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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: vodkafan on February 06, 2019, 12:15:47 AM
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Please bear with me while I explain my upcoming predicament. So, I have lived on my own for 8 years- 7 of them in the large bedsit I sit in now. For reasons not really relevant to this topic, in 12 weeks I have to move out lock, stock and barrel.
The problem that faces me is that all my wargaming projects are overflowing on every surface and piece of space, in boxes stacked under the bed and atop the wardrobe and even in the bathroom, and a whole cupboard full of unpainted minis in those plastic compartmentalized boxes.
Stuff already safely stashed in boxes is my smallest worry.
The BIG problem is that I have about 400 minis that are half-painted or just undercoated, all on baking trays on every inch of horizontal space. They are separated into projects so as to bring some sort of order(1 tray to each) there are about 9 baking trays dotted about the place (3 on the windowsill).
I have been lazy and thought I would always be here.
What I don't want is for all these miniatures to be thrown into boxes and jumbled up together for the move. I been through that before and had stuff lost for years, broken etc.
This means that I have until the end of April to get as much as I can painted and FINISHED and safely packed away.
If I allow 1 week for packing, 1 week for unforeseen circumstances, that leaves 10 weeks. No need to panic.
I know I can't paint 400 miniatures in that time. So the stuff that is only undercoated (@150) can be packed.
Likewise I must make the cut on the Napoleonics. That is a large project and I have only started painting four dozen figures so far. I don't want to rush them so they too must go to bed and wait for an opportune time.
I have been round and done a careful list That leaves 205 figures I have half painted and then left off for various reasons. Some are 80% done and most 40-50%.
I think that I can finish 20 miniatures a week, every week, for the next 10 weeks.
WISH ME LUCK PEOPLE!
As a spur to my progress I am going to start a thread on here (or perhaps on the workbench?)
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Good luck!
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On a related note, how will pack them for moving?
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James, feel free to store them with me. This will ease the pressure until you are safely moved.
Then you can transport them (either a bit at a time, or we can load the car up one night.)
I even have some (at the moment) empty boxes. Some are the RUB ones. Let me know
what you think. I know moving is a stressful time, so let me help. You know I have the ability
to store masses of stuff.
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Even better, send 'em to Harry's Emporium of tat/priceless artefacts! Good luck with the move, it's going to be a tad aggful... but you'll get it sorted in the end.
:)
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GET PAINTING.
That is all.
(Good luck) :)
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Good luck.
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Good luck with your painting and with your move when it comes. :)
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Thank you all!
@Codsticker: I have to give that some thought. Maybe the foam tray idea or sally 4th RUB partitions.
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Good luck with the painting and the move. I store all my stuff in box files. Couldn’t you just do that and label them up?
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Good luck with the painting and the move. I store all my stuff in box files. Couldn’t you just do that and label them up?
Thanks. Box files are OK if figures are never going to move far. But, apart from the upcoming big move, it is high time I had a better system for keeping them safe and protected for transport. I don't game at my place so I invariably have to take figures with me to my friends' places to game with.
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GO FOR IT JAMES!
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i bought some kr multicase trays. I figured the with the time and cost in painting them I may as well spend 25p more each on storing them.
You can get about 100 figures in a case for about £25
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i bought some kr multicase trays. I figured the with the time and cost in painting them I may as well spend 25p more each on storing them.
You can get about 100 figures in a case for about £25
Put like that it's a bargain isn't it?
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Put like that it's a bargain isn't it?
This is, what I use to store primered, yet unpainted or in progress miniatures (144 miniatures is even better value):
https://www.feldherr.com/feldherr-lagerbox-fuer-144-miniaturen/a-53529/
(https://cdn02.plentymarkets.com/vm1nws82d5m7/item/images/53529/preview/Feldherr-LBM07-Feldherr-Lagerbox-fuer-144-Miniatu_3.jpg)
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I second KR multicases - have 4 different styles such is my faith in their quality. You can house up to 200 28mm figs per case (beware: many many tray styles to choose from so can take cavalry, bikes etc too).
