tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20216578.post3823702147791173283..comments2023-07-03T07:20:11.456-04:00Comments on Wargaming Tradecraft: Finding Cheap Army ContainersDave Garbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01557481319925772152noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20216578.post-85659636504968552392011-04-11T09:57:09.578-04:002011-04-11T09:57:09.578-04:00This is another great tip. Those card / motherboar...This is another great tip. Those card / motherboard boxes get thrown out all the time and most computer shops would probably be a-ok with you taking their trash. If you can get the foam too, all the better.Dave Garbehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01557481319925772152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20216578.post-43600911098277416132011-04-11T05:41:35.901-04:002011-04-11T05:41:35.901-04:00I'd reccomend going to some local shops that r...I'd reccomend going to some local shops that repair/assemble computers - the electronic components come packed in neat flat cardboard boxes that are perfect for storing figures. Also many of those boxes have sheets of nice waved foam - you can lay down models in the valleys, then cover with another sheet of foam and lay down some more figures. I usually top this with several crumpled supermarket foil bags to keep things nice and tight. The cover of the boxes comes with locking flaps so it's well protected. Several boxes fits into typical sport bag.<br /><br />Apart from the medium cardboard boxes for graphic cards etc. there are also large flat cardboard boxes for motherboards. I use these extensively home - for storing entire armies (or several units at once, nice and safe on the waved foam sheet as above. They are like high standard hobby drawers. You can keep your army nice and safe and at the same time take it out to display it to your friend or just to dream of upcoming battles :P<br /><br />Just ask if they have some boxes they would like to get rid of. Say you are hobbyist modeler and most likely you'll get more than you can use :)lehcyferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904410779802891166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20216578.post-12238557492230772122011-01-29T16:46:48.554-05:002011-01-29T16:46:48.554-05:00Exactly, $40 is the absolute bottom line for the c...Exactly, $40 is the absolute bottom line for the cheapest miniature cases that you can buy. With just a few hours work I got a solid plastic tool box case with 3 times the space of that cardboard case for a little less money and it even has extra compartments on top to carry my dice, tape measurer, etc. I ordered my foam from http://www.foamonline.com/ but you could also try http://www.foamorder.com/packing.html or https://www.foambymail.com/ or http://www.foamandupholstery.com/ or some of the other sources already mentioned in the article. The tutorial I used as a basic guideline can be found here http://forums.tauonline.org/hobby/63268-tutorial-how-make-foam-trays.html . A similar alternate tutorial can be found here http://www.frostreaver.net/forums/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=38 . The method used in this tutorial seems needlessly complicated to me, but there are lots of other good tips that can be combined with the methods used in the other tutorials http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/241220.page<br /><br />I tried posting this on HoP but their comment system lost everything but the first paragraph above. I'll try to re-create the important stuff over here and hope it sticks this time. <br /><br />When ordering foam online, the most expensive part is probably going to be the shipping. It can't really be avoided for such bulky packages so you may be better off buying locally if possible. If you can't find what you want/need locally, there are some ways you can save some money when buying online. Let's say for the sake of simplicity that you need foam for a 10x10 box and you want four trays. You could just buy 4 10x10 peces of foam but you should also check the price on a single 10x40 or 20x20 piece that you can cut yourself. You can likely save a little more money that way. No matter what you do, it's good to do the research and compare prices so you know you are getting the best deal possible.<br /><br />Back to the super cheap cases, there is one more tutorial that I found that shows you how to make a case out of empty boxes, bits of sprue, bubble wrap, and anything else that you have laying around. http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.php?showtopic=191375 I also came up with another cheap material that can be used as padding for your miniatures: old t-shirts or other cloth that you would have just thrown out anyway. Even better, some old sweat pants or shirts since they are nice and soft and fluffy. I almost never throw anything out without thinking about how I could use it for conversions, terrain, or a number of other things.Chaosheadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11905587383925116811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20216578.post-26884496223095012192011-01-28T10:48:32.748-05:002011-01-28T10:48:32.748-05:00I second Dethtron's recommendation of the pist...I second Dethtron's recommendation of the pistol cases. One of these: http://www.amazon.com/Plano-Protector-Single-Pistol-Case/dp/B000P3WPHI<br /><br />I have 2 that I bought at Walmart for $10 each and I can fit my 2000 point Tau army in them. They're not as useful if you have a ton of tanks, but for infantry, they are great.<br /><br />Another source of foam is fabric stores. You can get thick foam for pretty cheap, but what I've done is buy a yard or two of the thin (1/4") foam and glued it into the bottom of the tackle box trays to better protect my infantry.Rkikhttp://www.meanderingthedunesea.comnoreply@blogger.com