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I am in the market for one or two carry cases for my (GW) miniatures. I like the look of the GW cases with the channel foam but I wondered if there were any cheaper and/or better alternatives out there that people recommend?

Googling it looks like there are lots of options so I'd love peoples recommendations for what they've used and how good they think they are. I like the idea of channel foam so that you don't have to hack up the foam to fit your models, and then being stuck with that configuration, but I'd accept foam that you had to adapt if it was significantly cheaper. I also want a case (or multiple cases) that are adaptable to different sizes of models - I have infantry, bikes, tanks, and hopefully soon an aircraft as well.

I'm UK based so companies where I can pay in pounds are preferred.

I'd really appreciate any advice so please let me know what you think.

Apologies if this is in the wrong section - couldn't figure out where to place it.

GW’s new foam is actually pretty unique in it’s adaptability. Most other companies use pluck foam, so once you set it, you are done. I’ve gotten similar results with egg crate foam, which holds odd shaped things nicely.

But these days I’m a big advocate of KR Multicase. Dropping your minis into slots custom sized for them is much nicer then packing stuff individually in scraps of foam (what I did before). While a little pricy, it’s actually middle of the range compared to other companies. Very expandable, where you can easily swap foam/boxes around in your case.

Thanks for the feedback Nevelon. KR was definitely on my radar so nice to hear good feedback on them.

Anyone else with any alternative companies to suggest? I've heard about battle foam - anyone tried their products?

Thanks for any help that people can give with this.

The Tyrant case from Gifts For Geeks is brilliant. I've got one and will happily buy another when I need it.

http://giftsforgeeks.org.uk/shop/103/product/908254837/build-your-own-tyrant-army-figure-case/

Thanks Crispy,

Do you have any suggestions for loadouts for the cases? Are the egg shell trays good or the the pluck out trays?

DAHEIG wrote:
Thanks for the feedback Nevelon. KR was definitely on my radar so nice to hear good feedback on them.

Anyone else with any alternative companies to suggest? I've heard about battle foam - anyone tried their products?

Thanks for any help that people can give with this.

I own 2 battlefoam cases.. I have the large one with wheels to carry my 40k ork army in and have the warmachine bag for my Menoth army. I bought them both through my FLGS over the years when they had a 20% off sale. The custom cut foam trays are nice but expensive. The WM bag is really nice since it has pockets for cards and such.

DAHEIG wrote:
Thanks Crispy,

Do you have any suggestions for loadouts for the cases? Are the egg shell trays good or the the pluck out trays?

Don't like the eggshell ones myself. I've got a load of infantry trays and a 100mm pluck-out tray. For some of my more dynamically posed or bigger models, I've turned 2 infantry trays to face eachother, to make double-sized compartments.

I use Feldherr for quite a lot of my stuff now.

https://www.feldherr.net/

But I buy most of it from their US Amazon store, rather than direct.

 argonak wrote:
I use Feldherr for quite a lot of my stuff now.

https://www.feldherr.net/

But I buy most of it from their US Amazon store, rather than direct.

I tried to order some from them - apparently they're notoriously slow. My order ended up getting canceled due to "out of stock". However I have heard good things about their cases. Just saying, if you do go this route, you might have delays.

I use battlefoam and would never use anything else. The foam is all laser cut for your models. You can also get custom foam cut for crazy conversions or unsupported model ranges. It's pricey but worth it. I have the 1520XL with an extension on top and it fits my Eldar and my 30k ad mech armies with room to spare.

I have tried Battlefoam and in the end felt like the foam is just too stiff =/. I am about to try out KR foam - comparing it in-person at the store with folks who have it (and rave about it) the foam is just so much softer, and kinder to paint jobs.

I just can't stand having metal models chip, so that is my number one priority with a case right now!

Do a forum search here for the names above.
I have only seen criticism of KR's website, never the cases or foam.
I am KR all the way. Whenever they (fairly regularly) have a sale on, I see what foam you need, and whether it warrants a case. Usually the former, and their cases keep getting better.
A tip about their site: Hover over the pictures to get more info than is shown.

