Types of Magnet

Simply put, magnets are objects which attract (or repel) each other. In Warhammer Fantasy, it is becoming increasingly popular to use magnets to hold units on movement trays to stop the models falling over and to store them more easily. This page will give information about using magnets in wargaming.

Some common materials used are small disc magnets, magnetic paint, steel sheets, and magnetic paper.

Small disc magnets are made of the rare earth metals neodymium, iron, and boron (NdFeB) and are plated with nickel and copper (Ni-Cu-Ni) for added strength and protection. A single 6 x 1.5 mm disc can hold a plastic Chaos marauder to a magnetised movement tray even when held upside down. Check out Guy's Magnets (UK) or Amazing Magnets (US).

Magnetic paint is just like normal paint but it contains iron filings which means magnets will attract to it. Two coats is usually sufficient to get a good magnetic attraction and you can paint right over the top of it. Use three or four coats if you want it to be strong enough to hold the weight of metal models. Be aware that the iron filings tend to group together at the bottom of the tin, so you should always shake the tin or stir the paint before using it, to mix them back in—when its ready to use, it will be a dark grey colour.

Steel is an alloy of iron. Thin steel sheets can be used to make movement trays or can be glued onto existing trays to hold models. They have a smooth finish and are robust, but they are difficult to cut—you will need to get them cut to size when you buy them or use proper metal cutters.

Sheets of magnetic paper are typically used for making magnetic business cards and fridge magnets. If you want the underside of your models' bases to look tidy, then magnetic paper is ideal for covering the entire underside of each base, instead of using disc magnets. This will however add some height to each base. You can also get magnetic tape which is the same stuff but it comes in small rolls, like sticky tape.

Magnetic Movement Trays

If you are making your own movement trays, you may want to magnetise your units so that models can be stored in regiments. You will need to put a small disc magnet or magnetic paper on each model's base so they have a magnetic property. Then you will need to give the movement tray an attractive property, so you could add magnetic paint or magnetic paper to an existing movement tray, or you could make the tray itself out of a thin steel sheet.

I use disc magnets on my models: a single 6 x 1.5 mm disc is sufficient for infantry models (both plastic and metal) and three for cavalry models. Green stuff is great for holding the magnets flush with the base. I use magnetic paint on my balsa wood movement trays, because it is quick and easy to use. Also, magnetic paint comes in quite a large can, so if you buy any you may as well use it for everything!

Another useful application of magnets is to attach markers to a unit, such as Marks of Chaos or wound markers for accompanying characters, which can be placed neatly at the rear of the movement tray on a patch of magnetic paint (or directly to the base, if you make it out of steel or magnetic paper).

Flush movement trays are very useful, as they allow your units to change formation and make it easier to remove casualties. With three coats of magnetic paint, these trays are strong enough to hold the old metal ghoul models (even when held upside down).

Magnetic Markers

If you like to use markers when gaming, then magnets can be used to attach them to things and make everything much neater.

For example, wound markers. Instead of marking how many wounds a model has lost with fiddly counters, you could attach magnetic markers directly to its base at the start of the game to show how many wounds it has left and simply remove one each time it suffers a wound.

I've made some heads on pikes as wound markers, using toothpicks, each with a tiny disc magnet at the bottom (held flush using green stuff). Then I added a patch of magnetic paint to the base of each multi-wound model (heroes, trolls, chariots, etc.) so that I can attach them at the start of the game. The magnetic paint is strong enough to attract through sand and paint, so the base can be decorated as usual.

As mentioned above, movement trays can also be used to hold markers. This is ideal for giving a unit a Mark of Chaos and for tracking the wounds of accompanying heroes. I've made at least one Mark of Chaos for each god—extra for Nurgle, as I use them most. These were made from balsa wood and green stuff, again with a small disc magnet at the base.

This technique is also useful for things like Dark Elf Null Talismans and Skaven Warpstone Tokens.

More Ideas

Magnets are also useful for supporting multiple options, such as units which can have multiple weapon options. Simply embed a small magnet in the arm socket of each model and use magnetic paint on each optional arm. This gives a lot more choice when writing army lists, without needing to remember anything or proxy models.

Another use for magnets is on characters which can ride different mounts. I have disguised two or three disc magnets at the feet of my Nurgle heroes and used magnetic paint on both a palanquin and an empty base, allowing me to mount each hero (and his wound markers) on either. The magnets are strong enough that the heroes do not fall over.