DIY Miniatures Case

My various fantasy minis have, for some time, been stored in various less-than-ideal containers. Earlier this month, I finally made a case for them.

The method is similar to most of the cases I've built in the past. It starts with a a Plano 1401 Protector 4 Pistol case. The stock case comes with two sheets of eggshell foam and a flat sheet on the top. I used sheets of pluck foam leftover from previous projects. After plucking out the compartments to the desired shape, I glued two of the pluck sheets together with contact cement, then added a base of thick EVA foam (the same stuff that Sabol uses) to make a deep tray. Note the custom-plucked compartments -- these are for the various unusual miniatures in my collection, and it's one of the best parts of making your own miniatures case.

Here's how it looks when it's almost finished. I still need to trim the EVA base.

And here it is with the minis inside.

And here's the whole package in the pistol case.

I've done a rather in-depth DIY of these kind of cases over at DakkaDakka, but my process has changed and refined over the years, so at some point I'll make an updated and revised version for the blog. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it is a hardshell miniature storage system that's just as protective at half the price (or less) of an equivalent soft-bag Sabol or Portable Warfare system.

It feels good to get these done. Now I can move on to a couple more projects, namely Josh's cemetery on a hill terrain piece and Tim's crashed helicopter.

-- Karl, Chicago Skirmish Wargames club member