PDA

View Full Version : Foam Storage trays



The Royal Hajj
03-28-2013, 07:21
I'd like to get you guys on the subject of foam storage trays for this game. I've roughed out the ship shapes and am trying to decide if it would be better to store the ships on their sides, or have them stand up in the foam trays?

On their sides
If stored this way, the tray has to be 1.5 inches (38.1mm) thick, the bases and cards would be stored in a separate cutout on the same tray (similar to my Wings trays). These ships have a pretty large footprint when laid on their side, so I can not get a lot on a single tray.

Standing up
If stored this way, the tray has to 3 inches (76.2mm) thick. I would have several options for storing the bases and cards.


They could be stored on edge in one part of the tray while the ships were in another area of the same tray. This setup would most likely allow the maximum number of ships to be stored.
Keep the ships on their bases, with the cards stored underneath them. We would get less minis per tray, but all of the miniature's components would be in the same spot for easy selection.
Have a cutout for the base and cards right next to each ship. This would allow for slightly less storage capacity as option one, but more then option 2. It also has the benifit of having the ship and it's base/cards right next to it.



What are you guys thoughts?

Coog
03-28-2013, 07:53
I like standing up, option 1.

Wargamer
03-28-2013, 08:49
On their side. Vertical standing seems to be the optimum method of allowing the mini to rattle around, breaking sails etc. Also, the 1.5 inch height compared to 3" height would tend to negate the number of mini's per when you consider the number per volume of the bag the layers of storage are in.

The Royal Hajj
03-28-2013, 09:11
On their side. Vertical standing seems to be the optimum method of allowing the mini to rattle around, breaking sails etc. Also, the 1.5 inch height compared to 3" height would tend to negate the number of mini's per when you consider the number per volume of the bag the layers of storage are in.

I think they would actually rattle around more on their sides... since the sails stick out over the sides of the hulls, they do not lay flat as it is. If I do them vertically, the peg on the bottom would be inserted into the tray's foam bottom (but not sticking all the way through) and the cutout for the ship would be fitted around the sails. As to the 1.5 to 3 inch concern, I can fit roughly two ships standing up in the same footprint as one ship laying on it's side. This would appear to give you the same number of ships standing up in one 3 inch tray as you would get with them laying down in two 1.5 inch trays. The differeance is, when you use two trays, you are actually adding another .25 inch in height for the tray bottom. So, two 1.5 inch trays become 3.25 inches tall. It does not sound like much, but at four trays, you lose a full inch of vertical space in your bag.

Another thing to think about, two 1.5 trays are going to cost more then a single 3 tray... about $7-$8 more.

7eat51
03-28-2013, 10:03
I am for standing up, options 1 or 3, based on the descriptions, and not having seen the ships or answers to below.

What are the length and width dimensions?

Will weight be a factor in terms of durability?

How do folks currently transport their minis?

The Royal Hajj
03-28-2013, 10:41
Final dimensions for the trays have not been decided yet. The ships are actually lighter then the Wings planes, so weight is not an issue at all.

7eat51
03-28-2013, 11:12
So it is the bases that are heavy? I am thinking about the discussions relating to shipping costs.

Blackrose
03-28-2013, 11:21
Sounds like standing up might be better.
Karl

The Royal Hajj
03-28-2013, 11:27
One of the 74s weighs .25 oz, the base comes in at .25 oz as well. The maneuver decks are going to be around 1 oz each I'm guessing. I think the weight comes from all of the card stock and rule books in the starter set. Just one of the damage types has 90 chits!

7eat51
03-28-2013, 11:30
One of the 74s weighs .25 oz, the base comes in at .25 oz as well. The maneuver decks are going to be around 1 oz each I'm guessing. I think the weight comes from all of the card stock and rule books in the starter set. Just one of the damage types has 90 chits!

That explains a lot. I was wondering why the ships were so heavy. Knowing they are similar to WoG planes changes my thinking on a few things related to taking the game on the road. This will be much easier than I had thought previously.

Diamondback
03-28-2013, 14:06
I'm all about "pack as much crap as safely possible into bare-minimum space", so I vot "Standing Option 1"--if the walls between compartments are thick enough, it might be possible to stick labels on top of 'em to keep track of what's where.

Next question: do reflags get slots by sculpt or by country? (For example, does HMS Impetueux go with the other Temeraires, or the other Royal Navy SOL's?)

Gunner
03-28-2013, 16:01
Since a lot of people (I think) will be rigging their models, maybe standing up would be a better choice.

The Royal Hajj
03-28-2013, 16:36
Next question: do reflags get slots by sculpt or by country? (For example, does HMS Impetueux go with the other Temeraires, or the other Royal Navy SOL's?)

I've not decided on the exact layouts yet... so input on that would be welcome.


Since a lot of people (I think) will be rigging their models, maybe standing up would be a better choice.

I had thought about that as well. If I do them laying down, and someone rigs their ships, they would most likely not fit in the cutouts any longer.

Gunner
03-28-2013, 18:39
[QUOTE=The Royal Hajj;8516]I've not decided on the exact layouts yet... so input on that would be welcome.


Trays by nationality work best for me. Easier to keep track of ships. But whatever works best to get the most ships per tray is also important.:hmmm:

Diamondback
03-28-2013, 20:13
Boss, idea: could you maybe create digital mockups of all the options, let us see what they might look like? Or is it likely that a full set of 16 will fit in one tray?

Ideally, I'd break it down by set, nation and rating myself--maybe a tray for "Series 1 Main", one for the Exclusives, Victory/Constitution and KS accessories and one for the Starter and its supplies?

Or... start with "By Set", then later break it down into ratings or timeframe... for example, 1660 Sovereign of the Seas and Victory's progeny the Impregnables don't belong in the same tray IMO despite both being "First Rates", simply from the sheer technology difference between the Alpha and Omega of their classification. (Never mind that rating only counts NUMBER of guns, and says NOTHING about weight of shells thrown per broadside...)

Gunner
03-28-2013, 20:24
Good point. Since the KS ships won't be available after the kickstarter is over, they should have their own trays. The Victory and the Constitution will be available to everyone later.

Devsdoc
03-28-2013, 21:05
Hi All,
I use 2 Lt plastic boxs with a non-slip rubber mat. I get 12-14 fully rigged 1-1200 models standing up in each box I cover the ships with bubble-wrap before closeing the lid. The more models in the box the better. If the box is not full I put bubble-wrap down the sides. I can get two ships bow to bow in line eg, two 3th rates, 1st/2nd rate with a frigate and the smaller ships across between two frigates. I use Langton bases (Thinner than S.O.G) and have 4 sizes of bases, 3 deckers 40mmx85mm, 3rd rate 40mmx75mm, frigate 40mmx65mm and unrated 20mmx50mm. Not as good as a made tray, but it works.
Be safe
Rory

Diamondback
03-28-2013, 22:20
Good point. Since the KS ships won't be available after the kickstarter is over, they should have their own trays. The Victory and the Constitution will be available to everyone later.
Also why I suggest a Starter tray: same sitch, opposite direction--the Starter will be available long after Series 1 goes out of print, unless they do a new starter with new sculpts or new schemes every few sets.

Berthier
03-28-2013, 23:36
I'd support vertical, providing it was easy to remove the model from the foam without damaging masts and rigging etc. Another way to store ships is to put thin metal sheets on the base and use magnetic strips on a storage container of your choice (or vica-versa, magnetic material under ship base and f;lat sheet in container). This is how I transport 15mm painted figures.

David Manley
03-29-2013, 01:06
I've been storing AoS minis for decades. I've tried both orientations and standing is by far the better solution both in terms of handling and in terms of minimising risk of damage to the model. My current preferred method is to use magnetic tape on the model base and similar in transport boxes (most of my models spend most of their time in steel drawers too), but foam would work OK too.

Andy Blozinski
03-29-2013, 05:53
Have a cutout for the base and cards right next to each ship. This would allow for slightly less storage capacity as option one, but more then option 2. It also has the benifit of having the ship and it's base/cards right next to it.
[/LIST]


What are you guys thoughts?

I wouldn't even consider putting the bases and cards in a foam tray. They don't need that protection. Foam protection consumes lots of space. Just keep a small separate case in which you can easily stack the bases and cards. It's not like you're going to carry absolutely everything for a game in one single package with a handle. You're going to have multiple things to carry anyways.

7eat51
03-29-2013, 08:10
I wouldn't even consider putting the bases and cards in a foam tray. They don't need that protection. Foam protection consumes lots of space. Just keep a small separate case in which you can easily stack the bases and cards. It's not like you're going to carry absolutely everything for a game in one single package with a handle. You're going to have multiple things to carry anyways.

If I could store more ships in one tray due to the lack of cards and bases, I would not mind, in the least, having a separate container full of bases and card decks. I will have such a container anyway for the logs, chits, rulers, etc. I would simply get a bigger one to include bases and ship related cards.

Wargamer
03-29-2013, 08:41
I wouldn't even consider putting the bases and cards in a foam tray. They don't need that protection. Foam protection consumes lots of space. Just keep a small separate case in which you can easily stack the bases and cards. It's not like you're going to carry absolutely everything for a game in one single package with a handle. You're going to have multiple things to carry anyways.

I would prefer the system to be similar to the foam hangers for WoG. It makes it quick and easy to select model and have the material needed to run it together instead of hunting elsewhere. Items that are needed for the game but are not model specific - damage cards/chits - markers of various types that are pretty generic - those are the items I would store separate from the models, usually in an outside pouch of the carry bag that holds the foam hangers.

Devsdoc
03-29-2013, 14:43
Keith,
Do the bases and ships come apart?
Be safe
Rory.

BonhommeRichard
03-29-2013, 15:05
i think that the standing in the foam trays option would also help keep the ships more "ship shape"

The Royal Hajj
03-29-2013, 19:43
I wouldn't even consider putting the bases and cards in a foam tray. They don't need that protection. Foam protection consumes lots of space. Just keep a small separate case in which you can easily stack the bases and cards. It's not like you're going to carry absolutely everything for a game in one single package with a handle. You're going to have multiple things to carry anyways.

I carry 60+ planes to conventions in a single bag with all of the supporting components all the time. I would do the same with Sails. My whole design goal is to make it where you only have to carry one bag.