I have heard about BF's stiff foam as a point against them, but it does look a good alternative.
There are lots of others now though.

If you order direct from any of them, look on Dakka's adds list for links. It can't hurt.

KR Multicase all day erryday. I use their foam for all my stuff.

I've got Battlefoam, KR, GW and the Platoon/Motorpool from Army Transport.

The Battlfoam custom cut is stiff/not as soft as KR's, however their cases are really durable and stiff trays are nice from pulling them out and setting them down. The custom cuts work great for the bulk of my minis, stack well and the cases are durable/well made. I've got both the 1520 and 720 in the newer version, with a lot of custom cut (instead of pluck) foam.

The KR Foam is great, and the cardboard is okay to protect the foam, but case wise I prefer battlefoam a bit, and pulling out the foam is a little floppy.

Army Transport is a lot cheaper and not a bad option, you can get used ones for a low cost, and for smaller armies they're convenient (my Sisters of Battle fit nicely for a game)

I've got several of the old GW ones, they're fine (and cheap) for standard SM on the classic/standard sized bases, but anything larger/more dynamic doesn't fit.

I have heard good things about the new style flexible GW ones, and I've got one at home, I just haven't tried it out yet (been gone for work).

Hope this helps.

I use a shotgun case for all my Guard vehicles:
http://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/hsf-defiance-shotgun-case

 obithius wrote:
I use a shotgun case for all my Guard vehicles:
http://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/hsf-defiance-shotgun-case

There goes my point about no guns
But, I am sure everyone in Royston Vasey has one.

Ta for the run-down though, Josh.

My situation is that a large portion of my models often reside in display cases, so my containers are more for transportation than for storage.

For the large and strange-shaped models, I no longer use anything other than the new GW cases. They're just so much more flexible and allow you to pack in twice or three times as many models in the same space as cut foam and other solutions for large models. Plus, with the burgeoning number of mid-sized and large models in my collection, it's just not practical to have a zillion large custom trays that I have to dig through. I want a case that can hold a 3 Dark Eldar raiders one day, and a Wraithknight the next, or maybe it will be a Stormsurge.

On the other hand, I really don't like the (new) GW cases for small models (infantry sized). They move around too much and have the possibility of bumping each other. Or at least, it feels that way; I just don't have confidence in lines of models in the zigzag foam.

I like the stiff foam as it allows me to pull out a tray full of heavy resin models without the tray flopping all over the place and risking models spilling out.

Battlefoam all the way. Discussion over.

In all seriousness, it’s up to you. All my stuff is in Battlefoam, their Customer Service is excellent. It’s pricey, but you can reduce that by waiting until they do their 4th July sales or Black Friday deals and using the trick shown below (read on). I own several bags, so now I only buy foam, and just put the trays with the Army I need into the bags. It’s left in the foam for storage. In my head, I’ve spent hours building and painting my models, I can afford to spend the money to keep them that way. The bags are durable with plenty of pockets and things to stash your goods. Yes the foam is stiff, but that’s my preference. The foam is strong enough to be stacked quite high in storage, and it doesn’t warp giving your models very good protection. I’ve used their Custom Cut foam on most of my armies.

I have very large Imp Guard, Genestealer Cult, 1000 sons, Orks, SM’s, DUST Tactics Axis & Allies, Kingdom Death, Super Dungeon Explore, Relic Knights, Firestorm Fleets all in Battlefoam. I also feel per square inch, you can fit more in Battlefoam. Because it’s stiff foam, you don’t need as big a gap between models as you do with other brands. So whilst it is pricey, you will need around 20% less foam than some of the softer trays, 50% less following trick below. For big armies, that makes a big difference. I’ve costed my Imp Guard Army up in KR foam Vs Battlefoam. I would need more KR Foam trays than Battlefoam, and some vehicles wouldn’t go in KR trays as they were too high. Whereas Battlefoam you can have quite a thick tray.

