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Especially with regard to hand luggage. How spiky is too spiky and can be considered a weapon? I have GW Chaos models. Spray primer will have to go in the cargo hold I assume, but will it be safe there? It's the same as spray deodorant right?

What materials are okay to transport? Some of my models incorporate metal and lead, are they allowable in hand luggage.

Re: Spray primer. I'd check with your airline, only they will know for sure. Wherever you're going, do you have the option to buy some spray primer locally ? That might be a better idea.

Re: Travelling with minis... i've flown before with minis. Spikey ones. Never once got considered a weapon. TSA agent did give me some weird looks (it was carry-on, NEVER check your mini bag, ever, unless you want this to happen -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UOJiEgxt7RY&x-yt-ts=1421914688&x-yt-cl=84503534)

Good advice is to pack your figures away and make sure they are padded well.
Prime them before you pack them and don't take the aerosol spray can on the plane.
You need to pack them neatly in one of those little fishing tackle boxes and have a couple of pots and some brushes. The days of taking the whole paint set are gone, since it amounts to a few more little pots then TSA wants to go through individually. 3-5 is about it.( and then be prepared to open them.) If they are easy to look over, they are going to go through fast.

No modeling Xacto knives/ straight blades, epoxy putty, cutting instruments, nail files, etc. ...any cutting stuff. Put that stuff in your check baggage.

Basicly, you'll prime the stuff up, put it in your fishing tackle boxs with a couple of pots of paint and a few brushes, have the rulebook, or some other book in there in case you get one of those rube types that are going to look at you funny with the figures.

Aside from that- its a general pain in the ass to get on the plane to begin with, vehicle kits won't work for you, larger monster kits won't, and cav unit figures may be a bit much if you try to take more then ten or twenty. They look over your gear on the X ray machine. Theres people before you and behind you, so you generally don't want to be there any more then you have to.

Get on the dance floor about an hour early, as well. I went through Shannon, they aren't going to mess around with you. because you'll go through that row, those kids are going to give you a yeah or no, and your moving forward, as long as you don't give them any smart ass. No room for anything else there.
That airport doesn't mess about either. they have a very efficient system going where you go in and go out faster then fast. BECAUSE... they don't mess about.

Good times going through Shannon, BTW.

Damn, I was hoping to take a larger piece. Maybe I'll just have to do without.

I'm going back to Brazil for nearly a year and I'd like to take some hobby things with me, but it sounds like I'll just have to order online.

From my experience and throws of friends take your models as carry on. They will get trashed if you don't when security rifles thru your stuff.

If your traveling international try not to cry if security smashes your tanks and break your forge world greater demons in half in front of you. Sadly they are a casualty of Homeland Security now.

what? Still bitter you ask? Maby....

Luckily if traveling domestic flight you have more rights, so don't worry about that last part. When traveling international you got no privacy and property rights.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Damn, I was hoping to take a larger piece. Maybe I'll just have to do without.

I'm going back to Brazil for nearly a year and I'd like to take some hobby things with me, but it sounds like I'll just have to order online.

You're cool, just pack it away in your turn in luggage. BUT make sure its packed up well and padded. (They throw your stuff.)

If not you can always mail it to yourself.

 Grot 6 wrote:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Damn, I was hoping to take a larger piece. Maybe I'll just have to do without.

I'm going back to Brazil for nearly a year and I'd like to take some hobby things with me, but it sounds like I'll just have to order online.

You're cool, just pack it away in your turn in luggage. BUT make sure its packed up well and padded. (They throw your stuff.)

If not you can always mail it to yourself.

Because the postal service won't throw your stuff?

Don't. /thread.

Traveling Internationally....

Taking minis on a carry-on is going to be a huge nightmare, ESPECIALLY coming BACK into the USA (assuming that is where you are originating).

I have flown with 15mm and 28mm ancient's armies, but only domestically, and it was a nightmare.

DO NOT use a metal Tackle box. TSA will usually not allow those through, because they can be too easily used as a weapon (seriously.... They will say that).

A better solution would be to find a contract specialist shipper, and to pack your miniatures so that they cannot break loose, or roll around. This is a bit more expensive (it cost me about $200 to have two 28mm armies shipped from SF to Pennsylvania, and I got a discount from where I worked).

But doing this will allow you to define the condition you expect your minis to arrive in, and to be able to insure them against arriving in that condition.

Otherwise.... You will need to make certain that the miniatures ALL fit in ONE carry-on.

MB

I transported my army in a carry case with the foam tray things. Checked it into the hold as fragile and it was fine.

Perhaps depends in the airline!