I would prefer the system to be similar to the foam hangers for WoG. It makes it quick and easy to select model and have the material needed to run it together instead of hunting elsewhere. Items that are needed for the game but are not model specific - damage cards/chits - markers of various types that are pretty generic - those are the items I would store separate from the models, usually in an outside pouch of the carry bag that holds the foam hangers.

That is how I'm leaning at the moment... with possibly a Crew tray (like my Ground Crew one for WGF)


Keith,
Do the bases and ships come apart?
Be safe
Rory.

Yes they do.

Beowulf03809
03-30-2013, 14:59
With the peg on the bottom of the ship are you thinking of having a small hole in the foam bottoms to accomodate a vertical orientation? It would help (a little) with securing the ship as well.

Andy Blozinski
03-30-2013, 15:34
With the peg on the bottom of the ship are you thinking of having a small hole in the foam bottoms to accomodate a vertical orientation? It would help (a little) with securing the ship as well.

Now that I think about it.......
If they have a mounting peg in the bottom of the ship, you shouldn't need foam at all. You just need mounting blocks on a flat plate.

Wargamer
03-30-2013, 15:59
Now that I think about it.......
If they have a mounting peg in the bottom of the ship, you shouldn't need foam at all. You just need mounting blocks on a flat plate.

ayup, sounds good. rattle, crash, broke, oh well. back to the drawing board.

Andy Blozinski
03-30-2013, 18:31
ayup, sounds good. rattle, crash, broke, oh well. back to the drawing board.
I guess I don't understand what you mean. Please elaborate.

The Royal Hajj
03-30-2013, 20:38
With the peg on the bottom of the ship are you thinking of having a small hole in the foam bottoms to accomodate a vertical orientation? It would help (a little) with securing the ship as well.

Already in the design :wink:


I guess I don't understand what you mean. Please elaborate.

I think he means he would not trust the peg to be the only thing securing and protecting the ships... and neither would I.

Andy Blozinski
03-31-2013, 08:37
Neither of us have seen the pegs, so we can't pass judgement. Do they not secure the ship to the base? Do they have a positive lock, or are they just a loose fit? If they lack a positive lock, then it might be possible to modify them so they do. Buy a threading die from a hardware store and put a fixing nut on the bottom. All it takes is a little imagination.

PirateBlake
03-31-2013, 08:54
Having rigged some 1/1200 ships, storing/transporting them standing is the only option for me. Ships with rigging on their sides, at least for me, have really messed up the rigging and I dont like rigging the ship again :dazed:

So I would vote for the Standing option.

The Royal Hajj
03-31-2013, 21:10
Neither of us have seen the pegs, so we can't pass judgement. Do they not secure the ship to the base? Do they have a positive lock, or are they just a loose fit? If they lack a positive lock, then it might be possible to modify them so they do. Buy a threading die from a hardware store and put a fixing nut on the bottom. All it takes is a little imagination.

I have some of the ships and one of the base. They are pretty much the same as the pegs used in Wings. They do have a better grip as they are larger pegs, but I still would not trust to that alone to hold the ships in place.

You could use a tap and die on the pegs, but they are tapered, so you would most likely need to replace the peg with a metal one you have added threading to. But then, you would have to spin the entire ship around to take it off the storage tray... which would waste a lot of room.

I think for someone willing to modify ship/base, the best method would be to tap them both to fit a rare earth magnet in them. Then you could use the magnet ont eh bottom of the ship to attach to metal in the storage tray. Even with this route, I'd want them surrounded by foam to protect them from things falling on them.

Sea Gull
04-01-2013, 03:38
I have some of the ships and one of the base. They are pretty much the same as the pegs used in Wings. They do have a better grip as they are larger pegs, but I still would not trust to that alone to hold the ships in place.

I think for someone willing to modify ship/base, the best method would be to tap them both to fit a rare earth magnet in them. Then you could use the magnet ont eh bottom of the ship to attach to metal in the storage tray. Even with this route, I'd want them surrounded by foam to protect them from things falling on them.

Damm, I better stop feeding my kids those rare earth magnets. :happy:

DeRuyter
04-02-2013, 12:08
I've been storing AoS minis for decades. I've tried both orientations and standing is by far the better solution both in terms of handling and in terms of minimising risk of damage to the model. My current preferred method is to use magnetic tape on the model base and similar in transport boxes (most of my models spend most of their time in steel drawers too), but foam would work OK too.

Ditto - I would prefer standing. My Langton's are based on Litko wood with magnets. As someone else posted, ships with rigging are more easily damged lying on their sides.

I use KR cases for my WoG aircraft and they have options for either putting the card and base next to the model, or having a separate tray. As for the logs, tokens, and markers they have a separate thin tray to hold these at the bottom of the case. The best solution would minimize your bags or cases of course!

[Blue Jacket] R.I.P.
04-13-2013, 15:06
While I like the idea of more trays in less space = more ships. Standing them up does seems to be the better idea. I also like the idea of the bases and cards being kept in the same tray, the fewer bags to carry, the better. :salute:

pward
04-14-2013, 12:53
I am for the standing up option as well, I hope someone makes a decent case with the logo on it, otherwise I will try and make my own.

The Royal Hajj
04-14-2013, 19:48
, I hope someone makes a decent case with the logo on it, otherwise I will try and make my own.

It's being discussed.

7eat51
04-14-2013, 20:47
It's being discussed.

What's the possibility of having logos printed on sheets that we can peel off and put on cases, etc.? Do you think there would be a market?

daledavis67
04-14-2013, 21:32
How tall are the ships compared to a maneuver deck placed on end? If you could insert the cards into a slot in a foam tray standing on end you could save room and, maybe get an additional ship or two with their decks. You could put the finger cut-outs on the deck slots to make them easy to pull out. Sorry if this has been proposed already.

CHolgren
04-17-2013, 11:08
I hope I'm not over stepping, but I thought about this and came up with this idea for the foam storage.

40244025

please forgive the rough sketch, I actually started using a ruler, but for the sake of speed went to free hand. First picture is looking at the back of the models and open portion of the foam. Followed by a side view of the case foam and third is fro the top portion of the foam case. possible foam configurations take up the last small drawings. If the slots in the foam that accomodate the bases are snug enough to keep the mini from sliding around the bow spirit should be safe and the design should accomodate plenty of minis. The foam would just be thick, front to back of the ship models. Not sure how feasible this would be, I've never used foam cases for anything. Thanks for hearing me out.

7eat51
04-17-2013, 14:37
Hey Cory, I apologize, but I am not quite following your descriptions and associated drawings. Any clarification would be appreciated.

The Royal Hajj
04-17-2013, 15:42
So your idea is to have the trays be vertical, allowing the ships to slide in? The only drawbacks I can think of now is that some of the ships over hang the bases (bow spirits especially), you would have to have a side loading bag, and since the trays would be standing up vertically, they might not be as stable when out of the bag (but the foam thickness might take care of that). The first advantage,would be that any ship could fit into any slot (so long as the base to ship peg connection was tight enough (or magnetized)) allowing for the most customized layout per tray. Secondly, the ships could be stored with the bases already attached, cutting down on setup time (no need to find the right ship card for that ship and insert it into the base). You could effectively "pre-load" your ships for the upcoming game.

I'll have to work through this configuration some more, but you have me thinking....

The Royal Hajj
04-17-2013, 15:47
Hey Cory, I apologize, but I am not quite following your descriptions and associated drawings. Any clarification would be appreciated.

4026

Normally we view the above tray as looking at it from the top down. But if you think about it as looking at the tray from the side or in profile, I think you will see what he is talking about. The ships would slide into "pigeon holes" from the side of the tray. that make sense?

7eat51
04-17-2013, 16:03
If I understand this correctly, the third row picture in which we see the ships upright with the bases below illustrate a vertical tray that is several inches thick in which we slide our ships and decks into, somewhat like parking a car into a garage; the third row picture would be the view of a "4-car" garage from the driveway. Am I anywhere on target?

The Royal Hajj
04-17-2013, 16:22
You've got it. However, I think the decks would need to be stored in a separate pigeon hole to ensure the foam to base fit is snug enough. Since each deck will have different amounts of cards in it, stacking them in with the bases would cause to much play.

Gunner
04-17-2013, 16:49
Having a separate tray for cards and one for equipment wouldn't hurt. Or a combination of both.

CHolgren
04-17-2013, 18:13
Sorry, I'm on flood watch, Northern Illinois just got 1-2inches of water and my backyard was/is under water and window wells are filling up. You have my idea in hand pretty well. Sorry, I wasn't able to answer sooner.

The Royal Hajj
04-18-2013, 07:41
No worries Cory, take care and make sure you can only float your new ships outside your house.

CHolgren
04-19-2013, 07:14
No worries Cory, take care and make sure you can only float your new ships outside your house.
Keith, so sorry I noticed my scans loaded in reverse order to only add to the confusion of my sketches. I had to ask, is there any merit/feasibility in my idea? I know it would be a very thick piece of foam, but, in my head at least, it would allow for a large number of models ready to go.

7eat51
04-19-2013, 07:23
Sorry, I'm on flood watch, Northern Illinois just got 1-2inches of water and my backyard was/is under water and window wells are filling up. You have my idea in hand pretty well. Sorry, I wasn't able to answer sooner.

How's your house? I was on the northwest side yesterday - off of Harlem, First Avenue. A lot of water, roads closed, etc. I hope all is well with you.

CHolgren
04-19-2013, 07:48
How's your house? I was on the northwest side yesterday - off of Harlem, First Avenue. A lot of water, roads closed, etc. I hope all is well with you.Just a little water through a window well. But getting home was a nightmare. Two streets over salt creek were under water, a normal 10 minute commute took 30 minutes. I had it easy compared to a lot of others I work with. Thanks.

The Royal Hajj
04-19-2013, 07:56
Keith, so sorry I noticed my scans loaded in reverse order to only add to the confusion of my sketches. I had to ask, is there any merit/feasibility in my idea? I know it would be a very thick piece of foam, but, in my head at least, it would allow for a large number of models ready to go.


I think there is. I’ve got to find some time to play with designing the layout in my programs to see how many ships could safely be stored still. And then compare the number of ships stored per total thickness of foam between all the different configurations. After that, is time to compare the cost of each tray between the different configurations (thicker foam is more expensive, but if you need less of it overall…)
I don’t think the foam would not have to be too much thicker then it would to hold the ships in a normal vertical position.

Cpt Kangaroo
05-05-2013, 14:12
I am just seeing this thread, sorry for being slow...

