With the 5th edition vehicle rules making the Space Marine Predator less than practical, what is a Space Marine player to do? Take Razorbacks, that's what! I grabbed two of them for my Genesis Space Marine chapter. I intend to use these not only as Razorback, but also as Rhino's as the kit will easily allow for both. The Razorback, like most every other vehicle gives you the bitz for various weapons load outs and that of course is where the magnets come in.
I wanted to magnetize the Razorback as easily as I could without having to purchase additional bitz. So I ended up doing most of the work right the turret mount.
I started by clipping off and smoothing out the pegs that the weapons normally mount to.
I then took two 1/8" diameter by 1/32" thick magnets and glued one to each side of the mount where the pegs had been.
Using the same sized magnets I was able to simply press them into the holes on the weapons where the pegs would have gone. It was quite convenient that the sizes matched up so perfectly.
A test fit to make sure everything lines up well and the magnets would in fact hold when positioning the guns.
Next I had to solve the issue of the armoured carapace that sits on top of the guns. I went ahead and magnetized it also. The magnets didn't need to be all that strong since the carapace just sits on top so I ended up using some smaller 1/16" diameter by 1/32" thick magnet. I simply used my pin vice with a 1/16" bit to make a hole in the bottom of the carapace and pressed in the magnet.
Subsequently I needed to give the armour carapace something to attach itself to. As you can see in this picture, using the same magnets and technique I placed two more small magnets into each of the guns. I also needed to trim off the little rail on each gun that the carapace normally fits onto.
And here is the final results. To switch out weapons I simply pop off the armour carapace remove each gun, snap in the new gun and replace the carapace.
An important note... Make sure to check you magnet polarities before committing to glue or pressing it into place. Thanks for stopping by and reading, I hope this post helps anyone who's trying to mag their Razorback. :)
I'm curious how many pieces are simply sitting unattached (i.e. no glue, no magnets) It looks like the Turret Mount is just sitting in the hatch dry... also the front hatch? (I think I see another magnet there for a Pintle-mounted Storm bolter?) lastly, you mentioned being able to use this as a Rhino interchangeably... does that mean the top cargo door piece (the large rectangular bit the Turret Mount is sitting on) is dry-sitting too, ready to be changed out with a set of Rhino doors?
ReplyDeleteExcellent tutorial. I'd done the same thing with a previous Razorback, but hadn't thought of magnetising the carapace as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial - thanks for sharing it with everyone! Where do you purchase your magnets from by the way...?
ReplyDeleteAwesome, and very timely as I was in the GW the other day and realised that the Razorback is only £2 more than the rhino, why on earth you wouldn't give yourself the option for so little less I don't know.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial - I might give this a try if I build up another Rhino.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone.
ReplyDelete@Master Darksol - Actually, in all of those pictures there's not a single bit that's glued other than two magnets, but that's just because I always do test fitting before committing to glue. However, I do intend to leave the top hatch unglued for using it as a Rhino. This way it'll be a quick change out from Razorback to Rhino, after all there's no real need to glue the top hatch. The weapons turret will be left unglued as well. This will allow me swivel the guns. Again, there's no real reason why it needs glued into place.
As for the pintle mounted Storm Bolter... That's not a magnet. The antenna that was there broke off in the box. :(
Great tutorial! Are the 1/16" diameter by 1/32" magnets suitable for arms/weapon swaps?
ReplyDelete@Mike - Yes, they work great for most things like small weapons, but may not be strong enough to 'position' some heavier bitz. I can't say for sure because I've not tried to use them for this yet..
ReplyDelete@Mike - My experience says to go with the 1/8" for arms/weapons swaps. I did a whole squad of assault marines with 1/16" and though they hold the arms pretty well, when moving the models around the board the arms were constantly falling off. For Termies or other large arms, you definately should use 1/8".
ReplyDeleteAt AdeptiCon 2009 Amazing Magnets put samples in the bags, and some of the tutorials too. You can get them online at from www.amazingmagnets.com I'd agree with Mike on the 1/8" x 1/32" size for the arms too, as they work better than the smaller 1/16" dia ones.
ReplyDelete