I thought it was a great idea, but I didn’t like the idea of a $9.99 price tag for each unit. Even with my 50% employee discount, that’s a steep price to pay for bases in my opinion, especially if you play armies with lots of units (I used to play Skaven and Empire).So I went in search of DIY materials to make my own magnetic bases and movement trays.

I forget where I purchased it, but I found a roll of self adhesive magnets that I thought would work great. The roll was 25′ long x 6″. I figured I would trim small magnets for the bases and slap a larger piece in the bottom of the movement tray. Initially, this seemed to work out great.

However, I soon noticed a problem. Sometimes models next to each other would repel each other and sit about 2-3mm apart. Other times, one model’s base would rise off the magnetic surface and hover a mm or two above the ground. This became particularly troublesome when I took the models off the movement tray and put them back in – it seemed that they fit nicely if they were in the perfect formation but not if you switched the models’ positions.

For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why they were so troublesome. I’d used a few of the GF9 magnetic bases and tray inserts, and I never had that problem. I was meticulous in lining up the orientation of the magnetic strips (after the first couple incidents), and still some of the models would act funky.

To make things more confusing, I placed my models on a GF9 tray insert, and I had no trouble. Huh?

GF9 Movement Tray Inserts Aren’t Magnetized

When we first got the GF9 magnetic basing system, I noticed something odd. The tray insert wasn’t magnetized.

It looked like a self adhesive magnet strip, but if you stuck two of them together they just fell apart. I never looked into why, and I figured it was irrelevant. Turns out it isn’t.

This morning, I poked around the ‘net and found out exactly what those movement tray inserts are made of – rubber-coated steel sheets (see GF9 store page). The rubber coating makes the inserts look like a magnetic strip, but the insert itself is not magnetic. It’s a ferrous metal that attracts other magnets.

I’m thinking that my problem is I have magnets sticking directly to other magnets. The magnetic models don’t seem to be interacting with each other, they’re revolting when they interact with the movement tray insert. If I use the GF9 insert in a movement tray, I could drop in my magnetized bases and have no trouble.

Grr!

So What Should You Use for Tray Inserts?

This means I need to peal out the magnetic strips in my movement trays and look for another solution. One solution is the GF9 inserts, which you can order separate from GF9 or through a hobby store. They come in packs of 3 x 4″ x 10″ sheets – enough for roughly six infantry movement trays. At $10.99, that’s an investment of ~$2.00 per unit. Not too bad – I might do this in the short term for my tiny Chaos army.

I’ve found a similar product at MagnetValley. It’s sold by the linear foot (2′ wide), at $9.99 per foot. The minimum order is 2′, so you’ll be investing $19.98 for 2 square feet. That’s a little more than twice the amount of material you get in the GF9 pack. However, when you tack on $10+ shipping, it’ll end up being slightly more expensive. Boo.

You can get another similar product from Magically Magnetic. I think it’s the same material, per-cut into 3″ x 5″ strips. You can get them for $0.75 each of $6.75 for 10. Two 20 packs with shipping comes to just under $20. That’s somewhat more cost effective than the GF9 inserts and they’re the perfect size for a 5 x 3 unit of 25 mm models (Chaos Warriors). Unfortunately, they’ll be too small for larger blocks of troops (you’ll need 5″ x 4″ for 20 Warriors or 25 x 20 mm models). If you could find these things locally and not pay for shipping, it’d be the best solution, IMO.

I’ve also heard of people using thin metal sheets (like tin) to line the bottom of the movement trays. I’m not sure how expensive these are, but I plan on investigating.

Any other ideas for what to line movement trays with?

Yesterday, that wood arrived. Guess this is the weekend to get started! In the meantime, I thought I’d share where I got the wood and how much it cost.

I found two online sites that I liked: MisterArt and AMainHobbies. They had similar prices, and I opted to shop through MisterArt.

The Order

Instead of plain balsa or basswood, I got craft plywood. This thin plywood, made by Midwest, is made of three thin plys of basswood. In theory, these thin plys with alternating grain directions will help prevent warping and give the wood more stability.

Flatness is definitely something I’m interested in, since warped movement trays and paint racks are no fun.

I ordered a pretty large lot so that I’d be sure to have extra materials. Here’s what I ordered and how much it cost:

• 7 x 1/8 in. x 24 in. x 6 in. boards @ $3.62 per board
• 24 x 1/8 in. x 1/8 in. balsa stick @ $0.35 per stick
• Total: $33.74

The package was shipped UPS. I could have opted for FedEx and it was around the same price. I’ve had trouble with FedEx before (like when the deliveryman left a package out on the front steps in the pouring rain, instead of undernearth the covered walkway), so this was a definite plus.  Shipping was an additional $9.48.

The grand total: $43.22.

That’s probably about what it would have cost me to purchase one paint rack, and hopefully this will be enough supplies for a nice customized paint rack and a few dozen movement trays. A good investment, in my opinion.

I inspected the wood when it arrived, and I’m pleased with the product. It was well packaged, and the wood is very flat. The planks show a slight warp in them, but I didn’t expect them to be perfectly flat across the 2 ft. x 1 ft. surface. I think once I trim them down to size (4 in. x 5 in.) they’ll the warp will more or less be unnoticeable.

I couldn’t find any place cheaper than MisterArt, and the service there was terrific. If you’re looking for balsa wood or craft plywood, be sure to check them out.

Building the Paint Rack

That is a job for tomorrow.

First I need to draw up some plans. I drew up a few sketches last week, but I haven’t decided the best way to put this together yet.

Once I do, I’ll publish an illustrated guide to how I built the paint rack. Hopefully it turns out well!

I’d expect to see that guide published this weekend or next, so subscribe to the Nerds at Play feed or check back in a week or so.

At that point, the group will be starting to look like an army. There’s just one problem. I need movement trays.

Pre-Fab Options

There are, of course, some pre-fab options available.

I don’t like the standard plastic movement trays that GW produces. They look cheap to me, even when you paint and flock them.

The textured movement trays are a better option. They look very nice when painted and flocked. The only problem is… they come in one size. For a unit of Chaos Warriors – typically four columns and three to four ranks – they are the perfect size. For a cavalry unit (5-6 models wide) or a unit of 15 Warriors (5×3), they just won’t cut it.

I’ve used them in the past, especially as scenic bases for war machines. I might snag a few for my Chaos warriors, but they won’t be able to fulfill all my movement tray needs for this army.

I’ve also used the Gale Force 9 movement trays. They come in just about any shape/size you could want, and they’re pretty good quality. Too bad they’re $10 a pop. Even if I get my old discount at the store, I’m not sure I want to order a whole new round of these.

Do-It-Yourself – Balsa Wood

That leaves one option: DIY.

I’ve built some trays in the past, and I used to have a collection of balsa wood for that task. I spent $30 to order a bunch of wood, and it was a seemingly endless supply of boards and borders.

Too bad I threw all that out after I stopped playing a couple years back. I was cleaning and figured I’d never need the balsa wood for anything. So… now I need to find some more.

I didn’t have much luck last time with local craft stores, so I’m looking around the internet again. I’m also going to try something a little bit different.

Instead of sheets of balsa wood, I’m going to use sheets of craft plywood. It’s thin plywood made out of birch, usually with two or three plys pressed together. Plain sheets of balsa wood tend to warp over time, and I’m hoping that the craft plywood won’t have that problem. It also seems to be a similar material to what GF9 uses (because they definitely use a type of plywood, not regular balsa or basswood sheets).

I found two retailers I’m going to check out: MisterArt and AMainHobbies. They each sell Midwest balsa wood and craft plywood at pretty good prices.

I haven’t decided on the size boards that I want, but I think I might opt for the big 12 in x 24 in boards. Each board ought to be enough to make 8+ infantry bases and 3-4 cavalry bases. If I get the smaller boards (like 6 in x 12 in), I might not have enough left over to make cavalry bases – and a lot of wood will go to waste.

Plus the larger boards are much cheaper per sq. in. than the smaller boards. The 12 in x 24 in board is approximately $3.60, while 4 x 6 in x 12 in. boards (the equivalent square inchage) would cost about $5.25.

Once I order the stuff, I’ll post a recap of what I ordered, how much it cost, and about how many movement trays I think it’ll make. I’ll probably also write up an illustrated tutorial on creating movement trays – because there aren’t enough of those on the ‘net.