Switch Theme:

Traveling with supermodels  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in kr
Fresh-Faced New User




To the folks who travel with their mini's by flying;

1) Is there anything that us future travelers should be aware of?

2) Have customs or security given anyone any issues?  Living overseas, I'm definitely interested in hearing stories from international travelers...

3) Any special packaging that we need?

4) Will the GW cases be sturdy enough to make the trip?

5) Are you disappointed that this topic wasn't really about supermodels?
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




if you don't get a reply other than mine i would call the company you are flying with and the airport you are flying out of on what you could do to make your flight with models an easy and safe one for all involved.

the shape of miniature cases lends itself to all kinds of assumptions from bombs or guns being brought onto the plane. i would think you are going to be in check in for a while. as they rifle through your cases and bags. and i also think you will not be able to have them as carry ons.

i actually think depending on where you are going and where you are leaving from your best bet might be to mail them to where you are going. that way you can box them up with extra care to ensure they arrive safely.  maybe getting some insurance can assure that you can get some cash compensation for any models that are broken or if they get lost. and it keeps from adding to the headaches of plane travel.

i hope i helped a little although i really didn't provide you with the info you asked for.

   
Made in us
Thunderhawk Pilot Dropping From Orbit





The wilds of Pennsyltucky

The last time I flew with my mini's was about a month after 9/11. They gave me some odd looks and tested the sharpness/pointyness of the pewter swords. They did let me take them as carryon after a thorough going over., The above poster is correct about contacting the airline... Though I would take it a step further and actually drop a line to the airport security folks. It is they that enforce safety standards.

Good luck,

ender502


"Burning the aquila into the retinas of heretics is the new black." - Savnock

"The ignore button is for pansees who can't deal with their own problems. " - H.B.M.C. 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







Question: How well do minis survive in transport cases if you've got
them packed into luggage in the cargo hold?

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
Made in us
Jinking Ravenwing Land Speeder Pilot




In your house, rummaging through your underwear drawer

I wouldn't pack any Green Stuff in your carry on unless you want to have a visit with Homeland Security.

I've studied abroad (or two...), and customs people are a tricky thing, sometimes they pass you through with no problems, other times they are the worst perfunctory bureaucrat made flesh.

"Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow"~Oscar Wilde 
   
Made in ca
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!






Soviet Kanukistan

And here I ws thinking that you were going to thrill us with tales of travelling with Kate Moss or some-such.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Sentient OverBear






Clearwater, FL

General advice from a friend of mine who used to be a customs agent: go through customs when they're busy.  When it's slow, they get bored and you end up in a glass-walled room, naked, and being asked to spread your ass cheeks for them.

I'm not even kidding.

When they're busy, they'll rush you through as long as you're not an idiot.

DQ:70S++G+++M+B++I+Pw40k94+ID+++A++/sWD178R+++T(I)DM+++

Trust me, no matter what damage they have the potential to do, single-shot weapons always flatter to deceive in 40k.                                                                                                       Rule #1
- BBAP

 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut




California ( again)

I travel a lot with minis Do and donts are

Do:
1. pack your minis in a well secure case add extra foam(If carried on be prepare for them too inspect the bag and pull out minis( they might break one or two).
2. Carry your minis as a carry on bag.
3. carry paint and tools in a closed zip lock bag in a suit case
4. carry a soft case vs hard case( hard cases look too much like pistol boxes and you will be in line for a longer time
5. If you have too check you mini 's In put them in a bigger case with lots of foam and some hard surfaces so they dont get crunched

DONT
1. check your minis in baggage Unless you want too spend a few hours later on looking for parts and pieces of destroyeds minies
2. no paints or tools allowed on carry on bags so check paints and tools in too baggage
3. Dont take superglue on a plane.
4.Dont take green stuff/ brown stuff or any type of expoy too a airport (unless you want too explain too Officers why you have the stuff)


I have travel via Amtrak the best way too go with mini's, airlines and greyhound are about the worst if you dont carry them aboard, and shipping them too your self at the hotel is a good idea but you risk loosing them in the mail or UPS killing ur models

The Red shirts are dying !!!!! It's Nuthing but a Death shroud!!!(Warp11) 
   
Made in us
[ADMIN]
President of the Mat Ward Fan Club






Los Angeles, CA

 

That's some pretty good advice bonedragon.

I agree: Putting your minis in a checked-in bag condemns them to destruction unless you put the case in a really big bag/box surrounded by foam.

Even then, most mini cases are designed to hold your minis in a particular direction (i.e. they have an 'up' and a 'down'). Invariably the baggage handlers intuitively know which way is which and they make sure to throw your bag upside down. :mad:  So even if you do wrap the whole thing in a ton of foam the individual models are likely still going to be thrown around and/or bounced upside down to the point where they break into pieces.

I always try to take my minis on as a carry-on for this very reason. The Sabol army transport is fantastic because it is soft-shelled, can carry large and small models in the same case, and still counts as a carry-on (which means you can take 2 if you really need to).

 


I play (click on icons to see pics): DQ:70+S++G(FAQ)M++B-I++Pw40k92/f-D+++A+++/areWD104R+T(D)DM+++
yakface's 40K rule #1: Although the rules allow you to use modeling to your advantage, how badly do you need to win your toy soldier games?
yakface's 40K rule #2: Friends don't let friends start a MEQ army.
yakface's 40K rule #3: Codex does not ALWAYS trump the rulebook, so please don't say that!
Waaagh Dakka: click the banner to learn more! 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Madrak Ironhide







So putting extra padding into your airline cargo hold is a no-no

Ugh. Thanks for the tips.

