Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 Quixote wrote:


3. Adeptus Custodes (I like their models, but from what I'm lead to believe, I will need Sisters of Silence and Forgeworld Resin Tanks for them to be any good).

SoS - you might find a single box of these usefull.
Custodes are too expensive to leave sitting around holding objectives/doing actions/guarding your backfield. They need to be out there dealing with the foe.
Meanwhile? A 50 pt 5x squad (or two) of Sisters is collecting you your VPs....
Unless you can find a cheaper SoS substitute (if you use Legends look up Spindle Drones in the Unaligned section..

On needing pricey, never-in-stock, FW stuff to be effective:
You don't.
Yes. That one tank is pretty cool (& effective) - but you can work around not having one.
Same with Telemons.

On transport options:
Find something you're willing to carry around.
Then build the most effective force that will fit in that.

ccs wrote:

On transport options:
Find something you're willing to carry around.
Then build the most effective force that will fit in that.

Build for the bag? That's a really good idea. Because the experiment is to not carry a bunch of stuff on the busses/trains with me.

Anyone know how big a Ballistus Dreadnought or Invader ATV is? I think those might be the largest models I'm looking at.

 Quixote wrote:

ccs wrote:

On transport options:
Find something you're willing to carry around.
Then build the most effective force that will fit in that.

Build for the bag? That's a really good idea. Because the experiment is to not carry a bunch of stuff on the busses/trains with me.

Anyone know how big a Ballistus Dreadnought or Invader ATV is? I think those might be the largest models I'm looking at.

Ballistus is on a 90mm round base and stands about 90mm tall. I don’t have an ATV to check.

I’ve built armies to fill cases before. Mostly when I’m mostly done choosing units, and know what slots are left to fill in the trays. For example, my Land Raider tray also has slots for 2 old dreadnoughts, so they tend to be picked together. And if I can get it down to one KRU box, that’s my goal.

I'm surprised that so many of you guys still use classic foam trays. The only reason why anyone in my area is still using them is because the bought them a long time ago. Most modern models have fiddly parts that get snapped off why you put them into foam trays, so you lose a lot of spikes, antennas, and cables over time. I mostly use them to transport gretchin or boyz, because I don't really care about them being damaged, and they are neigh indestructible anyways.

Almost everyone else either uses magnetized trays or boxes (Duncan style) to transport everything standing up. If they don't want to spend that much money, they use acoustic/egg tray foam (no clue what the correct English term is) to just lay the models on top and keep them from tumbling around while transporting.

 Jidmah wrote:
I'm surprised that so many of you guys still use classic foam trays. The only reason why anyone in my area is still using them is because the bought them a long time ago. Most modern models have fiddly parts that get snapped off why you put them into foam trays, so you lose a lot of spikes, antennas, and cables over time. I mostly use them to transport gretchin or boyz, because I don't really care about them being damaged, and they are neigh indestructible anyways.

Almost everyone else either uses magnetized trays or boxes (Duncan style) to transport everything standing up. If they don't want to spend that much money, they use acoustic/egg tray foam (no clue what the correct English term is) to just lay the models on top and keep them from tumbling around while transporting.

I’ve got 2 KR bags and about 8 boxes worth of foam. I love it. For some armies. I’ll admit, if I was starting over, I’d probably be 100% magnets.

Maybe.

They have a few issues.

They work best in one direction, holding minis down Less good for lateral shocks and torque. If you are just carefully carrying it, not a big deal. But it wants to be upright and not dropped/shaken. I would not want to have to stow a mag box in an overhead compartment, checked luggage, or have to dash across traffic with it.
For minis not on bases, where do you put the mag? Things on flight stems, vehicles, etc. That’s like half my Eldar army.
I don’t have a lot of faith in them holding metal models fast, which is an issue for those of us with older models.

As I’m rebooting my fantasy army, I’m noticing the drastic change in how minis have evolved. This is more extreme then most, as they’ve gone from a rank and flank game with you had blocks of skeletons on movement trays to a skirmish system where they don’t need to worry about lining up. But the new guys are just not built for the foam. Some of that is also the change in material. There was a limit to how fiddly things could be in metal (and early plastics) But they are all getting magnets now.

