Magnetic miniature storage and transport
Recently I have gotten into the habit of attaching a magnet onto the base of newly finished miniatures. I find the best candidates for this are models that are too large for a standard foam insert. It has the added benefit of reducing wear on your miniatures from contact with foam.
Though there are plenty of tutorials for turning a plastic document tray into miniature storage by addition of strips or sheets of magnetic tape, it seems to me that there better solutions available.
Having made one of these travel cases I can say that the attachment of models to the magnetic strips is relatively weak. Large models, even those made from lightweight resin, simply didn’t feel secure.
So I set out to improve upon the formula. Initially I went with a biscuit tin, however, the deepest tins tend to be cylindrical, meaning much of the surface area (the curved walls) are not suitable to secure miniatures. Instead I found that tins intended for sugar or tea provided strong attachment on a flat surface.
The curved corner helps detach the model from the metal. These 3d printed miniatures are brittle enough that pulling directly against the magnet could shatter them.
The sugar tin is a pretty secure solution for small models, but we can do better. The strongest attachment that I could find was from a single compartment metal toolbox. This could create a magnetic attachment that is almost dangerously strong and is suitable for even medium sized lead miniatures. Of course, multi-part lead or pewter miniatures are liable to break apart due to their own weight, so use your best judgment.
I find that these solutions for miniature storage and transport are nice and cheap whilst offering good protection. I own two purpose built miniature transport cases, one large sized sized, hard shell GW case with old style pick and pluck foam as well as one tyrant games soft case. Whilst the GW case offers the best protection and capacity, it is far too expensive for my tastes. I don’t remember the price I payed, but the modern equivalent goes for £110. Conversely, the Tyrant games case is much more affordable (£28), but the soft construction does mean you have to be careful with what you stack on top of it. There are many purpose built cases which I have never tried, including magnetic ones such as those offered by Army-Case and Magniature Case.
Ultimately I think that unless you are playing a mass battle game (1000pt-2000pt 40K, bolt action, historicals) you could probably get away with the improvised toolbox case which is a fraction of the price of a professional case. That’s all for this article. See you next time.