Cory, I hope all is well now up your way.

As an alternet idea...

My thought would be this. Go with laying on the side. Only store the trays vertically, transporting them like beehive 'supers'. When you are not using your fleet, as in being 'in ordinary', have them mount into a 3d picture frame, to be displayed on the wall. This maximizes use and provides convenience in storage. I would use generic shapes so the groupings could be customized. This would have to be a delux option, but with our creative crew members, I bet some creative juices are flowing. Personally I would prefer the other items to be stored separately. One other advantage would be if they were in linked pairs, they could be displayed at the game site as in an open book standing on its edge, for easy ship choosing.

Diamondback
05-05-2013, 17:40
Or make it with each row being a separate foam insert to slide in or out... problem is three slots per row and split the Kickstarters into two rows, or four and have an empty slot?

Mizzen
06-26-2013, 22:22
I am up for the upright position.

What kind of transport bag? I was thinking the bag could not only hold the minis but somehow hold the future map that Ares will put out.....is that possible?

Gunner
06-26-2013, 23:01
I am up for the upright position.

What kind of transport bag? I was thinking the bag could not only hold the minis but somehow hold the future map that Ares will put out.....is that possible?

It's always good to hear from someone who can think outside of the box. I never thought of anything larger than the WoG trays. But a longer tray to hold the heavy mats and the light ships above them sound like a good idea. But finding the right size bag could be a problem.

The Royal Hajj
06-27-2013, 08:13
At 27" (68cm) on the shortest side, a bag to hold the mat and the ships would be impractical really. The footprint of a bag that size would be very large and hard to carry around. Now, a tube or something to put the mat into and attach to the bag, now that might work.

7eat51
06-27-2013, 08:18
But finding the right size bag could be a problem.

And expensive, given the length of playing mats. Here is a possible bag style: http://www.amazon.com/Sandpiper-California-Rolling-Loadout-15-5x37x17-Inch/dp/B004HPB2A6/ref=sr_1_12?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1372342496&sr=1-12

5703

Gunner
06-27-2013, 11:11
Checkout Tactical bags (Texsport Canvas Tactical Bag, 34" x 15" x 12") on Amazon. Not only cheap($33.49) but free shipping too.
Should be enough room to carry a couple of mats plus a layer of ships.
Since I need a range bag that size, I just ordered one. If it's any good I'll let you know.

The Royal Hajj
06-27-2013, 12:12
Checkout Tactical bags (Texsport Canvas Tactical Bag, 34" x 15" x 12") on Amazon. Not only cheap($33.49) but free shipping too.
Should be enough room to carry a couple of mats plus a layer of ships.
Since I need a range bag that size, I just ordered one. If it's any good I'll let you know.

I personally would be concerned about the quality of that bag. My folks have been in the upholstery/bag/leather/sewing business for about 25 years now and even massed produced, that is extremely cheap for the amount of materiel and labor for a bag that size. I hope it works out of you though.

Another concern of using a bag that is large enough to fit the mats is that it is not going to hold the trays for the ships very well. Either the trays for the ships are going to have to be huge, making them hard to get in and out, or you are going to have a lot of filler foam to secure smaller trays.... or lastly, lots of smaller trays to fill the large space. Meaning until you have lots of ships, you will have to spend money on empty trays just to fill the bag and hold them safely in place.

Diamondback
06-27-2013, 13:02
Not trays, but another idea for us who like "hard shell" storage... While I was in an office-supply store the other day, I saw a 16-pack of 0.3-liter plastic boxes that I was wondering how they'd do for Sog or WoG with a little added padding, say 1/16" to 1/8" of foam sheet lining the inside plus whatever added for dividers.
http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/images/onlineshop/rub/fullsize/b00_3litre4.jpg
Dimensions
External: 4 3⁄4"L x 3 3⁄8"W x 2 9⁄16"D
Internal: 3 9⁄16"L x 2 9⁄16"W x 2 1⁄8"D

What do you guys who've been hands-on think about these for only transporting a few ships at a time? (I was also thinking one Organizer Pack of 16 would probably handle everything except bombers and balloons for WGF, ditto a second for WGS...)

jasperrdm
06-27-2013, 13:46
Since you are thinking outside the box, how about the cheap tupperware/rubbermaid microwaveable food containers. Also one the roll up mats that sewers\crafters use for their hobby.

Diamondback
06-27-2013, 14:04
Possible, Roger... not so sure about roll-up mats, but the neat thing about those boxes is that my mother could run one over with her SUV and it'd come out intact. LOL (Though I've also considered asking the Big Guy if he might consider helping me design trays to fit in "Fat Fifty" ammo-cans...)

Mizzen
06-27-2013, 17:14
I personally would be concerned about the quality of that bag. My folks have been in the upholstery/bag/leather/sewing business for about 25 years now and even massed produced, that is extremely cheap for the amount of materiel and labor for a bag that size. I hope it works out of you though.

Another concern of using a bag that is large enough to fit the mats is that it is not going to hold the trays for the ships very well. Either the trays for the ships are going to have to be huge, making them hard to get in and out, or you are going to have a lot of filler foam to secure smaller trays.... or lastly, lots of smaller trays to fill the large space. Meaning until you have lots of ships, you will have to spend money on empty trays just to fill the bag and hold them safely in place.

I was thinking more "outside" the bag.....in other words, a compartment that is part of the bag but not "inside" the bag where the trays would be.

Your idea of a tube got me thinking of the bags that a fold-up camp chair comes in.....would that work and can we get such a bag.

Gunner
06-27-2013, 18:15
At 27" (68cm) on the shortest side, a bag to hold the mat and the ships would be impractical really. The footprint of a bag that size would be very large and hard to carry around. Now, a tube or something to put the mat into and attach to the bag, now that might work.

Do you think a bag and trays will be available in the Anchorage accessories by the time the SoG will be in stock? If so, that would save me a lot of time and money experimenting.

Diamondback
06-27-2013, 20:40
Or, if experimenting is going to be required, we could all brainstorm, each take one possible idea to try and report back with results about what works and what doesn't. :)

Gunner
06-27-2013, 21:35
Or, if experimenting is going to be required, we could all brainstorm, each take one possible idea to try and report back with results about what works and what doesn't. :)

I've already started mine.

"Checkout Tactical bags (Texsport Canvas Tactical Bag, 34" x 15" x 12") on Amazon. Not only cheap($33.49) but free shipping too.
Should be enough room to carry a couple of mats plus a layer of ships.
Since I need a range bag that size, I just ordered one. If it's any good I'll let you know."

Diamondback
06-27-2013, 22:23
I'll check out those boxes when I find an 0.3-liter single on the shelf and report back once the minis come out. WGF/S, I'll report on over at the Drome.

EDIT to add: was just suggesting that maybe the others might consider doing trials of their own ideas and reporting back... also, it helps to consider we all probably have different needs, like in my case an "armored" but compact outside and extreme-high-density packing inside, and thus are looking for different things in our storage, so there won't be a one-size-fits-all solution.

DeRuyter
06-28-2013, 13:40
I have all my WoG minis stored in KR trays. I am sure KR will release foam trays for SoG ships when they are released. They also have trays for X-Wing. I have several of their cardboard cases for my planes. I haven't gone for the expensive metal cases, as it is a cardboard case full of trays is about $50 shipped. Not the cheapest option to be sure...

Eric

Diamondback
06-29-2013, 20:28
So, what's our upper size limit? Per the Wikipedia chart of largest wooden ships, 1636-96 HMS Sovereign of the Seas/Royal Sovereign will be 78mm long over spars, Victory only 69 and Constitution 62.

Gunner
07-05-2013, 00:23
Has a decision been made on storing the ships (on their sides or standing up etc) in the foam trays yet?

Diamondback
07-05-2013, 01:35
We also need "width over widest spar" and "height to uppermost point" to define the envelope too.

Ed, it sounds to me like anything would have to be designed to "trap" the base and avoid direct contact with the ship. Could be done vertical (long axis up/down) or sideways (90-degree rotate on long axis, but I'd figure "tabletop flat" is most probable.

Cpt Kangaroo
07-19-2013, 15:35
OK, I have had some reflection time and I think I know what I want to do, once we know the size of the trays.

My thought is to make an articulated sea chest, of the classic shape, with the upper lid opening to rule books etc, maybe more.

The main body of the chest would be in 2 - 3 trays that would clamp together, but come apart for ship selection.

It would be made of a very light wood covered in old world map printed fabric (if I can just remember where I saw some) so it would be a nice nautical theme and well protected.

How exactly? Well, I guess I better think fast.

Gunner
07-19-2013, 16:19
Since I’m partial to the Portable Warfare Sergeant case with the top and the front openings, I think the Sabol type trays are strong enough to support the ships and cards, and are neat and easy to access. The grey case with an iron on picture or patch of a man of war would look great.

Mizzen
07-19-2013, 16:38
I have all my WoG minis stored in KR trays. I am sure KR will release foam trays for SoG ships when they are released. They also have trays for X-Wing. I have several of their cardboard cases for my planes. I haven't gone for the expensive metal cases, as it is a cardboard case full of trays is about $50 shipped. Not the cheapest option to be sure...

Eric

Well, I just sent them an email inquiring what, if anything they have in the works for trays. If they answer back I will let ya know.:rum:

Mizzen
07-22-2013, 16:05
Well, I just sent them an email inquiring what, if anything they have in the works for trays. If they answer back I will let ya know.:rum:

I got a response today from KR trays. It was short and sweet and stated that there might be something ready in September.

Rabbit
08-27-2013, 02:59
All,

My first wish would be to store the minis in such a way as to maintain their attitude in transit, that is, if they go into the box/ bag vertical, they stay that way during carriage.

I have seen some boxes made, where the ships are laid in "vertically", the box is closed and because the handle is on one side, when picked up all the models instantly rotate through 90 degrees. :erk:

This is true of the GW transport cases, in the form of attaché cases.

A lot will depend upon whether or not the ship is rigged, for those of us who intend to add rigging to their models, having a foam blanket around the model might seem like a good idea, but, if loaded in vertically, it may mean grabbing the masts to remove the ship from the case, with obvious risk to the rigging

Laying the ship on its side however, may also risk damaging the rigging, especially as the bases are larger than the hulls and the spars will be taking the weight.

My preference would be for the bases to be magnetic, either as made or by the addition of neodymium magnets.