I have no experience of feldherr - just telling ya what I do know :)
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This is, what I use to store primered, yet unpainted or in progress miniatures (144 miniatures is even better value):
https://www.feldherr.com/feldherr-lagerbox-fuer-144-miniaturen/a-53529/
(https://cdn02.plentymarkets.com/vm1nws82d5m7/item/images/53529/preview/Feldherr-LBM07-Feldherr-Lagerbox-fuer-144-Miniatu_3.jpg)
Hi Michi thanks I will take a serious look at that as well as other options.
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I second KR multicases - have 4 different styles such is my faith in their quality. You can house up to 200 28mm figs per case (beware: many many tray styles to choose from so can take cavalry, bikes etc too).
I have no experience of feldherr - just telling ya what I do know :)
I looked at the KR website this morning but I found it pretty bewildering to be honest.
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KR has so many options, I can be overwhelming. I have 12-15 of them for my 28s and 5 more for X-Wing. There are tons of custom trays, and pick n pluck (you pull foam to arrange models).
There are 3 basic infantry size trays. They hold 108, 144, or 200 models when fillimg a standard box. I use the 108 model trays. Its 6×6 models per tray and gives space to fit and WFB models with spears and halberds and all that. That size works for Saga minis, too.
What I like best about KR is the soft foam. Since using them I haven't broken or chipped paint.
What minis are you looking to store? If I know what you have, I can better tell you what might work.
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Cardboard boxes can be found for free.
:-*
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Cardboard boxes can be found for free.
:-*
Oh believe me, I have been there.
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KR has so many options, I can be overwhelming. I have 12-15 of them for my 28s and 5 more for X-Wing. There are tons of custom trays, and pick n pluck (you pull foam to arrange models).
There are 3 basic infantry size trays. They hold 108, 144, or 200 models when fillimg a standard box. I use the 108 model trays. Its 6×6 models per tray and gives space to fit and WFB models with spears and halberds and all that. That size works for Saga minis, too.
What I like best about KR is the soft foam. Since using them I haven't broken or chipped paint.
What minis are you looking to store? If I know what you have, I can better tell you what might work.
28mm All sorts of periods, ECW with long pikes to Napoleonics, Zulu War to Interwar to WWII to SciFi. Vehicles, horses, camels , the lot. Some multibased on 60 x60mm bases, others singly on 2p coins.
The info that I really wanted first of all is the size of the foam trays. I already have 2 Hobby/fishing/camera type cases that at the moment have hard plastic boxes inside them. The dimensions of these boxes are 280mm x195mm x50mm deep. I wanted to replace these with foam trays of the same size. I had the same problem on the Figures In Comfort website. No information. I shot them off an email explaining but have not yet had a reply. I suspect they would want to sell me one of their expensive cases first and foremost.
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I just measured a tray from the box i use for Saga minis. It has 8 trays in it, each tray holding 18 minis (this try: https://www.krmulticase.com/product/trays/F4H ). The trays are 19cmx25.5cm by 3cm deep. So, the trays are half width, quarter depth trays. They figure trays come in 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 and full depth based off a standard KR cardboard case. Based off my measurements a 1/4 depth tray is 3cm, a 1/3 is 3.8cm, and a 2/3 tray is 7.5cm. I don't have any full height trays, but off these measurements it would be 11.3cm.
The 1/4 height trays work great for most 28mm figs. They lay down in the spaces. If they have spears or pikes or halberds, you may need to space them and cut foam so the weapons fit. Models like High Elf Sword Masters will stand up in the 2/3 tray. I use the 2/3 tray for horses with riders (this tray: https://www.krmulticase.com/product/trays/V2H ), though the half would probably work as well. I also use half or 2/3 trays for multi-based models to stand upright.
The various depth pick-and-pluck work for customizing a fit for things like cannons on min dioramas or for larger bases or vehicles. If you look at the custom cut foam for GW figures on the KR site wit will give you an idea on how bigger models fit into trays.
Hope this helps.
