12 replies to this topic

[Iacov]

Hey guys!

I'm building up my CBT army and wanted to ask you what pre-built carrying case (that's available in europe) you recommend? @

I'd prefer one of the "official" outrider bags... But they're all on backorder...

I've read about the games workshop carrying cases... Are they good for battletech?

What minimum size do the spaces of the foam need to have in order to have just about enough space for mechs, infantry and tanks?

I thank you for your experience and recommendations!

[Dakkaface]

I use Plano cases for everything - it's a little more work but they come with their own foam and they are super cheap. I currently use a 1403-00, because I only have a star of mechs and a star of BA to transport, but I've only ever seen it sold as a pistol case and you may have to answer some awkward questions from customs about it. 1404 is a fairly large case and also sold as a reel case and equipment case in addition to a gun case - I use them for my 40k and Warmahordes armies so it should be pretty easy to fit a good deal of 1/285 tanks/armor/mechs in there.

Here's a 1404 turned into a 40k case, just so you can see the potential.

[Tyrnea Smurf]

Dakkaface, on 23 January 2014 - 07:16 PM, said:

I use Plano cases for everything - it's a little more work but they come with their own foam and they are super cheap. I currently use a 1403-00, because I only have a star of mechs and a star of BA to transport, but I've only ever seen it sold as a pistol case and you may have to answer some awkward questions from customs about it. 1404 is a fairly large case and also sold as a reel case and equipment case in addition to a gun case - I use them for my 40k and Warmahordes armies so it should be pretty easy to fit a good deal of 1/285 tanks/armor/mechs in there.

Here's a 1404 turned into a 40k case, just so you can see the potential.

lots of good suggestion in that link/thread, however its a couple of years old so the prices quoted might not be as accurate. The ideas in it:

You can try pistol, or rifle carrying cases. The upsides are they can be found fairly cheap even in Europe, and many come with the foam inserts, you just need to size and cut out spaces for your units. As well as being highly and easily portable Downside is some people might try and steal the case hoping it has a pricy gun in it to sell.

Another option are tool carry cases that can be found at hardware store. Same general setup as the gun case, except you might need to buy foam inserts separately (those can be found at arts & crafts, or fabric supply shops. Same up and downside to the gun cases overall

Another cheap option as shown in the link is get plastic containers (the type that allow you to place hanging file folder paperwork in - look like they would work real well) and then get some of the foam sheeting. The advantage here is if you get a lot of units, you can stack the containers together (keeping your minis in one contained spot) only semidown side is not quite as easily portable, but depending on your mini volume (collecting the little buggers is highly addicting) might be a real good long term option.

[Dakkaface]

Tyrnea Smurf, on 23 January 2014 - 08:03 PM, said:

lots of good suggestion in that link/thread, however its a couple of years old so the prices quoted might not be as accurate. The ideas in it:

You can try pistol, or rifle carrying cases. The upsides are they can be found fairly cheap even in Europe, and many come with the foam inserts, you just need to size and cut out spaces for your units. As well as being highly and easily portable Downside is some people might try and steal the case hoping it has a pricy gun in it to sell.

The pistol cases go for $20 to $25 these days, rather than $10, but they're still far and away cheaper than any equivalently sized Sabol, Battlefoam or KR case.

[Iacov]

thanks guys

it's not so much about the price tag, as about the ease of use

what would you recommend for someone, that would prefer just to order a case/walk into a gamestore and simply buy a case...

games workshop, KR, battlefoam...
what are your recommended pre-built,pre-filled cases for battletech?

[Sentinel373]

at one point myself and a friend of mine were planning to make our own carrying case. out of a map scale union class dropship.
sadly we never got beyond the planning stages. it probably wouldnt have been very practical but it did fit everything you'd need to play the game and then some.

[Iacov]

Sentinel373, on 24 January 2014 - 02:13 AM, said:

at one point myself and a friend of mine were planning to make our own carrying case. out of a map scale union class dropship.
sadly we never got beyond the planning stages. it probably wouldnt have been very practical but it did fit everything you'd need to play the game and then some.

that would have been cool for sure

has anyone experience with the games workshop case (that with around 100 miniatures)
that would be the easiest for me to get

and how are the "official" cases from outrider hobbies?