A (foam) frame around the bases, but only 1/2 inch / 12mm or so high, with a semicircular cut out to insert a digit, to pry up the base, or a tab of ribbon to lift the base up so it can be gripped.

I would want the case to be rigid, so if some clown placed a stack of books on top, :angry: the models would survive (I am not talking making it strong enough to stand on).

I would want any handle to be placed such that it was likely that the average lands-man would tend to keep the box orientated in its proper direction.

Shoulder straps I would suggest are likely to be a no-no.

rabbit

Gunner
08-27-2013, 04:12
From what I've seen so far, it shouldn't make much difference which way stock SoG ships lie in a case. If one adds rigging, ratlines, etc., that's another story.

Wartrain
08-27-2013, 10:12
I thought the one (ONLY ONE) bright side about the bases being so thick is from the Gencon pictures it looks like it should be easy to glue rare earth magnets in the hollow space without drilling or modifying the bases. 6487

Devsdoc
08-27-2013, 15:02
Hi All,
I think that you are all too concerned about handling the ships, Rigged or unrigged (see my album). I use Large sandwich boxes (for 12-13 ships) with a nonslip mat cut to size and add a sheet of bubble wrap over the top before closing the lid. As I do not plan to throw them around and they have been to many games and events I am happy with this. I did put the boxes in a larger box which broke and the lot landed on the floor (a 2-3 ft drop) and had no damage. I have now a large plastic box to put the sandwich boxes in.
Be safe
Rory

Rabbit
08-29-2013, 11:05
Hi All,
I think that you are all too concerned about handling the ships, Rigged or unrigged ....
Rory

Yes, thanks for this rory, I have seen how you illustrate handling your ships, and am impressed by the strength they seem to have.

however, once upon a time, when gaming with some of my mates, whenever we packed our figures for a game, along with the dice and the tape, would be a tube of glue, as a wheel would come off a tank, figures would come off their bases, or some other catastrophe would befall them, like being covered with scrambled egg! :cry:

maybe when you grip the ship, you don't pretend to be the man of steel, or maybe I have just been unlucky.

My boss used to describe me as risk averse!

rabbit

Devsdoc
08-29-2013, 15:22
Yes, thanks for this rory, I have seen how you illustrate handling your ships, and am impressed by the strength they seem to have.

however, once upon a time, when gaming with some of my mates, whenever we packed our figures for a game, along with the dice and the tape, would be a tube of glue, as a wheel would come off a tank, figures would come off their bases, or some other catastrophe would befall them, like being covered with scrambled egg! :cry:

maybe when you grip the ship, you don't pretend to be the man of steel, or maybe I have just been unlucky.

My boss used to describe me as risk averse!

rabbit

Rab,
A ships has only 5 main parts, 6 if you count the base. All pulled together with rigging. I too have had bits fall of wargame figs in my time, but scrambled egg. :question:
Be safe
Rory

Rabbit
08-30-2013, 09:33
Rory, and now you know why I want my ships wrapped in gossamer, plucked from the wings of angels, then wrapped in a large steel box, marked "THIS WAY UP" and with a huge razor sharp spike on the top to discourage anyone from sitting on it.

to quote someone more eloquent than me...
"just because you are paranoid, does not mean they are not out to get you"

you keep safe too

Rab

csadn
08-30-2013, 16:39
Rory, and now you know why I want my ships wrapped in gossamer, plucked from the wings of angels, then wrapped in a large steel box, marked "THIS WAY UP" and with a huge razor sharp spike on the top to discourage anyone from sitting on it.

This is where I find a box which can be made to look like yours; make it up appropriately; smash the hell out of it; then when you're not looking, conceal the actual box, and replace it with the fake.... >;)

Devsdoc
08-30-2013, 18:21
This is where I find a box which can be made to look like yours; make it up appropriately; smash the hell out of it; then when you're not looking, conceal the actual box, and replace it with the fake.... >;)
Chris,
Play nice!
Be safe
Rory

Gunner
08-30-2013, 18:57
This is where I find a box which can be made to look like yours; make it up appropriately; smash the hell out of it; then when you're not looking, conceal the actual box, and replace it with the fake.... >;)

Chris, I worry about you.

Diamondback
08-31-2013, 01:20
Somebody just got a Baby Ruth bar scheduled for delivery into his punchbowl. :P

Rabbit
08-31-2013, 13:46
This is where I find a box which can be made to look like yours; make it up appropriately; smash the hell out of it; then when you're not looking, conceal the actual box, and replace it with the fake.... >;)

And how we would laugh! :happy: :happy: :happy:

... Afterwards :takecover:

rabbit

csadn
09-02-2013, 14:06
And how we would laugh! :happy: :happy: :happy:

... Afterwards :takecover:

Keys to a Good Practical Joke:

1) Do no actual harm. (Hence the replacement of the original with a carefully-made -- and demolished -- clone.)
2) Confuse or alarm, but do not humiliate. (AKA "The Carrie Rule". >:) )
3) Make sure when the trigger is pulled, you are *not* in the vicinity. (The mark will invariably look to the people standing around pointing and laughing for the perpetrator; one need only be there long enough to see it has worked -- then one should become Scarce.)

The works of baseball player, and invertebrate prankster*, Jay Johnstone are required reading on the topic.

[*: He was spineless in his inability to not pull pranks. >;) ]

As to those wondering about me: Look at my avatar -- what part of that says "nice guy"? ;)

"You cheated!"
"Pirate...."

Diamondback
09-02-2013, 17:13
2) Confuse or alarm, but do not humiliate. (AKA "The Carrie Rule". >:) )
Sorry, some targets just BEG for UTTER, CRUSHING humiliation--the To The Manor Born With Silver Spoon In Mouth And Head Firmly Lodged In Arse power-class, for example.

csadn
09-03-2013, 15:03
Sorry, some targets just BEG for UTTER, CRUSHING humiliation--the To The Manor Born With Silver Spoon In Mouth And Head Firmly Lodged In Arse power-class, for example.

For those requiring Humiliation, one proceeds beyond the realm of the Practical Joke -- and into the realm usually labeled "Felony".... >:)

Diamondback
09-03-2013, 18:12
Depends how it's done... you can be Crushingly Humiliating and still legal, like an embarrassing question you KNOW they're gonna lie to with the proof they're filling the bilges with Brown Smelly conveniently at hand.

csadn
09-04-2013, 14:25
Depends how it's done... you can be Crushingly Humiliating and still legal, like an embarrassing question you KNOW they're gonna lie to with the proof they're filling the bilges with Brown Smelly conveniently at hand.

Well, that also requires Being In The Room With The Mark -- and in some cases, that address has Permanent Fatal Errors. :)

Diamondback
09-04-2013, 23:01
Chris, back in junior-high and high-school I preferred the works of George Hayduke. LOL

csadn
09-05-2013, 16:11
Chris, back in junior-high and high-school I preferred the works of George Hayduke. LOL

Ah -- another disciple.... >:)

I guess we come by our avatars honestly -- well, as honestly as our type can manage....

Diamondback
09-05-2013, 20:35
"Screw unto others before they get unto you!" LOL

csadn
09-06-2013, 15:39
"Screw unto others before they get unto you!" LOL

"Who falls behind... is left behind." >:)

Gunner
09-06-2013, 16:07
"Screw unto others before they get unto you!" LOL

Are you and Chris related or just kindred spirits?

David Manley
09-06-2013, 16:09
Are you and Chris related or just kindred spirits?

God I hope not, we don't need two of them!! :happy:

Diamondback
09-06-2013, 17:00
*Palpatine cackle* Oh heck no... I fight a LOT dirtier once somebody lights me off.

Three quotes that are my guiding philosophy on life:
"Don't confuse patience with weakness."
"Beware the fury of a patient man."
"The truth told with ill intent beats all the lies a man can invent."

Though Chris and I do part ways on that last one: "Never leave a man behind."

csadn
09-07-2013, 14:50
Are you and Chris related or just kindred spirits?

Well, the similarity of avatars should suggest the latter.... ;)

7eat51
11-12-2013, 07:15
Keith, the idea of the laser is great, especially for making trays to order.

I look forward to the other creations you mentioned, e.g. forts.

The Royal Hajj
11-12-2013, 08:36
Yes, being able to produce a single tray to match a customers collection again will be really nice. Of course, it will take me a little while to get up to speed on manufacturing these myself.

Cool Breeze
11-17-2013, 03:31
Keith, just noticed this thread now. Based on my experience with the demo kit which we discussed in email, I'd recommend option 3 in the OP.

Eric, what do you think based upon the way I packaged them with extra foam?

jnewell68
12-26-2013, 14:19
Hi Guys,

Have 17 ships that desperately need a good storage/travel solution. any updates on a Foam case? Any other suggestions?


Thanks, Jeff

Cool Breeze
12-26-2013, 15:07
Hi Guys,

Have 17 ships that desperately need a good storage/travel solution. any updates on a Foam case? Any other suggestions?


Thanks, Jeff

No word on anything official yet.

I ordered some pluck foam for the interim. Not sure it'll work well yet or not though as I've yet to even be notified on My UPS that my ships have even sailed and I'm in the 4-5 day delivery window after that. :cry:

Gunner
12-26-2013, 15:16
No word on anything official yet.

I ordered some pluck foam for the interim. Not sure it'll work well yet or not though as I've yet to even be notified on My UPS that my ships have even sailed and I'm in the 4-5 day delivery window after that. :cry:

Curtis, what size pluck foam did you order for the ships, 3"?

Cool Breeze
12-26-2013, 15:51
Curtis, what size pluck foam did you order for the ships, 3"?

Affirmative. Two 3" trays. Which is part of why I'm not sure how they'll work. In my haste to get the demo kit ships off to the next venue, I totally forgot to measure the biggest ships. I think height-wise theyll be fine, but the 3" trays I got have 1" pluck pieces, which might be too thick if they're more than 1" thick, as I'm sure they aren't close to 3" thick. I'm hoping the sails are just under 2" wide. That'd be perfect. I plan on storing the bases on their sides or in another tray entirely. It'll depend on how the pluck foam shapes out and what's left over.

My other issue is my lovely wife got me a ton of Dust models for Christmas and holding out for my SoG ships to use the foam for is driving me nuts. :cannonboom:

Gunner
12-26-2013, 16:12
Curtis, the BLU Pluck and Sabol foam trays have 1/2" plucks.

