How do you store and transport your miniatures? Many Blood & Plunder players have been in war gaming way longer than I have but I’ve noticed there’s a good number of players (including myself) that don’t have much if any miniature game experience. One of the things I’ve noticed veteran miniature gamers always have is a safe storage/transport system for their miniatures.
If you’re going to go to the effort of painting your miniatures, you owe it to yourself to store and move them in a way that doesn’t destroy your hard work on painting and bend up your metal miniatures. I know spending more money on cases for your miniatures you already spent a good bit of money on doesn’t feel great but it’s worth it!
I’ve seen people bring recently painted miniatures to a game session just jumbled in a Ziploc bag or piled in a small cardboard box. They invariably come out of those jumbles chipped and damaged.
Here’s a list of possible mini storage options that I’ve either used or seen other people in my group use to good effect.
Chessex Figure Storage Boxes
I have 4 of these cases and I really like them. They run about $29 on Amazon or $35 at a game store if you can find them. They safely hold 56-80 models. There are two versions, one with 56 larger slots that work well for the models with lances or buccaneer guns and one with 80 slightly smaller slots that works fine for most of the Blood & Plunder line. I use the 56 capacity case for my Spanish with their Lanceros and Milicianos Indios that tend to take up more room, then I have a 80-mini case each for English, French and one for miscellaneous models like the characters, European Soldiers, Sailors etc. These cases are easy to store, easy to organize and keep miniatures super safe. Highly recommended.
Product Link: 80 Miniature Chessex Case
Each case has two levels with identical foam compartments in both levels. All the foam layers are free floating and I find it helpful to glue the various pieces of foam to the bottom, lid and rigid divider between the layers so pieces don’t shift when you open the case and remove the top layer.
You can find the 80 slot case here and the 56 slot case here.
Large Foam Tray Case
There are a wide variety of larger miniature storage cases with several foam trays. I was sent this Enhance Portable Miniature Figure Storage & Carrying Case and I love it. I still store my minis in the Chessex cases but then when I’m preparing for a game session, I load everything I need into this case which makes setting my army up super simple. It has 3 trays that hold 36 models each, plus a thicker pluck foam tray that could easily hold the larger cavalry models (which have been very difficult for me to transport so far!).
This case has a large pocket which you can slide your Force Builder printout in along with a rule book (the deluxe double rule book doesn’t fit but the core or the NPBtL books fit just fine). It also has two side pockets that can hold your cards, dice, markers, pen etc. This case has made a big difference for me. Much easier to just bring a single case with everything I need rather than 3 different cases to draw from, a case of dice and markers and a rule book sliding around on top of the pile!
Other companies make similar products but I haven’t tried them. Both Battlefoam and Games Workshop make very nice miniature cases that are even more expensive. I have an old Warhammer case that I inherited with a collection of Blood & Plunder minis and the slots tend to be a bit too large so the minis shift more than they do in either the Chessex case or this Enhance case.
At $80, this Enhance case isn’t cheap, but it certainly is nice.
Cigar Boxes Lined with Foam
If you smoke cigars or have access to cigar boxes, this is a cheaper way to basically make your own foam-lined carrying cases. Not as convenient but I have a friend who uses this method and it works fine!
Plano Trays
You can find Plano trays and cases in any sports goods store and online for very reasonable prices. You can slide dividers in however you please and the mid-sized cases can hold 20-30 models. If you’re careful in transport and have a good varnish on your minis, you might be able to use them straight from the store but it’s probably better to cut squares of soft foam to line the bottom of the tray to protect the mini. This takes a little more effort than a “deluxe case,” but can save some good money.
These cases tend to be clear as well so you can easily grab the tray of minis you need. You can sometimes find “off brands” for even cheaper than Plano cases and I’ve not had trouble with the cheap ones.
This is a nice option because you can pick up $5-$7 case here and there as you get miniatures painted so it’s not a big hit on your pocketbook.
Final Thoughts on Miniature Storage Casew
There are good options for miniature storage cases for you no matter your budget. Just take care of your minis so your painting efforts aren’t ruined!
I’m sure there are other good options for storing and transporting your miniatures and I’d be happy to hear what other players use. Leave a comment if you use a different method than the options I’ve covered here.
Why store them flat side? The ones my Lady and I use keep the figs upright. Don’t know the brand, I think they came from Guardian. But honestly at the end of the day, every game store I’ve been to is hesitant to carry foam storage trays. Doesn’t matter if it’s Geeks and games in Oregon City or Guardian Games in Portland or anything on the internet. This seems to be the elephant in the room that needs to be slaughtered. I talked to Adam, and due to his ordering parameters, trying to get minis or foam trays is near impossible. And because I don’t fall in line with the ilk of Portland, I am very hesitant to going to the PDX area. So then I have to turn to internet resources, which are detrimental to the brick-and-mortar establishments. So the bottom line is what is someone to do? I am including a picture of what I currently use with my lady, they work great. I just don’t know who made them nor do I know how to get them again. The attached picture is a box; it’s about 15 in Long and 2 inches deep. My figures stand upright, minimizing damage. But I don’t know who or where to get more of these from. Thoughts?
If local stores don’t carry a product and can’t it don’t want to order it for you in a timely manner, I have no problem at all ordering it online. Game shops can only carry so much and as long as we support them when we can, I wouldn’t feel guilty about ordering from an online source.
I don’t think the photo can come through in a blog comment so I can’t see what you use.
Good article, the one I use is from Modifx which works well. Different foam tray thicknesses available as well which is handy. Using 3″ pluck foam tray also keeps canoes and long boats safe.