Saturday, April 18, 2015

Storage Wars...Miniatures Edition.

Public_Storage_Doors by Ed Chambliss
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 

OK, I don't need that much storage...

...but I feel like I'm getting there!
  • Skaven (2,500-3,000 painted, 1,000 unpainted)
  • Black Templars (1500-2000 painted, 300 unpainted)
  • High Elves (1500 painted, 1000 unpainted)
  • Tau (3,000 points - roughly?)
  • Chaos Space Marines (750 points)
So I think it is time to consider some additional storage options. What storage options would you recommend? There are some popular options around, but should I choose one of these or continue with a homebrew option?

Here are some of the options I am familiar with (I know there are a lot more, so this is not an exhaustive list):

Battlefoam

Years ago I bought a Battlefoam Pack 1520 for my Tau and that has proved to be a great option. Lots of room and great foam, but not very easy to carry (the design has now changed).




Pros:
+ Great quality foam.
+ Some cases have hard sides for extra protection.
+ Customized foam for almost any armies.
+ Attractive, clear website.

Cons:
- Expensive/ premium prices (although a new low-cost range is now available.)
- Not a local supplier (I live in Japan)

KR Multicase

Image from:
http://www.somethingswrong.sg/2012/09/kr-multicase-kaiser-3.html 


I haven't used or bought them, but I have heard good things.
Pros:
+ I like the cardboard case + outer case approach.
+ Prices seem reasonable.
+ Customized foam options.

Cons:
- Could be just me, but I'm finding their variety of foam options bewildering...
- ...not to mention the website, which I find confusing!

Games Workshop


GW have recently changed their case designs, including an innovative kind of foam design and a wider variety of size options (Crusade, Battle and Skirmish).

Pros:
+ Foam design looks like it would be very adaptable to fit different sizes of models.
+ Reasonable cost: 75 GBP for the large size including foam seems reasonable (not that 75GBP is a small amount of money though?)
+ Quality appears reasonable.

Cons: - Does it hold enough models?
- Doesn't look like it would work for Warhammer Fantasy, where you are looking at ranked units of 50 Skaven...putting them individually could be a huge hassle!

Homebrew (DIY)




This is what I do now with all my Skaven and High Elf armies. Each box costs 100 Yen from (about 57p or 85 cents at today's exchange rates). I will stack 4-6 of these in a medium-sized suitcase to take to game days. I have about 8 of these boxes in total.

Pros:
+ Super, super cheap! Yeah, less than a pound per box is pretty good.
+ Durable. Hard, thick plastic with a durable, hard plastic lid. Doesn't flex much. 
+ Flexible. Often stack-able.
+ Widely available. (Hardware stores, 100 Yen shops etc.)
+ Good for units in movement trays. You can fit x1 -x2 movement trays inside, making game setup really easy (but consider magnetizing them before transportation!)

Cons:
- No straps. Needs to be carried in something else (holdall or suitcase).
- Difficult to secure models and stop them rattling around. No foam padding. If you are worried about your models stuff needs to be wrapped.
- Doesn't look great...

Any recommendations?
(Edit: I setup a poll on Google+ for some of the most popular options:
https://plus.google.com/+OliverBayley/posts/AcfNzK1vwJL )

+Cheers+