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Hey Dakka,

I am moving provinces soon and was planning on taking my warhammer models with me. This is the first time I've flown with my stuff and am planning on bringing them all on my carry on luggage. I've already checked the size restriction and was mostly wondering if anyone else has done this before? Were there any troubles getting through airport security? Should I take out my metal models first? Any insight would be helpful thanks.

From what I have heard dice will show up weird on an x-ray so I would not bring them in carry on. Make sure you don't have any chemicals that are flammable(glue, paint) with as well also ensure you air out the case because the smell from the paint/glue might make them nervous.

They will almost undoubtedly inspect all of the stuff and you will probably get some odd looks.

TBH, I'd pack them securely in battlefoam and check them. Being that a lot of them have pointy bits, you're risking being stopped at security and having to discard them then and there, or risk running back to luggage to check them and having to pay for it.

Leave all the chems at home... no glue, no thinner, etc. Paints... eh, I would mail them to my new address via UPS or USPS, honestly. High-altitudes and low temperatures might do wonky things to the paint.

I bring my minis with me on business trips. Ill paint in a hotel as its better than going out drinking in the hotel bar.

I've used the sable cases before to good success. I just bring them as carry on. More than once I've had to explain what they were to security, but it does not take long.

Edit : Oddly customs coming back into the US has always been more curious about them than internal US travel.

I would check them, better to not deal with the hassel.

When I was a youngster we were flying back from London to Ireland, and this was in the days when Irish people weren't treated nicely by customs over there.
A customs officer opened my bag and saw a load of genestealers and terminators, from the original Space Hulk set. His jaw dropped, and he zipped the bag up and waved me through.
Not sure how this is relevant, except that I wish I still had those models.

Well I would check them if it wasn't a room issue. There just isn't space in my luggage for all the stuff.

Far and away the best advice I can give is - check ahead with the airport. Hell, visit it to show them in person if you get the chance. Though, do bear in mind that the customs officials are different people and you may still get a different answer on the day.

As stated, chemicals - so paints, sprays, glue etc. - are a no-go. For the models themselves, make sure you declare them at the first opportunity as you will get by much quicker than if you leave it for scans or searches to pick something up and then you get questioned on it. This is particularly true if you're carrying metal, of course.

Lastly, pack everything in foam or tissue and pray, but expect *something* to break anyway - there's not really much more you can do in that regard.

I think Super Ready's suggestion is best, especially since, if I understand correctly, your flight is both originating in and terminating in Canada. I don't know how the security will differ in Canada compared to other places, so your best option is to check ahead, in my opinion.

I'd say leave the fluids and sharps (paints, glue, hobby knife, etc.) at home or check those separately (well padded and sealed in plastic bags to deal with the inevitable leaks due to pressure changes and violent handling). I'd take my models through security as carry-on, though. just tell the screener what to expect when you put it down on the x-ray belt; shouldn't be a big deal. having witnessed first-hand the way some baggage handlers abuse bags in US airports, I'd never put anything fragile in a checked bag. no amount of bubble wrap can save you

Yeah, definitly put the knives and clippers in the checked baggage. And maybe just dump the glue period. Its what, $2 for a new bottle?

Yep dumping the glue, biggest issue will be the paints then. I'll put them in plastic bags so if all goes to hell they won't make a mess with the rest of my stuff and its no issue to buy new ones anyways.

You could individually wrap each paint pot, so if one goes the rest arn't ruined as well.

And some of my pots stick so tight normally I doubt air pressure would do much besides loosen the grip.

There's one pot of Badab Black in particular that I have to use my clippers to pry open each time I use it.

Whats all the fuzz about? I'd just bring a couple of miniatures along with paint, clippers, glue etc and join the "GW Mile High Club" (painting a model in mid flight).

 Stvafel wrote:
Whats all the fuzz about? I'd just bring a couple of miniatures along with paint, clippers, glue etc and join the "GW Mile High Club" (painting a model in mid flight).

Clippers on a plane? TERRORIST!!!!!11!!!!!!

And of course if you don't get disappeared to some CIA secret prison for the rest of your short and painful life your fellow passengers will probably kill you when the first bit of turbulence spills your paint all over them.

 Grey Templar wrote:
I would check them, better to not deal with the hassel.

Better hope you don't have anything delicate in there. I wouldn't even consider checking completed models, or anything else I don't want thrown around and thoroughly smashed.

 Stvafel wrote:
Whats all the fuzz about? I'd just bring a couple of miniatures along with paint, clippers, glue etc and join the "GW Mile High Club" (painting a model in mid flight).

