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Hello Dakka!

If you are like me, you a very large collection of miniatures paint stretching across multiple lines and manufacturers. Based on the number of threads I've seen pop up on storage racks, I know that I'm not alone in struggling to keep them all organized. The good people at Back 2 Base-ix make "The Rack," what they bill as a "Hobby Desk Organizer." Despite being a grown man, my parents had sent me a birthday check back over the summer, and after talking to my wife, I treated myself to this admittedly pricey item.

The actual system is wildly versatile: there are long and short straight sections, inner and outer curves, and options with drawers. The racks themselves can be drilled to hold everything from Vallejo dropper bottles to Apple Barrel style craft paints. I took an inventory of what I had, which was depressing in its own right, and decided on the Paintmaster Rack Pack. The main allure of this option is that it comes with free shipping from Australia, which otherwise makes the individual components very, very expensive. In addition to free shipping on the base rack, you can add other components that will also ship free. One cool aspect of the system is that you can specify what pot style you want for each component. After measuring my painting surface, I added two short straight racks to the base package, all cut for droppers expect for one external corner cut for craft paints and on internal corner cut for GW pots.

Shipping was, predictably, a bit lengthy. It did not ship for about a week, and took another week or so to arrive. Given the distance and the customized nature of the product, I felt that shipping time was reasonable. Once the package arrived, though, came the real fun: assembly. I selected mine in MDF to save some money, which means that the whole system is built around clamp style nuts and bolts. Each piece also has rare earth magnets to allow it to connect to other pieces. While there were no instructions in the box, the website has some very nice videos showing assembly of each component, step by step. While a fairly predictable pain, assembly was not difficult, and can be handled by anybody with two hands, unlike some hobby assembly which clearly requires three hands.

Once I assembled each component, I set up my new pride and joy:



The rack snugly fits the pots they were cut for, and outside of the bottom row, allows for droppers to be stored upside down. The bottom row doesn't have the clearance to hold a bottle snugly upside down.

The magnets hold surprisingly well, and all told, the rack allows for a huge range of paints to be in ready reach:



Outside of being made in Australia, the only bad thing I can say about this rack is the price. Even with "free" shipping, my rack cost me $175USD, although admittedly I added so additional components. The cost is simply outrageous unless you both own and use a wide range of paints. For the hobbyist with the means, I highly recommend it. My painting surface stays clear, while I have 201 paints readily accessible.