The Magnetic Adapter

There are three significant problems with miniatures on flight stands:

1. Storage and transport is not efficient nor economical. A miniature and its flight stand take up a lot of room, requiring the cutting of deep holes in foam cases, lots of overhead space if secured while standing somehow, or lying on their sides.

2. Due to the first problem, stands breaking off of their miniatures is all too common and a frustrating hassle. As miniatures on stands are jostled around during transport, or squeezed between layers of foam, the stress on the small area that mates the the miniature to its stand is often more than it can bear. Few things are more annoying than opening a case and finding the miniatures you need for a game have broken off requiring hasty repair.

3. Miniatures glued onto stands tend to bump into each other when combat gets up close and personal. Miniatures nearly tipping over as they're propped up against one another, scratching the paint jobs, seems to be a necessary evil when air or space combat games are played.

If you have been frustrated by any or all of these problems, then the Ninja Magic Magnetic Adapters might be the solution you're looking for. The adapters come in two parts, a "small connector" which is glued onto the miniature and is comprised of a strong neodymium magnet glued into a toothed holder, and the "straight connector" which is a cylindrical receptor with a second magnet inside which is glued onto a flight stand. They're called "adapters" because they can be used to adapt virtually any kind of flight stand.

Once adapted, a miniature and its stand can be assembled and separated instantly, and the magnets are strong enough to securely hold even large miniatures onto their flight stands. Storage becomes a snap and with miniatures and stands stored separately, it greatly minimizes the chance of breakage.

They are also interchangeable so stands can be swapped, giving flexibility to change a miniature's base according to the game being played.

In an alternative configuration, an altitude spacer can be made from the small and straight connectors. These spacers can be used to move miniatures out of the way of each other when they get into close combat.

But that's not all...

The Magnetic Adapter System
(Pictures Coming Soon)

Having a removable stand is just the beginning. Angle adapters that insert between the miniature and its flight stand allow magnetic adapter users to pose their miniatures in virtually any position. They add the flexibility to use miniatures in 3d combat games showing pitch, yaw and roll, or can be used to indicate status effects such as a in the process of turning, or crashing.

A whole variety of accessories are in the works to expand the system including Micro Adapters for particularly small miniatures, squadron adapters for multiple ships on one stand, 180 degree adapters for inverted flight, and much more!

Assembly Instructions: Recommended Method

Tools needed: Hobby Knife, Cutting Mat, Cyanoacrylate Glue (super glue).

Step 1: Trimming Flash

There may be a bit of flash, bump, or ridge formed as a result of the casting process. For best results and appearance, this should be removed before assembly. Separate the small connector from the straight connector before starting as you do not want to put undue stress on the small connector's magnet.

For the straight connector, simply clean up the part carefully cutting off any bits of flash and smoothing any ridges. Though the teeth can take a fair bit of abuse and still do their job effectively, it is best to be careful and try not to damage them.

For the small connector, turn the Straight Connector upside down and place the small connector onto it with the magnet pointing up. This adds stability and makes the part easier to handle. Place the Straight Connector onto the cutting mat and always cut down toward the mat for safety. Place it on its side if flash needs to be removed from the Small Connector's teeth.

Step 2: Gluing the Straight Connector

Place a small drop of glue in the bottom of the Straight Connector. Then place the Straight Connector onto the flight stand. Line up the stand so you are looking straight at it from the front, with your eye (close the other eye) at the height of the teeth. Twist the straight connector until there is a tooth in front and the backside tooth is hidden from your view behind it. That way you know it is lined up properly. Take extra special care and try to get the first one perfect, as you'll only have to do it once as you'll see below.

If you are using a flight stand with a round base, you won't need to do the alignment during gluing, but do make a mark on the base using the above method to designate which direction is the front. This will be important for the next step and for compatibility with the other Magnetic Adapter accessories.

Hold the adapter in place until the glue holds and let dry before attempting to use a small connector with it.

If you use super glue accelerator, place the small drop of glue in the bottom of the straight connector as usual, then put a very slight amount of accelerator on the top of the flight stand. You barely want it damp or you risk the accelerator thinning the glue long enough to run down the side of the post hardening like a paint drip. When you bring them together, you'll have less than ten seconds to align the adapter.

Step 3: The Master Template for Small Connectors

The stand you've just created is now your master template for gluing small connectors onto your miniatures. Once it is dry, place a small connector onto it, then glue the miniature onto it as if you were gluing it normally to the flight stand, taking care to make sure the miniature is pointing toward the front of the flight stand. Hold in place until the glue hardens enough to hold the miniature without support. At this point carefully pull the small connector out of the straight connector and place the miniature upside down to finish drying so you can proceed to the next miniature.

This is where some super glue accelerator can make this process very quick. Place the small connector onto the stand, place a small drop of glue in the mounting hole of the miniature and put a tiny amount of accelerator on the small connector's peg. Mount the miniature and align it and probably ten seconds later pull it off and do the next miniature.

Step 4: The Master Template for Straight Connectors

Once the first small connector is glued onto a miniature, that miniature now becomes the master template for straight connectors. Stick a straight connector onto the miniature's small connector and use the miniature itself as the aligning tool instead of trying to eyeball it.

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