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Hey folks,

I'm soon moving from family house to my own quarter, though that'll be a 32m2 appartement, so not exactly big!

Since I'll struggle more to have fun with gunsmithing an metalworks at that stage, si thought that be nice to use that time for some more hobby time again - mostly painting my backlog and even get a game or two every now and then?

As of now, I've got a sizeable IG, warband + size necrons and small WIP marines detachments, among with Project a box set and 2 Bolt action armies.

Work wise, I've got a custome made workbench and lots, lots of boxes here and there to fit tools paints and stuff. And an airbrush I'm fairly ungifted with and can't make high quality work by no margin, but served and still serves well for a whole variety of uses.

All advice welcome!

A few tips

1) BE ORGANISED however you sort your stuff out be logical and organised about it as much as you possibly can. This might mean putting labels on boxes; stacking boxes; using the same kind of storage for the same thing and so forth.

Being organised means that you can stack and box up things and still lay your hand on them when you need them. It also generally helps avoid ending up with a "clutter" that leaves you looking like a hoarder and unable to find anything

2) Regular cleanups. Even if you follow step 1; chances are you'll steadily get messier and lazier over time. So every so often a big cleanup is important. Checking things; putting things away. Even going as far as to clear your hobbydesk. This can not only help you keep things sorted and prevent getting into a real mess; but can also help with motivation to hobby because a clear desk means sorting out what you're doing etc..

3) Good quality storage. Cheap plastic boxes are ok, but you start stacking them and those thin tops start bending and breaking. Really Useful plastic boxes and other quality brand items are worth their cost for being durable at long term storage.

4) Metal file stands. Do check as some have gaps/openings/grills on the draws as they are made for paper. Solid metal ones are best; these can be great for putting all kinds of stuff into. Plastic wallets of bits; dice; cards; etc.... I use one to hold all my bits in and put those bits into specific plastic wallets (by type of part or by what kit they came from).
That alone makes it SO much easier to find specific bits instead of just one big box of parts that's all a jumble.

5) Try and prioritise/organise your hobby collecting. Can be tricky, esp when limited edition or hard to source stuff comes onto the market; but having some rough plan of where you're going is a big help in keeping your hobby under control when you're limited on space.

sounds good, I'll maybe truy to find myself some of these metal file stands. i'm already thinking about how I could attach such to less used parts of a desk or a cupboard. Can't really make holes just wherever I find that funny since that's a rent

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:
sounds good, I'll maybe truy to find myself some of these metal file stands. i'm already thinking about how I could attach such to less used parts of a desk or a cupboard. Can't really make holes just wherever I find that funny since that's a rent

Check out Market Auctions/auction houses. Furniture and filing stuff can turn up there fairly often and be very affordable to purchase.

Use under the bed space. If you've got boxes unbuilt, consider clipping them if they don't have numbers on the sprue for construction. Small baggies of bits take up way less space than sprues.

 Da Boss wrote:
Use under the bed space. If you've got boxes unbuilt, consider clipping them if they don't have numbers on the sprue for construction. Small baggies of bits take up way less space than sprues.

That's a good point.
On the bed front avoid those beds that "lift up" or have the draws underneath. The lift ups are just a hazard and most under-bed draws that are built into the bed are hopelessly weak and useless. A simple 4 wooden leg standing bed with a gap underneath works best as you can just push boxes under or get some flat under-bed containers on low wheels etc...

Im of two minds regarding the "clip parts out from the frames in order to save storage space". It might be a good idea for most infantry kits and the like, but I find it problematic when dealing with complex builds and vehicles. A decade later, I find a minigrip bag with bitz I have no idea how they go together anymore.. This has become more of an issue with the newer kits, which spam llil parts sometimes in order to prevent any undercuts.. And when you lose that signle lil bit, without which the build is basically flocked?

Yeah, nowadays I leave em on the sprues..

The suggestions on regular workspace cleanup are solid, should have done more of that when I still had my old hobby room.. ATM I am completely unable to hobby, hopefully will be able to suss out a hobby space again in the near future

I'd also recommend writing down a "My miniature collection manifest". It will give focus and clarity, and perhaps make it easier to get rid of excess stuff which many of us can end up with..

Thats a bit small. I have a 2 bed duplex flat, relatively small once humans are taken into account. I am aiming to build an 'overstairs' cupboard to use the space above the stairs for storing (light, bulky, probably terrain) stuff. In small flats with high ceilings I have seen small mezzanine/'ceiling shelf' options used.

That's indeed quite small, but that's affordable and i'm not fixing to spend "too much" time in it by travelling on construction places when this trainwreck of an economy we have got now finally takes a hold of itself. So mostly the week end.

Hence why I'm craving for this advice! And it is quite good so far.

Clear plastic containers, clearly marked - so you can see what's inside.

Also make sure they snap tight. Apartment living comes with neighbors who sometimes like to do fun things like run the tub for 3 days.

And you come home to discover where you used to have carpet- you now have a marsh.

The other good thing is that it allows you to quickly move your collection to another spot if necessary (ie. your apartment becomes a bog).

It's not as sexy to have your stuff in plastic containers instead of cool metal shelves, but it could save your stuff.

Sounds like first hand experience does it not?

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:
Sounds like first hand experience does it not?

Yes. I've learned the hard way.

Books do not like water.

Is a storage unit an option?
Focus on a project at a time and rotate them from your living space to the storage.
Same idea could be done if your family lets you use some space at the home you're leaving.

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my girlfriend and her two teenage daughters.
I rent a 6'x6' storage space to keep the apartment more clear.

