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Edit - StackaRack is live now on Kickstarter!
Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spiralarmstudios/stackarack


Spiral Arm Studios, the company behind Maelstrom's Edge and DakkaDakka, are currently working on a Kickstarter for a customisable plastic paint rack designed to hold any of the major miniature paint ranges - from the dropper bottles used by Vallejo and Army Painter, to the tall pots from the likes of Privateer and Reaper (and GW's old range), and the current stubby Citadel pots.


3D rendered serving suggestion

Paint collections have a way of growing organically, and most of the current paint rack solutions out there are fixed to specific configurations, and made for a specific type of paint pot. If you're like me, and collect multiple brands of paint, that can make organising them a little frustrating, and so we thought we would try to fix that.


Rendered for your convenience

The StackaRack was designed to hold any of the above mentioned pots comfortably, and allows for dropper bottles to slot in either way up, to suit your preference. It fits together with plastic clips, allowing you to build it how you like, and disassemble and reconfigure it as needed. The prototypes shown here are about 90% completed - the clip system is still a work in progress, with the Kickstarter giving us the development time we need to finish it off, and we wanted to allow room for fine-tuning based on feedback during the campaign.


3D render of the initial prototype unit

We're aiming to fund the production of the StackaRack through Kickstarter because it's a big project, and so getting it off the ground the old fashioned way would take a lot of resources away from our regular production schedule. But we really love this concept and want to make it happen, so we're fronting up half of the initial production cost ourselves, to keep the funding goal down. While the initial offering is for just the basic unit, if it goes well enough we have plans to add in various accessories to customise it even further, like adjustable corner pieces, brush/tool holders and the like.


Printed prototypes


The Kickstarter goes live on the 20th of April!

It looks interesting. My biggest concerns would be
1. how much space it takes up
2. Cost
3. Availability

To give you an idea, here is my desk at a clean time.

I printed some free files from online, this isn’t even a third of my total paints. Each option has its merits, but not one handles all types, so your multi style pot holder is a plus.

Big disadvantage is the usual with GW paint pots, you can’t see the color from the top down on the solid lids.

Also a suggestion would be to have “cubes” that are larger to put actual models in the rack. You can see in my photo a small shelf for miniatures “on the bench” so that you can see a group or squad together as you paint them. I find it helpful to help them be more cohesive.

 Theophony wrote:
It looks interesting. My biggest concerns would be
1. how much space it takes up
2. Cost
3. Availability

All good points. Obviously the amount of space it needs is going to depend on how you configure it and (more importantly) how big your paint collection is. But because it's modular and reconfigurable, even with a larger collection you have a lot of flexibility to work with your available space, and can potentially just build it to accommodate the paints that you are actively using. The space issue is also why we went with the vertical rack option, rather than something like the stepped MDF versions which can wind up hogging a lot of desk surface.

Cost is always tricky to balance, and we've tried to keep production costs as low as possible so that we can keep the final price reasonable.

We'll be aiming to get it out into retail channels, but it will be available online through our webstore once production is complete.

Big disadvantage is the usual with GW paint pots, you can’t see the color from the top down on the solid lids.

Yes, that's always been an issue with those pots. IIRC, the newer GW pots have clear lids, which helps there. I mention a few ideas in the Kickstarter, but for those of us with the older, white lids, adding a spot of paint onto the lid is the easiest and quickest solution. We're also looking at tweaking the front surface of the StackaRack (between the pot cavities vertically) to a more rectangular shape and sourcing some suitable labels that you could apply and write the paint name on... But even without that, you could add a spot of paint on there instead, or write on the rack with a marker. The Citadel pots do actually fit in the rack top down, which can also help combat the paint settling, although that can make things a bit messy when it comes time to open them - or if you haven't sealed them properly before putting them away!

Also a suggestion would be to have “cubes” that are larger to put actual models in the rack. You can see in my photo a small shelf for miniatures “on the bench” so that you can see a group or squad together as you paint them. I find it helpful to help them be more cohesive.

This is definitely a good idea, and one I have on the list of potential expansions.


Thanks for the feedback!

While I like the idea, I have questions:

Does it fit apple barrel paints?

Will we be able to "corner" it? Could there be a plastic box to do so?

What would any paint brush holders look like?

Any ideas for holding the rest of the garbage spewed across my painting desk? Clippers/files/greenstuff/magnets/utility knife/several sizes and flavors of glue/sprues and bits?

Thanks for the questions!

 CynosureEldar wrote:
Does it fit apple barrel paints?

It wasn't designed with craft paints in mind. I don't have access to Apple Barrel, but going by a quick search online just now, it looks like they use the same 2oz/59ml bottles used by a lot of different craft brands, which are just a fraction wider than the current Citadel pots. I just tried putting a DecoArt bottle (same size bottle with a different lid) into one of my printed prototypes and it's just a bit too tight. I feel like they would also need a deeper well due to the height of the bottles, to avoid the rack becoming too front-heavy.

