Would this idea work in revearse? That is, I have a big pile of neodymium magnetic balls. If I just bought some tiny metal washers, would it work just as well or would this cause problems?
Model-mod to make ships rotatable
I imagine it would work fine. The magnetic power of the washers in this thread are .95lbs. As long as it's close to that I can't see why not. I did try on the large ships ( Firespray and YT-1300 ) the magnets are not strong enough to hold them. K&J magnetics has a washer slightly bigger at a rating of 3.94lbs. I'm going to be ordering them to add to the large ships.
Would this idea work in revearse? That is, I have a big pile of neodymium magnetic balls. If I just bought some tiny metal washers, would it work just as well or would this cause problems?
I tried that because I have some of the Magnicubes at home, but unfortunatly the polarity on the ball means that the metal washer will be 'pulled' to the poles and will not sit at an angle, which is the whole point of the conversion.
I picked up som Daisy steel BBs from Walmart and the K&J magnets.
Thats the way to get it to work.
Anybody have success doing this on TIEs? The spherical cockpits I imagine are difficult and I'd really like this to work out.
I am curious:
Doesn't this count as modifying the ship itself?
Not to say that I think that Tournament Officials should say, "OH! Your ship rotates. NO SHIP FOR YOU!"
But I thought I read somewhere that any and all modifications made to ships make them tournament illegal. It may have only been referring to big mods (like making a YT-1300 into a YT-2400) but I have been curious about this one, and the B-Wing mod.
Here is what the rules say.
"Component Modifications
Players are welcome and encouraged to personalize their squads according to the following rules. The TO is the final authority on any component’s eligibility in the tournament. If a component is ruled ineligible and the player does not have a replacement for it, that player is disqualified from the tournament.
Ship models may be painted as desired as long as the alterations are not offensive and do not adversely affect another player’s experience. The size and shape of a ship model cannot be modified in any way.
Ship bases cannot be modified to alter their size or shape. Weight may be added to a ship base if it does not alter the size or shape of the base.
Cards must remain unaltered, though they may be sleeved for protection. Sleeves for Damage cards must be identical and unaltered. Players may mark their tokens and the front of their maneuver dials to indicate ownership as long as the function of the component is not compromised.
During tournament play, each player is required to use components included in official X-Wing products with the exception of third party maneuver templates and range rulers, use of which is addressed below."
By no means is this an official ruling but rather my opinion. The section dealing with what we are talking about here is in this line, "The size and shape of a ship model cannot be modified in any way." I believe this deals more with uglies and changing the ships to look different then out of the box. Adding a magnet to the bottom of the ship does not change the shape or size of the model. If I never tilted the model you'd almost never notice the difference. I did send a inquirer to FFG is this meets tournament requirements 2 weeks ago and have not gotten a response as of yet.
On another note, I did give my Ties the same treatment with the magnets with no problem.
Post pics of the TIEs!
LOL
That first picture made me laugh, it's like the cover to XvT or the moment when you see the Rebel fleet merge with the TIEs from the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon in ROTJ.
Seriously, they look great. I'm officially ordering from KJ's now. Throw in some 3D asteroids and it'll look great!
There are a few tricks I've learned after doing 20+ ships. Removing the plastic holder can be tricky. Some are not glued and some glued very well. Try giving a small tug on the piece, if. It resist grab some snips and cut it out. Hang onto those snips as you'll need them for the pegs to the stand. Cut the small insert off of the peg, use 120 grit sand paper to level off the peg ( this also gives a good surface for the glue to hold the ball). Use a magnet to hold the ball on the work area. Place a small dab of glue on the peg and glue it to the ball. Once the glue is dried get the sand paper again and ruff up the ball a little it helps give the magnet a little bite to it, especially with B-Wings.
http://thedailyentertainment.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/i-want-that/
Seriously - a YouTube tutorial on mounting these would be invaluable. This is the best post In awhile - kudos.
