If it's just hosting you need, I can put the original pics on my server, let me know and I could grab the ones you have on BGG and send you back the links.

Yeah, if you don't mind, go for it.

Real life/work is a little too crazy for me to do much of anything fun right now, so this would solve the immediate issue here.

Thanks.

If it's just hosting you need, I can put the original pics on my server, let me know and I could grab the ones you have on BGG and send you back the links.

Yeah, if you don't mind, go for it.

Real life/work is a little too crazy for me to do much of anything fun right now, so this would solve the immediate issue here.

Thanks.

They're all here , in very high res. Once I get a few minutes at home, I'll make lower resolution versions that will fit better on the forum.

And they'll stay until you tell me to take them down. Your guide got me started, happy to make sure it survives

If it's just hosting you need, I can put the original pics on my server, let me know and I could grab the ones you have on BGG and send you back the links.

Yeah, if you don't mind, go for it.

Real life/work is a little too crazy for me to do much of anything fun right now, so this would solve the immediate issue here.

Thanks.

They're all here , in very high res. Once I get a few minutes at home, I'll make lower resolution versions that will fit better on the forum.

And they'll stay until you tell me to take them down. Your guide got me started, happy to make sure it survives

You, sir, are a prince among men!

Original post has the images restored (and seriously, was I having some kind of a fit when I took the B-Wing pic???).

Many thanks, indeed, to drjkel!

Awesome! Thanks for the updates fellas!

I'll add lower res versions when I have time, just so the first page loads quicker for people on a slower connection. I just don't have the energy for it now ...

Original post has the images restored (and seriously, was I having some kind of a fit when I took the B-Wing pic???).

Many thanks, indeed, to drjkel!

I just cut the image size in half, so it loads a bit quicker. To get the high resolution version, just add "_hi" at the end of the name.

I'll add my own tonight

I think I'm blind... I've looked but...

Er..

Are y'all using regular super glue to hold the magnets and balls?

I think I'm blind... I've looked but...

Er..

Are y'all using regular super glue to hold the magnets and balls?

Awesome. Thank-you.

I'm trying to do this now but I'm cutting a peg in half and mounting the parts to that .

The idea is to not have to tear pegs off the ships.

But...it's not working well. It puts the pivot point too far away from the weight of the ship and they just tkrque and flop over like a noodle.

Back to the drawing board. I suppose I better just do what you guys are doing and not reinvent the wheel.

You pretty much have to rip the peg off the ship to do this well. It's a permanent mod (but an awesome one).

I can't recommend enough that you rough up the steel balls somehow. That polished finish they come with guarantees that your ships will slide all over the place. Use some sandpaper or a file or whatever to scuff that up pretty well and you'll be in much better shape.

Going to be using a super thin layer of latex in the balls to rubberize them for friction.

That's the plan anyways. If it fails I'll be roughing them up .

Super glue has the added benefit that it can be removed with nail polish remover, if you decide to rebalance your ship.

Better late than never. Most of the work was done with a Dremel with a ball-shaped high speed cutter (something like this ). I did try using a drill bit, but I wasn't about to use my good wood bits and the crappy default ones did not do a good job. A perfectly sized Forstner bit would be amazing for this, good ones would be $10 each for both sizes (see here ). I was expecting them to be more expensive... maybe I'll go get some (and a drill press) should I have more of these to do.

Hopefully this helps someone else looking to get in the wonderful world of magnets.

Falcon : basically where the peg was.

Outrider : just dug a magnet-shaped cavity to partially inset it. The cavity is bigger so that the bearing can also fit into the magnet. Trial and error will get you there, but go slow.

TIE Advanced : The balance point is a bit back from the peg. It's a small space, but the upside is that it is very nearly impossible to see that magnet thanks to the wings.

Aggressors : Just dig down, be mindful that it is partially hollow. One of them doesn't even have glue, my last test fitting the magnet would not even come out, so I let it be. Given the shape of the ship, it'll never be visible, though the bearing obviously will be.

Decimator : It has to be moved. Initially glued the magnet straight on, but I had to shape the surface to it was flat, I dug down with the Dremel to create a hole. This one is entirely hollow at that point, be very careful not to drop the magnet in, the rattling could get annoying.

HWK : very simple, just move it back.

Punisher : A big ship gets a big magnet. He also has his own custom small peg with a big bearing though, from random testing, he also fits on a normal small peg. I'm still debating digging into the model, that's a BIG whole relative to the size of the ship. If only I had a drill press

Shuttle : move it back, those wings are heavy. Same as the Decimator, this one is hollow, be careful.

Slave 1 : I didn't bother digging it in at this point. This way, it fit snugly on a single peg, riding very low, and he looks awesome that way.

