Easy access to your figures?

[triopticon]

I live in Japan and space is a bit of a premium.  I've down sized quite a bit and rarely buy figures anymore as I find I have a lot of what I need since I play 5150 and other non-specific manufacturer games.

I've finally gotten to a point where I should be able to have my miniatures out and easily accessed for play.  In the past they've been in boxes/foam cases and it really was a pain to have to get them out of storage area, unbox, setup, then play and then do the reverse.  Really made it almost not worth the effort.

Does anyone have their figures in easy to access drawers or shelving?  I was hoping to find a solution that allows me to keep an army together and be able to easily take out a squad or 2 at a time.  Any links to storage ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[shishmish]

This is exact reason I have Wizards Star Wars and Axis & Allies prepainted miniatures - they are made of rubbery plastic and I can just hurl into box without thinking about any damage, so my 28mm are in slim box.

But I do have a cheap storage idea - check out your local computer shop. They should have bunch of leftover boxes when assembling PC's, and motherboard box should be ideal. They are large enough to keep few squads inside, but quite shallow so only one or two units stacked in height. It's also opened from the top, with easy access. Graphics cards and motherboards come with foam protection so use them too and glue around on the top and bottom of the cardboard box and split into compartments so units wont slide around.

Edit: I got some plastic boxes for storage for reason of "standardization" and ability to stack them neatly, but still was unable to find exact boxes two years later. Plus, plastic is hard and you still need to fill it with foam, while edges are usually beveled making harder to create corners. Cardboard is already soft and makes it easier to glue.

[Ed the Two Hour Wargames Guy]

I use plastic jewelry boxes. Just be sure they are tall enough for the scale of figures.

link

more boxes

[easyeight]

I use the Chessex hardshell storage cases with foam compartments:

www.amazon.com/Large-Figure-Storage-holds-figures/dp/B0786VQ788/ref=pd_sim_200_1/140-8837403-8948821?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0786VQ788&pd_rd_r=5e0282cb-45e6-4c5c-a620-027c726c03e9&pd_rd_w=v1BcG&pd_rd_wg=rr2QT&pf_rd_p=37f7dfa1-8c4e-4106-9502-a190ed3a2f4f&pf_rd_r=ZMY0042P8952YY2NMR05&psc=1&refRID=ZMY0042P8952YY2NMR05

[atomicfloozy]

For figures I need quick access to, I use 3-Drawer Stationary Cabiness from Sterilite:




And an economical storage solution which I'll use for my WWII figures are egg cartons!  Now neither of these storage solutions are good for traveling, but they work well at home.

[atomicfloozy]

Did a quick post on figure storage in general:  link

[BROODE]

I use Plano 3700 PRO LATCH 3-28 storage boxes as the primary storage for my figures




And I use Sterilite 45L Hinged Storage Totes to carry 4 to 6 of the Plano storage boxes at time to transport them between locations



I have about 16 of the Plano boxes and 6 of the Sterilite totes. Altogether,  they work out quite nicely 

[triopticon]

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions and tips. Really gives me some ideas to try out. I think I can find something similar to the Sterlite, and thanks for the tip on putting something in the drawer to keep them from sliding when opening, AtomicFloozy! I have a few old card game mats I have no problem cutting up.

[triopticon]

As space is a premium, most buildings go up instead of out here in Tokyo. I was trying to find a way to get all my small electronic devices off my desk. I found a product from IKEA and it is their version of the pegboard which I can attach to my office desk. The holes are vertical ovals so only their items hook onto it but I wanted to give it a try. I can always try regular pegboard if I find the IKEA too limiting. Anyway, I got a small shelf for it and it can hold about 60 figures mounted on 20mm bases. Also nice is that magnets adhere to it. The bad news is none of my current figures have magnets but I do have some small rare earth magnets that would fit nicely (3mm diameter and 1.5mm thick). I may just try non-slip material first, though, and not worry about drilling a hole.