied my new magnetic skills to the Land Raider Crusader Pack I just received, and to the sponsons and assault doors so you can not only swap between which land raider it is but you can pick whether you want the sponsons up front or in back.

 Step 0: Mind Your Polarity!
Check, double check, mark with sharpee, scratch with knife, anything you have to do to make sure you're keeping track of polarity so your magnets will pull the direction you want them to when your model is all put together. Always keep in mind how it will fit together when all assembled and be mindful of magnets near enough other ones that maybe they should be facing the same way so as not to fight.

 Step 1: Swappable Sponsons
First, there is a problem right out of the box. Lascannons cannot be mounted in the Crusader sponson because it's too shallow, and Flamestorm cannons will not fit on the strut for the vanilla Land Raider sponson. The solution is either to use the Crusader strut with the vanilla sponson or (if it's already glued up like mine) to trim the vanilla strut. I tried to leave as much plastic as I could and I think it looks all right like this with any of the three weapons mounted.

Glue magnets dead center on the back of the sponsons and then glue a magnet to exactly 1 inch of spru (this is how wide the door inside is) and glue this spru beam into the doorway. Position the beams so that there will be a slight gap between the sponson magnet and the land raider magnet, this will keep the sponsons from wobbling. Glue some metal bits to the back of the side doors, I used bits of large paperclip glued to a bit of spru. These should be just deep enough to almost touch the land raider magnets, but like above leave a gap or they doors will wobble using where they touch the magnet as a fulcrum. Leaving a gap makes sure the entire edge of the door or sponson is pressed against the tank.

Step 2:  Sponson Gun Holdy Strut Things
Cut off the gun pivot pegs and drill through with 1/8" bit to place two magnets, one flush with each side. They should have the same polarity, i.e. [+ -] [+ -], and both sponson struts should have the same polarity so the two sponsons will be identical and swappable.

Step 3: Flamestorm Cannons
Before you glue the fuel tanks to the cannons (and possible after you paint them) gently drill out the peg holes to 1/8" which is just a tad wider than they already are. Glue a magnet into each of the peg holes so that when linked onto the sponson struts all 4 magnets will be pointed the same way, take your time to be positively sure the polarities are all right. Now you can glue the cannons to the fuel tanks, but the magnets will try to pull towards each other and make the glue dry crooked, so just clip the cannon onto the sponson strut to dry just how it should.

Step 4: Hurricane Bolters
Same deal, just a magnet in the peg hole of the bolters and the, uh, scope things that go on the other side, or if you're lucky enough to have the cool ammo box model then that I guess.

Step 5: Lascannons
Same as the flamestorm, the polarities should be aligned so they'll both snap onto the strut. Then glue the cannons into their armor shell. Since the shell will let them flex a little it's less important to get the distance between them exactly right, but you can let them dry mounted on the strut just the same to be sure.

Step 6: Outer armor plate things
For this step be very careful to line the magnets up as exactly centered and level as you can or the armor plates will stick slightly crooked and you may have to fix by popping the magnets off and trying again or by doubling this step with magnets behind the rectangle peg as well. The polarity on these magnets should be in line with the magnets on the gun or you might have some fighting fields making the magnetic pull weaker that it should be. Glue a thin magnet to the inside of the armor plates in front of their rectangular pegs. Leave a small gap for the lip of rectangle the pegs fit into. A thin magnet then goes onto the hurricane bolters touching that rectangle, and a regular magnet goes on the flamestorm cannon in the same spot. Then because the flamestorm cannon has a wider gap between cannon and armor, clip a thin magnet onto that regular one and it'll be lined up just right with the armor plate.

If you don't ream out the hole too much while drilling you shouldn't have to glue in the magnets at all, just press it in and friction should do a great job.

The hurricane bolters don't have the connection to both sides of the strut like the flamestorm cannons have with their attached fuel tanks, so while the magnetic bond is strong enough to keep it in place well, it is just a little wobbly. Maybe you could fashion your own arm connecting the bolters to their sensor eye thing to add some stability.

Remember to try and seat the magnets just a bit deeper than flush so there is a very slight gap. The magnetic bond will be just as strong as if they are touching, but the plastic will be pressed to plastic and have some nice fiction to keep the guns in place if you tilt them. If the magnets touch then there is very little friction and you'll have trouble positioning the guns.

There are some opportunities to use metal instead of more magnets to save magnets, but I had plenty of magnets so didn't bother beyond the assault doors just to see how well it would work

Sgt Chronus magnetic head

Sgt Chronus, the Spear of Macragge, likes to hang out of the tank hatch and point out stuff on the battlefield. He operates under theory that the crew inside can see what the hell he's pointing at out there. His coolest feature, beyond his presence upgrading any tank from 'scary' to 'very scary', is that if the tank blows up he has a chance of being able to put on his powerpack and hop out and turn into an independant character killpoint (with a servo arm (power fist))

He comes soaked in metal Ωltramarine horseshoe symbols that I had to shave off, but that's only part of the problem. The trouble is that he comes with one cool and unique helmety head, one boring bald marine head, and two bodies. Supposedly power armor is the pinnacle of human armor technology, its design has only changed in appearance in some 15,000 years, right? So what is the deal with marines' obsession with running around on apparently perfectly breathable alien battlefields with their helmets off? Hey xenos, witches, and daemons, heres your target right here! It's bald and shiny! Well my army keeps their helmets on, especially cool unique helmets like Chrony's.

I just got my order of Amazingmagnets(.com) today and wanted to put some to the test, so I drilled 1/8" holes in his necks and put in 1/8" x 1/16" magnets.

The trick to magnet placement is that when all glued and assembled, the magnets shouldn't be touching, they should have a slight gap. If they're touching, they act as a pivot and will wobble. If there is a gap the magnet will be pulling tight and holding the piece still, no wobble.

A lot of people at this point would then drill into his head and put a magnet in there too, but that's overkill. I just drilled and put a bit of thick paperclip in there that the magnets love, since the pewter or whatever isn't magnetic at all.

Tadaa! Two Chronusesses with one swappable head! Both of them pointing off into the battlefield inexplicably and perpetually. The head is held snug enough that it won't turn unless you turn it and is easy to take off or turn. That's right, the head turns! It's a damn action figure now! And it was easy and effective enough that you could do this to all your favorite guys if you wanted turnable heads.