So, last month I posted here about how I had purchased and painted almost 400 minis that were the old 25mm scale standard, and how I had purchased and re-based over 500 Mage Knight minis, which brought my miniature collection up to the 1,200 or so level.
Since then I've made eleven foam trays to store the minis in, and they have worked out very well.
But I have these dragons... And they are just too big to put in any tray.
So I was wondering what people do who have gargantuan and colossal sized miniatures in their collection. Right now I still have those in a cloth bag. But that does end up with wings being bent and pulling out a tangled mass of minis when I just want one.
So, any advice is appreciated.
By the way, my eleven foam trays are all 14 inches by 24 inches, with varying heights depending on how large the minis in the tray are. Stacked together for transport they are just about 18 inches high. I've got one more tray to build to hold the final bit of minis I am still assembling/painting. Depending on the sizes of the minis, each tray holds from about 60 minis to about 150 minis.
There are lots of commercial miniature carriers that are large enough for even the big WotC dragons. But, personaly I prefer a sturdy corregated cardboard box of the right size with styrofoam packing peanuts for my metal dragons. Plastic ones can be packed loose, and my few resin dragons are on display in one of my bookcases, mostly because I'm overly proud of the paint job I did on them.
I don't use gargantuan figures very often, and I know ahead of time if there if a chance that the players will encounter a big demon or dragon, so I just take the correct one out of my garage and place it near my DM's chair. When the time comes, it goes on the table and after the encounter, back in the box.
The cardboard boxes are simple, cheap and effective. That's all I need, but your mileage may vary.
Well, that would work if I played at my own house. Unfortunately I live in a tiny little mountain town and everyone I play with lives in the city, so I have a 50 mile commute to play, and it's just not fair to have everone else drive 50 miles, plus we're saving the planet since I have a "green" car. :)
So we play at a friend's house, and I don't want to leave my minis, especially my biggest, most expensive and hardest worked on minis.
Also one of our group is also a GM and we have an agreement to bring our minis in case the other GM needs them, and that arrangement includes a "bring them all, 'cause you don't need to know what you're fighting until you fight it" clause.
So in my case, I pretty much have to haul them around every time I play...
Brassbaboon -- I realize with your mention of foam trays that you may already do this -- but for your general transport needs, maybe you could consider investing in something like Sabol Design's Army Transport Cases. They are designed to hold tons of minis but are relatively easy to carry (with the larger ones on wheels) and keep your minis very protected.
Their various foam trays are easy to custom size for oddly shaped models, and they suggest for very large models, to "lid" a large model with a second tray (with a picture in the provided link that can demonstrate that better than I can explain). And/or perhaps you can try a similar configuration with the foam trays you already have.
You might email them with your storage issue as they might have a suggested solution.
Good luck!
I had looked at Sabol Design when I was contemplating my storage options. I bought some foam sheets from a foam supply store and made my own. It takes me from 30 minutes to an hour to make one, depending on how many foam pieces I need to cut out. They stack real nice. I've got over 1,200 minis stored that way now.
Yes I could make a tray big enough to hold my biggest minis. I've got enough foam left to do it. I probably will end up doing it, but it seems such a waste of space and effort to build something that will end up only holding a few minis and which will be twice as high as all of my other trays.
But that's a solution anyway... I may start on it tonight...
Also one of our group is also a GM and we have an agreement to bring our minis in case the other GM needs them, and that arrangement includes a "bring them all, 'cause you don't need to know what you're fighting until you fight it" clause.
That would be a problem. It makes me glad that I'm the perpetual DM. I know ahead of time what the players might run into, and can pack my toolbox accordingly(a 3-drawer steel box - my minis have sheet magnets on the base). At home, I have a 4' high, rolling tool chest (again steel) that holds a lot more minis and two drawers of basic terrain and it fits under the breakfast counter next to my DM's chair.
Keep the minis at the venue. Don't schlepp them around.
Keep the minis at the venue. Don't schlepp them around.
I do this. Also looked into backpacks at the local goodwill. A wheeled daybag would work for several of these larger ones, and the other cases could fit inside if you did not need the big ones. :)