Some Thoughts On Storage.....

I have come to a point, where I am able to paint more than I have in quite some time. Combined with having had some stuff painted I had, and still have to some extent, a large group of miniatures that are needing storage, almost faster than I can come up with it. This led to a crises of sorts on what to really do with the guys once they are completed. How can I best store them? What will keep them safe as a travel to wherever I may be gaming?  To see where I am now we will travel back about 34 years to around 1985. I was just a year out of the military and getting things sorted out. I had always been an avid board gamer, mostly solo, and decided to take that up once again. At my local hobby store in Riverside, CA I met a guy by the name of Terry Boldt. He was the manager there and quite a talker. I found that he had a group of people playing miniatures. While I had played one micro armor game as a teen, I had never had the opportunity to get involved with minis. 

So, that was the start of a  hobby that I have enjoyed ever since. Back then there was none of what we have available today for miniature storage. I don't recall what I used back then but I suppose the odd cardboard box or cookie tin was drafted into service for my fledgling armies.  As the numbers grew we recognized the need for a better storage solution. My friend Terry had moved on to a different job by then and had access to some scrap plywood and power tools. He came up with a wood box design with a sliding lid. Dozens of these creations were created for the group. I had probably 30 by that time. Sadly they were rather bulky and heavy. They were also rather limited in the number of bases they could hold.  But, we soldiered on. I outfitted mine with sheet metal and added magnet to the bases of my figures.  I am sorry to say I do not have any pictures of these and I had disposed of them long ago. Then someone in the group discovered the Plano tackle box. These gems were perfect for the gaming we were doing at the time. It was mostly 15mm and consisted of Fire & Fury, Napoleon's Battles, and WRG ancients/Renaissance. The bases fit nicely in the slots and with the addition of some metal strips affixed to the bottom, kept my minis safe and sound from all but the worst disasters. I do still use these for my ACW stuff, and a couple WRG armies that have not yet been rebased. They will also stay in service for a couple DBA armies and of course my enormous ACW armies.

WRG army in a Plano box

These sufficed for quite some time despite their limitations. By this time I had transitioned from WRG Ancients to Impetus. Now one of the great draws to Impetus is the large base size, that can create a diorama of sorts for your unit. Well, that created another issue. How do I store these big bases. I had become accustomed to having boxes with metal sheet in the bottom to hold the bases in tight. How can I do this with these huge bases? Some searching around in Amazon brought to light the Really Useful Boxes. I bought the 4L boxes as they were tall enough for anything I would need in my 15mm armies. They are durable, highly stackable, and just the right size. Lowe's sold a precut sheet of sheet metal that fits nicely in the bottom, or a sheet of flexible steel from Litko does the job as well (though you will need an additional strip to fill the entire bottom). The only knock on them from my perspective is the latching system. The handles/latches keep the lid on for the most part, but, any major shaking can pop them off.

Some 15mm SYW Prussians in a 4L Really Useful Box

The rise of 28mm skirmish gaming provided the next challenge. By this time we really have a good deal to chose from to store our 28mm figures. I started getting these painted maybe 3 years ago and quickly found the Chessex cases. They were ok for the most part. However, they don't stack well, and you are really limited as far as figure/base size. I think they will definitely serve a purpose and will most likely house my gladiators, they are really not good for Saga, BA/CoC, or any other system with bases larger than 25/30mm. I found this out when opening the case storing my Saga Scots, and finding that my warlord had been broken off at the ankles due to the base size.

Chessex box with 28mm FIW

At this point I was painting a lot of 28 and 20mm stuff for skirmish gaming. Stuff was piling up, and I was wondering what I was going to do next. I bought a couple used Army Transport cases and a Feldherr case, but they just didn't seem like the right fit for me.

Feldherr Case

Army Transport Case

Then I saw a post on The Miniatures Page about Sally 4th inserts for the Really Useful Boxes. I did some poking around the Sally 4th website, and found there was a 9L Really Useful Box. I ordered a couple to see what they looked like. I was pleasantly surprised. They match the footprint of the 4L but are much taller. Combined with the Sally 4th inserts I think I have found the answers to most of my storage problems.

The two photos above show 28mm foot in a 4L box

28mm Cavalry and Foot in a 9L Box

I will have some tweaking to do still to get things stored the way I want. And I am still not sure what to use the Feldherr and Army Transport cases for, but, at least I now, have a path forward.