Federation Commander

rockyr · Lieutenant JG Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 55

So it happened within a week - I broke a stand off a model (at the peg of course) while it was in the paper padded box I have... fortunately, I had a spare stand from (gasp!) another space game.

How do you recommend transporting your models, especially if one only has a few? I just cannot see an army box (GW or otherwise) for a half dozen ships.

Rocky
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Scoutdad · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:03 pm Post subject:

I have more than a few... but the storage/transportation units I use run less than $7.50 a box.

The boxes come from Wal-marts sporting goods section. The foam chunks shown in the picture are cut down chunks of the foam packaging in the old Starline 2200 miniatures series. Now I just buy a 12 inch x 12 inch section of 1-inch foam from the Walmart craft section.

that's $5.99 for the box, $1.29 for the foam, and a few minutes to cut chunks that fit the spaces. Then a single slit halfway through the foam, insert the mini, and stick the whole she-bang in the box and away you go.

If you actaully only have a few minis... you could use the other spaces for storage of counters, dice, and small chocolate snacks... Wink

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Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
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Kang · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 9:56 pm Post subject:

That's a lot of Black Hole models you've got there, Tony...... Cool

(Nice models, btw)
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Scoutdad · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:24 pm Post subject:

One of our favorite scenarios to play is "Black Hole Mania"... only we play using one ship per player (and usually with 7 or 8 players), so you gotta have a lot of black holes since it tends to go on for several turns...

Congrats, by the way. You're the first person to ever see them and say, "nice balck holes..." - most people see them and inquire, "What's with all the little planets?"

thanks for the compliment, also. I need to update the photos... I've probably got twice that many Klingons painted up now.
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Department Head, ACTASF

Wolverin61 · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:29 pm Post subject:

I'm a big believer in the Chessex 02852 storage boxes. They're pricey but great. I have two of them. My roof and ceiling gave way over all my SFB stuff and the rain ruined a lot of my SSD books and such, but the figures in these boxes not only were not damaged, they didn't even get wet! I've never broken a figure or stand in transit when they were in these boxes. Once I've gotten to where I was going and gotten them out is a different story though. Wink

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DKeith2011 · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:50 am Post subject:

Magnetic adapters from Ninja Magic/Rattlehead Games.

Wolverin61 · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:17 pm Post subject:

A little bottle or tube of ca glue is good to have in with the figures, especially if you have Klingon figures, I don't know how many times I've had to glue engines back on those.
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"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."

djdood · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:06 pm Post subject:

Sounds like you have some of the older (Starline2200) lead 4-piece Klingons, like I use. They do indeed shed engines easily, unless you go to extra effort to reinforce them.

The current Starline 2400 Klingons are all have the hull and wing-engines cast as one-piece, so no more engine-shedding.
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Scoutdad · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 12:17 am Post subject:

Kang · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:42 am Post subject:

Then they'd all dry up, like they always do, and then where would your stock be?

Then again, I suppose you'd have to buy some more...
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drwibble · Lieutenant JG Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 79

[quote="Scoutdad"]One of our favorite scenarios to play is "Black Hole Mania"... only we play using one ship per player (and usually with 7 or 8 players), so you gotta have a lot of black holes since it tends to go on for several turns...

OK, I've looked through all the scenario lists I can find... could I please ask what is Black Hole Mania and where is it?

Thanks

Paul B · Lieutenant Commander Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Posts: 240

First off I'm using the magnetic Adaptor's from Ninja Magic (available only online at Rattlehead games as far as I know). Basically its two magnets, one glues to the ship one to the flight stand then you can remove the flight stand at will and never have such an incident happen again (the adaptor is metal). It's also great for close formations, as you can glue one adaptor together and basically add it in for extra height. There's also Angle Adaptors, but FC's not 3d so doesn't matter. But you could always add them in just to make your ships look cool. (Flanking up the portside? Give them a 45' tilt to stbd).

The adaptors work best with the half height stand though.

As for the storage. Well, I was thinking about getting some cardboard "econo" boxes with some plick and pluck foam from either Figures in Comfort (UK) or The Warstore (US). It's not too large, I can get 3 of those boxes into my hiker's backpack. Which is helpful because I need a few boxes for my Flames of War tank. I'm not sure if giving links to these places is against forum rules btw, hence why there are none. But if you search for the names you can find 'em super easy.

Though, at the moment. I'm probably just going to throw my ships, wrapped in kleenex into some plastic storage cases, design for beads and the like. You can find them at Walmart (aka the Devil), or Michaels, that sort of place. Craft section. Only like 3 bucks, and has 15 or so slots. Though, it won't accomodate the larger miniatures, like my Gorn Dreadnought. Or many of my Gorn ships for that matter. There are also some boxes where you can make your own compartments, Ihave one of those, not sure where I got it from.

Personally if I were you I'd go the Econo foam box route. I love those things, and none of my figs have been broken in there yet. Note that you don't have to conform to the pick and pluck dimensions either, I also cut some of those in half to get the size I want. Works great (with the magnetic adaptors).

Scoutdad · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:15 pm Post subject:

"Black Hole Mania" isa scenario for Star Fleet Battles and is located in one of the Scenario Books (number 1, I think?).

We can't play it in Fed Comm yet due to the lack of Black Hole rules, but we're hping that one day...

In the scenario as written, two ships are fighting a duel in a madness inducing region of space. The game starts with a Black Hole in the center hex of hte map. On impulse 16 of each turn, an additional Black Hole forms in a randomly generated location. The Black Hole doesn't "become active" [i.e., have any gravitational effects] until Impulse one of the next turn.

since we play it with multipe ships / multiple players - we sometimes go 10 to 12 turns before a winner i determined; hence the need for lots of Black hole markers.
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drwibble · Lieutenant JG Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 79

Thank you.

That sounds a fun scenario. Hope that we get some black holes in FC soon!

John Schneder II · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:18 pm Post subject:

We use a cheaper (but more difficult) version of the Ninja Magic one: neodymium magnet on the bottom of the ship, with a hole drilled fore-and-aft. Then a specially constructed B10 metal stand with another neodymium magnet and two short brass rods. Magnet-to-magnet with the rods fore and aft and it doesn't move around a lot. Then we can remove them after play and store them in boxes like Scoutdad's.
The idea was completely inspired by the Ninja Magic ones. But I just couldn't afford it: $5.95 for five stands multiplied by over 300 minis gets quite expensive.
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