"Storing 6mm" Topic

Looking for any tips/tricks to storing 6mm WW2 infantry/tanks

I have a nice setup for my 15mm but it's all magnetically based and sitting nice and snug on metal sheets, however I can't see this working for 6mm (yes, for the infantry stands) but since I will not be basing my 6mm tanks, I'm not sure what my options are.

I'm down for some foam storage solutions suggestions.

Bunker box from GHQ. Holds 24 vehicles, $6.95 USD

Pizza box. The smaller, flatter European ones work better. Steel on the bases of the troops. Sheet magnet in the bottom of the box.

If you insist on not basing the tanks, those "Bunker boxes" look like a pretty good match for the ole CinC microarmor boxes, or buy the smallest sheets of foam you can find and cut holes in them. But me for steel and magnets.

Wonder what the delivery costs and tips would be for that pizza if I ordered a pizza from England and had it delivered to Seattle, WA?

:)

If you don't like basing tanks (I base mine on steel and line boxes with sheet magnet) you an cut bases to size that are completely hidden by the tank. So they still stick on magnet, but you don't see the base.

Buy some "rubber steel" it's like sheet magnet but without actual magnet, just ferrous material. Cuts with scissors or a craft knife.

The foam boxes work great but get expensive.

For what it's worth, I base all my 6mm infantry on steel:

The stands are 25x15 sheet metal

You can also drill out the underside of the hull and glue in a steel BB, then line your box with magnetic sheet.

Appreciate all the tips folks. I like those bunker boxes. Cheap and I don't have to make anything :)

Older I get the lazier I become ;p

Lazier or wiser?

According to my wife, lazier

So, wiser then.

"I will not be basing my 6mm tanks".

Yay!!!

+1 for not basing them, since they look so much better that way!

I've used the Panzer Keepers too, but they are pretty expensive, so not everything is in them. Some, I just have in boxes, but need to figure out a way to separate them a bit.

Probably less of an issue if you use enamel paints, but don't know for sure on that.

If you don't base your tanks, those Bunker Boxes (GHQ), Panzer Keepers (I-94 Enterprises) and other neat little boxes full of foam are perfect.

I based all of my stuff long ago, so I used old VHS plastic containers lined with steel, steel paper, rubber steel, or magnetic sheet (in descending order of preference, based on availability at the time I made the box). I line both big surfaces, and keep the bases apart by putting a piece of 1/2" thick foam between them.

A lot of the VHS tape containers I got way back when had plastic covers to allow a piece of paper to be slipped in, like a binder. Very convenient for labeling. Kinda like these: auction

- Ix

I use the parts storage from Harbor Freight Tools for all my 6mm miniatures. link

I hate those Harbor Freight boxes. I just gave away the last of mine. Nothing lines up properly, the latches are difficult to use, the boxes pop open, it's difficult to slide boxes in and out of certain trays… yech.

Too bad, because the system is a really nice idea.

I second the recommendation of Panzer Keepers from I-94 Engerprises.

They have about the same X / Y dimensions as GHQ Bunker Boxes, but they have only about 1/3rd of the Z dimension, meaning you can stack up 3 of them for about the same height as one Bunker Box.

As with the Bunker Boxes they come with a cardboard interior label, which on it's reverse side gives you a nice form for entering and displaying the contents of the box. Very handy.

They are my preferred storage for vehicles. They have spaces in the foam cut-outs for about 20 vehicles. Usually that means a company of tanks with some HQ support (truck, jeep, etc.).

For infantry I use card boxes. Plastic boxes that can be found at any card shop. Used to be used for baseball cards, but now more commonly for "Magic, the Game" or whatever other popular card game. They are about the same size as the larger boxes that C-in-C tanks come in, and that GHQ tanks used to come in before they went to the blister packs.

I have to cut the foam myself. Not too hard. I used to have stacks of old foam from when GHQ stuff came packed in plastic boxes. More recently I use packing foam that I can buy at the local Fed Ex / UPS store. I tried "no-static" foam from the electronics store, but that was more rigid, and I think the softer foams give better protection.

I cut the foam and glue it into the sides and lids of the boxes. Not on the bottoms. My infantry are on stands, and the stands don't need to be cushioned. But soft foam keeps 'em from bumping around inside the box. I like the foam to be in contact with the figures when all closed up, but not under pressure. So they are held snug, but not too tightly.

Here is an example of how it all fits together.

A company of my Italian infantry, with support.

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Tanks. In total I have a company of M13s, a company of L6s, a mixed company of two platoons of L3s with a platoon of M11s, Semoventi's (a battery of 47s and a battery of 75s with command vehicles) and an armored car company.

Supporting resources include a battery of 100mm howitzers, a battery of AT guns, a battery of 20mm AA guns, and trucks.

Here is the whole set, boxed and stacked, ready to be put away.

In this case, as this army was built several years ago, I still had some of the smaller C-in-C / old GHQ boxes, as seen on the left. I don't know how to source these any more, but the larger "card" boxes (on the right) work well enough. You can see the stacked Panzer Keepers on the bottom of the pile.

This combination then goes into a tool box. I have about 1,000 modern vehicles / infantry stands in one tool box, and about 1,000 WW2 vehicles / infantry stands in another. As my WW2 force has grown I have added a second smaller tool box (actually I think it was bought as a fishing tackle box) for my smaller armies (French and Romanians). While my Italian army lives with my larger US and Soviet forces in the main WW2 box.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

If you've ever been to a jewelry store, you will have seen small or square rectangular boxes, lined with felt, on which they display pretty things under glass. These can be bought from jewelry wholesalers for as little as $5 USD-6 per unit, and less if you order in bulk. They are perfect for 6mm, even those with short aerials, and stack nicely. You can get them with or without lids, and with or without inserts. I bought a case of them, in two sizes. The square ones fit a battalion-sized NATO Cold War unit or WWII; the rectangular ones are roughly 50% larger than that.

I store mine in an old map cabinet, which I bought cheap years ago and had sandblasted and re-painted white (from army green). The jewelry boxes stack two deep in each drawer. I bought mine from Zakka Canada, I think, but there are lots of other suppliers.

I saw a great idea when I was last at the Bovington Wargames event.

Clearly the team liked their Chinese takeaways. They had loads of plastic containers with lids.

They were used upside down.One formation per container.

So the lid had magnetic material stuck to it. The various unit elements were mounted on washers. The "bottom" of the container was then inverted and placed over the lid and clicked into place. Labels on the side identified the formation.

Easy to stack and store, even cheaper than chips (£10 for 50 on Amazon), and you can pick an orbat force from your stash very quickly.

link

I have created home-made boxes to storage my 6mm (and any of my figures). This Storage Systems Video provides instructions on how to make them. This allows me to transport my figures by air, assumming anyone wants to fly these days.

I use flatpack cardboard boxes, cheap ones usually referred to as pizza boxes, which you can cheaply pick up online. I then glue tile spacers down to separate the figures/ bases.
They are lightweight, cheap and you can write on the box what's in them.