I had started magnet bases for my Tyranids. That many spikes and claws everywhere is not the best for foam. My Nighthaunt joined them, as wispy bits feel the same about catching on things.

But my Ultras and Eldar will stick with the foam. Not only because I’m already vested in the system, but it suits their models well.

(If there is an English word for egg crate foam, I don’t know it. I have a few sheets of it myself from before I got custom foam. Useful stuff.)

Yeah a lot of people who fly and such will still use foam for their transport of models because magnets are not going to take a lot of bumps and jolts. Plus don't forget the risk that the bumps and jolts could sheer the magnet from the superglue and then you've got a model bouncing around.

Material is also important - magnets are great for plastics and good for smaller resin models. Big heavy chunky resin models and especially anything metal REALLY wants to be in foam not magnets. Small infantry model might be ok but yeah you're dealing with more weight for the magnet to hold and also more potential damage if something comes off and bounces around (no one wants a classic metal dreadnought bouncing around!)


And yeah there's a bunch of models that don't have good spots to put magnets and honestly I've seen 1 creator do some supports that allow you to put a non-magnetizeable model into a magnet tray. They did some neat slots for flying models; but honestly we should have way more options from 3D printing. Fliers should have custom cradles that you magnetize the cradle to the sheet and then the model sits in the cradle and is secured

 Overread wrote:
Yeah a lot of people who fly and such will still use foam for their transport of models because magnets are not going to take a lot of bumps and jolts. Plus don't forget the risk that the bumps and jolts could sheer the magnet from the superglue and then you've got a model bouncing around.

Material is also important - magnets are great for plastics and good for smaller resin models. Big heavy chunky resin models and especially anything metal REALLY wants to be in foam not magnets. Small infantry model might be ok but yeah you're dealing with more weight for the magnet to hold and also more potential damage if something comes off and bounces around (no one wants a classic metal dreadnought bouncing around!)


And yeah there's a bunch of models that don't have good spots to put magnets and honestly I've seen 1 creator do some supports that allow you to put a non-magnetizeable model into a magnet tray. They did some neat slots for flying models; but honestly we should have way more options from 3D printing. Fliers should have custom cradles that you magnetize the cradle to the sheet and then the model sits in the cradle and is secured

I still have no idea how I’d ever get my nid gargoyles to the store. I maged the flight stems to the bodies (something I also did with my Eldar jetbikes) because those things do not play well with foam. If I had it over again to do, I’d not use the bottom of the flight stem, and just a normal 32mm base with a lip I could hide a magnet under. And just glue the bug to the top. But now I’ve got the worst of both worlds. The base had no space for a magnet, and the smaller mags holdding the minis to the peg are not the strongest, and probably not up to the jolts of transport.

It depends entirely upon army I'm transporting.
Many of my forces do just fine in foam & all I've really done is upgrade them to Battlefoam PACK 720 cases.

 Nevelon wrote:
I would not want to have to stow a mag box in an overhead compartment, checked luggage, or have to dash across traffic with it.

True, traveling by plane with minis wasn't even on my radar. I guess that's something much more common in the US than it is in Europe due to how much further apart everything is.

For minis not on bases, where do you put the mag? Things on flight stems, vehicles, etc. That’s like half my Eldar army.

Models on fight stems are usually attached to that stem via magnet, so they don't snap off. You then just stack magnets to hold down the model and transport the base separately.
Tracked models can usually hide magnets on the inside of a track. For wheels you just drill into the wheel.

I don’t have a lot of faith in them holding metal models fast, which is an issue for those of us with older models.

I have a full metal demon prince with metal bloodthirster wings for my DG army. Six high quality 3x5mm magnets are sufficient to keep it in place even if you flip over the box.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Overread wrote:
Yeah a lot of people who fly and such will still use foam for their transport of models because magnets are not going to take a lot of bumps and jolts. Plus don't forget the risk that the bumps and jolts could sheer the magnet from the superglue and then you've got a model bouncing around.

For this reason I stopped using super-glue for those magnets, but use some elastic glue instead. For standard GW bases I just cover 1-3 magnets in hot glue, wait for it to almost cool off and then press the models onto the magnet. I've lost like two or three magnets attached this way in the last five years. Foam has definitely broken more models than that.

