The magnetic pull of ScalerFab Team Driver Oliver Barber's March Blog.

ScalerFab Team Driver Oliver Barber helps us understand the many uses of magnets in his March Blog Post

This Month’s article is on the many uses of magnets in our hobby; from body mounting, to scale items, opening body panels and more.

First up, they are great for simple and strong body mounts; no need to mess with any screws, pins, etc. when taking a body off for a battery change or maintenance, just pull up on the body. They’re guaranteed to line up perfectly every time (unlike, say velcro) and will re-center if you hit something hard. Just be sure to use rare earth magnets (available at most automotive parts stores and online) and Shoe Goo to mount them, and you won’t have any issues with the body falling off if the truck is flipped; depending on strength, they require considerable force to separate compared to typical magnets.

 (Pictured above: Tamiya Pajero body with magnets acting as a body mount)

They are also great for keeping body panels closed. Cut open a hood or other body panel and don’t have the space for a latching mechanism? Just Shoe Goo some small magnets in place, and, like body mounts, the panels will not come open in the case of a rollover or fall.

In addition to the obvious main uses, magnets can be utilized for a variety of applications. Some examples of this are:

- Glue one under the bed of a pickup body to keep a land anchor or winch hook in place while retaining easy access

- attach driver figures or scale items securely in situations where you do not want them to be permanent (maintenance, etc.)

(Pictured Above: RC4WD TF2 body with the hood cut open for battery access, using magnets to keep the hood closed without pins or other visible methods.)

Really, the possibilities are endless – if something needs to be attached in such a way that it cannot be seen from the outside, magnets are probably a good choice!