#23 Project Research, Miniature Storage

Research, Miniature Storage

Introduction

I have a problem, within the house I have one shelf which I keep my miniatures on, its full. I need to store them somewhere and thus project storage begins.

Requirements

1. Keep them away from the kids.
2. Keep them clean.
3. Allow me to find stuff.
4. Keep them from rattling around.
5. Make them transport safe.

Current Solution

I am currently storing my guys in unused takeaway food containers. They are cheap but not ideal as they don't have any padding and let the miniatures rattle around. I then pile them up in plastic tubs which hold a heap of food containers. This is working OK, I just want something better.

 

Current Solution Issues

1.  I usually know what tub something is in but then I have to search through and find it.
2. The models are getting broken and beat-up due to rattling around.
3. The containers don't really lend themselves to transporting the miniatures.
4. My wife hates my boxes, they are migrating around the house.

What I'm Going To Try

I've got a pile of washers and some flat magnet sheets and some boxes and hopefully this will produce the outcome desired.

The Washers

If you are anything like me you tip over your beloved miniatures on a regular basis, this can be because you are clumsy or just because the model is top heavy, doesn't matter (I'm clumsy).

When I first started playing I added small change (5c and 10c to the bases of my models to move the center of gravity down closer to the ground reducing my chances of tipping. Something heavy at the base of the model makes the model less likes to tip. So heavy washers that are the same diameter as the base sound like a great idea.

You can buy steel washers that will be attracted to a magnet so its a match made in heaven being the correct radius, adding weight to the base, flat and relatively unobtrusive.

After a bit of searching I came up with this table:

Game	Description	Diameter mm	Length
Warhammer 40k	Standard Infantry	25
Warhammer 40k	Bike Bases	25	70
Infinity	Small	25
Warhammer 40k	Clear flight stands small	30
Malifaux	Small	30
Warmachine	Small	30
Warhammer 40k	Large Infantry	40
Malifaux	Medium	40
Warmachine	Medium	40
Infinity	Medium	40
Malifaux	Large	50
Warmachine	Large	50
Infinity	Large	55
Warhammer 40k	Monsters	60
Warhammer 40k	Clear flight stands large	60
Warhammer 40k	Flyer	90	120
Warmahine	XLarge	120

I ended up purchasing 25mm, 30mm and 40mm, covering off a heap of the list and the vast majority of the miniatures I'd be dealing with.

The Magnets

Initially I wanted to use neodymium magnets, they are awesome strong, fairly cheap and easy to get your hands on. I chose to go in the other direction of flat magnets solely because of how I would apply them to whatever I wanted to carry the miniatures in.

If they were small magnets I would need to create a matrix of them. With a flat magnet I could hold any number miniatures based upon whatever fits. It also means I can use the sheet itself as a de facto movement tray. It wont be super strong but it should hold, at least that's what my initial tests seem to confirm, at worst I can fall back on neodymium magnets.

Printable magnets

 Otto A4 Magnetic Sheet

  

The boxes

I've been trawling through cheap shops looking for the largest boxes that will stack, my criteria seems to be mostly centered around being able to fit an a4 sheet and being tall enough to store the larger miniatures.

Rectangle Plastic Food Storage Container with Lid - 4L

Decor Tellfresh 12-Cupcake Storer

Plastic Storage Box

Plastic Sliding Drawers

Parallel 2 Drawer Cabinet

		Outside			Inside
Description	Cost	Length	Width	Depth	Length	Width	Depth	Times	Volume
Rectangle Plastic Container	4	281	191	100	240	160	95	1	3648
Decor cupcake Storer	10	330	255	80	290	210	75	1	4567.5
Plastic Storage Box	10	305	305	80	300	300	65	1	5850
Plastic Sliding Drawers	10	335	255	135	310	225	55	2	7672.5
Parallel 2 Drawer Cabinet	10	335	255	135	310	225	115	1	8021.25

The ones highlighted in orange indicated some trimming will be required of the sheet magents before they can be installed, while the green will accept a4 sheets neatly and even stack into one another making great candidates for storage.

The Greens however do not make good candidates for transportation, there is no locking mechanism and they are rather unwieldy when moving them around.

The models:

I've taken some random models from my shelf, choosing taller and shorter models to get an idea of the height range.

It appears that most will fall within the 55mm range, these include most of the troops with the exception of the troops with their swords raised.

It must also be factored in that the models will have a further 1mm of washer and the box will have an inlay of magnet, pushing the total room removed to about 2-3mm.

Conclusion

I am of the opinion that as long as the vast majority of the models are catered to this wont be a bad idea. I think the stacking boxes lend themselves quite well to suiting a larger range of miniatures. The stacking and the fact they fit A4 out of the box makes them great candidates.

The pathway I will follow is now set.