Storage Solutions -3

 I am definitely in the Really Useful Boxes camp.

Yes they are heavy, but the are vermin proof, waterproof and stackable. In fact you can even tie the lids down with the predrilled holes, padlock or string, so if you drop them the lid won't fly off?

Their own trays are limiting but perfect for 2 x 60x30mm bases per segment giving 30 secure spaces (see plastic tray in second image), but with trays from Commission Figurines [see note below] the world opens up.

As the base is 2mm deep then a 20mm tray gives 18mm of headroom and of course a 40mm gives 38mm. The lid of the Really Useful box gives you a little wriggle room of about 2mm. 

I also add masking tape looped through handles and glued to itself as handles to lift and lower the trays, you could use string or  ribbon.

As you can see from the various images, it is a very versatile system.

Ancient 6mm: 
4 x 20mm trays - Infantry
2 x 30mm trays- Cavalry and mounted command

Colonial British 6mm + 30mm Tripods:
Careful removal of part of tray base can give you height through other trays. Two 20mm trays essential use up space that might have been wasted and coincidentally give stability to the 30mm models.
One of the 35mm trays, the plastic one is a RUB tray, this is where we started. 

1 x 30mm -  Cavalry and Martian Tripods
2 x 20mm - Artillery and Infantry (both cut to give 40mm extra headroom to 35mm tray
2 x 35mm - Mounted command, mounted and dismounted Infantry -  animals and Bridges

The bottom three trays are stacked first.

Orc Waugh!!!
Army with 6mm Baccus goblins and Battle of five armies models as well as Warmaster 10mm orcs based for a different game.

1 x 40mm - Cavalry Monsters
1 x 35m - Infantry/
2 x 30mm - shorter infantry

The bottom left tray is stacked on the top left one and they are the 3rd and 4th (top) tray, just in case I need that wriggle room. I also put some bubble plastic around the larger model to protect from knocks

Tomb King Army 

10mm Warmaster and Pendraken
3 x 40mm - Cavalry & Infantry with tall banners
1 x 20mm - Bannerless archers

The top left tray is the 20mm and uses wiggle room at the top of the RUB.

Victorian Buildings 

From Leven all based on mini dioramas.

2 x 50mm
1 x 40mm - and it uses that 2mm wriggle room*

*wriggle room
The RUB lid is raised except at the edges, the edges keep the trays tight, but the centre give a little extra room about 2mm and i use this to cheat and get a little extra height. 

If you want to see the original thought process then go to First storage article for an earlier update go to Previous storage article

_________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE:

Commission Figuerines web site is a link the their PDF catalogue with the following instructions.

Ordering

e-mail us at commission@btinternet.com

Let us know what you want from the catalogue

We’ll let you know how much the postage will be

You let us know if you wish to proceed

We send you a Paypal invoice (which includes an option to pay by card)

Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds - Assembling the forces 1

The Tripods



So we start with a picture from Pendraken's site .

How on Earth, or indeed Mars do you assemble a 50mm high Tripod?

Consider I don't want to base them as I want them to be able to walk over the scenery.





















Plan 'A' was lots of blu tac models upside down and a good amount of Gorilla epoxy, I don't want to be forever repairing. I did consider pinning, I may have to.

Yes it worked but for repairs it was easier to stack some MDF bases tapped with masking tape and blu tack them on that, additional blu tac as required to stabilise or hold in place.
















The six legged crawlers had to be done that way and because of that it did suggest how to repair the others.
















Assembled and curing. I guess I've repaired 4 so far superglue in one case as the gorilla glue had created the shape, the socket for the ball so to speak.








Had to show them off on a sample latex mat from Magister Militum.

(These small latex mats are all different and I love them I use them to define woodland or scrub areas. They go very well with my 'Grass' cloth from Tiny Wargames.)

Striding over Leven Minatures' 6mm Victorian terraces.












For scale I've placed some 6 mm Baccus troops.

I feel I have got what I was imagining.





Painted up, I hope the Varnish will brighten the Green glass windows/eyes

Packed safely away in their Commission Figurines' mdf tray.



Now do I face the idea of painting 6 mm Brits or duck it and go to those rather tasty Leven buildings?








No place like home!

Previous Post

Home Counties 1897 - War of The worlds

At Salute last year I saw a game called Tripods and Triplanes and it made me think about the book War of The Worlds by H.G. Wells (1897)

I decided I'd like to have a go at setting up a game based on the book, with the Victorian army facing off against the Tripods.

Whilst still dithering over which rules to use would it be, Black Powder, Future War Commander, my own (to be written) rules or a hodge podge of the first two. I decided to ignore such niceties and see what models were on the market, this could determine the ruleset, it would certainly determine the scale.

I have a predilection for doing big games in smaller scales and so began at 6mm.

If it were 6mm the the army choice was simple Baccus' but which army. The British army of that time was using a Spiked helmet at home and a Pith helmet in various parts of Africa and India

Home Service Helmet

Pith Helmet

The home Service counties helmet and Pith helmet aren't that different.
In battle the helemt was often covered

The origins of such a helmet and who might have used it first is presented here at Straight to the Point: The History of the Spiked Helmet  but Russian or Indian in origin they all seem to hail from early Mongolian headgear.

I  digress, at 6mm the two are the same and who needs a spike anyway? So I decided on British Colonial Zulu wars, with a few Germans from the Franco Prussian war for the limbers. 

The scale however still depended on the Martian Tripods, a few questions on various FB pages and GWs Spindel Drones are suggested to me.

They do look the part.

However not enough I want them stepping over buildings.

In the above image I've positioned them behind 6 mm Baccus archers and 10 mm Pendraken ones, 6 mm works better, but there's a little voice saying,  "These are not the drones you're looking for."

Then some genius says have you looked at the Tripods on Pendraken's site, well I thought I had, obviously not. I looked but as I wanted to be sure of their size I sent a question to Pendraken on a Sunday, Leon's immediate response was

Image from Pendraken's site

Thanks for the message, the height of the tripods is:

Small = 40mm high
Large = 60mm high

I'll check on the crab walker when I get to work on Monday, I think it's around 30mm or thereabouts.

And that on a Sunday, brilliant service, I bought, they arrived swiftly and they are big, even better they are exactly as I think thy should be, courtesy of  Jeff Wayne's album cover.

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