A Really Useful Box ... does exactly what it says on the tin.It's a running joke at the club that Suneokun's approach to miniature transport is about varnish more than carry cases. I don't believe in forking out £100's for what effectively is a foam box. They're not efficient for home storage, it takes a hour to extract all your mini's. However, with one eye on the tournament in June "BLOGWARS" ... I'm thinking of upgrading from my current budget storage method - a posh paper bag.
So here's Suneokun's outline on house to transport mini's on a budget.
STEP ONE: Purchase Plasti-kote Clear enamel spray paint
Unlike gloss varnishes, this spray goes on thick and fast ... it's never distorted on me and it's both utterley shiny AND utterley indestructable. The enamel sets hard like a clear bullet proof jacket and has never ever scratched on me. To do a quick 'bullshit' test, I pulled a guardsman and took my nail and firmly scratched the surface. I got below the paint after the 7-8 scratch ... on plastic - that's pretty good.
STEP TWO: Purchase Army Painter Dullcote
Now you can choose to leave your little men shiny - it looks great on Nids, Tau, Marines and others. It really pops. However if you prefer 'true-colour' (and it sucks for photos) get some 'Armypainter matt varnish' or "Dullcote'. Now this is a spray to spray carefully ... don't stick it to them like the Plasti-cote or you might get misting and other nasty effects (note the advantage of the plasti-cote!) Now you've got double layered toughened glass mother-humping miniatures.STEP THREE: Purchase a Really Useful Box
Rymans have released a fantastic range of 'really useful boxes' and they well are. I was like a kid in a candy store trying to think through my useful box and what would fit in it. My BLOGWARS list (1750pts) fits neatly inside a 9L (Blue - classy!) box with a in built pencil tray (that holds all my dudes) for £8.49. It's awesome.It's a bit pedantic, but the pencil tray has also allowed me to split my squads into the different trays ... allowing for easy extraction ... that reminds me - I must number the trays (only kidding - but not!)
They are also available at Argos and elsewhere.
Conclusion
So that's it ... nothing fancy. But I just spent £20.09 and my case is smaller and more convenient than yours, plus my models can fall off buildings (and even tables) and I don't cry... it's the way forward. Additionally, I don't need a 'display table' on top of my carry box, as this simple solution does both - and I can quickly decant the dead back into their units.