When painting miniatures is your hobby, chances are you have a ton of them sitting around and you aren’t sure what to do with them. The best thing you can do for your miniatures, and your sanity, is to store them. You should always consider storing them in something that you can easily transport if you need to take them to a convention.
There are several different ways you can safely store Warhammer miniatures. You want to make sure you treat them with plenty of care, so they last you a long time and don’t get scratched or bent. This means that you should avoid storing your miniatures in plastic bags or just throwing them in a box.
You can look into purchasing carrying cases to easily store your miniatures at home and conveniently take them with you when you need to travel. If you don’t plan on taking them anywhere, you can consider a more permanent storage solution.
How Do You Store Miniatures?
The method of storing your miniatures will depend on whether or not you plan on taking them anywhere. If you are going to take your miniatures to conventions or games, you will need a storage option that is mobile and easy to pick up and go. If they are just a hobby and you want to display them, you can store them in a more permanent way.
One popular method of storing miniatures is using a baking tray and magnets. The baking tray is meant to be a foundation for the miniatures to stand on. If your miniatures aren’t already made of metal, you will need to glue the magnets to the bottom of the miniatures. If this is the case, add the glue to the bottom of the miniature and stick the magnet to the surface.
Let the glue dry before standing the miniature on the baking tray. This will ensure that the magnet actually sticks to the bottom and that the miniatures don’t fall over during the drying process.
There are also storage containers that you can purchase with some pretty neat features. These storage containers are usually inexpensive and very effective when it comes to keeping your miniatures safe. In some cases, the company you buy your miniatures from will make a case that is the perfect fit for their products. You can also purchase cases from hobby stores or online.
If you are going to be transporting your miniatures, you will need a storage solution that offers extra protection. The magnet method is a good option because it keeps the miniatures in place and standing up. You would just need a container to hold the baking tray in that is large enough to hold everything.
Another great option for transporting miniatures is with foam. There are multiple different types of foam that are available, but the most popular for miniatures is pluck foam. This is just a foam tray with a grid cut into the foam, but not all the way through. You can take out individual pieces of foam, making it easy to create the exact size you need for your miniatures.
You can also get foam that has been pre-cut. These foams will be already cut in shapes that will fit your miniatures with no problem. These types of foam will allow you to easily store and carry multiple models at one time. For an even better protection, you can include bubble wrap in your case.
We recommend using a high storage capacity miniature case like this one for storing and organizing your miniature collection.
How Do You Store and Transport Warhammer Miniatures?
When you store your Warhammer miniatures, you can use a method that keeps them safe during travel. This is ideal if you are going to be transporting your miniatures to conventions and in-person games often. Having a storage solution that makes supports transport will make your life so much easier.
One tried and true way of storing your Warhammer miniatures for transport is with a foam case. When you use a foam case, each miniature has its own, individual spot. This is beneficial and a downfall at the same time because it takes longer to get your miniatures set up for battle and put back away.
Recently, it has been found that magnetic storage solutions might be better than a foam storage. This is because when you place the magnetic solution in a container for transport, there is no pressure on the model. The only point of touching is at the base of the miniature to the magnet and baking tray.
There are even magnetic carrying cases on the market for this exact purpose. Inside the case are metal shelves that are about the height of your miniatures. All you would need is a magnet on the bottom of your miniatures and you are good to go. This option will keep your Warhammer miniatures safe, sturdy, and easy to transport.
There might be some cases where a foam storage solution might be better than a magnetic storage. If your miniatures are a little on the older side, they might not do well with a magnetic storage. You should also use a foam storage if you have both metal and plastic armies. It isn’t a good idea to mix the two because the metal ones can knock over the plastic ones in transport.
It is also important to use a foam storage when you are travelling with your Warhammer miniatures on an airplane. It is not worth the risk of having your miniatures damaged in transit with a magnetic storage because the airport wasn’t careful. With a foam storage, you won’t have to worry about miniatures knocking over and breaking.
We recommend a Portable Miniature Figure Storage & Carrying Case like this one. It can store up 100 infantry pieces and also has storage for dice and other accessories.
How Do You Store Painted Miniatures?
When you store miniatures that have been painted, you need to be even more careful. They can be scratched or dented if not properly stored. If you are painting your miniatures before storing them, the best thing you can do is put them on display. This will ensure that they are safe and won’t be damaged by other miniatures.
You can also keep painted miniatures in the box for the game. This is ideal if you are painting miniatures for a board game. You will always have everything you need in the same place when you are ready to play, and they will transport easily. However, this does run a higher risk of the miniatures being damaged in transit.
Another great idea is to get a custom box insert for your miniatures. This allows you to still keep your miniatures for a game together with less of a chance of being damaged. These can be a bit on the pricey side and can add unnecessary weight to your box.
Custom foam trays are also perfect for storing painted miniatures. These foam trays will be perfectly made to fit your miniatures. The foam will protect both your miniatures and the paint job you’ve put on. Foam will prevent the miniatures from bumping and rubbing together to damage the paint.
How Do You Travel with Miniatures?
Flying with your miniatures can be a stressful situation. If they aren’t going to be in your care for the whole flight, you never know what is going to happen to them. You are going to want to find the best carrying case you can and use foam inserts to keep them apart from each other.
The foam inserts will work to protect the miniatures from any bouncing because it will absorb it and make sure it doesn’t reach the miniatures at all. This will prevent any potential broken miniatures and a lot of frustration.
For even more protection, you can try wrapping your miniatures in bubble wrap before placing them in the foam storage. If you have custom foam storage, lay some bubble wrap underneath the miniature before placing it in, as well as on top after you place it in.
How Do You Store Big Miniatures?
Larger miniatures can be a little more complicated to handle. They won’t fit in most of the storage options that smaller miniatures will. This means you have to have a separate storage container for these. While you still might be able to find custom storage, it has the potential to be more difficult.
There are storage boxes that are made to be compatible with larger miniatures. These boxes will usually have foam inserts inside with the ability to hold your larger models standing up or lying down. There will also be several layers inside, making it possible to store multiple larger miniatures.
Final Thoughts
Properly storing your miniatures is extremely important to keep them safe. The best way to store your miniatures is with a foam storage, especially if you plan on transporting them. There is also a magnet method, which uses a baking tray base and magnets on the bottom of your miniatures.
The magnet method will be easier if you are planning on displaying your miniatures. It isn’t recommended to use this method if you are going to be travelling with your miniatures because there is a higher chance for damage.