YV-666 : The first one I dug into, with a drill bit instead of the dremel. My bit was too aggressive and just jammed in there instead of creating a hole (this ship is also mostly empty. It's been moved a bit forward. Given the size of the ship, very tall and long, it's the least stable of the bunch.

I'll close with a protip :

Do a Y-wing first for the small ships. Then use it as a template to make sure the exposed surfaces of your magnets will always repel each other. I don't know about you, but I don't want my ships deciding to clump together. The Y-wing is flat and easy to keep on hand to make sure you set every magnet the right way. Plus, Y-wings will stack, the magnets are close enough to pull through.

The problem I keep having with magnetizing models is that the magnets won't STAY stuck. Generally, after a dozen or so uses the magnet breaks off of the model. By the time I get one that seems to stay put permanently I end up with a huge glob of crystallized superglue surrounding the magnet, which looks horrific.

I think its a matter of the constant "clicking" together of the magnets creates minute shock waves in the glue causing it to eventually break, a situation that gets worse if I use accelerant, which makes the glue more brittle to begin with.

You might try using GOO by Walthers. Its a contact cement that stays a little rubbery. Or green stuff for that matter. The two part epoxy ribbon that is yellow and blue. That too is supposed to remain slightly flexible.

Bob Smith Industries also sells a super glue that is supposed to remain flexible..

More pictures:

Mist Hunter: This is where the magnet goes, the default peg is far too forward. That being said, do not use a small magnet, it does not hold. I'm out of big ones, so this will have to do while my order gets in, but I strongly don't suggest it. My 2 year old has become very careful with the X-wing ships, but he expects them to be magnetize at this point :facepalm:

Ghost: While I was at it, I figured I may as well do the back end of the Ghost, to make it just a bit less likely that the base will fall off. Even with small magnets, be careful drilling in, the shell is not thick!

Until I redo the front, its back end is a tiny bit jacked up, leading to it looking down to any ship it faces, which I think is very appropriate!

TIE Advanced Prototype and Phantom : Ridiculously straightforward! The Phantom is another shape that makes insetting magnets questionable, it's so small and cute that you barely see it.

I did this recently to my Falcon. The big magnets fit right onto the peg after you clean up the top to be rounded (the tear shaped piece). I glued the ball to the short pin that was in the bottom of the model.

The metal balls seem to stick better to the pins because they sink into the female end where the peg gets inserted. I have done ships the other way as well but I have had the balls fall off of the pegs more than once.

I did this recently to my Falcon. The big magnets fit right onto the peg after you clean up the top to be rounded (the tear shaped piece). I glued the ball to the short pin that was in the bottom of the model.

The metal balls seem to stick better to the pins because they sink into the female end where the peg gets inserted. I have done ships the other way as well but I have had the balls fall off of the pegs more than once.

The trick is to dremel the peg off of the stick to create a concave shape for the bearing to rest in, more surface area means the glue works better. The only one I had fall off is a big one that was dropped on the floor. That's not everyday wear and tear

My larget magnets showed up on the same day that I got my Forstner bits, so I finished the Ghost and Mist Hunter!

Ghost: Nothing really special, it goes exactly where the peg was, otherwise the 3 arms peg wouldn't work. I need a better setup for my drill, but I gotta say that the Forstner bit works much, much better than a Dremel:

It even works suspended!

Mist Hunter : now with a large magnet, as that large ship should have. Only a sliver of metal shines through when it's on the ball, which I'm fine with.

And, bonus, the Ghost peg makes a wonderful squadron peg:

Is this tournament legal?

Yes. Second bullet on component modification on p.3 of the rules:

"Ship pegs ( including the connecting pegs affixed to ship models ) may be modified or replaced with a different connecting method."

I've modified a couple of my ships but I'm looking to do more. What size of button magnets are you guys using? Or just the sizes in general?

I'm also considering making a mod to the base itself, not just the ship. Has anyone done this? Any good results?

You saved my Mist Hunter.

Decimator : It has to be moved. Initially glued the magnet straight on, but I had to shape the surface to it was flat, I dug down with the Dremel to create a hole. This one is entirely hollow at that point, be very careful not to drop the magnet in, the rattling could get annoying.

This is lovely. Can you tell me the magnet and ball bearing size you used fit the Decimator? Cheers

Same one, and same source, as the first post. Though I sourced the ball bearings in Canada, it seems the USPS won't ship them for K&J and the Fedex/UPS price are some kind of joke.

Oh Hah, for some reason the links didn't load for me the first time I checked the first post so assumed they'd expired.

I have some 9.5mm and 5mm bearings and a 10mm ring magnet with 3mm countersink so that should hopefully work out for me.