How to pack (aka moving with minis)

[No Such Agency]

OK so I\'m going to be moving house in about 2.5 weeks. I\'m wondering what the best way to pack my minis is? I\'m not going to go out and buy an army case or something - this move will be costly as it is. But there must be some do\'s and don\'ts out there for keeping them protected. Packing materials that will stick to the paint or not, how to cushion the delicate bits, etc.

(By the way, it\'s an in-city move and I will be doing it myself, which is good since I\'m not sure I could trust my lovelies to a movers\' van!)

 

[Friar]

I\'m in a moving lull myself, I used bubble wrap for the most part I ran out with still a few minis left over and just used tissue paper for those. Most of what I have completed are one piece minis and a few larger monster type so the most I\'m expecting are maybe some shields an what not to reglue. I\'ve gone thru lookin for a particular mini a couple times and havn\'t noticed anything sticking to the paint.

Hope this helps Good Luck movin

 

[Krillduken]

I\'ve moved a few times with minis and found that what you use depends on the distace you\'ll be traveling. for longer moves I use bubble wrap and packing peanuts. It\'s very time consuming when you pack and messy when unpacking but it will protect the minis with all the jostling. for shorter distances tissue paper and packing/news paper (crumpled) will do. make sure to put a good amount of peanuts/packing paper at the botom and place the heavier models at the bottom and decrease size as you come to the top. investing in an army case is the most secure way, but i totally understand the high cost of moving. I\'m still paying for last years move

good luck

 

[Amazon warrior]

In many ways, it depends on how many minis you\'re moving. I used cotton wool to wrap my minis and shredded foam as cushioning, and just packed everything into the toolbox I use for mini stuff. I put a layer of thinnish foam sheet on the bottom to protect things from the bottom of the box, and tried to pack heavy minis first, away from more fragile minis. Now I have many more minis than I did then, and I think I\'d want to invest in army cases at least for painted stuff. I\'ve only got 1 year left on the lease for my apartment, and I\'m already having heebie-jeebies about moving everything I\'ve accumulated!

Note: Cotton wool leaves bits of fluff everywhere, especially on spiky bits. You can remove it easily but it\'s fiddly. Also, you\'ll probably need a fair amount of foam shreds. I made some of mine out of the foam padding in blisters and some came from my Mum, who had a big bag of assorted foam rubber bits. A drapery shop would be the best place to ask for such a thing.

 

[Shadzar]

TP and peanuts. it will also depend on if the mini has been sealed.. anything closer to the mini is likely to stick to the paint depending on humidity. sandwich bags make good for not sticking to paints i found. i guess you could try some sheet film for bigger thing that wont fit in a sandwich bag. also for larger things those foam bits from electronic and such if you still ahve them make for good making your own army transport cases.

 

[Dragonsreach]

I\'m recommending Very Fine Bubble wrap and unless your minis are strongly varnished avoid tissue paper like the plague.
It doesn\'t have a smooth surface (despite what we think or feel) and can remove paint like 2000 grit emery paper in the Wrong conditions. (B.T.D.T.G.T.T-Shirt)

 

[squidders]

for troops, a good way to move them around is egg boxes. They come in handy multiples of 6 and are about the right size for most 28mm minis.

As for the rest, bubble wrap all the way for me. Or stop resisting the dedicated minis case and buy one. They are worth it.

 

[No Such Agency]

Originally posted by squidders
Or stop resisting the dedicated minis case and buy one. They are worth it.

The trouble is that I\'d only ever use it when I move... i.e. hopefully not that often. Bubble wrap sounds like a promising candidate, perhaps \"layering\" the minis on it to reduce packing time...

 

[squidders]

yeah but even if you only move 5 more times in your lifetime you\'ll have the case still there ready.

Of course, you could just spend another 5 lots of 3 hours carefully bubble wrapping them all instead.

I always try to think about how my time is best used and if I could save money by using my time to make more money... if that makes any kind of sense. Probably not, I rarely make sense to myself.

 

[supervike]

ah, just throw them all in a stachel....they\'ll be fine!

Good luck on the move!

 

[generulpoleaxe]

bubble wrap and packing chips mate.
it\'s how i send stuff to customers through the post.

 

[airhead]

Partly depends on the size of the mini and how many bits stick out.

Flatter rank & file guys can be put in layers of eggcrate foam. Start with something like a milk crate or strong cardboard box. Layer of foam - eggcrate up, layer of minis, another layer of foam, eggcrate down. Repeat until full.

Larger stuff is much more fiddley.

Try a U-haul or other moving supply place and see if they have compartmented boxes for glasses (or the local liquer store) One larger mini per compartment. Bubble wrap gently, insert into compartment and fill the voids with foam bits or packing peanuts.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

roll them up in bubble wrap.

or roll them up in all your bath towels.hey you have to move the towels anyway.

Put them in a box and move.. unroll and put back in mini display case at new place.

 

[NickyBlade]

We just moved from NY to Hawaii 3 months ago. Our packers wrapped my minis in packing paper and they arrived (5 weeks later since household goods to Hawaii come by boat) in pretty decent shape. No paint rubs and just a few smaller bits needed re-glued and touched up. The packer on the NY end dropped my dragon on the floor and it\'s tail broke off though... that sucked because he had to be shipped broken since all my supplies were also packed. It weighed heavily on my brain till I was able to fix him. I\'m definitely buying a case or two before our next move... even if we only use the case once every three years, I think it\'ll be worth it now that I\'ve moved once without a case. :yes:

 

[Shadzar]

Originally posted by NickyBlade
Our packers wrapped my minis...

has heart attack and dies at the thought of someone else packing up my minis.

 

[Legacy Account]

I\'ve just stuck my entire collection on a container to New Zealand.

I used two very large NHS lidded plastic containers and spent £50 on loads of sheets of foam that fit them perfectly. Some half inch, some an inch thick and some 2-3 inches with pre-cut tear-out cubes. The pre-cut stuff is brilliant for larger things and you can use all the spare bits as extra packing. For smaller figs on 25-30mm bases, I layed them flat on the thinner stuff, drew around them and cut a space for them with a craft knife.

I confidently expect them to arrive in one piece. As long as the container ship arrives in one piece.

 

[uberdark]

Originally posted by Spacemunkie
I\'ve just stuck my entire collection on a container to New Zealand.

I used two very large NHS lidded plastic containers and spent £50 on loads of sheets of foam that fit them perfectly. Some half inch, some an inch thick and some 2-3 inches with pre-cut tear-out cubes. The pre-cut stuff is brilliant for larger things and you can use all the spare bits as extra packing. For smaller figs on 25-30mm bases, I layed them flat on the thinner stuff, drew around them and cut a space for them with a craft knife.

I confidently expect them to arrive in one piece. As long as the container ship arrives in one piece.

so you are moving then munkie? congrats.....now get your site back up...i loves your precious resin bases.