Cool Breeze
12-26-2013, 16:25
Curtis, the BLU Pluck and Sabol foam trays have 1/2" plucks.


Yes they do, and I've been very happy with the BLU stuff I've used in the past. However, my FLGS only carries Battlefoam now, and I actually ordered mine during their 25% off Black Friday sale. Plus, I got the limited edition blue 720 bag. I thought a blue bag for my sailing vessels highly appropriate. While I can fit two BLU trays in the 720 turned sideways, it's not a perfect fit - almost too snug front-to-back, 1-inch left over space side-to-side. It's what I'll do if the BF foam is not going to fit right.

For others who haven't invested yet in a bag, I'd highly recommend one that fits the BLU foam, as it's much softer and more flexible than the others, and will probably be better for the sails of our little fleets. The bases are firm though, so there is very little twist in the trays when models are in them. Definitely my favorite foam, just not my favorite bags. BF bags, while pricey, are very, very stout.

jnewell68
12-26-2013, 16:29
any links or pics for all this stuff?

Its like a foreign language to this long time boardgamer but new mini guy.

:-)

The Royal Hajj
12-26-2013, 16:31
The BLU foam is nice... but nothing compared to the new foam I will be using :shootright:

Gunner
12-26-2013, 16:54
The BLU foam is nice... but nothing compared to the new foam I will be using :shootright:

If I ever get my rank back, I'll order some.

Cool Breeze
12-26-2013, 16:56
The BLU foam is nice... but nothing compared to the new foam I will be using :shootright:

Which is...?

Official foam coming out? K/R Multicase and Ares continuing the love? I'd buy it if they do! I use K/R for my Dropzone Commander stuff and love it!

@ jnewell68...

Battlefoam - http://us.battlefoam.com/
K/R Multicase - http://www.krmulticase.com/
Portable Warfare (Blü Foam) - http://www.portablewarfare.com/products/
Sabol Designs - http://www.saboldesigns.net/home.html

Welcome to the miniatures gaming addiction! :drinks:

Andy Blozinski
12-26-2013, 17:11
After you've plucked the foam for whatever your custom desired shape is...do you guys reinforce the remaining foam "ribs" that are left with something so it's pluck nature doesn't come back to haunt you by eventually coming apart through continued hands pulling stuff out, bumping, and such?

Gunner
12-26-2013, 17:23
After you've plucked the foam for whatever your custom desired shape is...do you guys reinforce the remaining foam "ribs" that are left with something so it's pluck nature doesn't come back to haunt you by eventually coming apart through continued hands pulling stuff out, bumping, and such?

If the figures are heavy, I use a thin line of elmers glue on the bottom of the unglued ribs.

The Royal Hajj
12-26-2013, 19:18
Which is...?

I'm copying this from my post on the Aerodrome site, so it talks about planes instead of ships. The foam type and details still apply though...



I've spent a lot of time searching for and researching different foam types to use. I've narrowed it down to two main types of foams. These foams are not being used by any of the other miniatures storage companies. These are a higher quality and denser types of foam and will allow for some very unique and useful options to the trays.

My old style foam (and the foam used by "the other guys") looks like this:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116918&d=1385916864

As you can see, with just a little pressure you can easily compress the foam. This type of foam gives good protection to your minis from bouncing around in the cutouts, but offers little protection to the top layers of minis if something, or someone, should fall on top of them.

One of the new types of foam I'm testing is shown below. As you will see in this photo, the same pressure applied to it hardly makes a dent in the foam at all.

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116919&d=1385916864

This new type of foam has a much smaller "bubble structure" and gives it great strength. These new style trays should not bend when you load them full of planes and pick them up from one end. It also has a much smoother surface, so some of the pointy bits of your minis will be a lot less likely to get stuck in the foam. The other type (see the next 4 photos below) I'm testing has a larger bubble structure, but is chemically completely different. It has a very nice looking textured surface and will offer great protection in every direction. With both of these new foam types, I'll be able to offer some visual combinations...

Entente and Allied trays:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116922&d=1385916866

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116921&d=1385916865

Central Powers and Axis trays:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116856&d=1384639415

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116855&d=1384639414

Having different colors for the base layer will allow us to quickly identify which side's planes are in which trays. Just open up your bag and you can instantly see which trays hold your German planes for example.

The base layer is also of a even more dense foam, again adding to the protection and durability of the trays.

With any of the new foam types I"m looking at, there is another benefit that I'm excited to tell you guys about. And that is that not only can the cavities be cut out with the laser, but I can actually engrave on them too!

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116858&d=1384639417

That photo does not really do it justice, but the word Plane is engraved right into the foam. It is a very clean engraving and would allow me the option to engrave the name of the plane next to each cavity, or even which types of planes are in that tray. With that last option, you could open your bag and the sides of the trays would tell you which planes were in each one! I can only do this on the long side of the trays as the laser I'm getting is not deep enough to engrave on the short end of the trays (they are 13 inches long that way).

Doing all of this in house will also allow me to offer custom layouts for those of you that collect your ships in numbers other than one of each Wave.

Gunner
12-26-2013, 19:41
Keith, have you tried a test for vertical and horizontal ships?

I'm waiting for my ships to arrive to see if they are strong enough to be stored on its side (my preference) without damage to added rigging.

Andy Blozinski
12-26-2013, 20:54
I have a piece of that last foam you're showing in my garage. That is some amazing stuff. Eeeh, I threw one piece away because the wife was wanting to clear garage space. I saved the other to cut up for some Flames of War terrain. That is some durable tough foam. It has a soft surface. It will compress a little bit easily, but will not compress a large amount easily.

Cool Breeze
12-26-2013, 22:59
Battlefoam's newer foam, especially the precut stuff, appears to be exactly like that.

However, their newer pluck stuff is about half way between the two you show.

So, Keith, I've been a bit busy of late (the days leading up to the holidays are very busy for our Marshal's office - lots of people make poor choices) and probably missed your plans going forward here...

Will you be offering precut foam trays for sale? Would you be able to do different sizes than the standard Sabol size? If so, I'd love to email you my request. :thumbsup:

Berthier
12-27-2013, 01:40
Are there supposed to be pictures of foam in Keith's post because I cant see them...

Shoot@Me
12-27-2013, 08:24
Yes, pictures four posts above yours. I see them all just fine.

I really like what you're working on, Keith.

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 08:34
Keith, have you tried a test for vertical and horizontal ships?

I'm waiting for my ships to arrive to see if they are strong enough to be stored on its side (my preference) without damage to added rigging.

I think vertical is going to be the best bet for rigged ships. Storing them on their sides with out the bases attached has them flopping around quite a bit. Storing them on their side with the base attached puts a little to much pressure on the mast than I am comfortable with. Your mileage may very of course.


Battlefoam's newer foam, especially the precut stuff, appears to be exactly like that.

When did they switch to new foam. The latest I've seen is still the standard foam. I also did not see anything on their site showing this same kind of foam (but I did not dig really deep either).

Cool Breeze
12-27-2013, 08:56
A few months back. Maybe several actually. It started with their Privateer Press line and their Flames of War stuff. I've got older, much softer foam with my initial bgs of both of those. The newer foam is much stouter. They've also started reinforcing their bag handles, as some of the Privateer Press models are serious hunks of metal, and there were some accidents. It may not be quite as hard as what you've got there, but it sure appears similar from the photos you've shared.

Forgot to add...

You still haven't answered my questions, which of course depending on the answers could make all of this a moot point.

I'd really like to know if you are making custom foam for sale, as my FLGS is making another order in a week or so. I'm hoping I'll have my ships before then and an answer from you, so know if I need to order something different from him or from you.

David Manley
12-27-2013, 09:24
I think vertical is going to be the best bet for rigged ships. Storing them on their sides with out the bases attached has them flopping around quite a bit. Storing them on their side with the base attached puts a little to much pressure on the mast than I am comfortable with. Your mileage may very of course.

I think Keith is spot on with this.

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 09:44
A few months back. Maybe several actually. It started with their Privateer Press line and their Flames of War stuff. I've got older, much softer foam with my initial bgs of both of those. The newer foam is much stouter. They've also started reinforcing their bag handles, as some of the Privateer Press models are serious hunks of metal, and there were some accidents. It may not be quite as hard as what you've got there, but it sure appears similar from the photos you've shared.


Interesting, I'll have to see about getting one of those new trays to check it out.



You still haven't answered my questions, which of course depending on the answers could make all of this a moot point.

I'd really like to know if you are making custom foam for sale, as my FLGS is making another order in a week or so. I'm hoping I'll have my ships before then and an answer from you, so know if I need to order something different from him or from you.

It depends on what you mean by custom. I will be able to cut any shape/size of cavity for the mini to fit into, but I'm limited to 12x24 inches for the overall tray size. Anything with an overall tray size larger than 7.5x13 inches (Sabol , Army Transport, BLU Foam, etc.) will require a "special custom order". lol I'm having blanks make for my trays that are already cut to size and I just laser the cavities and assemble them.

Cool Breeze
12-27-2013, 10:01
I think Keith is spot on with this.

I'll take it a step further and recommend storing the bases separately, or make sure your foam is the exact height of the masts of the ships on their bases, as I've seen what happens when the base gets jostled off. It isn't pretty.

Gunner
12-27-2013, 10:03
Keith, are you going to call the "Port packs or Port trays"?

Gunner
12-27-2013, 10:08
I'll take it a step further and recommend storing the bases separately, or make sure your foam is the exact height of the masts of the ships on their bases, as I've seen what happens when the base gets jostled off. It isn't pretty.

But leave a little room for those who will add flags. (Do you have a headache yet)?

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 10:25
I'll take it a step further and recommend storing the bases separately, or make sure your foam is the exact height of the masts of the ships on their bases, as I've seen what happens when the base gets jostled off. It isn't pretty.

I don't think that will be possible since over time the ships will have different heights. Besides, I don't think what you saw will be an issue when carrying your own minis, just those times you hire the Post Office to carry them for you. lol That issue was also caused by me using whatever sized pluck foam I had on hand at the moment. With a cavity sized correctly, I don't think you will see much shifting around of the base.

I am thinking of some type of "stopper" insert that could be placed in there to help secure the base with attached ships down though.


Keith, are you going to call the "Port packs or Port trays"?

I was thinking "Drydock Trays" actually.


But leave a little room for those who will add flags. (Do you have a headache yet)?