I won't be traveling anywhere near the US, I'll be traveling through Dublin, Hathrow, and Galeão (Rio de Janeiro).

So, you guys are giving me conflicting advice. I'm allowed carry two pieces of hand luggage, and one piece of check in luggage. I've traveled with paints before, and I put them in my check in. I cleaned the lids to make sure they sealed properly, closed them with sellotape, and put them all in a zip lock back, with as much air squeezed out as possible. I then put all that in another zip lock, then in another, then in another, then in another. Five zip lock bags total. The paints survived completely find and my security measures were surely overkill.

One model that I specifically want to take is my Heldrake, which has about four hundred spikes on it. I think the only safe way to carry it is as hang luggage. Do you think I could take one of the small Citadel cases, and maybe get some string or a belt to "tie" it closed, as the latches are kind of weak.

 MadSoul wrote:
I transported my army in a carry case with the foam tray things. Checked it into the hold as fragile and it was fine.

Perhaps depends in the airline!

A friend did that. Tumbled half open out onto the luggage train in front of him, sending miniatures flying ever wear and down into the mechanics of the conveyer belt. They opened up his case and tore apart his dreadnought Looking for drugs in the hollow plastic model. They then never bothered to close the case when they thru the parts back in

A metal space marine captain got his revenge when he fell into the workings and sacrificed himself using his body to clog the workings.

Getting a airline carry on case like the ones battle foam sell is a must.


Oh yah, any small electronics like Ipads and laptops. Don't pack in your luggage. I know people who had airport personale steal that stuff out of their bags for them selves.

Also don't leave porn in your drop box account. They have the legal right to look threw the files on your devices. Can be pretty embarrassing

None of my porn is embarrassing.

AnFéasógMór wrote:

 Grot 6 wrote:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Damn, I was hoping to take a larger piece. Maybe I'll just have to do without.

I'm going back to Brazil for nearly a year and I'd like to take some hobby things with me, but it sounds like I'll just have to order online.

You're cool, just pack it away in your turn in luggage. BUT make sure its packed up well and padded. (They throw your stuff.)

If not you can always mail it to yourself.

Because the postal service won't throw your stuff?

This guy asked about taking his stuff on the plane. help him out, please. I speak from my experience, what is yours that can help him out?

Just remembered. GW paint pots sometimes pop open when they go from high to low pressure. Keep them in a zip lock bag when you pack them in your luggage.

This is basically Russian Roulette.

I've taken my eldar army (1750pts) through domestic screening with no issues.

That included 4 falcon sized vehicles (which aren't teeny).

When asked what was in the case, I just responded with "Toy soldiers, there's a national comp on this weekend."

I opened the case, they had a look, they let me through.

All the tools were in checked luggage.
So were the paints (NO aerosols spray cans. They don't let them into checked luggage either here) and unopened bottle of superglue. This is my "repair kit" - touch up paints, glue and tools for repairs.

Through Sydney and into Canberra (national capital, and a FEDERAL airport - it has no "state" police being the capital. A lot of politicians flying in and out all the time, so security is a bit more overt than at any other "regional" airport.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Especially with regard to hand luggage. How spiky is too spiky and can be considered a weapon? I have GW Chaos models. Spray primer will have to go in the cargo hold I assume, but will it be safe there? It's the same as spray deodorant right?

What materials are okay to transport? Some of my models incorporate metal and lead, are they allowable in hand luggage.

Ship them.

That's always my answer about miniatures and airlines. It is like handling a china doll to an angry toddler. They don't mix well.

weeble1000 wrote:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Especially with regard to hand luggage. How spiky is too spiky and can be considered a weapon? I have GW Chaos models. Spray primer will have to go in the cargo hold I assume, but will it be safe there? It's the same as spray deodorant right?

What materials are okay to transport? Some of my models incorporate metal and lead, are they allowable in hand luggage.

Ship them.

That's always my answer about miniatures and airlines. It is like handling a china doll to an angry toddler. They don't mix well.

Also happens to work well enough with luggage, equipment and pretty much everything else. Airlines are not the best at handling things, with the added inspections on top of that...

If you are going to a hotel, call them up and tell them you want to ship a package there for when you arrive. Happens all the time (at least, I do it all the time, and they don't seem surprised). When you show up to check in, you can grab your UPS/FedEx box of stuff. When you are ready to leave, many hotels will ship it back for you (you pay the shipping of course - but they will pass it off to courier).

Agreed fully on shipping. Having a friend who works for our national carrier, the baggage handling stories would set your teeth on edge. Either that or get some sort of military style hardware case, mark it as fragile, tell the airline in advance of so and cross fingers.