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If you fail this demanding target, it may be worth gluing your part painted stuff to temprary bases or plastic sheet. Use Copydex, which is a latex glue, so figures can easily be brought away from plastic surfaces, but it is strong enough to keep them fixed until you decide to part the figure from the base. Then blue-tak (or sparingly Copydex) the bases to the inside of throw-away shallow boxes, they should survive a journey without being a jumbles mass at the other end of the move.
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As I mentioned elsewhere, I bought two nine litre Really Useful Boxes from whoever is now Figures In Comfort (from the SHQ stand I think at Colours 2018).
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e154x61SXDY/XGAoMsOM-AI/AAAAAAAAEyE/wUiZcDWW65sQherUiFUcB-gRAtYXw_cDQCLcBGAs/s1600/rub1.png)
As you can see there are thirty three 25x50mm cutouts, and you get four trays per box (fourth edition Wombles, Empress VBCW and some Crooked Dice figures for scale).
At Colours they were £25 each.
Most of my figure boxes are Figures In Comfort (previous iteration), I find the foam more reassuring and they can swap with the trays in the old Games Workshop boxes.
I am not sure what is going on with them, there is what appears to be a zombie web site out there.
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Will contact SHQ and see if they can supply the foam trays alone.
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The website has been taken over by the new people & has the right address and stuff. I think they just haven't updated the news or anything yet including the new products. Kind of a shame because Erik was always good about that stuff.
I think they do the RUB trays on their own -- I got the impression they did last time I talked to them.
(Their own boxes are definitely cheaper!)
It might be worth considering getting on of their army-lugging cases that would hold hundreds of figures. When I moved last, that's what I did.
Wrt the pikes, I normally put a regt of ECW per tray, the pikes in rows 2, 3 and 4 with a small slit cut in the roof over their head to take & hold the pike. If you place the slit right, you still get to use the slot above the man as normal. Row 1 is filled with drum/piper/officers &c. Flags normally need a couple of slots with the intermediate foam cut out.
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Wrt the pikes, I normally put a regt of ECW per tray, the pikes in rows 2, 3 and 4 with a small slit cut in the roof over their head to take & hold the pike. If you place the slit right, you still get to use the slot above the man as normal. Row 1 is filled with drum/piper/officers &c. Flags normally need a couple of slots with the intermediate foam cut out.
That's an interesting trick worth remembering! Thanks Katie.
I probably won't buy either of the popular company's own cases because it would still leave me with the problem of what to do with my two smaller ones, which are perfectly fine. I just need to find some foam trays that will fit them.
Thanks for the info about FIC.
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No advice about storage, just about the painting. Just start with the 80% finished figures. If it's only details like belts etc, you'll find out it you can finish quite a lot of then in a single session. After, if there's time left, start with th 60-50% painted ones and work your way down. If you'll need some of those trays that's the way to go imho. Don't paint what you want to paint, paint what's quickest to finish. And remember, you can always get back to them for a few final details/touching ups when the dust of moving finally hass settled. ;)
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wow, good luck!
*salutes*
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Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and advice.
Bit of an update: I have not made much progress on my figure backlog because I had to finish some vehicles (which turned out really well) and clear the decks. Also some of the half painted figures I took a good look at and decided that my painting standard had improved since I started them (a couple of years ago) and I would be better off consigning them to the dip and starting again.
So 23 figures have been dipped and cleaned off, re-primed and re-undercoated, and I have started painting them again. That is next week's project. I will bash on with them start to finish and not be distracted by anything else.
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I'd say your over thinking it.
Bubble wrap, tape, box. I send stuff all over the world with just that Never an issue. Individualy wrap and tape . heavy and big stuff bottom of the box. Single figures to the top.
Simply paint and pack. ( make it part of your routine . paint - dry- wrap-pack-next-paint-dry-wrap-pack and so on.)
Then they can stay packed until you've settled in.
More over its going to be a lot cheaper.
Mark.
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I am also moving house soon as we are downsizing this year. My answer to moving the leadpile was to get a couple of the larger really useful box range. Then a load of the small plastic containers that Chinese meals come in. Each unpainted unit goes into its own box, is labelled and then stored in the RUB.
Has also been a great time for getting rid of projects that have stalled or never get finished.