Custom (Home) Made Cases:
Go to your favorite hobby store (like Michaels or Hobby Lobby).
Go to where ever they have plastic storage containers.
Look for a storage container that looks something that like this:
Plastic Storage Container 1 Plastic Storage Container 2 Plastic Storage Container 3 - Sometimes by the scrap-booking area (storage for all the little scrap-booking accessories)
- Sometimes in the back of the store in its own little area with all the random plastic storage type of cases/boxes
- Sometimes in the back of the yarn section (totally random place
IMHO)
The container needs to be about 2-4 inches in depth (depending on whether you want to make a vertical or horizontal style carrier). Heighth and Width are up to you depending on how many items you want one case to fit.
I like the ArtBin brand (like Plastic Storage Container 1, linked above). Its very thick molded plastic and very durable. And the cases come in various sizes: 10 inch, 12 inch, and 18 inch. Depth varies, but the depth of the 12 inch is about 3 inches deep.
Next, in the hobby store, go to the area where they have sheets of foam.
- Sometimes in the yarn section
- Sometimes in the fabric/sewing section
- Anywhere where they might have items for crafting with cushions, seats, stuffed animals, quilts, etc.
Look for rolls of foam or squares of foam (usually white-ish or yellow-ish in color). Rolls are usually 12-24" wide and 2-6 feet long. Squares are mostly 12x12" or 18x18". And these rolls or squares come in varying thickness. I like to work with 1/2 or 1 inch thickness.
If you get a 3" deep case, get yourself enough foam to have (3 x 1" sheets/squares, or 6 x 1/2" sheets/squares) that match your case's dimensions. Use a pair of scissors to cut each sheet/square to your case's dimensions.
Put the item to be stored (ie Raider, Venom, Tank, Trooper, etc.) on one of the foam inserts you cut for your case and use a marker/sharpie to trace a tight fitting outline. Use an xacto-knife (or similar razor bladed knife) to cut the trace line all the way through the foam for the one insert that you've traced.
Don't use the blade to cut like a saw. Use the blade to make small, short slices on the trace line. Repeat small, short slices until you make it through the thickness of the foam. If the item is thicker than the one insert (1/2" or 1") then repeat the process for a second insert (be sure to stack the two inserts so they'll sit on top of each other inside the case).
Foam core also makes a good insert as a base for multiple trays of inserts. Cut the foam core to the same dimensions of the foam insert and use white glue to glue the foam to the foam core board. Now you can lift the entire foam insert as a tray and stack them on top of each other in the case.
If you have a case big enough and use it for multiple items of drastically different dimensions, like a Raider and a unit of Troops, then you split the foam inserts any way you see fit. For example, in a 12"x10" case that is 3" deep, you can have one foam insert that is 6"x10" for the full 3" thickness, and the other half of the case would be 3 6"x10" for 1" thickness trays that stack on top of each other.
Additionally, for smaller items like troops, you don't have to custom cut a hole for each and every individual trooper. You can cut small rectangles or squares for 2 or 3 or 4 troopers. With foam on all sides, a little wiggle room won't hurt anything. (I have a lot of my troops magnetized for wargear options, so I have a rectangle cut for the entire unit, and a smaller rectangle to the side of the unit for all the optional wargear pieces.)
The possibilities are limitless. And these products are relatively inexpensive and very easy to custom cut.
