Why Manufacturing is Cool

Buying, building and painting a miniature gaming army is a large feat. It requires skill, time and patience, and in some cases a lot of financial investment. Because tabletop gaming is an active hobby, you'll often find yourself moving your miniatures around to play at local gaming clubs, with friends or at tournaments. This can cause a lot of wear and tear on models that are often no more than small bits of resin and plastic. To help overcome this issue you can create your own custom made boxes, enabling you to accommodate different sized models and avoid breakages that can ruin your loving created paint jobs.  

The Outer Shell

The outer casing for your custom carry case will determine how much protection is has from the elements, and often how heavy it will be. You can opt for anything from corrugated cardboard to aluminium flight cases. If you're looking for a budget option, then a cardboard case is your best best. You can order various sizes which will hold in place your foam trays, and it will also be lightweight. These cases are better if you are able to transport using a car and often store your models at home or in a locker, as the cardboard won't stand up to being moved about in the rain, but will work well when stacked up. The great thing about cardboard cases is that they also often an element of shock absorption too, especially if you use the double thick corrugated variety.

What's Inside

Once you have chosen your box and established whether you want a folding lid or loose lid, you need to choose your foam inserts. Many companies will offer various sizes with pre-cut sections, better known as pick and pluck foam. This is where a number of incisions are made into the foam so you can customise the size of each compartment. 

Make Your Own

If you want to create your own cases to further cut costs, then things like shoe boxes and boxes for wine work well. They are often sturdy enough to cope with added weight, and sometimes have pre-cut carrying handles. If you don't have access to foam then a layer of bubble wrap works well for each tray level, with each model being individually wrapped in tissue for shock absorption. This isn't the most efficient method for transporting miniatures but works perfectly well, especially if you need a last minute case.