Material is also important - magnets are great for plastics and good for smaller resin models. Big heavy chunky resin models and especially anything metal REALLY wants to be in foam not magnets. Small infantry model might be ok but yeah you're dealing with more weight for the magnet to hold and also more potential damage if something comes off and bounces around (no one wants a classic metal dreadnought bouncing around!)

I haven't had an issue with my metal models so far (see above), and I have a sizeable collection of them. Most resin models are fine as well, unless it's a material that splinters and cracks when drilling. I also didn't run into any issues magnetizing a battlewagon or land raider. People in my club also have magnetized entire knight armies, so that's not a problem as long as you use the right amount of magnets.
You can't magnetize certain models though, like planes, an obelisk or a stompa and I don't think there is a magnet powerful enough to hold down a gargantuan squiggoth
But those need a specialized transport solution anyways.

Note that I'm not trying to convince you here or anything. I was just genuinely surprised. Since flying (worst case people travel by bus or train) is a non-topic here, many people opt for magnets because an army takes just that much less space. A single box with an A4 sized metal sheet on the bottom can safely hold 60-80 infantry models, depending on base size. Creating such a box (including magnets) is about 30€, my Feldherr bag holding the same amount of infantry (=ork boyz and nobz) is three times as large and costs twice as much. If you care, I can take some photos to show the difference.

I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

For me personally, I don't collect "newer" miniatures which have the problems described for storing them in foam. All my miniatures are from 5th edition or earlier, so they fit perfectly fine in foam, I realize not everyone limits their collection like I do, but I have my own preferences, and other people have theirs. Plus I feel like, if I accidentally drop my foam case the miniatures will be protected, if I drop a magnetized box, oh boy the damage I have seen done to minis who were on a magnet tray.... that would be heart breaking

 Quixote wrote:
Are the metal trays heavy?

Not at all. The true metal cases have punched out holes, the Ducan style boxes use flexible magnetic sheets, which weight next to nothing.
Link to Duncan's tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKg8oPF4xfk

It seems like they would be compared to foam?

About the same weight for the same amount of miniatures, but more density.

Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

Maybe. You would have to have a backpack which can hold them in a way that they don't move.
I know there was a kickstarter for a backpack, but no idea what became of it.

Step 1 has been completed. I bought 1 miniature (Trajann Valoris) for the Adeptus Custodes.

If my stupid Army List based on either Auric Champions or Lions of the Emperor... is decent enough. It looks like my army will be 30 models... no vehicles (except for 3 jetbikes).

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

ccs wrote:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

You wouldn't happen to know what size magnets I need would you?

 Quixote wrote:

ccs wrote:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

You wouldn't happen to know what size magnets I need would you?

You can get truly tiny magnets off of Amazon. I have 1mmx1mm, 2mmx1mm, etc. You'd have to have the mini in front of you, measure the spot where the magnet would go, and get the right size. I recommend using two, one on the body and one on the arm, instead of trying to put some form of metal in one spot or the other. Two magnets hold better. Just make sure you get the polarity right when you glue them in.

Also make sure you have the right size drill bit in your pin vise. You want them to fit nice and tight..

 Kagetora wrote:

 Quixote wrote:

ccs wrote:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

You wouldn't happen to know what size magnets I need would you?

You can get truly tiny magnets off of Amazon. I have 1mmx1mm, 2mmx1mm, etc. You'd have to have the mini in front of you, measure the spot where the magnet would go, and get the right size. I recommend using two, one on the body and one on the arm, instead of trying to put some form of metal in one spot or the other. Two magnets hold better. Just make sure you get the polarity right when you glue them in.

Also make sure you have the right size drill bit in your pin vise. You want them to fit nice and tight..

Pin vise? Ugh. What have I gotten into? I haven't bought a model since '08, now I'm going to be drilling holes and gluing magnets?

Obi-Wan: (waves hand) You want to go home and rethink your life.

Me: I want to go home and rethink my life.

 Kagetora wrote:

 Quixote wrote:

ccs wrote:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

You wouldn't happen to know what size magnets I need would you?

