Xtreme Giant Magnetic Wall Map 1940 Global


  • @EnglishImperialist

    Sure, just on a very practical level, getting a piece of vinyl and your magnet, take them to home depot and thest them on the metal you’re considering.

    I didn’t much like the standard magnets and went with the rare earth type. Strength 35 is good, but 55 us great. I really like strong magnets for every thing but the chips, it’s nice to have a weaker magnet on those. I really like on ebay the 12mm x 0.5mm N52 Strong Round Disc Rare Earth Neodymium Very Thin Magnet.

    It became a more expensive project than I anticipated, but still happy I did it. I ended up getting multiple copies of the game, then lots of loose used pieces and ordering bulk from websites, then magnitizing all those pieces…it was a lot, but a fun process. Because it’s in my living room, I tend to get decals and paint…it’s a fun hobby.

    I spent a lot of effort cutting down my metal sheets to the size of the game, but I was thankful I had some leftover metal surface, it’s nice being able to put spare pieces, chips, and markers underneath the map.

    A small glue gun is an important purchase. You’ll want to be able to control a small amount of hot glue while magnitizing the pieces.

    One thing I’ve always wondered is if the Axis and Allies community has a standard for magnet orientation. It won’t matter until you try to put a plane on an aircraft carrier, or on a chip. Mine are standardized to my house, but what if I ever wanted to buy a customized magnetized piece…?

    For magnets, I talked about the chips earlier.
    I really appreciated having a craft/sewing ruler ($1 at walmart), it helped me plan ahead for magnet purchases, but these are what I liked…
    12mm x 0.5mm disc for chips
    3mm x 1mm Disc for fighters and tac bombers.
    10mm x 1mm Disc for infantry originally
    8mm x 1mm Disc for tanks, infantry, AA guns, and are just a bit wider than a cruiser
    3-4mm wide x 2mm tall disc for hollow aircraft carriers.
    4mmx 4mm Disc (set for each) for aircraft carrier that need drilling.
    12mm x 1 mm Disc for flight stands and are just a bit wide for battleships.

    3mm x 2mm x 1mm rectangle for strategic bombers.
    10mm x 5mm x 1 mm rectangle I used on transports, many artillery, and mech infantry.
    10 x 5 x 3 rectangle I have on destroyers.
    10mm x 10mm x 1mm rectangle fit nicely inside or under factories, as well as custom air and naval yards.
    20mm x 2mm x 2mm for submarines.
    20mm x 10mm x 1mm are good for kamikaze markers.

    Standard ceramic for nation markers, I like they are thick and easy to grab. Be aware, some are weaker than others.

    This is just what I did, figuring all this out.

    In retrospect, I do like that all the ships have different magnets, it helped me and friends identify which is what kind.

    If I was doing this again, financially I’d probably put the 8mmx 1mm disc’s on most everything (except carriers and planes, and maybe chips). Just one big bulk rate purchase.

    But again, get a mm ruler and see what’s good for you.

    Enjoy!


  • @Radar thanks for the detailed reply, apologies I only just saw this.

    So far I got the sheet, bearing in mind I’m doing only Europe 1940 edition for now. I trialed some ferite magnets with a 0.6kg pull, but they were not enough to reliably attract through the board, then I bought a sample of these and they are pretty strong. That’s about as cheap as I can find for that strength.

    https://www.first4magnets.com/product/127mm-dia-x-158mm-thick-n52-neodymium-magnet-138kg-pull-licensed-material-19018?variant=1160&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwytS-BhCKARIsAMGJyzqiA01WfYglw4zSAw8NKWCtFLI1NgseA4jnDtZXtlc4NXsOceIydYUaApdZEALw_wcB

    I should probably try to find a print out of the game because with 400 pieces these magnets will cost around £200!


  • @EnglishImperialist

    I like the ferrite/ceramic magnets got the national markers, they are thicker and make grabing that little piece of cardboard (national marker) easier.

    I like your magnets, but they are a little on the larger size. Your infantry pieces have a groove of about 8mm or 9mm underneath them. It’s a great spot for a magnet.

    And a magnet that size, about 8mm x 1mm could be used for any and all of the plastic pieces. It will show a little on the thinner naval ships and aircraft, but it would work.

    And if you commit to one size magnet, it would be a lot less expensive. I tried to be fancy and use different sizes, but it was unnecessarily expensive.


  • It’s expensive, but doing it all at once would save a lot more money than piecing it together.

    But again, your most valuable investment is a $2 ruler with millimeters on it to be sure about what you’re ordering.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/302727564650?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=SZlDAVdQSHK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=s6rnjxy-syk&var=602765298435&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS


  • And you might consider N35s.

    I liked the snap that the N52 provides, but you might consider buying a cheap n35 to test on your board to see if you like it.

    Given similar shapes and dimensions, n52 magnets are over 50% more powerful than n35 in terms of lifting force, torque rating, and magnetic field density.


  • @Radar thanks for the advice once again. After some experimentation I decided against sticking the game board to the metal sheet. The magnets needed were too expensive, so I’ve gone for a print out of the global map and will cut it in half as I simply don’t have room for a 2m sheet to go anywhere! If I find myself playing alot I will buy a second metal sheet and maybe hinge them together so it can be folded away.

    The weaker ferite magnets are way cheaper and probably the right level of force retention for easy movement of pieces.


  • @EnglishImperialist I’m glad to hear you’re making progress.

    I’d love to see some pictures as it develops.

    Please keep in mind that even normal ceramic magnets will vary in strength.

    e62da49f-d584-4b18-80bf-8dab881d4b4c-Clipped_image_20250405_120154.png


  • (https://imgur.com/a/hegTgvU)

    Phase 1 near completion, magnets on order


  • This post is deleted!

  • @EnglishImperialist That looks really sharp!
    Well done!


  • @Radar alt text

    Setup complete. Plating against chatgpt now and it made some horrific mistakes. My Italian navy destroyed the British Mediterranean fleet in turn 1 😂

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