As long as the flags are below the highest point of the mast, there should not be any issues. In the thicker foams, any additional thickness really increases the price... not to mention takes up that much more room in our bag/case.

GreenLaborMike
12-27-2013, 10:39
Another way to throw money at this game? Where do I sign up?!?! :moneygone:

But seriously, I'm happy to know that my ships will find a good home when they aren't busy smashing each other to pieces (figuratively speaking!). I'm looking forward to seeing the final product!

Gunner
12-27-2013, 10:42
BTW Keith, when will you start taking preorders for the trays?

Cool Breeze
12-27-2013, 11:18
BTW Keith, when will you start taking preorders for the trays?

+1 to this, but I'll be leaning towards the, "special custom" option as I'll want 15.5" x 12" trays. Because this...

Battlefoam P.A.C.K. 720 - Blue (http://us.battlefoam.com/productimage.php?product_id=920)

is too pretty not to use. :wink:

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 11:18
BTW Keith, when will you start taking preorders for the trays?

Short answer, about the 2nd week of Jan.

Long answer...

I picked up my laser last Friday and with all the holiday activities, I've had very little time to play with it. On top of that, the exhaust system I built has some leaks I'm sorting out. Turns out, melted acrylic is kind of stinky! lol The wife is not to happy about that :girlieangry:

Hopefully that will be sorted out with my efforts yesterday. If that is the case, I'll start dialing in the settings for my various materials over the next week. The final foam/PSA samples are due to me on the 30th. That puts me cutting prototypes no earlier than about the 2nd. As long as those go good, I'll put them up for pre-order around the weekend of the 4th. There is about a month lead time to get the blanks in and then it's just a matter of cutting and assembling the trays. I think I can cut about 25 trays an hour, but no clue yet how long the PSA will have to "situp" to make a good bond. I'll also get the already pre-ordered Wings of Glory trays out first. Best case I think I might be shipping these trays in March.

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 11:20
+1 to this, but I'll be leaning towards the, "special custom" option as I'll want 15.5" x 12" trays. Because this...

Battlefoam P.A.C.K. 720 - Blue (http://us.battlefoam.com/productimage.php?product_id=920)

is too pretty not to use. :wink:

Yes, BF does make some nice bags, too bad they over price them though.

Cool Breeze
12-27-2013, 11:32
Yes, BF does make some nice bags, too bad they over price them though.

That's what Black Friday 25% off is for. :sly::thumbsup::happy:

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 11:41
True, if you don't think about that is what their normal price should be and that you would have gotten 25% off that price. lol

Gunner
12-27-2013, 11:53
I'm partial to open top & open front bags as well. Very easy to get the trays.

Coog
12-27-2013, 11:57
I'm partial to open top & open front bags as well. Very easy to get the trays.

I miss Keith's bags. Wish I had got a couple more.

tmon
12-27-2013, 12:14
Keith I volunteer to test the new packing and box. :)

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 12:30
I'm partial to open top & open front bags as well. Very easy to get the trays.

+1


I miss Keith's bags. Wish I had got a couple more.

Me too :( I'd love to produce my own bags, but the startup funds need are really high.

Coog
12-27-2013, 12:52
+1



Me too :( I'd love to produce my own bags, but the startup funds need are really high.

Kickstarter feasible?

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 13:06
Kickstarter feasible?

Possible, but I'd want to have a couple of finished sample to show and just getting those made would set me back a couple of grand. That's a couple of grand I could not use for minis or my other products. My folks are supposed to move out to Colorado full time next year (they winter in Florida right now) and bring some of their equipment back with them. They have had an upholstery or leather garment manufacturing company for the past 40+ years. If they have time to make the patterns and samples for me, it might become a real possibility at that point.

If I had a bag that would work, I'd actually rather make the Drydock Trays stand up in the bag vertically with the ships loaded in from the side (but still sitting up right on their stands). This would give the absolute best fit for them while pretty much mobilizing them in the tray with nothing touching the ship its self.

Cool Breeze
12-27-2013, 16:05
That'd be a really cool family project!

csadn
12-27-2013, 16:34
I've spent a lot of time searching for and researching different foam types to use. I've narrowed it down to two main types of foams. These foams are not being used by any of the other miniatures storage companies. These are a higher quality and denser types of foam and will allow for some very unique and useful options to the trays.

My old style foam (and the foam used by "the other guys") looks like this:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116918&d=1385916864

As you can see, with just a little pressure you can easily compress the foam. This type of foam gives good protection to your minis from bouncing around in the cutouts, but offers little protection to the top layers of minis if something, or someone, should fall on top of them.

One of the new types of foam I'm testing is shown below. As you will see in this photo, the same pressure applied to it hardly makes a dent in the foam at all.

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=116919&d=1385916864

This new type of foam has a much smaller "bubble structure" and gives it great strength. These new style trays should not bend when you load them full of planes and pick them up from one end. It also has a much smoother surface, so some of the pointy bits of your minis will be a lot less likely to get stuck in the foam. The other type (see the next 4 photos below) I'm testing has a larger bubble structure, but is chemically completely different. It has a very nice looking textured surface and will offer great protection in every direction. With both of these new foam types, I'll be able to offer some visual combinations...

Silly Question: Why not have both types -- the latter forming the "top" and "bottom" where added protection is needed; the former in the middle where squishiness is preferred?

The Royal Hajj
12-27-2013, 16:41
Silly Question: Why not have both types -- the latter forming the "top" and "bottom" where added protection is needed; the former in the middle where squishiness is preferred?

Material and labor costs, not to mention it would be thicker and take up more room in the bag. That and we really don't want squishiness anyways. So long as the foam is soft enough not to damage the minis when they brush against it, the denser the better really.

tmon
01-01-2014, 08:02
Keith on the foam is there a way you could have an inset above the ship to put it's cards?

The Royal Hajj
01-01-2014, 08:09
My initial thought for storing the cards was to keep them in the same cavity, but under the ship and base. But I'll have to double check the height of all of that combined to see if it is going to be too tall for the 3 inch foam. The other thing I forgot to account for since I did not have an actual production ship pack is the ship log that comes with them. I'll have to come up with a good way to store those as well.

The Royal Hajj
01-01-2014, 08:09
Just some quick photos for you guys...

Old style tray "supporting" a cordless drill (it will not even stand up):

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=118404&d=1388544518

New style top foam (no bottom foam!) supporting that same drill:

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=118403&d=1388544517

As you can see, the new foam is much denser, but it's actually smoother in feel than the old style.

7eat51
01-01-2014, 08:32
That's impressive - very sturdy, very protective.

Cool Breeze
01-04-2014, 11:31
Yeah, that's better stuff than the new BF foam. It is definitely different in texture with that lighting. Not the same like I thought from the other photos.

Cool Breeze
01-04-2014, 11:40
My initial thought for storing the cards was to keep them in the same cavity, but under the ship and base. But I'll have to double check the height of all of that combined to see if it is going to be too tall for the 3 inch foam. The other thing I forgot to account for since I did not have an actual production ship pack is the ship log that comes with them. I'll have to come up with a good way to store those as well.

I was leaning towards using a 1/2" or 1" pluck foam tray above each ship to store its cards, ship log, and base.

I was figuring a 1-2" pluck tray for the ship mats and misc. tokens, damage chits, terrain pieces, etc.

Might be worth seeing what custom trays can be made to hold the misc. stuff while you're at it.

Both K/R and BF did such trays for X-Wing. I quickly outgrew the BF one when the second wave of ships came out. Might lend an eye to growth. :wink:

The Royal Hajj
01-04-2014, 11:58
On the Wings side of things, I've always had a tray for the game bits. I'll continue this for Sails as best I can.

Cool Breeze
01-04-2014, 12:46
On the Wings side of things, I've always had a tray for the game bits. I'll continue this for Sails as best I can.
To quote my youngest daughter...

Yay me!

Tommy Z
01-04-2014, 16:03
.....just hurry up and take my money already! :smack::moneygone:

It looks like you're on the right track Keith. :thumbsup:

fredmiracle
01-23-2014, 20:32
For my Axis and Allies ships I just have baseball card boxes for the cards, and Plano boxes for the ships. Upon opening the first SoG ship it became clear that something like that was not an option, and that I really needed to put each ship right back in the original box in the original configuration after looking at it or examining the stats, or things would quickly become completely unmanageable.

On the other hand, my next thought was--actually the original box makes a pretty nice storage container.

So... how will the foam storage solutions compare to just using the original packaging? Is the custom storage solution... safer? more compact? quicker to access? has other qualities I'm not thinking of?

Andy Blozinski
01-23-2014, 21:44
For my Axis and Allies ships I just have baseball card boxes for the cards, and Plano boxes for the ships. Upon opening the first SoG ship it became clear that something like that was not an option, and that I really needed to put each ship right back in the original box in the original configuration after looking at it or examining the stats, or things would quickly become completely unmanageable.

On the other hand, my next thought was--actually the original box makes a pretty nice storage container.

So... how will the foam storage solutions compare to just using the original packaging? Is the custom storage solution... safer? more compact? quicker to access? has other qualities I'm not thinking of?
The individual ship packages are pretty nice...and only hold one ship.

fredmiracle
01-23-2014, 21:51
The individual ship packages are pretty nice...and only hold one ship.

Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...

Gunner
01-23-2014, 23:24
Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...


Your last sentence says it all.:drinks:

The Royal Hajj
01-24-2014, 08:18
Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...

Storing them in the foam trays will take up slightly less room than the Ship Pack boxes. They will offer way more protection however. If you just play at home, the Ship Pack boxes would work just fine for you. However, if you have to go to a store or club to play, the foam trays will work out much better for you. Not only keeping them safer, but making it easier to access all the components needed to play a ship.

Cool Breeze
01-24-2014, 08:34
Say Keith, I didn't measure all of them, but for the Frigates wouldn't a 2.5" tray be better than a 3" one? Less overall space plus less tipping?

@ Fred - In addition to other folks comments on why foam I'll add that I like the convenience if grabbing just one bag knowing everything is in it. Nothing worse than getting to the FLGS and realizing you left a shop or necessary components home.


Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

I just tuck those into the top slot of the one next to it for now. One tucked in, the other below. Keeps the box integrity but accomplishes the space saving you're after. :wink:

Gunner
01-24-2014, 11:48
Say Keith, I didn't measure all of them, but for the Frigates wouldn't a 2.5" tray be better than a 3" one? Less overall space plus less tipping?

