|
Sooo, I'm collecting the Battles minis. Up till now, I've been storing them in front of my books on bookshelves and what not – but the space is getting crowded, and my girlfriend is (probably rightfully) getting unruly.
Does anyone have any experience and/or pointers as to how to safely store Battles minis, preferably in a space-saving way?
You can always think about using something like this.
sorry
6 large is this 30ea box
The standard 16 ea is only good for 2 large or loads of medium
DropBearHunter, those cases are hazardous to my health.
DropBearHunter, those cases are hazardous to my health.
I solved that problem by building a pyramid (30cm, three sided; stuck them with double sided tape on celophan for the layers) and giving them away on a birthday
and taking a Heroes & Monsters booster box full of them to gaming sessions.No need to eat them all by thyself ;-)
On the MUCH cheaper size than those special cases is this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Black-Decker-ST-SortMaster-Junior-Organiz er/17203945
One I got was three stacking of these; lock together, re-sizable compartments are good for small/medium and most larges. Huges and bigger/winged larges don't work in them, but I've really liked them.
I got two sets, so six and I have them organized-- humans/elves/dwarves in one, goblins and orcs and ogres in another, animals, outsiders, ect.
|
You can always think about using something like this.
I just bought one of these for my mini storage, it fits anywhere from 10-20 humaniods per small tray depending on pose.
You can always think about using something like this.I just bought one of these for my mini storage, it fits anywhere from 10-20 humaniods per small tray depending on pose.
I’m assuming that’s 10-20 medium-sized humanoids? And is that standing up or laying down?
What I like about this container is it has the larger-sized trays, which look like they can fit large-sized minis well enough. Am I right on that?
I have several tackle boxes now and I run into the issue that I can only fit up to a certain size mini, otherwise the lid will close and press on the top of the miniature (which I don’t want). And I can fit only specific types of large miniatures in the tackle boxes, as well.
Also, how well do these stack? Do they stack firmly (preferably lock in), or would it be unstable if you tried to stack one on top of one another?
|
|
The small drawers fit 2 medium humanoids (3 small) wide and at least 5 long-wise if they are standing. If they are laying I can fit almost 4 on top of each other. Depending on the sculpts I have This one which would have been much better if the drawers were a tiny bit taller, sculpts with raised weapons end up laying down to fit.
Tackle boxes I found fell over too much, or you misplaced the one you wanted... So I just put this on my amazon wishlist and waited for it to be 50% off and got it for $20 to try.
Thanks for the answers! I actually like the first one linked as it has the wider and taller trays (towards the bottom) and looks like it would accommodate large-sized minis much more easily. That’s one of the issues I have with my tackle boxes, I can’t fit most of my large minis as the trays aren’t tall enough.
Now, I know you indicated you’ve only bought one, so you haven’t been able to stack them. But looking at it, does it seem favorable to stacking (with another one)?
Edit: I’ve been reading some of the reviews on Amazon for this item (Aklo storage cabinet) and a lot of people are saying how cheaply made it is. Broken tabs (to hold the drawers), cheap plastic, no backing, etc.
Has anyone here had issues with theirs?
I stopped at Menard’s this weekend to take a look at the Akro storage drawers. I brought a couple of my miniatures (one medium and one large) to compare them to the drawer sizes.
I found that the medium-sized mini really did not fit in the smaller drawer sizes unless you laid them down, they were just too tall. Of course there are variance with the minis, but I had taken a Vampire (from H & M) as my example, which I don’t think is an unreasonably tall example.
As for my large, it was with a Stone Champion (I believe), it was the Stone Giant holding a rock. The only way to fit any large in the larger storage drawers is if they sit low already, like the Dire Bear.
But what I have thought about is buying the all large Akro storage draw (24 count) and using it for my mediums and smalls, but not certain if it’s really going to be worthwhile over my tackle boxes as I don't think I would hold as much with an Akro storage box. And my tackle box also has an area on top (with lid) that can hold up to Gargantuan size, as well.
So I still really haven’t found a good storage means with the exception of having actual shelving for the minis, and that unfortunately I just don’t have space for.
I use these Stanley organizers:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G1CUK0
They work great on many levels:
- They are relatively inexpensive (about $16 each)
- They stack
- The interior buckets are removable, so I can quickly create a "travel kit" of minis by pulling from different cases
- The top is clear so I can see what's in it
Sometimes I'll remove some of the interior buckets entirely to make a larger space, for example for my ogres and large elementals.
In any event, I've tried a number of solutions (Plano fishing tackle boxes (my second choice), shoe boxes, other small part boxes, this Rolykit thing, Reaper mini storage boxes, etc. etc.) and I'm far happier with the Stanley ones than any others I've tried over the years.
I have one per campaign that I use to hold the "PCs and current/upcoming encounters," and over a dozen others holding sorted minis, which I try to group by category (PCs, undead, animals/vermin, humanoids, and so forth).
|
I use these Stanley organizers:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001G1CUK0
They work great on many levels:
- They are relatively inexpensive (about $16 each)
- They stack
- The interior buckets are removable, so I can quickly create a "travel kit" of minis by pulling from different cases
- The top is clear so I can see what's in it
I also found these Stanley boxes about a year ago and can recommend them for miniature storage.
I also sent through through the tacklebox phase when I first started my collection. As my collection grew, I went from a small tacklebox to a medium tacklebox and then at one point, I found myself looking for an even larger tacklebox. I took a chance on these Stanley boxes and they have worked out great. I went one step further and purchased a few luggage straps so that I could tie them together whenever I wanted to take more than one mini box on the road. When all tied up, it stays together really well and is easy to carry. Also, if I need more capacity, I can just buy another box.
There is only one drawback I can see, but it would only be for certain types of people. If you are one of those people who is concerned about your miniatures bouncing off each other or off plastic sides when they are being transported, this setup may make you cringe if it is handled roughly. Movement within each bin is pretty minimal when you have enough minis the bin, but it is there. However, I should add that I have not noted any breakage or damage....also, it should be noted that I am a little bit of THAT kind of people. :)
To give an idea of capacity, I have one 25 compartment box for character minis and one 25 compartment box for med and small monsters. Each of those boxes currently has around 160 miniatures and I think that they could hold as much as 200. I also have one 10 compartment deep box that currently has 45 large/huge miniatures, but it is pretty much full.
Stanley 014725 25-Removable Compartment Professional Organizer
Stanley 10 Removable Bin Compartment Deep Professional Organizer
The other cool thing is that I first found these boxes at Home Depot...so I was able to go and look at them before making a purchase.