You can get truly tiny magnets off of Amazon. I have 1mmx1mm, 2mmx1mm, etc. You'd have to have the mini in front of you, measure the spot where the magnet would go, and get the right size. I recommend using two, one on the body and one on the arm, instead of trying to put some form of metal in one spot or the other. Two magnets hold better. Just make sure you get the polarity right when you glue them in.

Also make sure you have the right size drill bit in your pin vise. You want them to fit nice and tight..

This ^

ccs wrote:

 Kagetora wrote:

 Quixote wrote:

ccs wrote:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

Magnetize the Spear arms.

You wouldn't happen to know what size magnets I need would you?

You can get truly tiny magnets off of Amazon. I have 1mmx1mm, 2mmx1mm, etc. You'd have to have the mini in front of you, measure the spot where the magnet would go, and get the right size. I recommend using two, one on the body and one on the arm, instead of trying to put some form of metal in one spot or the other. Two magnets hold better. Just make sure you get the polarity right when you glue them in.

Also make sure you have the right size drill bit in your pin vise. You want them to fit nice and tight..

This ^

Bah. It's not that hard...in fact, magnetizing arms, weapons, bases, etc. is pretty easy.

Where you really screw yourself is when you magnetize and paint ALL of the extra arms and weapons and such, so you can give yourself options when you build a list.

I saw those GW cases the other day, has anyone ever bought one of those?

I've never seen anyone with one.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
I saw those GW cases the other day, has anyone ever bought one of those?

I've never seen anyone with one.

One of the players I got into the game has one. He is using them to transport his admech and CSM army and it seems to keep them safe enough. The idea is very similar to magnetized transportation, except you can lay down larger models. I wouldn't trust it with something large and fragile like Mortarion, a kill rig or the Silent King though. Also definitely not something you should use to travel by plane.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Kagetora wrote:
Bah. It's not that hard...in fact, magnetizing arms, weapons, bases, etc. is pretty easy.

Where you really screw yourself is when you magnetize and paint ALL of the extra arms and weapons and such, so you can give yourself options when you build a list.

This, so much. Painting all the options for a helbrute takes even longer than magnetizing them...

 Quixote wrote:

2. Dark Angels: Deathwing (Cool models for the 1st Company, but I don't know how they play, or why Characters like Belial cant join Deathwing Terminators, but can join regular Terminator units.)

Wait what? The Deathwing Terminators say if you can lead a Terminator Squad you can lead Deathwing Terminator Squads. Belial himself on the app under his LEADER header says he can lead Deathwing Knights and Deathwing Terminators Squads? Belial has his problems, but what he can lead isn't really one of them (assuming you can at least grudgingly accept no-armor-mixing).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Quixote wrote:
I'm interested in the smallest space as I have a walk, a train, and a bus to consider... and a 13 second jaunt across a busy intersection (Remember the game Frogger?)

Are the metal trays heavy? It seems like they would be compared to foam? Also, could you put the box in say a backpack?

I'm going to go raid a shop today and see what they have...

Knocked down the army to Dark Angels or Adeptus Custodes... both can be made small.

I'm just concerned about the Custodes Spears.

I used to be bus limited - and I had two Rolling bags from a company called Sabol Designs (which may or may not still be in business. I had what they called a Battalion Transport for 40K and one for Fantasy - https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2147939508/Army-Transport-Battalion-w--275-Foam-Trays

Once I got mobile I switched to Battlefoam (with Foam) but now they also have magna racks https://us.battlefoam.com/magna-rack-bag-kits/ So I've got a big roller, one of the zip-on middle bags, and a zip on top bag basically making a handtruck with "boxes" attached to the handtruck itself. If I were still bussing it, I'd probably just get two of the roller 1520 cases with Sabol Designs being out of business.

Sorry for the confusion. I never owned the last Dark Angels Codex so my knowledge was based on what people online or at the stores were telling me.

I finally sat down with the two codexes, the retail prices of each unit, and a calculator.

The Emperor’s Finest are oddly the Emperor’s Cheapest.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Thanks for the updates on the cases.

That's going to be tough to pick a carrying case.