So while including craft paints like this would be possible, I think it would require a separate holder unit with the cavity made a fraction wider and deeper, which would only hold those bottles. If there's enough call for it, this could certainly be considered for a stretch goal but is beyond the scope of the initial funding.

Will we be able to "corner" it? Could there be a plastic box to do so?

If you mean a corner angle piece, then this is one of the stretch goals, as it will require an extra sprue. Ideally, this will be an adjustable piece, so you can position the rack bent at whatever angle you choose.

What would any paint brush holders look like?

The idea was for a single piece that could serve as either a brush or tool holder, so probably just a vertical or angled cup that would slot in on the end or any top row of the rack. Something a little more brush-specific would also be possible, with holes to slot brushes into so they are held securely - but this is problematic given the different shapes and sizes that brushes come in. The specific design here will depend on feedback from backers, if and when it reaches that stretch goal.

Any ideas for holding the rest of the garbage spewed across my painting desk? Clippers/files/greenstuff/magnets/utility knife/several sizes and flavors of glue/sprues and bits?

Some of that would go into the brush/tool holder. I would also like to include parts to create a shelf across the top of the unit for storing minis in progress, glue, and other odds and ends that don't fit in the holder but, again, that would depend on getting sufficient funding.

Must admit, I would much prefer the files to print them myself.

Still, interesting.

 Albertorius wrote:
Must admit, I would much prefer the files to print them myself..

There is a Print Your Own reward!

 insaniak wrote:

 Albertorius wrote:
Must admit, I would much prefer the files to print them myself..

There is a Print Your Own reward!

Oh, nice! Definitely interested

 Albertorius wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

 Albertorius wrote:
Must admit, I would much prefer the files to print them myself..

There is a Print Your Own reward!

Oh, nice! Definitely interested

Seconded

so many pictures that remind me of old 80's arcade games

I just have to get my printer working again . Not sure if it is the hot end, nozzels or just the cats being evil and messing with it while my back is turned, but I'll have a go at printing these depending on the price for the STL.

At this stage, we're looking at £10 for the STL-only pledge.

W00t. I’m up for that price point definitely.

 insaniak wrote:
At this stage, we're looking at £10 for the STL-only pledge.

That sounds more than agreeable.

 insaniak wrote:
At this stage, we're looking at £10 for the STL-only pledge.

Definitely in at that price, STL KS prices have been creeping up to £35+ as the standard these days so it's great to see a genuinely affordable one.

One more week to go until the StackaRack Kickstarter campaign goes live!











Hop on over the the prelaunch page here and click the 'Notify me on launch' button for a reminder when the project goes live.











While that's going on, Maelstrom's Edge hasn't been forgotten. The next few releases are currently with the painter getting some colour in their lives. We're looking forward to getting these out to you. While you're waiting, here's a teaser of some things to come for the Broken!

StackaRack is live now on Kickstarter!

Check out the project video:



You can find the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spiralarmstudios/stackarack

Hah... just realised that I’m a Stackarackabacka. Awesome pants.

These look very cool... but storing 60 paint pots is rookie numbers. :( I have two of the acrylic racks that hold about 50 pots each, and a couple of big MDF ones for Vallejo, and that's still not really enough...

Im in for the STLS so I can just keep cranking them out

 Flinty wrote:
Hah... just realised that I’m a Stackarackabacka. Awesome pants.

Even better, you're a DakkaStackaRackaBacka!

Or is that a StackaRackaDakkaBacka?

I backed it although I haven't wielded a paintbrush in over a year now. Still, I will be able to look at and gaze upon my organized paints in wonderment now.

 insaniak wrote:

 Flinty wrote:
Hah... just realised that I’m a Stackarackabacka. Awesome pants.

Even better, you're a DakkaStackaRackaBacka!

Or is that a StackaRackaDakkaBacka?

Is...

Is “Dakka” supposed to rhyme with backa?




I’ve been saying “dock uh”.

And how do you say Tyranid? Or Hawick?

SO, a day and a half in, and we're 52% funded, which is awesome!

If you're on the fence about this one, or waiting for retail, it's possibly worth considering that the whole thing becomes much better value if we can push it through the first couple of stretch goals... so dive in!

You can also pick up some Maelstrom's Edge terrain sprues at a discount as an add-on...

I'm in for the STLs, looking forward to seeing my paints on the table compared to where they sit now!

The STL pledge has definitely been the popular option.

I didn't see it listed on the Kickstarter page, but how high can you stack the racks? Have you given it a height test? I'm sure depending upon width of the whole base you can go higher, but most of the pictures you have posted only shows them stacked 4 tall, with the exception of the line drawings which look like arcade games having 5 and 6 layer heights. Also will there be .STL files where we can print them in a 4 high piece already, or do we need to do all the parts separately and then clip them together? I'd like to do taller pieces at least for the outside edges just for stability.

Stated that wall brackets/stabilisers are a proposed stretch, if we get that far. Can probably merge all sorts of things together in 3D builder or similar