What do you mean there are only two weeks until Feast of Blades? It’s hard to believe I’ve been planning and preparing for this tournament for the last three months when you consider everything that still needs to be done. I’ve been in a mad dash the past few weeks getting everything prepped and ready, Crisis suits have been modified and magnetized, minis have been painted, and boxes have been built. But there’s still a ton that needs doing, and I would appreciate everyone’s input. Also, I’m hoping we can set up an informal BoW community get together during the after hours!

Magnetizing for Fun and Zero Profit!

My collection of Crisis suits have been cobbled together from numerous deals I’ve found through eBay (I like to refer to them as my “rescues”). This meant that most were in rather bad shape, and nearly all had odd weapon configurations cemented into place. Typically when something attached with super glued you’re able to use the old freezer trick – wait, have you heard of the freezer trick?

*TIME FOR SCIENCE!*

Super glue (aka Cyanoacrylate) like nearly all adhesives is designed to be used in tension and does poorly in shear. When we place a model in the freezer both the glue and the plastic it is bonded to begin to contract as the molecules slow down. Since adhesive and the plastic are different materials they contract at different rates. This creates an internal shear force at the bond line. This means if you quickly pull it out of the freezer and wiggle the pieces they should separate cleanly where they were glued.

Model glue (aka Butanone) isn’t really a glue at all and doesn’t create an adhesive bond; it melts the plastic (Styrene) and fuses the parts together much the same way metals are welded to one another. Because the pieces are fused and not bonded trying to induce thermal shearing forces simply won’t work.

This means it’s time to whip out the razor saw and get to cutting. It’s a little nerve wracking the first time you put saw to expensive plastic, but with a bit of patience and a steady hand you’ll be alright. Once the pieces are separated it’s simply a matter of drilling a hole and dropping a magnet in.

TIP: Instead of placing magnets on both sides and worrying about polarity you can place a magnet on the model and a sliver of metal on the weapon. That way you never have to worry about getting polarities wrong, polarities flipping, and it saves a lot of magnets!

No Rest for the Wicked

But a blue-skinned space-hippie’s work is never done. Here’s just a short recap of everything my partner and I have been up to:

• Fully painted both our armies
• Play tested our lists
• Built a transport system
• Magnetized all the Crisis Suits (WYSIWYG FTW!)
• Submitted our lists
• Ordered tickets and reserved a hotel room

And there are still a number of things that still need doing… I’m just not sure what. I’m still pretty new to this and 99% of the internet is comprised of people net-listing. Very few people actually talk about how they prepare for a tournament and how to get ready for one outside of play testing. So this is where all of you come in:

What am I missing/forgetting?

I’m sure more than a few of you have been to big tournaments and we would love to hear your advice on what we should bring. Water bottles? Extra super glue? Dice that roll better than others? Even if you haven’t been to a big tournament but have a great tip or trick on how to make a games run faster and smoother, this is your chance to sound off and help me, and whoever else is in the same position out.

“Come together…”

Speaking of which, who else do we have going to Feast of Blades? I’m sure I’m not the only person here who is going; after all Corvus Belli’s Infinity will have a large presence there this year (with some AMAZING prize support), Wyrd Miniatures will be there too, Warmachine has a number of tournaments going on, and even X-Wing has a large event planned! Personally I’m looking forward to the paint and take and experiencing the plethora of game demos going on. While it’s nowhere near the size of Adepticon or GENCON, there’s going to be tons going on the whole weekend!

If we can get several people together I wouldn’t mind at all trying to get some sort of informal meet-up put together. We can even throw some dice if you think you have what it takes to best my mighty blue warriors in a friendly after hours game!

Who else is going to Feat of Blades?

Casey Roberts

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