How to Magnetize Miniature Bases Without Regret

A painted warband should not spend its travel time rattling around in a foam case, knocking swords loose and grinding dust into your hard-won highlights. Learning how to magnetize miniature bases gives every goblin, ork bruiser, and grimdark hero a solid place in a transport tray - and makes storage feel far less like a pile of loose dungeon loot.

The job is simple in principle: glue a small neodymium magnet under each base, then let it grip a steel-lined case, toolbox, or display shelf. The details matter, though. A magnet that is too thick makes a miniature wobble. Weak adhesive leaves your favorite character stuck to the tray while the base comes away. Get the materials and method right, and your force will survive the road to game night intact.

What You Need to Magnetize Miniature Bases

For most 25mm to 40mm round bases, start with neodymium disc magnets. They are small, powerful, and cheap enough to use across an entire warband. A common choice is 5mm wide by 2mm thick, although the best size depends on the hollow space beneath your base and the weight of the miniature.

You also need cyanoacrylate super glue or two-part epoxy, a hobby knife, sanding stick, and something ferrous for the magnets to grip. Steel sheets are the reliable choice. Magnetic rubber sheet sounds convenient, but many varieties are too weak to hold metal-rich resin models, tall banners, or top-heavy centerpieces. A magnet sticks to steel. A magnet does not automatically stick well to every product labeled “magnetic.”

For printed bases and resin miniatures, keep a little green stuff, milliput, or sprue offcut nearby. It can create a flat mounting point inside an awkward hollow base. A pair of tweezers helps, too. Neodymium magnets love to leap toward one another at the worst possible moment, usually with glue already on them.

Choose Magnet Size for the Base, Not the Hype

More pull strength is not always better. Your miniature needs enough grip to stay put when the case is tilted or bumped. It does not need such brutal attraction that removing it tears the model out of your hand, bends a spear, or pulls the steel tray out with it.

For standard infantry on 25mm or 28mm round bases, a single 5mm x 2mm disc is usually plenty. A 32mm-scale resin figure with a broad stance may use the same size, especially if the model itself is light. For 40mm bases, cavalry, heavy resin monsters, or a character like Dakka Bragg - The Leadspitter - step up to two magnets or use a wider disc. Place two magnets apart rather than stacking them in the center when the base has room. Spreading the grip helps prevent the miniature from pivoting on the tray.

The base depth is the deciding factor. Measure the recess underneath before ordering magnets. If the disc protrudes below the rim, the model will rock on a tiny metal coin. That is no good for display shelves, game tables, or clean rank-and-file movement trays. Ideally, the magnet sits flush with the bottom edge or just inside it.

How to Magnetize Miniature Bases Step by Step

Start before you add texture to the top of the base whenever possible. Magnetizing after painting is still completely workable, but fresh bases give you more room to handle, press, and test the magnet without risking a finished paint job.

First, inspect the underside. Plastic bases often have a recessed area with molded supports. Resin bases printed from an STL may have a smooth cavity, support marks, or cured resin residue. Trim anything that prevents the magnet from sitting flat. Lightly sand the mounting area so the glue has something to bite into, then brush away the dust.

Next, dry-fit the magnet. Set it inside the base and check that it does not extend beyond the base rim. If the cavity is deeper than the magnet, that is fine. If it is uneven, press a small blob of putty into the recess, flatten it, and gently seat the magnet into it. Remove the magnet before the putty fully cures if you need to glue it later, or use the putty as a bed and reinforce it with glue once set.

Apply a small amount of super glue to the base recess, not to your fingers or the magnet stack. Use tweezers to place one magnet flat-side down. Press it into position with a scrap of sprue or the handle of an old brush for 10 to 20 seconds. Do not press with another loose magnet unless you enjoy sudden, glue-powered magnet collisions.

For large, heavy miniatures, epoxy is worth the extra curing time. It fills tiny gaps and creates a tougher bond than standard super glue. That trade-off matters most for resin brutes, flying stands, and models carried by a narrow contact point. Super glue is faster and perfectly capable for ordinary infantry, but epoxy gives expensive centerpieces a better chance of surviving a rough trip.

Let the adhesive cure fully before testing. Then place the base on your steel surface and lift the tray slightly. If the miniature stays secure without requiring force to remove, you have the balance right. If it slides when the tray is tipped, add a second magnet or upgrade the steel surface. Do not assume the first problem is always magnet strength.

Keep Every Base Facing the Same Way

Polarity only becomes a problem when you use magnets for interchangeable parts, movement trays, or double-sided connections. For base magnetization onto steel, either pole will grip the metal. Still, keeping every base magnet oriented the same way is a smart habit. It prevents trouble later if you build magnetic scenic bases, weapon swaps, or storage adapters.

The easiest method is to mark one face of your magnet stack with a permanent marker before separating anything. Always glue the marked side into the base. Work from one stack at a time. If a magnet flips while you are handling it, return it to the stack and reset rather than guessing.

This small bit of discipline pays off when you have 40 infantry, several elite characters, and a hulking monster waiting for basing. A warband may thrive on chaos. Your hobby workflow should not.

Build a Transport System That Actually Holds

A magnetized base is only half the system. The other half is a surface with enough steel and enough structure to survive transport. Thin steel sheet fixed inside a plastic storage box is a popular solution because it is compact, inexpensive, and easy to customize. Steel toolboxes and metal cookie tins can also work, provided the lid closes without catching banners or weapons.

Avoid trusting bare galvanized sheet edges. Sand them smooth, tape them, or cover them with a thin frame so they cannot scratch hands or base rims. Secure the sheet to the container with strong double-sided tape, contact adhesive, or epoxy. If the steel panel shifts inside the box, the whole benefit of magnetizing disappears.

For a display case, use a steel-backed shelf or a removable steel panel behind textured terrain. The latter creates a particularly good effect for grimdark armies: ruined industrial flooring, rusted deck plating, or a blasted fortress yard can hide the practical hardware while keeping each miniature removable for play.

Test the entire system with its heaviest model. A storage tray that holds ten light infantry may fail the instant a massive resin ork, mounted character, or banner bearer enters the picture. If you travel often, turn the box sideways and upside down over a bed or towel during testing. Better to discover a weak point there than in a parking lot outside the game store.

Common Mistakes That Ruin a Good Setup

The most common failure is gluing the magnet onto a dusty, glossy, or uneven surface. Resin dust, release residue, and smooth cured plastic all weaken adhesion. A quick sanding pass and wipe-down solve most of this before it starts.

The second is using too little steel. Some budget “metal” trays are aluminum, which magnets will not grip. Some magnetic sheets are so thin that heavy miniatures drift with every bump. Test every material with one of your intended magnets before committing to an army-sized project.

Finally, do not use magnetized storage as permission to pack models without spacing. Magnets stop bases from sliding; they do not stop tall weapons, wings, and banners from colliding if models are packed shoulder to shoulder. Leave room around fragile silhouettes, especially on richly detailed 16K resin pieces where a snapped trophy chain or blade tip can be a miserable repair.

Once your bases are magnetized, the hobby bench gets calmer. Your miniatures can move from paint handle to display shelf to transport case without being wrapped, wedged, or thrown into foam. That leaves more time for the enjoyable work: building the next strange little warband and giving it a proper place to march.