I don't think 2.5" would work on SOL's without bending the mainmast or at least making it hard to remove from the tray safely.:beer:

Cool Breeze
01-24-2014, 15:17
I don't think 2.5" would work on SOL's without bending the mainmast or at least making it hard to remove from the tray safely.:beer:
Which is why I very specifically said, "for the Frigates." :wink:

I'd like to have a 3" tray for SoLs and a 2.5" tray for Frigates, assuming all Frigates are less than 2.5" tall on their bases as the 3-4 I've measured so far are.

Gunner
01-24-2014, 15:31
Which is why I very specifically said, "for the Frigates." :wink:

I'd like to have a 3" tray for SoLs and a 2.5" tray for Frigates, assuming all Frigates are less than 2.5" tall on their bases as the 3-4 I've measured so far are.

I should quit scanning and start reading.:embarass:

But if I'm not mistaken, Keith said that he would match his molds to the individual ships. And if he follows suit with WOG, he will make them as they are released(2 Frigates & 2 SOL's) so far. So he would need 3" trays.:beer:

Cool Breeze
01-24-2014, 15:47
I should quit scanning and start reading.:embarass:

But if I'm not mistaken, Keith said that he would match his molds to the individual ships. And if he follows suit with WOG, he will make them as they are released(2 Frigates & 2 SOL's) so far. So he would need 3" trays.:beer:

Good to know, however Keith was going to work with me on custom sized foam that fits my Blue BF Bag. I was referencing that in my query to Keith. It was a thought that occurred to me on the fly with my reply to Fred (I chose to put it first so Keith would see it) and I put it here instead of an email just as a heads up to him about what I was thinking. I wasn't meaning for it to take over this discussion, and in retrospect I should have just kept that query private.

The Royal Hajj
01-24-2014, 15:53
My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

Cool Breeze
01-24-2014, 16:29
My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

Depends on a few variables. The first question being...

Will the ship cutouts be in the based shape, or bases off to the sides vertically with the ship logs and cards?

As far as the terrain and ship log boards go, I was thinking 2 1" trays. One for ship logs and associated markers, the other for terrain elements, coastal batteries, and their markers.

I'm also wondering about damage chit bags and rulers and wind gauges.

I think I may need to see how you're regular stock trays are going to be set up to get a better idea of what modifications my odd size could accommodate.

* Edit to add - Never thought about measuring the ship logs, lol. 3" thick it is.

Nightmoss
01-24-2014, 16:51
My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

Keith, do you have measurement information from Ares concerning the 1st Rates that are coming in Wave 2, which also makes be think of the special edition of the HMS Victory? From the photos I saw those ships will be larger still than the current SOL's. I'm just wondering how you might be planning ahead for those ships as well, much bigger and possibly smaller.

Cool Breeze
01-24-2014, 23:35
Very good point Jim. Very good point.

The Royal Hajj
01-27-2014, 08:50
Depends on a few variables. The first question being...

Will the ship cutouts be in the based shape, or bases off to the sides vertically with the ship logs and cards?

As far as the terrain and ship log boards go, I was thinking 2 1" trays. One for ship logs and associated markers, the other for terrain elements, coastal batteries, and their markers.

I'm also wondering about damage chit bags and rulers and wind gauges.

I think I may need to see how you're regular stock trays are going to be set up to get a better idea of what modifications my odd size could accommodate.

* Edit to add - Never thought about measuring the ship logs, lol. 3" thick it is.

I plan to do my standard trays for the ships attached to their bases and loaded from the top. So a really rough ship cavity in a tray would look like this from the top:

http://sailsofglory.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=8740&d=1390837745


Keith, do you have measurement information from Ares concerning the 1st Rates that are coming in Wave 2, which also makes be think of the special edition of the HMS Victory? From the photos I saw those ships will be larger still than the current SOL's. I'm just wondering how you might be planning ahead for those ships as well, much bigger and possibly smaller.

A 3 inch tray will hold the largest 1st Rates in Wave 2 by 3mm. But with the new foam that will be plenty.

Nightmoss
01-27-2014, 09:23
Thanks Keith. I'm glad you're planning ahead for the first rates. I know I'll be purchasing a few and once rigged they will need really secure storage. Cheers!

BRIAN DUNBAR
02-02-2014, 12:21
Keith I will definitely get a few of these as well as the ratlines when available.

stickywicket
02-28-2014, 11:39
I am looking forward to trays for my ships. I currently have 8 and my shelf is full of other mini's. The masts appear to be somewhat fragile.

Andy Blozinski
05-01-2014, 21:08
The down side to using card protectors........
The stack of cards is now thicker than it used to be. I'm having to jam the 37 card decks into the factory packaging. The 27 card decks aren't a problem. Just keep this in mind when designing a storage system for sale.

Gunner
05-01-2014, 22:45
Keith, do you have release date for your trays? I thought I read someplace that it would be mid May.

Gunner
06-22-2014, 22:19
Bumped. Just in case you missed this. Thanks.

The Royal Hajj
06-24-2014, 10:23
Sorry, I did miss these. These trays are suffering from the same foam melting issues as over on the Wings side of things. I've gotten 4 more samples, none of which will work. I do have one sample that works at .5 inch thickness, but the company does not make it any thicker than that. So, I have to see if another company has it or can make it for me in 1, 1.5, and 3 inch thicknesses.

ChyronDave
07-12-2014, 01:14
I have not gotten into the foam storage for the ships (though I am looking into it now that I have picked up my latest batch of ships).

The one thing I have done is I have constructed tuck boxes for the ship logs and the maneuver decks, allowing me to keep them together. I just used an online template creator and added my own artwork and text.

7eat51
07-12-2014, 09:13
I have not gotten into the foam storage for the ships (though I am looking into it now that I have picked up my latest batch of ships).

The one thing I have done is I have constructed tuck boxes for the ship logs and the maneuver decks, allowing me to keep them together. I just used an online template creator and added my own artwork and text.

You must show a picture or two when you have the chance. We enjoy looking at folks' handiwork.

ChyronDave
07-12-2014, 09:33
You must show a picture or two when you have the chance. We enjoy looking at folks' handiwork.
I'll try to get a couple of pictures up sometime soon

ChyronDave
07-12-2014, 15:12
I was looking to create a foam insert to an existing box that I picked up at the local craft store (on sale), but I have not really worked with foam before.

I was thinking using the high density foam that comes 2 in. x 22 in x 22 in (the box I have is 3 inches deep, which gives the tall ships a half inch clearance off the base). I really just need to know the best (read: most inexpensive) way of cutting the foam to size and cutting the shapes in the foam.

ChyronDave
07-13-2014, 22:25
I splurged Sunday and picked up a few pieces of pluck foam to work with. For a first attempt, I think it went well.

10578

Nightmoss
07-13-2014, 22:37
David, it does look good. Congrats! From personal experience I'd probably look into some additional protection for the Wave 2 First Rates, especially if you take them to a hobby store or anywhere out and about. Those foremasts (without the new plastic insert Ares is working on) are still susceptible to damage. If you've already repaired or reinforced them then it's probably not as much an issue?

ChyronDave
07-13-2014, 22:58
I have been very lucky, I've only had to repair one mast so far (that was right out of the package). The previous case I used had them bouncing around a bit, and I was real afraid that they would break in that case. I think that the foam is snug enough to prevent them from shifting around too much, but soft enough to keep my bulky clumsy fingers from breaking them taking them out of the foam and putting them back in.

ChyronDave
07-13-2014, 23:12
I mentioned in a previous post that I had been using tuckboxes for the ship decks and logs. Sunday I got a couple of pictures of how I store the game (shot prior to the foam insert).
10579
This case loads nearly everything needed to play the game except the ships, ship decks and ship logs. The blue felt is just a 3x3 piece that I can use for a mat.
10580
The tuck boxes I have for the ship logs and decks. The bottom bears the flag for the country the ship is from.
10581
These trays are from GMT and are perfect for holding the tokens needed for the game. They sit very flat and can stack. I have a second for the ship ammo and action tokens as well.

Nightmoss
07-13-2014, 23:25
Again, very nice. Thanks for sharing the photos and ideas!

7eat51
07-14-2014, 09:57
Nicely done, David.

Now that I am going with laminated ship logs/mats, I am rearranging my storage and transport system. I can store more ships in each bin and need not carry as much accessories; I have eliminated one case thus far.

DeRuyter
07-14-2014, 11:35
I too am changing my storage system. I have magnetized my bases and storing the decks separately.

Nice work David! Care to share your tuckbox files? :please:

ChyronDave
07-14-2014, 19:18
I can do that. Most of the images I pulled from the internet.

I also changed how I store my ships... again. I trip to Jo-Ann Fabric to look for a case that was larger than 13 by 13 had be finding something better. I have pics in an album on my page here.

Edit

Here is a link to the PDF of the boxes I have made. This excludes the Kickstarter exclusives. Also note that even though the Montagne box is a four piece ship log, it is built in the three piece box size.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76364272/ship%20boxes.pdf

Diamondback
07-14-2014, 20:19
Dave, would you consider adding boxes for the KS ships if someone fed you the info on 'em?

Nightmoss
07-14-2014, 20:23
I can do that. Most of the images I pulled from the internet.

I also changed how I store my ships... again. I trip to Jo-Ann Fabric to look for a case that was larger than 13 by 13 had be finding something better. I have pics in an album on my page here.

Edit

Here is a link to the PDF of the boxes I have made. This excludes the Kickstarter exclusives. Also note that even though the Montagne box is a four piece ship log, it is built in the three piece box size.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76364272/ship%20boxes.pdf

Wow, Dave!! Those are exceptionally nice. :thumbsup:

ChyronDave
07-14-2014, 21:00
Dave, would you consider adding boxes for the KS ships if someone fed you the info on 'em?

All I would need is the ship names, Nationality, and whether the logs are the three piece or the four piece versions.

Added

For the record, I used the following website to actually build the box templates. The artwork was added in Paint Shop Pro

http://www.templatemaker.nl/

I like this site because it can create templates for a lot of different types of items

Addenda

I think I have the four ships in the Kickstarter set, I just need to verify that they have the larger 3 piece ship logs. And, thanks to work, I probably will not get them until Friday night or the weekend.

