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Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

I figured (having just spent half a day going though a mountain of stuff) that this might be something to raise as a topic to help each other out with; not just beginners but all.



So one joy of Warhammer games is that many kits not only contain optional parts, alternate weapons or heads but can even be duel kits; able to be built into one of two or more different models. This, however, means that come the end of building you will often find that you've still got a fair number of parts still on the sprue for which you might have no immediate use of.

Now there are several things that you can do at this stage with your bits.

1) Trade: If you keep them on the sprue that they came on (ego cut of the sprue only those parts you need); you can read off the part numbers and then put them up on ebay, Bartertown, Dakka and other forums. Being able to photograph and show the specific part numbers included. Thus informing those who might want the spare parts what specific bits you have and have to sell.
This might not make much money, but it can be a good way to recycle parts within the community; you can even choose to just swap or give them away for free if you desire.
Don't worry if you've clipped them off, even if you don't have the part numbers any more you can still take clear photos of the parts for sale.

2) Throw them away: always a viable option, though many gamers would consider it wasteful to throw away the parts which are readily usable.

3) Keep them; this is what most gamers do as it involves little work and isn't wasteful and leaves you a bits box of stuff to use for conversions (this might even be so that you've got body parts for a scenic base). However storage brings its own considerations and there's a few ideas to consider

a) A big old box of loose bits. This is the simpliest; cut the bits off the sprue and store all the bits in a single box. Easy, quick, but very messy if you actually want to find something. This is even more true if you collect more than one army/game/range.

b) Plastic Wallets. Those resealable plastic wallets can be a godsend. You can not only keep the parts nice and save within them, but sort them. This might be done in a variety of ways. One easy way is for each unit type keep one wallet. This way all the parts of one model type are kept within one enclosed group. Another is to sort by part type, so all heads in one, left arms in the other etc...

Note many Chinese take-away often have fairly good quality plastic tubs to keep the rice in when you buy it. If you wash them out they can be an ideal modest tub into which you can put a selection of plastic wallets full of parts for storage. This lets you sort the wallets in groups.

c) Either in a single box or sorted; but keeping all the bits on sprue. The downside to this is that it does take up a lot more room to store and unless you are active in trading; this will quickly require quite a considerable amount of space to store. Whilst even sprues can be converted to other uses, it can end up just storing a lot of plastic.



Note personally I've done both A and B of the above at different times. A single box was great when I got started as it was pretty much effortless and I only had the one army. However now I find it a pain as I cannot find things with any speed within the box; find it a jumble of parts and it becomes harder to mentally recall what is stored within it.
I've thus steadily moved toward the latter option; not only doesn't it take much more room, but it also lets me more quickly put my hand to specific parts. It also means that I can more easily recall what I do and don't have in parts because a quick check reminds me of the models I own and of the parts that came with them; with any I don't recall simply requiring a quick glance through the wallet to find the parts.


This is something worth thinking about when you get started, but often goes unmentioned. Good sorting of spares can really help you out later; either when you are trading stuff away or you are looking to convert.

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Powerful Phoenix Lord





I eBay a lot of my spare bits if they're ones people want (a quick eBay search will tell you). Other stuff I'm keeping on hand goes into plastic baggies (wallets?). You can buy a couple hundred which are 2"x4" for a couple bucks. This is how I ship bits, so it's a no-brainer for me.

I keep everything on the sprue until I'm 100% done with the models then clip the rest off and stash them.

Another option: one of the local clubs here has a "bring some, take some" box. It's a large stash of bits, and the general idea is that if you're looking for a lascannon, or a particular head - you go and visit this box. If you find a couple pieces, cool - take them. Just make sure you drop off some pieces of your own.

While neat, it's obviously subject to unscrupulous people taking good bits and dropping off crap, but the idea itself is pretty good.

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Eblows I think boxes like the one your store has, or one that could be used at a club; can indeed be a good idea. I think for bits they'd need someone to go through the box every so often and remove items that are heavily dominate so that its easier to see things and its not buried in a see of leg sections or other unpopular parts.

