Moving your painted figures across the world

One of the most horrible things any miniature gamer has to face is transporting figures from home to another place. I not talking about just down to you local gaming shop or club, but across thousands of miles in the hull of some ship, and knowing that the ship’s Captain and crew have no idea of the important cargo they are carrying. There are many methods which we all used to get our figures down to the weekly game, or to a convention, but even those who fly with their armies may balk at the sheer logistics of moving 100’s of figures of your whole collection and hoping that they arrive 8 weeks later at their new home in a perfect state. This surely a daunting task, and I am now trying to prepare to do it again, hopefully with better results than I had five years ago.

I had been transporting figures all around the Midwest in the US for decades using various means generally successful and keeping breakage, and carnage to a minimum. My WHFB Dwarfs had their bases magnetized years ago, and traveled in their own plastic case to many places and had always survived the trips intact. My naval forces travel in the bottom of boxes with bases touching each other and lightly locked down with some spare foam blocks. Other armies have never traveled for long distances and just traveled in boxes, and hoping the roads were not too rough. A couple of armies had their own carrying cases of the Battle-foam variety, they were veterans of the tournament circuit and had been well protected during those trips. But this is childs play compared to the task at hand.

Five years ago faced with this daunting task and only a short time to get my armies ready for the transatlantic voyage I searched the internet for guidance of all who came before and found more than a few solutions. Everything from individually wrapping figures in bubble wrap, filling boxes with rice krispie cereal, foam peanuts, and using foam trays like Sabol, or Battlefoam. With only a few weeks, I went with various systems with the most secure was my Battlefoam War Machine case, and two small old chessex cases. The Dwarfs stayed in their magnetic cases with some foam pieces tucked it to prevent any movement should they break the magnetic bonds holding them. For all the other armies, I mostly used either foam peanuts, or shredded paper that I stuffed into the boxes, and hoped for the best. This hope was a general disaster. With both the foam peanuts, and the shredded paper figures generally migrated towards one end of the box, especially in the box was on its side or ends. So much for marking books of figures with arrows, and fragile. Even for the armies that did not move around too much when it cam to unpacking the figures it was a heck of a mess to get all the foam and paper out from between all the figures. So a new system is needed for this trip.

Knowing that I would be returning someday I resolved as I got a project done I ensure that it would be able to make the transport back to the US with a minimum amount of damage and angst. This has lead me to the discovery of KR Multicases. I don’t know it I read about them on a blog, or a podcast before I saw them at a local game shop, and I was intrigued I liked the concept that the foam is in its own box, and then you placed that box into a carrying case. The things I didn’t like about others is that outside the case the foam just sits there on the shelf, or you need to buy multiple cases. KR multicases are very modular and each cardboard box can sit with the figures nicely organized.

I am sure there are other options, and a few of my armies are going back much as they came over but the new projects like my 28mm WWII, and revised and expanded 28mm Ancients armies are going back surrounded in that soft blue foam.

This is the Romans and Carthaginians mustering for the journey across the pond.

Ancients getting settled in the soft blue KR foam trays.

Ancients all packed and ready to go.

All the armies ready to go.  Many in the new KR Multicase boxes, but a few in other forms.  Sacrifices to the gaming gods have been made, and omens read. Stay tuned for an update once the move is complete.