"Removable miniature external ordnance" Topic

Many model warplanes come with the option to attach external ordnance (bombs, torpedoes, drop tanks, rockets, etc.). I don't usually attach it, because it's a bit fragile, it gets in the way of mounting the planes on stands, and sometimes I want the planes to be returning to base anyway.

Has anyone found a good way to make external ordnance temporarily attach to miniature planes?

I've considered playing with magnets, screws and steel bits to make ordnance attach temporarily, but haven't seriously tried to make it work. I'm curious if anyone has already walked this path before me and can offer advice (or at least warnings).

- Ix

Rare earth magnets are nickel plated and are poisonous if swallowed – particularly a problem with small children who test everything by eating it.

Having said that, you can get some very small rare earth magnets which you could epoxy into the model, then insert suitable magnetic metal into the ordinance, probably paper clip wire. If you make it an 'L' or 'U' shape you can use the wire stubs as locating pins and the magnets just have to hold the ordinance up – you can get a gadget from model railroad suppliers for bending 'grab irons' (or electronic hobby shops for bending resistor leads) which should help you make the parts totally interchangeable throughout your collection.