And yeah its very possible that such a box might need some moderation to its use to avoid abuse (though the worst kind would be someone taking and flogging them online).

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Rampaging Reaver Titan Princeps





Earlobe deep in doo doo

I use a couple of plastic draw boxes from a hardware store keeping my bitz sorted and off the sprue.

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Multispectral Nisse




Luton, UK

Those plastic divided boxes that are commonly sold as screw organisers are ideal, and commonly stackable if you buy a few of the same type (useful for multiple game systems).


“Good people are quick to help others in need, without hesitation or requiring proof the need is genuine. The wicked will believe they are fighting for good, but when others are in need they’ll be reluctant to help, withholding compassion until they see proof of that need. And yet Evil is quick to condemn, vilify and attack. For Evil, proof isn’t needed to bring harm, only hatred and a belief in the cause.” 
   
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The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York



I do a bit of all the storage options. As long as there are enough parts to make a full model, they still live on the sprue. Once I’m done they get clipped and sorted into the boxes. Paired parts are often stuck in little ziplock bags to keep them together. Some of my very old stuff still resides in an old tin that I’ve not fully sifted yet.

   
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Inspiring SDF-1 Bridge Officer





Mississippi

I keep my bits, stored in jewelry bags that are labeled. They used to fit into a 2E marine bike box, but it’s gotten a bit big for that now.

I’ve actually been able to build a 10-man Tau Fire Warrior squad from old kits - I had to make torsos for it to work, but that took about 20 minutes of basic green stuff to come up with something useful.

It never ends well 
   
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Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain






A Protoss colony world

I use cheap bead sorting boxes from Walmart (cost like 2 dollars or so). I organize the bits by type, so heads in one compartment, guns in another, melee weapons in a third, etc. I've got loads more kits that I need to do this for, but it's a start. I have several 40k armies, so ultimately I'll have quite a few bits boxes, but they will all be labeled so I know what is where.

My armies (re-counted and updated on 11/1/23, including modeled wargear options):
Dark Angels: ~15000 Astra Militarum: ~1200 | Adeptus Custodes: ~1900 | Imperial Knights: ~2000 | Sisters of Battle: ~3500 | Leagues of Votann: ~1200 | Tyranids: ~2600 | Stormcast Eternals: ~5000
Check out my P&M Blogs: ZergSmasher's P&M Blog | Imperial Knights blog | Board Games blog | Total models painted in 2023: 40 | Total models painted in 2024: 7 | Current main painting project: Dark Angels
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Major




In a van down by the river

Yeah, seemingly like Nevelon I use the Plano-style utility boxes for organizing bits as well. They come in a variety of sizes, stack fairly well and have variable compartment sizes (in one dimension anyway). I have a Bass Pro near me and when they do their seasonal fishing sales their re-branded Plano boxes (still made by Plano, they just say Bass Pro on the top) are usually 5 for $10. Co-worker who also works there pointed out that the 360 (or Plano 3600) is letter-sized while the 370 is roughly legal sized. Thus they do fit into standard filing cabinets and such quite nicely, especially since you typically aren't TOO concerned with bits getting jostled.

Not as cost-effective as take-out containers, but there's some nice versatility and storage benefits to be had for not-outrageous prices if you can time it right (for State-siders anyway...).
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






I have some old printing press shelves with dozens of cells per drawer. My brother built a custom chest to hold them.

   
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[DCM]
Moustache-twirling Princeps





Gone-to-ground in the craters of Coventry

Zippable bags in take-away tubs, as you list as 3b. Bags are sorted into tubs, and the tubs stack inside each other.
Playing X-wing helped there, as each ship came with 2-4 little zip-lock bags.

But, since I magnetise so much of my stuff, there is not that much that doesn't end up in the cases, to swap-out at the table.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/07/31 15:14:46


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