7eat51
07-14-2014, 21:34
Two huge boxes arrived today from JoAnn's. I spent the evening transferring WWII planes from their boxes to the bins. So much nicer. All of my WoG and SoG pieces are now in clear containers that stack. It will be much easier to find and use items. I never thought I would become so fond of a craft store.

Diamondback
07-14-2014, 21:37
Eric, that's what I said when I discovered ArtBin's Super Satchel line early in my A&A/War at Sea days.

ChyronDave
07-16-2014, 23:40
Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76364272/ship%20boxes%202.pdf

Gunner
07-17-2014, 00:48
Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76364272/ship%20boxes%202.pdf

Hi Dave, what are you putting in the boxes? They seem too large for the maneuver decks..

Berthier
07-17-2014, 02:49
Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76364272/ship%20boxes%202.pdf

Very helpful David thanks.Now all you need is an avatar :shock:

ChyronDave
07-17-2014, 02:56
Hi Dave, what are you putting in the boxes? They seem too large for the maneuver decks..

They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

Gunner
07-17-2014, 03:26
They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

Ah so, thanks Dave. I'll start downloading now.:beer:

Bligh
02-16-2015, 07:55
Did the idea of foam storage trays go any further?
I'm now getting to the stage where I have too many cardboard boxes knocking about.
Bligh.

jnewell68
02-16-2015, 08:35
Did the idea of foam storage trays go any further?
I'm now getting to the stage where I have too many cardboard boxes knocking about.
Bligh.

Yes. I have all of mine in 4 'APC's from http://www.portablewarfare.com/

Jeff

The Royal Hajj
02-16-2015, 08:39
They are tied to the Wings trays Rob. As soon as I have a firm solution for those, the SGN trays will follow. After messing with things quite a bit, the best solution for the ships will be to have them top load into a thick tray attached to their bases. This will allow me to keep the same cutout sizes for all ships (there will be an over hang cut at front so the larger ships still fit). This will also allow for the ships to rigged and have ratlines added... so long as no of the additions over hang the bases to the sides/rear.

The only real thing I have left to work out is if I should offer the trays in different thicknesses. The little frigates might fit into a 1.5 inch thick tray (have to check this again, could be a 2 inch) while the 1st rates will need 2.5 or 3 inch trays.

jnewell68
02-16-2015, 08:50
Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.
12923

Bligh
02-16-2015, 08:53
Thanks Keith.
I will hold off on doing anything preemptive then. It ain't critical yet.
Rob.

jnewell68
02-16-2015, 08:55
12926
12927

Bligh
02-16-2015, 08:56
Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.
12923

That's a neat solution you have there Jeff. Thanks for sharing it.
Rob.

jnewell68
02-16-2015, 09:04
My pleasure. I didn't want to break the bank with my solution (a first for me) and these 'APCs' are cheap and have been great so far. Have traveled my kit three times and not a concern in the world.

I'm shocked to hear that folks carry their 16+ individual boxes to play. What a pain, not too mention I always worry when I remove the one and only time from the official packages that something is going to break.

meeplewizard
02-16-2015, 11:47
Yes. I have all of mine in 4 'APC's from http://www.portablewarfare.com/

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

Is the foam that you are using the Blu Foam that Portable Warfare sells? If so what size foam did you order?

Thank you for sharing!

jnewell68
02-16-2015, 12:07
Hey Jeff,

Is the foam that you are using the Blu Foam that Portable Warfare sells? If so what size foam did you order?

Thank you for sharing!

Their Blu Foam is great. But I am using the Cheapo 'APC' foam. Its perfect for this. I think they are 4.99 each.

Bligh
02-16-2015, 15:24
Right. I worry every time I take them out, and also wonder about the life expectancy of the plastic liner and cardboard tabs.
Rob.

Loki 13
02-20-2015, 21:25
WOW !! I need some of those cases , I have a lot of ships to keep safe and sound. :salute: Thank you.

7eat51
02-20-2015, 21:53
That's rather nice, Jeff.

I will be retooling my storage a bit for June's gathering. It's one thing to carry stuff to the FLGS; it is another wheeling it around a convention site. Once I figure it out, I will post some pictures.

Bligh
02-21-2015, 02:13
I was just viewing it again and realizes it could hold 14 ships. That's a lot of ship for your buck.
That will hold my entire fleet to date, except the starter set which is in its own big box anyway.
Rob.

Mycenius
02-21-2015, 11:44
I was just viewing it again and realizes it could hold 14 ships. That's a lot of ship for your buck.
That will hold my entire fleet to date, except the starter set which is in its own big box anyway.
Rob.

Indeed - I've been looking too - need a solution (plus also for WoG1 and WoG2) - only challenge is the shipping down here to the Land of the Long White Cloud! :shock:

TroubleAtTMill
05-23-2015, 14:17
They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

Just discovered these, and am typing to the sound of a busy inkjet :D

Awesome job, Dave.

Gotham Resident
06-09-2015, 07:24
Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.


Nice, what did you use on the inside? I got a bunch of boxes from work that are card box type (for a product we get and they are WGS box size width. I'm try to customize them to hold planes, but they will work for my 6 ship fleet as well. I was trying to figure out how to get bubble wrap on all sides of a smaller compartment to work. :surrender:

Capn Duff
06-27-2015, 04:23
The only problem I have, looking at the foam tray solution, is having the ships rigged, the rig lines will interfere with the foam between the mast and if the foam is removed will the ships still be secure?

Devsdoc
06-27-2015, 08:08
O.K. cheap way I do it,
Most of you have seen my ships! I got a roll of no-slip mat used as an under mat for car mats. I also use sandwich boxes. I cut the mat to fit in the sandwich-box. I get 10-12 fully rigged ships in the box. I also lay some bubble wrap over the top of them all. Close the box! My ships have traveled 100's of miles safely this way.
Be safe
Rory

Nightmoss
06-27-2015, 09:33
O.K. cheap way I do it,
Most of you have seen my ships! I got a roll of no-slip mat used as an under mat for car mats. I also sandwich boxes. I cut the mat to fit in the sandwich-box. I get 10-12 fully rigged ships in the box. I also lay some bubble wrap over the top of them all. Close the box! My ships have traveled 100's of miles safely this way.
Be safe
Rory

Thanks for the tip, Rory. How many ships do you travel with, just on average? I do need to come up with a better arrangement for storage. Just moving the stuff around the house can be a hassle when you have to set up and take down in a single day.

Capn Duff
06-27-2015, 09:46
Rory would you mind showing how you do it please, interested in your method

Bligh
06-27-2015, 10:09
This is also getting my interest too.
Before I splash the cash on something totally unusable, I would like to see the options and Rory's sounds a good one.
Rob.

Devsdoc
06-27-2015, 15:00
Hi All,
The non-slip mats I got as a roll for going under car-mat to stop them moving around. In the U.K. I think it was at "Motor-bitz" or "Halfords"

15245

15246

The sandwich boxes I got from our street market, but I have seen some in the office store "Staples". My boxes are 3.8 lts, but you can get different sizes

15247

I cut the mat to size. The roll has made all 5 boxes. You can see above how much I have left.

15248

15249

Load the ships into the box. I have tipped the box to show how the mat works.

15250

15251

Please hang on a little for the rest
R

Devsdoc
06-27-2015, 15:24
Hi again,
Lay "Bubble Wrap" over the ships. I push down around the edges.

15252

Put on the lid.

15253

I use different size and types for dice, markers, templates paper-work and rules. All of the boxes fit into a big storage box.

15254

15255

I use a blanket to cover the box. Holds it all in place and stops dust getting on/into the boxes. This is how I store and move all my ships and ship bits around the country and the home.

15256

15257

Hope all this above helps. It is for me the best and cheapest way. 60 plus 1-1200 scale ships and bits. I think I must get a 2nd big box. this one is now full.
Be safe
Rory

Devsdoc
06-27-2015, 17:03
Hi All,
You may see one of the ships is on the bases of 2 ships. Bottom right. I could not get the last ship of the Russian fleet in the box to fit. It sits on two bases between two ships. Though it is not on the mat it still works and is held in place with the bubble wrap and the base is locked in under the rigging of the two ships each side. I will one day add an extra box for left over ships like that one, or get a little bit bigger boxes. lay the ships out and measure the area before getting the box. The Bubble wrap has not damaged any ship of mine. For SOG ships you may need deeper boxes, as the bases are bigger. I'm going to start 1-2400 scale ships later for the big battles. I will use bigger and shallower boxes and put both fleets into one box.
This way you get the box you need, not the box you are given. The mats do work (Tipped box) add the bubble wrap! They can take a lot of rough handing without moving around in the box. If you have space in the box I roll-up some bubble wrap to fill-in the free space. As the fleet grows use less bubble wrap to fill in the gips.
Be safe
Rory

Capn Duff
06-27-2015, 17:14
Thanks Rory, the pics are very useful ta

Nightmoss
06-27-2015, 18:33
Thanks Rory. Photos do make it much clearer what your set up is like. :thumbsup:

Bligh
06-28-2015, 07:27
That's great Rory, and it just so happens that I have a roll of rubber grip strip hanging about in my workshop. I will have to give your design a try out.
Thanks.
Rob.

Devsdoc
06-28-2015, 08:33
Hi All,
Glad to help. It may not look pretty, but it works for me. I get a game, pack the boards, the box with the harbour, shore-lines and islands in (A bit big), then the box of ships. I'm then ready to go. I think it's the weight of it all. The heavier it all is, the less it will move around in the boot/trunk. One big, heavy box is better than lots of small light one's. I'm thinking of getting wheels for the boxes.
Be safe & good luck with moving and storing ships.
Rory

7eat51
06-28-2015, 08:42
Nice setup, Rory. :thumbsup:

I like using plastic bins - protection, dust free, and easy to stack. I have been transferring so much of my gaming to them, especially series wargames. Combining counters into plastic craft trays and gameboards/rules/charts into a single game box has reduced storage space and made the retrieval of counters during set up and play much easier.

garchilajr
10-05-2015, 01:34
The pictures do not show up. Would you please reload them?

Devsdoc
10-05-2015, 15:44
The pictures do not show up. Would you please reload them?

Gustavo,
I have put them in my album for you. Hope this helps. Go from last to frist.
Be safe
Rory

The Royal Hajj
12-05-2015, 07:55
Foam trays (http://sailsofglory.org/showthread.php?3762-Dry-Dock-storage-trays&p=54923#post54923) are finally ready for pre-orders!!