Moving your model army to and from a tournament can be a daunting prospect, especially if you've got hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of painted miniatures that you've painstakingly worked on. If you want to create your own storage and transportation cases, you just need a few packaging supplies such as PVA glue, a carry case, foam tray inserts, a permanent pen and a hobby knife. By creating your own individual model compartments, you can ensure that each model fits snugly into whichever space you allocate for it, ensuring you always have enough room to pack your miniatures and reducing the risk of impact damage should you drop your case. 

The Case

Any case or box will do for your case; you can even recycle commercially made carry cases and replace the inner packaging. However if you opt for cardboard because you're on a budget, try to use double-layered corrugated boxes for maximum shock absorption and protection from damp. Flight cases are your best bet because they are both sturdy, damage resistant and often come with a handle and a numerical combination for security. 

The Inner Foam Packing

Using dedicated flight case foam is the best way to protect your miniatures. You want something spongy that isn't too firm; a little bit of give will act in the same way as suspension on a car, reducing the shock of impact which is a major contributor of model breakages. The thickness of the foam will depend on the size and depth of your models; however, for a standard 28mm tabletop game, a basic infantry soldier would probably require foam that's about an inch and a half to two inches thick. You'll also need a sheet of backing foam that will stop the model from falling through; however, this can be as thick or thin as you like. 

Construction

First size up your foam trays and make sure they will fit into your carry case. Next you can either trace around your models or create same sized compartments using a pre-cut cardboard stencil. Once you have drawn on each compartment with your permanent pen use a hobby or craft knife on top of a hobby mat to cut all the way through and create the compartments. You are now in a position to use PVA glue to attach the back sheet of foam before letting it dry. Don't throw away your off-cuts, as they are great for inserting in-between fragile parts of your models for extra support. 

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