If this isn't sarcasim, you have clearly NEVER flown on a plane and don't know about the various anti-terrorisim regulations regarding what you can carry on with you.

In the US they won't let you bring a lot of things in carry on, it's just usually better to be cautious and not be added to the no fly list.

Yeah, any modelling supplies should be checked.

Miniatures are fine in carry on luggage. Plastics won't get a second look. Metal models will show up on the metal detector, but you'll just need to let them open your bag to check that it's not something you can bring down the plane with.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Stvafel wrote:
Whats all the fuzz about? I'd just bring a couple of miniatures along with paint, clippers, glue etc and join the "GW Mile High Club" (painting a model in mid flight).

If this isn't sarcasim, you have clearly NEVER flown on a plane and don't know about the various anti-terrorisim regulations regarding what you can carry on with you.

It is sarcasm at its finest my good sir. I had to type something but all the good suggestions were already taken :(

Models are okay for the airplane/airport, but everything else is a no-no unless you're using NON-FLAMMABLE, NON-TOXIC paint. The altitude doesn't really effect the paints, and as long as the amount you're carrying doesn't exceed the normal amount allowed you can bring them with you. Just this Christmas I brought some paints with me on the plane, and the TSA waved me through. But I wouldn't paint ON the plane, who knows what the turbulence would do.

This might just be for me though, I was at JFK airport going to Iceland and leaving Keflavik airport from there. Not sure if they didn't notice or didn't care.

I took my dark eldar to the ETC in Poland from Australia in 2012. The army had metal, resin and plastic parts as well as magnets. It all went in a single battle foam bag which complied with the size for carry on (I even sent the size to the airline in writing as it was a smidge to thick and they approved it).

I did a total of 6 flights on that trip return and never once was stopped to open the bag or even looked at twice. My tape measure, dice, templates etc were all in my check luggage. The other guys on the team did get stopped on occasion but they had tape measures/templates with the army

i would check them. Properly packaged in foam, which you should have anyway, it takes quite a beating to damage them through the case.

I am in the process of converting a large footlocker with wheels on one end into a massive orky container. Just need my damn foam to show up so i can actually work on it (since i need the foam for like 95% of the job lol). This gives me a LOT of space, and the locker in question is often a shipping container anyway for us military folk (Gorilla Wheels locker for those who know what that is) so i know its sturdy.

As stated earlier, i'd be afraid of the pointy bitz causing people to wig out. You can kill someone with a toothpick after all, and half of the stuff on our models are a bit worse than a toothpick lol.

wererat wrote:
Yep dumping the glue, biggest issue will be the paints then. I'll put them in plastic bags so if all goes to hell they won't make a mess with the rest of my stuff and its no issue to buy new ones anyways.

I'm not sure what you have in Canada but I would suggest a zip lock lunch bag.

I forget what the size limit is on liquids but pretty sure the Citadel paints if thats what you have are small enough to pass....but then again i think that only applies to toiletries anyway. I rarely fly with anything other than clothes so i dunno lol.

Citadel paints are 12 ml, Vallejo and other paints are 17 ml I think, so you'd put them in your toiletries bag.

I've had paints in my checked luggage in big freezer bags and they were all ok. I've also checked a Kaiser 2 full of Eldar and all that broke was the gun off my Fire Prism, but seeing as how that was a metal-plastic joint I wasn't too surprised, especially since all the thin fiddly bits on the other models stayed intact.

wererat wrote:
Yep dumping the glue, biggest issue will be the paints then. I'll put them in plastic bags so if all goes to hell they won't make a mess with the rest of my stuff and its no issue to buy new ones anyways.

I've checked paints multiple times. Just put em in some gallon freezer bags and your good to go.

how do models in BF fair when flying long distances? seeing if ther eis any horror stories or it it came out all good

Check it out.

Own a pistol? Take it with you. If you check a firearm, it has to be inspected prior to the flight then locked up inside your luggage, which then has to be locked, ensuring no other inspections are done.

Thats the easy way to keep those knuckle draggers at the TSA from rifling through your stuff.

 Gunnvulcan wrote:
Check it out.

Own a pistol? Take it with you. If you check a firearm, it has to be inspected prior to the flight then locked up inside your luggage, which then has to be locked, ensuring no other inspections are done.

Thats the easy way to keep those knuckle draggers at the TSA from rifling through your stuff.

This sir is mad genius......or just plain mad