antampatz

This week I focused on one of the biggest practical shortcomings of the kit: weapon handling.

Like many kits of this era, the Ez‑8 relies almost entirely on friction to hold its weapons. Unlike more modern designs, the hands do not include dedicated tabs that key into corresponding slots on the weapons, making it difficult to maintain a secure grip during posing.

The problem is particularly noticeable on larger weapons such as the beam rifle and machine gun, and becomes even more apparent once the model is repeatedly handled or reposed.

To address this, I decided to incorporate magnets into the weapon mounting system.

The first challenge was the hands themselves. Due to the way the poseable hands are engineered, there is very little internal space available for larger magnets or more complex arrangements. After experimenting with several options, I settled on a single small magnet positioned within the back of each hand.

To create the necessary space, I modified the internal mounting boss found on the reverse side of the hand armour. Removing part of this structure allowed the magnet to fit while keeping the external appearance unchanged.

The next challenge involved the weapons. My original attempt was to drill into the weapon grips and install magnets directly into the existing handles. However, once the parts were examined more closely, it became clear that the grips were simply too small and thin to accommodate the magnets securely. In addition, the orientation of the magnets required in the hands did not align well with the shape and orientation of the weapon grips, making direct installation impractical.

Instead, I chose a different solution.

The original grips on both the beam rifle and machine gun were removed entirely and replaced with rectangular magnets. Plastic tubing was then fitted around these magnets to recreate the shape and appearance of the original handles while providing a much larger and stronger connection surface for the hands.

This approach allows the weapons to remain visually close to their original appearance while dramatically improving retention. More importantly, it provides a practical solution that should remain reliable even after painting, weathering, and repeated posing.

While these changes will be largely invisible once the build is complete, they represent an important step towards making the finished model both easier to handle and more suitable for the various loadout options planned for the Gatekeeper concept.