I have everything organized into discrete totes/boxes, and Battlefoam bags.
I try to keep as many projects in the apartment as I can, so I don't feel forced to work on a specific thing and get mentally blocked, but everything else gets into the storage.
For example, a project on sprue, one that is primed and ready to paint, and another packed & ready to go play.

I use an app called BrushRage to keep my time spent on each project, as well as an inventory of what I own, and what the progress is on each. I know others use army building apps for similar purpose.

As said above, plastic totes are extremely useful, but your skill at organizing them is a significant factor in how efficiently you use them.

Hm... rotating project is a good thing. that'll ask some discipline of me as i'm the kind to wander off chase multiple rabbits at once, but that should greatly help. Part or all of the stuff could possibly stay at the family house.

About books, would you bring the books with you for inspiration or let them back at the family estate so to say?

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:
Hm... rotating project is a good thing. that'll ask some discipline of me as i'm the kind to wander off chase multiple rabbits at once, but that should greatly help. Part or all of the stuff could possibly stay at the family house.

About books, would you bring the books with you for inspiration or let them back at the family estate so to say?

Take a couple, but not all. If there are certain images you like, take pictures of them.

I only packed the books I enjoy reading or will use for rules. I took 120 photos of everything else.

 Maréchal des Logis Walter wrote:
Hm... rotating project is a good thing. that'll ask some discipline of me as i'm the kind to wander off chase multiple rabbits at once, but that should greatly help. Part or all of the stuff could possibly stay at the family house.

About books, would you bring the books with you for inspiration or let them back at the family estate so to say?

A tablet or laptop with internet, external drives, and cloud storage are a hell of a space saver when it comes to inspiration.

I also have Reddit\Warhammer Instructions bookmarked.

Just to clarify what I said about clipping - if a model is really complex and has to be built in exactly the order shown on the sprue (like many modern GW models) then clipping sadly won't do much for you except make building the model an even bigger pain. But for lots of other kits that are more modular, it doesn't matter if you clip them (I'm thinking historical plastics, oathmark, that sort of thing).

 Da Boss wrote:
Just to clarify what I said about clipping - if a model is really complex and has to be built in exactly the order shown on the sprue (like many modern GW models) then clipping sadly won't do much for you except make building the model an even bigger pain. But for lots of other kits that are more modular, it doesn't matter if you clip them (I'm thinking historical plastics, oathmark, that sort of thing).

Yeah, I've saved tons of space clipping old GW & historicals off sprue & packing them tight away. But mostly kits that didn't have numbering.

If you have access to sprue pictures, you can do the puzzlework if the space is more important.
I recently built a Lion El'Jonson that my friend had clipped everything off sprue.
The build instructions I found on reddit had excellent pictures with part numbers. But I doubt that is commonplace.

ETA: I must have looked at the GW site pics. The numbers are pretty clear on the sprues.

I tend to keep models on the sprue until I get to building them.

I clip spare/waste parts off once I've built the model and put those spare bits into smaller bags (either by part type or by boxed set they came in type backs so its all similar stuff together for easy finding).

Keeping parts on-sprue until you need them has two benefits
1) AS noted it makes it easier to find very specific parts for the build without getting them mixed up. Some models even have parts that look almost identical and the part number is the only way to tell them apart (the leg insert parts on the Tyranid Malceptor are like that and you can get into a right mess if you use the wrong ones).

2) It keeps the parts together. It's ever so easy to cut all the bits off; put them to one side or in a bag and then between then and 6 months later when you build it - one part has gone walking and vanished. Forever to be never seen until you buy the part on ebay or buy the model again


You can save a bit of space, but I think its not worth it in the end.
The other aspect is that if you've that many unassembled models that its starts to become a major storage problem then its perhaps time to organise your hobbying to try and focus on getting things done or moving on things that are never going to get done.



Eg I sold off a whole host of Skaven at the start of this year because they'd spend 3 years sitting in boxes and I'd built 1 clanrat. As much as I want to have an army; it was clear to me that I didn't actually want to build any of them. Add that to the fact that I had other armies I was building up and a huge backlog there and it just made sense to move some stuff on.

Sounds good so far, taking notes!

My advice would be to take this as an opportunity to reduce your footprint. I've made this a yearly or so prodedure and never looked back. Take a look at your backlog and sell whatever doesn't spark joy.

 BertBert wrote:
My advice would be to take this as an opportunity to reduce your footprint. I've made this a yearly or so prodedure and never looked back. Take a look at your backlog and sell whatever doesn't spark joy.

The problem with that approach and hobbies can be that you go into the process to declutter and end up coming out with the same amount of clutter and a longer shopping list for more

Actually, while I wouldn't make it a yearly event, now could be the time to make some serious sorting though.

You could play the old "fire test."

Which is a thought experiment that encourages people to consider what items they would prioritize in an emergency situation, such as a fire in their home.

The idea is to imagine you have only a short amount of time to grab essential belongings before evacuating. This exercise can help individuals reflect on what they truly value, whether it's sentimental items, important documents, or practical necessities.

It often leads to deeper insights about personal priorities and the significance of material possessions in one's life.

You could do the same for your gaming stuff. If you could only grab a selection of it, what would it be?

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...

I employ a similar tiering system: Whatever sits on the shelves or the desk in my living room is high-priority and non-negotiable. Then there is the stuff in easily accessible storage boxes in my dresser - those are things I'm currently working on or appreciate enough to take out regularly. Everything else goes into the basement and is fair game when it comes to clearing space.