CGRetired - That's my site that has the magnetic building system (airfieldmodels.com). I'm not trying to make a sale here since I personally consider making the fixtures a wood-working 101 project. I mean if you want to build models then you can cut out triangles and drill some holes in them.

I bought the Great Planes system first as well. It was my first exposure to building with magnets and like RC Ken, I don't plan on pushing any more pins into a board. Well, not entirely true. I may still use pins for very small balsa planes until I get very small magnets and am confident I can get them on and off the board without damaging anything.

So here's my advice to you so you love your system instead of wishing it were better. First, buy a minimum of 100 magnets from The Magnet Source. 200 magnets is even a better idea. use the plates on about 1/3 of them and use the rest without the plates. You will save a ton of money buying them from the source instead of from Tower (who I also believe buys them from the source and then jacks up the price).

Get a roll of 1" wide magnetic tape and find a good piece of STRAIGHT extrusion. Don't just pull any one out of the bin. Pull them all and sight it from as many angles as you can and down every edge. It will bow under its own weight so lay it on the floor and get the straightest one you can find.

Clean all sides of it outdoors with warm, soapy water and fine (#0000) steel wool. Rinse it well and then wipe it down with alcohol.

Now attach a piece of magnetic tape so that the straightest edge is 90 degrees to the side you put the tape on. Put the tape so that it is back slightly from the edge. About 1/32" to 1/16" is good. That is to ensure the extrusion is against your work and not the magnetic strip which may be wavy.

Lastly, those plastic accessories that come with the Great Planes system are really crappy. Take a weekend or two and make your own set. Put some real TLC into them because they'll last forever and they're worth making right. Sand them well and put a nice finish on them. Furniture lacquer or polyurethane are both good choices. You can even paint them some color if you like that better. Just be sure that they can be squared to the board and that the front edge is dead straight and free of splinters and other defects that can gouge or otherwise damage your work.

If you are interested in getting a set and don't want to make your own, all I have in stock right now is unfinished sets. They're shaped, the front edge sanded, all holes drilled and the vertical presses are tapped. Other than that the finish is that of aircraft plywood. Not horrible but not good enough to finish without sanding either. But as I said, the front edge is finished so they can be used unfinished if you want to.

Sets include the following items:

* Instructions
* 22 fixtures in total (number in parens is quantity):

(2) 9-1/2” fixtures
(4) 7-1/2” fixtures
(8) 5-1/2” fixtures
(4) 3-1/2” fixtures
(4) 1-1/2” fixtures

*88 Magnets having a pair of metal plates each. The same as you get with the great planes set.

*46 sets of nuts and bolts to attach magnets to the fixtures. I include a couple extra in case any are defective (bad threads). You only need 44 sets to assemble all the fixtures.

* 8 sets of vertical presses with thumbscrews and hardware to attach the presses to the fixtures. All fixtures can receive the vertical presses except the 1-1/2” fixtures.