[Iacov]

can anyone help me by telling me what the average sizes for cbt mechs are?

what is the diameter of the base? 25mm or 30mm? (1" or 1,2") this would be the minimum widt for a compartment...but how much"extra" space should i take into consideration? (when a mech is very wide for example)

what is the average height? i have ones round 38mm to 40mm...but are there taller ones? what should i look for? a case with at least 45mm space?

because i have the feeling that all the "bigger names", like the game workshop cases, KR cases, Feldherr etc are all too small for the wide range of cbt sizes

therefore i have the feeling that the outrider hobby "official cases" are the best suited...yet i do not know if they still sell them?
does anyone know more about outrider hobby and if they are a trustworthy business? (in terms of: if i give them my money, that i get my product at least within 2-3 months)

[Surtr]

I use an Army Transport case. for mine with their punchout foam trays. I also discovered a neat trick. If you can find a comic book store willing to sell you one of the long bulk comic storage boxes, they nicely hold two rows of Army Transport foam, which you can then stack up about 18 inches (or so, its A LOT of space) great for bulk storage. I think the 1.5-2" trays work best for Btech. Find them at www.thewarstore.com

[Bartholomew bartholomew]

bases are about 30mm. And yes probably 45mm. Need to get some cases myself. Been collecting them recently.

[Dakkaface]

Iacov, on 23 January 2014 - 10:45 PM, said:

thanks guys

it's not so much about the price tag, as about the ease of use

what would you recommend for someone, that would prefer just to order a case/walk into a gamestore and simply buy a case...

games workshop, KR, battlefoam...
what are your recommended pre-built,pre-filled cases for battletech?

Okay - first major question - how many minis are you looking to haul around?

I currently use a Chessex case that works pretty well, but I only have a star of mechs and a star of battle armor to carry, so It also carries my Infinity army and my wife's Malifaux crew. It's a decent case for a similar price point to the Plano 4-pistol case, though obviously it has a MUCH smaller figure capacity. Downside is a lack of any carry handles, but if you stick it in a larger box with your maps & books and such, it's not much of an issue.

If I had to choose a commercial case though I'd go with KR Multicase or Battlefoam. Battlefoam is the best case maker out there, but are fairly pricy. KR is the budget option, and they do have preset options for Battletech.

[Iacov]

that battlefoam cases look good
especially the ones that can be "toploaded" and be un-zipped/opened on the front (http://uk.battlefoam...20-empty-olive/)

but i'm totally overwhelmed with the foam options and what to take...
currently my collection has roughly about 12 mechs
this will change in the near future
i plan to purchase the new introductory box set, that would be a rough total of 36 mechs
additionally i plan to add some other/different mechs to the collection
rougly i'd say it will be about 50 mechs

BUT
i already own RPE's basic IS battle armor and I want to additionally purchase a pack of elementals (iirc that are 30 "units", 3 per row, makes around 10 hex units per battle armor type)
so that alone would bring it to a total of 50 mechs (larger compartments) + 20 infantry/small compartments

currently i only own a mobile HQ, but i also want to stack up on vehicles/tanks/aircraft, so i'll estimate that i'll need about 10 slots suited for vehicles

ideally "my" case can also hold a bunch of buildings
i recently discovered shapeways, and they have a ton of suitable buildings for 1/285 tabletop
so an extra foam tray with very large compartments would be a plus

to sum it up:
i estimate to need 50 mech compartments (with at least height/length of 45mm and roughly 35-40mm width), 20 infantry compartments, 10 vehicle compartments and a foam tray of any sort that might be able to store buildings of various shapes and sizes

i try to sort it out on my own, but if anyone is familiar with the battlefoam trays and can give me a hint on what could fit my needs, i'd be very very thankful

cheers!

Edited by Iacov, 29 January 2014 - 12:18 AM.

[Iacov]

oh...now i get it with the custom tray creator at battlefoam
that's neat

i've created a 2"x1,5"x1,5" (round) and a 2"x2"x2" (round) and a 1"x1"x1" (round) tray...1,5x1,5" and 2x2" should be able to hold various kinds of mechs, or do i need larger ones? (guess no mech will be higher than 2"...or does your experience tell you otherwise?)

i've also created a 1,5"thick layer with various sizes for vehicles and buildings...still 4inch of space left that i can fill with trays...
any recommendations what sizes i should use?

and when using the custom tray creator, i didn't align all of the circles 100% correct (in terms of X/Y achsis)...should i correct that or will the guys/girls from battlefoam "optimize" the layout? does anyone have experience with them?