Road Trip!

DR:70+S+G-MB-I+Pwmhd05#+D++A+++/aWD100R++T(S)DM+++
Get your own Dakka Code!

"...he could never understand the sense of a contest in which the two adversaries agreed upon the rules." Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude 
   
Made in us
Banelord Titan Princeps of Khorne






I'll chime in with my own experience, which is a direct opposite of everything Bonedragon said. I went to the 2002 Chicago GT, and I had a Sabol Army Transport, and I tried to take it onboard as a Carry-on. Well at the security checkpoint, the officer informed me that absolutely NO likeness of a gun was allowed on the airplane as a carry-on. The security supervisor was called over but the TSA official was adamant and the law is the law, so because my berzerkers had tiny little bolt pistols, I was forced to check my bag. Needless to say, everything was pretty much destroyed and I spent the whole night before the GT repairing all of my figs.

I would say if you are going to take minis, pack them super tight in a GW case and wrap it in duct tape. Or, place the GW case inside a larger suitcase. (still secured with duct tape). Then its less conspicious walking around the airport as well.

And actually, ever since then I have always done road trips with the mini's. Just less of a hassle.

Veriamp wrote:I have emerged from my lurking to say one thing. When Mat taught the Necrons to feel, he taught me to love.

Whitedragon Paints! http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/613745.page 
   
Made in us
Legendary Dogfighter





Alexandria, VA

hmmm. I'm glad i'm driving back to school rather than flying. I'd hate to see what they'd do to my guard army with over 100 guns(and tanks)!! Then again, lasguns aren't too harmful.
   
Made in us
[ADMIN]
President of the Mat Ward Fan Club






Los Angeles, CA

Posted By whitedragon on 01/08/2007 7:58 PM
I'll chime in with my own experience, which is a direct opposite of everything Bonedragon said. I went to the 2002 Chicago GT, and I had a Sabol Army Transport, and I tried to take it onboard as a Carry-on. Well at the security checkpoint, the officer informed me that absolutely NO likeness of a gun was allowed on the airplane as a carry-on. The security supervisor was called over but the TSA official was adamant and the law is the law, so because my berzerkers had tiny little bolt pistols, I was forced to check my bag. Needless to say, everything was pretty much destroyed and I spent the whole night before the GT repairing all of my figs.

I would say if you are going to take minis, pack them super tight in a GW case and wrap it in duct tape. Or, place the GW case inside a larger suitcase. (still secured with duct tape). Then its less conspicious walking around the airport as well.

And actually, ever since then I have always done road trips with the mini's. Just less of a hassle.



I would say that the security (in some areas) has loosened considerably since 2002. I would be pretty shocked to hear of minis not being allowed onboard today.

Again, the problem with packing cases into your luggage is not that the outside of the bag is soft or doesn't hav enough padding. It's that there tends to be space in between the individual pieces of foam and your minis and the minis can often bounce around when the casae is flipped on its end and banged around as it's thrown into the cargo hold. Worse still, the whole foam insert inside of the case can sometimes slide around dumping all of the minis into a pile inside your case.

If I had to check my mini case I would make every attempt to place extra small pieces of foarm inside the case whereever there is empty pockets of space between model and foam (even if the space is normally not an issue, when the case is shaken and bounced and dropped that space does become an issue).

 


I play (click on icons to see pics): DQ:70+S++G(FAQ)M++B-I++Pw40k92/f-D+++A+++/areWD104R+T(D)DM+++
yakface's 40K rule #1: Although the rules allow you to use modeling to your advantage, how badly do you need to win your toy soldier games?
yakface's 40K rule #2: Friends don't let friends start a MEQ army.
yakface's 40K rule #3: Codex does not ALWAYS trump the rulebook, so please don't say that!
Waaagh Dakka: click the banner to learn more! 
   
Made in au
Hardened Veteran Guardsman





they dont like deamon princes

"People of Earth, shhhhhhhh" - Zapp Brannigan 
   
Made in ch
Dakka Veteran




Planet of Dakka

i flew with a small sized GW case,with the letters and outline of the eagle done in white-out/tipex and only had to pass it in the xray lie detector thing,nothing more.had paints,berzerkers and a couple of tool knives in it but i didnt get anything out of it so i guess it's safe


http://www.petitiononline.com/damnatus/ 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





And for the love of all that is holy. Make sure your exacto and other hobby knives are NOT in your bag before you attempt to go through security....

I had to apologize and tell them to keep my plastic hobby knife kit or miss my flight. It was only $8 but they didn't like opening one of my pouches to find a box with three handles and an assortment of exacto blades.

This was in 2000 prior to 9/11 thankfully.... or else I'd imagine I'd still be walking funny.

Can you D.I.G. it? 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut




California ( again)

I just came back from Texas with my minis In a Charon battle case ( the big one)http://www.charonproductions.com/shop/
But it comes with Egg Crate which is much safe too travel with then pockets or slots. I had no breakage this time and i checked that big ole thing in to luggage too.( I could tell the handlers had a good ole time with it too)

Best bet is Egg Crate ur figures in a case and add a piece of fibre board orhard board too both sides of the foam and place it in the case and add extra foam sheets too top and bottom and too the sides.

then seal it up and give it the old gorrilla test throw it around a few times ....

The Red shirts are dying !!!!! It's Nuthing but a Death shroud!!!(Warp11) 
   
 
Forum Index » Dakka Discussions
Go to: