A beautifully painted heavy weapon that cannot be swapped is a small heartbreak when the next army list demands a different loadout. Learning how to magnetise model weapons lets one command squad, battle mech, or alien warlord cover several battlefield roles without filling your display cabinet with near-identical bodies. Done well, the join disappears beneath paint and stays secure through games, transport and repeated weapon changes.
Magnetising is not difficult, but it rewards patience. The real work is not gluing in a tiny disc magnet. It is choosing a sensible connection point, drilling straight into resin, and preserving polarity before superglue makes a mistake permanent.
Plan the weapon swap before drilling
Dry-fit every arm, hand, weapon body and shoulder pad before touching a pin vice. Look for a natural break in the sculpt: a wrist, a shoulder ball, a gun mount, a backpack socket or the flat rear face of a weapon. A hidden join is usually easier to magnetise and less likely to spoil the miniature's silhouette.
A wrist joint is excellent for infantry carrying rifles, pistols, blades or special weapons. It keeps the arm pose intact and means each alternative weapon needs only one magnet. Shoulder joints work better for larger kits where the whole arm is being exchanged. For walkers, tanks and battle mechs, magnetise at the weapon hardpoint or mounting peg rather than inside a thin barrel or delicate cable assembly.
Consider the weight as well as the pose. A small sidearm can sit happily on a 2 mm disc magnet. A long resin cannon held at an angle may twist or droop on the same magnet, even if it technically stays attached. In that case, use a larger magnet, add a second locating point, or choose a more supported mounting position.
Tools and magnet sizes for model weapons
For most 28-32 mm infantry, neodymium disc magnets measuring 2 mm wide by 1 mm deep are the dependable starting point. They fit wrists, hands and compact weapon mounts without demanding a huge cavity. Magnets around 3 mm by 1 mm or 3 mm by 2 mm suit shoulders, larger arms and medium vehicle options. Heavy mech weapons and broad vehicle hardpoints often need 4 mm or 5 mm discs, sometimes paired for extra holding force.
You will also want a pin vice, sharp drill bits matched to the magnet diameter, a hobby knife, cyanoacrylate superglue, modelling putty, tweezers and a permanent marker. A hand-powered pin vice gives far more control than a powered drill, particularly in printed resin. Keep a spare magnet stack on the desk as a polarity reference.
Do not assume every nominally identical magnet has the same strength. Grades vary, and resin weapon options vary even more. Test a magnet against the actual component before installation. If the part pulls away when gently tapped, increase the magnet size or improve the mechanical support.
Neodymium magnets are powerful for their size. Keep them away from young children and pets, as swallowed magnets are a medical emergency. They can also jump together unexpectedly, chip, or pinch skin, so separate them carefully rather than snapping a stack apart.
Prepare resin parts properly
Whether you are working on a Laserforge Miniatures character, a conversion bit or another resin kit, wash cured resin parts first if they have not already been cleaned. Warm water, washing-up liquid and a soft brush remove residual release agents and handling oils. Let the parts dry fully before drilling or gluing.
Inspect the intended joint for print supports, cured resin nubs and uneven contact surfaces. Trim these gently with a sharp blade, then sand flat where necessary. A magnet works best when it sits square to the joining surface. If the recess is drilled into a sloping wrist or irregular shoulder, the weapon may sit at an awkward angle no matter how strong the attraction is.
How to magnetise model weapons step by step
Start with the larger or more central part of the assembly, usually the arm, torso or weapon mount. Mark the centre of the drilling point with the tip of a hobby knife. This tiny pilot mark stops the drill bit skating across smooth resin.
Use a bit slightly smaller than the magnet at first. Drill slowly, turning the pin vice with light pressure and checking depth every few turns. Resin is forgiving compared with brittle plastic in some respects, but a thin wrist can split or be drilled straight through in seconds. Aim for a hole just deep enough that the magnet sits flush or fractionally below the surface.
Test-fit the magnet dry. If it protrudes, deepen the hole gradually. If the hole is a touch too wide, do not panic. A small amount of thick superglue or modelling putty can bed the magnet securely. The important part is that its face ends up level, not tilted.
Now establish polarity before gluing anything. Take your reference stack and mark one exposed face with a permanent marker. Attach the magnet for the first component to the marked face, then remove it without turning it over. That exposed face is the one that must point outward from your model. Glue it in place with a small drop of superglue.
For the matching weapon magnet, let it snap onto the installed magnet while it is still held in the stack or against the model. Put a small drop of glue in the weapon recess, then press the weapon onto the model so the loose magnet settles into the hole in the correct orientation. Hold it steady for a minute, then carefully slide the weapon away sideways. Pulling it directly off can drag the fresh magnet out of its recess.
Leave the join to cure completely before testing. Superglue can form a surface skin quickly but remains vulnerable to twisting forces until it has had proper time to set. Once cured, test each weapon with a gentle shake and rotate it through its natural range. Correct problems now, before primer disguises the joint.
Keep every option compatible
The classic magnetising error is a perfect weapon that repels every arm in the collection. Avoid it by treating polarity as an assembly standard, not a decision made afresh for each model. Every right wrist can face one way, every left wrist the opposite way, and all compatible weapons follow the same rule.
For a sizeable force, make a simple polarity jig. Glue a magnet into each end of a labelled piece of sprue, cork or scrap resin. Mark which end is for arms and which is for weapons. It is not glamorous, but it prevents an evening of rework when you are building multiple special weapons for the same squad.
If you want weapons to fit several poses, use a keyed arrangement. A single magnet handles attraction, while a short brass rod, a trimmed peg or a second tiny magnet prevents rotation. This is particularly useful for oversized plasma guns, wing-mounted weapons and anything with a long barrel that amplifies even a small sag.
Finish the join so it vanishes
Prime with the weapon attached once to check the visual fit, then paint the components separately if access matters. A dark line around the joint often reads as a deliberate armour seam, cable gap or mechanical coupling. You do not need to bury every magnet under putty, especially on sci-fi kits where modular engineering suits the design language.
Keep paint thin on the magnet faces. Thick primer, metallic paint and varnish can reduce contact slightly, and repeated scraping eventually leaves untidy rings. If paint does build up, carefully clean the face with a blade held almost flat. A tiny smear of matte varnish on the surrounding resin can protect the finish without interfering with the connection.
For transport, do not rely on a weapon magnet to hold a model to a storage tray. Magnetised loadouts are designed for swapping parts, not necessarily for resisting a dropped case. Store spare arms and weapons in labelled compartments, or use a foam-lined box so delicate barrels, blades and antennae do not catch on each other.
The best magnetised model is the one that still feels like a complete miniature, not a compromise covered in visible gaps. Start with one hero weapon or one flexible squad leader, learn how your chosen magnets behave in resin, and let the next build earn more options from there.
