Here's a question:
What do you people out there use to store/transport your Full
Thrust miniatures? I've been using the Chessex Figure storage cases, but they
can't hold that many ships (Great for my Dirtside stuff, though.) What makes
things worse is that the larger NSL ships have all these bits projecting out
that are doomed to be snapped off at the slightest provocation. Any ideas that
don't require any sort of construction?
> On Tue, 1 Oct 1996, John Crimmins wrote:
> What do you people out there use to store/transport your Full
What
> makes things worse is that the larger NSL ships have all these bits
Right now I have mine in a box surrounded in foam. Basically, I use large
strips of 2" foam and sandwich the stem of the bases between two pieces. The
foam is just the right size so that the ships rest on the top of the foam. It
travels well, though it's a pain getting figs in and out since you have to
remove all strips and figs to the left or right of the line the fig you want
is in. In the future, I intend to switch to a magnetic system, with the ships
having steel bases, with some foam support for the capital class ships.
Another possibility is using 2-gun pistol cases. They come lined with
thick eggshell foam. You'll probably need to cut into the foam for each piece,
but it gives great support and you can hold alot of metal in them.
You can effectively get two layers of figs in if you add a piece of 1/2"
foam on the top layer. These cases are VERY sturdy and have clasps that hold
well and take alot of abuse.
Of course, I've probably explained all that wrong and confused everyone so
get in touch with me and I'll try to re-explain it.
I glue magnetic sheeting onto the bottoms of the bases and also line the
bottom of the storage box. The ships are then stuck to the bottom of the box
and really don't wiggle around too much. Allows you to store them standing up
so that all of their profecting parts don't break off.
Later
Brian
I use 1 1/4 washers glued to the bases of my ships and have magnetic
strips in my storage box. This has one advantage in that this adds weight to
the base, so that the mini is less top heavy (a problem with some of the
larger lead ones). I also remounted the ships using 14 gauge steel wire for
the post and epoxy so that they are less likely to come off.
--Binhan
In message
<Pine.A32.3.95.961001162118.59099A-100000@homer03.u.washington.edu>,
> "W. Nitsche" writes:
Well, here in America, hunting season is upon us, and now is a good time
to buy these cases. I get mine at Wal-mart, and after hunting season,
they are gone.
I'm a big believer in these. I have three of them that I'll describe below.
Let me note that I've seen a lot of similar cases as mini
specific cases, but cost usually 2-3 times as much. They are strong
and sturdy; I've thrown them across the room (the small ones) in the face of
doubters. Note that the egg crate foam will not hold as many figs as flat foam
(with cuts for bases, etc...)
1) Single pistol case, $6: Each half about 1" deep, 12" wide and 8" tall.
Holds 24 figures cramped in the eggshell foam.
2) Double pistol case, $10: Bottom half about 4" deep, top about 2"
deep; 16" wide, 12" tall. I bought my own 1/2" foam and used it
instead of the egg crate foam. This gave me about 3-4 layers of
miniatures, and carried well over 200 25+mm figs. I was disappointed
with the thin foam, though; it buckled when you tried to pull it out. The
case, however, stood up to 2 months in Germany and a hectic, heavy use week in
the UK. Yeah, I carried it on, but only because I was scared of it getting
lost, not destroyed.:)
3) The single-layer rifle case, $20 (I think they have a 2 layer one):
Each half about 2" deep, maybe 4' wide and 12" tall. I replaced the egg foam
with 1" thick stiff foam, and it works much better. I actually use this to
hold all the unpainted miniatures. This method easily holds
over 300 25+mm figs.
> What do you people out there use to store/transport your Full
I use the Chessex large figure case with the middle cardboard layer taken out.
I don't know how well it'll work with the NSL ships but it does pretty good
for the rest.
+++++++++++++++
+------------+ +----------------+
> What do you people out there use to store/transport your Full
I'm using hinged cover Rubbermaid plastic shoeboxes for storage. I drill
a set of 1/8" holes in the following pattern in the base of the box:
| 1.5" | 0.5" | 1.5" |
_ x x x x ...
0.25"
_ x x x x ...
I then thread 1/8" heavy elastic band through the holes, forming a
parallel set of bands to hold the base of an FT miniature. The above pattern
as shown would hold two figures.
A 1.5 gal Rubbermaid hinged box can hold 10 figures and I have not had any
trouble with any figure coming undone or suffering damage. I'm currently using
four of these boxes and will be needing to make more. My first storage box was
designed to hold 15 figures in a 3x5 pattern, but I considered it too big.
If you alternate the smaller ships with the larger capital ships, they will
fit comfortably.
> John Crimmins wrote:
One of quickest and cheapest ways I found to transport minis was to apply duct
tape to the bottom of the bases and press the ship base into a deep but sturdy
cardboard box. I placed paper towels between the ships so they would not bump
each other.
I'm working on making some custom storage units for the future. I plan to mold
soft foam halves in the shape of the ships and glue them to the inside of
plastic binders. Snap mounts on the outside will hold the unit together. The
end result will resemble a book with solid protection for the minis and easy
access. I like this idea better than the Chessex cases since I can store them
easily on bookshelves or travel containers (Besides the price of the Chessex
containers!).
-------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
"What do you people out there use to store/transport your Full Thrust
miniatures? I've been using the Chessex Figure storage cases, but..."
-------------------- End Original Message --------------------
I use a cheap ($8US) rifle/shotgun case. I lay the minis on thier side.
Works great and beats the heck out of $25 for a dedicated case that dosen't
fit the ship anyway (although it is rather large). I did have to cut the foam
for some of the Kra'Vak ships to protect the guns.
All right, I can take a hint or ten. Seeing as how there was such a consensus
on the matter, I went out today and picked up a pistol case of
reasonable size, and ordered one that's kind of like a mini-suitcase.
11x17x4, or thereabouts. If that puppy doesn't hold all of my NSL ships, then
by God! I'll know the reason why. The one I got today is perfect for my
miscelaneous ships. Thanks for the input, one and all. My ships thank you.