Unfortunately, I've completed all my models (minus the large ships ) at this time. I did however order a slightly larger magnet and ball for the large ships. If it works out to be a good solution, the process will be the same. A video is a little tougher to do but a picture tutorial I could do. I know there is a fear in making a change to the model after all there's no going back once you start. Once you get your knuckles dirty you'll find it's not hard at all.
I called Fantasy Flight this afternoon and they responded to my question via email.
Charles:
The official X-Wing Tournament Rules state:
"Ship bases cannot be modified to alter their size or shape. Weight may be added to a ship base if it does
not alter the size or shape of the base."
Magnets are just fine as long as the shape of the ship's base remains the same. You would be altering the pegs, not the base, so you're good.
Best,
Jeremy Stomberg
Operations Manager
Fantasy Flight Games
+1 651 639 1905 x108
So, feel free to magnitize your fleet!
Shame they don't make the counter-sunk ring magnets a little smaller, they would be perfect.
I did similar with my (pewter) WWI planes. Worked fine for them. Those were reversed (ball on plane).
What kind of glue did people use? I'm using an all purpose cement and it's kinda messy.
I'm using just plan old Krazy glue
FFG would make a killing just making their models with these incorporated already. I'd pay more for the 'premium' model. 'Shut up and take money!!!'
Being a total klutz in these things, but wouldn't Lego be an option?
The magnets work really well for holding the ship where you want it. The only ship I've magnetized that is looser on its hold then I'd like is the YT-1300. Every other ship holds really well. Sure Lego's could give an alternative to magnets but will cost you a lot more.
I have not tried this, but several people seem to be having problems with TIEs.
What if you took a drill bit the same circumference as the washer/bearing and drilled a small indentation into the bottom of the cockpit, and glued your bits it, is would be less obtrusive visually and hopefully give a better perch for your apoxy of choice?
Component Modifications
Players are welcome and encouraged to personalize their squads according to
the following rules. The TO is the final authority on any component’s eligibility
in the tournament. If a component is ruled ineligible and the player does not
have a replacement for it, that player is disqualified from the tournament.
Ship models may be painted as desired as long as the alterations are not
offensive and do not adversely affect another player’s experience. The size and
shape of a ship model cannot be modified in any way.
Ship bases cannot be modified to alter their size or shape. Weight may be
added to a ship base if it does not alter the shape of the base. Ship pegs
(including the connecting pegs affixed to ship models) may be modified or
replaced as desired so long as the alterations are not offensive and do not
adversely affect another player’s experience.
So the Epic Rules has shed some light on to where FFG is at with the Magnets!!
Heh, funny how I noticed Osoroshii's Firespray on magnets. I just sent him a message on how he got the bigger countersunk ringmagnet to fit - even though I got him started on this whole ordeal
I've also made my Lambda shuttle dismantable so it fits in my stanley storage container: used tiny magnets to attach the wings and cockpit to the hull.
Oh btw Osoroshii, have you had the chance to add magnets to the TIE Defender and Phantom?
I've done it with one Phantom, but am not convinced it adds much lookwise (the completely symmetrical design of both these ships makes it hard to notice the model is tilted at all - not to mention that the peg limits the angle in which the Defender can pivot in the first place)...
EDIT: Right, I decided to go a different route with my Defender:
I snapped off the clear peg and cut away any leftover plastics with a small knife, then painted it black (I don't have proper modelpaint, so grey was not an option without going to a hobbystore). I fitted a small magnet into the engine of the Defender and also painted it black:
Then I attached the familiar ringmagnet (it is *not* glued on):
Finally I attached it to a peg/stand:
Yes, every single one of my ships has magnets on them.
Here is a closer look at the Firespray you asked about. It was a little messy getting the magnet in but it's not noticeable after your done.
Thank you so much for showing us the way with magnets LeeCheSSS. I have gotten so many questions and compliments over my fleet.
Ah cool, thanks for the close-up. I expect my countersunk magnetrings within two weeks, then I won't have to stress about the pegs on my large ships anymore