Top protection, nothing’s ever been broken whilst in Battlefoam storage or transport. My 1st choice.

My 2nd Choice would be KR. My x2 Warhounds are stored in 4 KR Cases (they come apart at the waist for storage). KR is softer, but if it’s in the box then it’s not going to warp. The downside to KR is that when at an event, just make sure your beer isn’t spilled onto the case as it’s cardboard and will just disintegrate. As did mine in a very heavy downpour with a 10min walk to the venue! But price wise, you can’t beat them. If you are on a budget, KR is your friend. Other than the Warhounds, I’ve sold all my KR and put the stuff into Battlefoam.

My 3rd Choice for UK is ‘Figures in Comfort’. I did have their large bags with soft foam, but these were not very good. Lots of breakages. I do however use their hard plastic skirmish cases for my x2 Epic Armies. And these I do like a lot. I did have my Firestorm Armada fleets in these until I swapped them for the Battlefoam C4 Skirmish Bag.

I would not go for GW cases. Expensive, inefficient in the stuff they can hold Vs how much space they take up. I’ve sold them all and put it all in Battlefoam.

Another trick I do with Battlefoam to keep the costs down, is stack my infantry figures vertically. The cost of a 1” thick tray is the same as a 2” thick tray (I think). So instead of the models lying down 1 x 2 “ cutouts (I think), for the same price you can stand them up in 1 x 1” cutouts, and almost double the amount of minis stored in 1 tray. Think of a GW tray, 4x9 = 36 models. A standard Battlefoam Tray is 12x6 = 72 models. Now double the thickness of the tray, and stand the models vertically, suddenly 1 tray is over 100 models! You can do this with the Custom Tray Creator. I have x6 Ork WarTracks from FW. Normally, these would take up 2 trays, 3 going on each one. But, for a thicker tray, I can lie them in on their side, and all 6 fit on one tray. The cost of the thicker tray is less than 2 of the thinner trays.

So for the cost of 1 Battlefoam tray, you’d need an entire GW case. (rough numbers on Infantry models I agree, but the point is the same).

I think GW moved away from the 4x9 trays even before they switched to the new zig-zag. It might have only been up to 4x10, but that’s something. Not enough compared to what else is out there though.

I have an old GW case with three layers of 4x9, (over 100 minis!) and it’s a hilariously inefficient use of space. If you go for maximum density, you can fit 200 minis in a KRU. Roomier trays (better for jump packs, terminators, etc) will still get 180 in a box.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I went with KR and I'm really happy with the case. It holds a lot of my collection and was significantly cheaper than Battle Foam. It's sturdy and I think could take a bit of a knock (and most importantly it's reduced the size of my collection). I didn't get the custom cut cases but that might be next, when I've got enough odd shaped models to justify them. Thanks for all the advice.

Im strongly considering one of these. Looks amazing.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/feldmaster-revolutionary-miniatures-storage-case#/

I use Battlefoam over KR because of the foam.

Battlefoam is rigid, and designed so that models aren't snugly fit in the slot but have wiggle room. KR is soft foam designed to hug the model. I invariably choose armies and systems with models with fragile, pointy bits that get caught on soft, hugging foam which is tricky with models that have fragile, pointy bits.

In Battlefoam trays, just make sure the spot is big enough to place in and lift out without catching the edges, generally a few mm around the model, and it won't wiggle enough to break or rub off paint but won't catch on the way in or out either.

Battlefoam. Hands down if you are willing to make an investment. I have seen the KR cases though and those aren't bad.

I have 3 gases now
GW new case rocks for troops ok for med size units like bikes bigger things eat to much room

KR really nice and can hold bigger models with little trouble they also can be modular so you can switch army's fast the only draw back is price

Game plus nice for all but your biggest stuff foam is same hardness as battle foam I use this for all my MC and most of my tanks

I will not get a battle foam do to the guy who runs it

I always have to throw Portable Warfare out there.

For US players I think they are a great choice. I love my bag and eventually will get more.

http://portablewarfare.com/