Transporting Figures Overseas

Urizen · Post by **Urizen** » Mon May 30, 2011 8:33 pm

How do all you travelling wargamers travel with your figures? I am moving overseas and am not sure how best to pack my figures to avoid damage - I am guessing foam cases? I also don't want to put them in the plane's hold as I am worried about the bag going missing (as MANY bags do). I therefore want to take them onto the plane as hand luggage, but am worried about ludicrous security issues. Has anyone manged to do this?

ravenflight · Post by **ravenflight** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:08 pm

Urizen wrote:How do all you travelling wargamers travel with your figures? I am moving overseas and am not sure how best to pack my figures to avoid damage - I am guessing foam cases? I also don't want to put them in the plane's hold as I am worried about the bag going missing (as MANY bags do). I therefore want to take them onto the plane as hand luggage, but am worried about ludicrous security issues. Has anyone manged to do this?

I moved internationally. I base my figures on magnets. So I used this, plus I then filled my containers with bean bag foam. Took a while to clean up at the other end, but they survived the trip with hardly any damage.

Urizen · Post by **Urizen** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:22 pm

ravenflight wrote:
Urizen wrote:How do all you travelling wargamers travel with your figures? I am moving overseas and am not sure how best to pack my figures to avoid damage - I am guessing foam cases? I also don't want to put them in the plane's hold as I am worried about the bag going missing (as MANY bags do). I therefore want to take them onto the plane as hand luggage, but am worried about ludicrous security issues. Has anyone manged to do this?
I moved internationally. I base my figures on magnets. So I used this, plus I then filled my containers with bean bag foam. Took a while to clean up at the other end, but they survived the trip with hardly any damage.

Thanks. I am guessing you shipped them out? My figures are all based on magnets and I can ship them in a container. I was just hoping not to have to wait the eight weeks it will take to get there, and take them with me on the plane. Eight weeks of not wargamming... seriously?!

If you didn't ship them out, did you put them in your luggage in the hold?

Fluffy · Post by **Fluffy** » Mon May 30, 2011 10:24 pm

When I went to Athens in 2006 I took my army as hand luggage.
Maybe take one army with you to play with while you wait for the rest to arrive?

BillMc · Post by **BillMc** » Mon May 30, 2011 10:34 pm

I never had a problem hand carrying armies on planes (domestic or international). Just remember, when asked what they are, don't go into lengthy explanations about soldiers and armies - just say they are toys.

hazelbark · Post by **hazelbark** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:10 am

I've never had a problem. The screening agents have seen weirder stuff. Just say fragile toys. You can carry on. Easy to carry one gym bag witht them on plane.

ethan · Post by **ethan** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:34 am

Urizen wrote:How do all you travelling wargamers travel with your figures? I am moving overseas and am not sure how best to pack my figures to avoid damage - I am guessing foam cases? I also don't want to put them in the plane's hold as I am worried about the bag going missing (as MANY bags do). I therefore want to take them onto the plane as hand luggage, but am worried about ludicrous security issues. Has anyone manged to do this?

I shipped my figures home when I moved back to teh US from the UK. Here is what I did.

Buy some plastic boxes of the 6" by 12" by 4-6" deep size. Wrap your figures up in tissue, sometimes individual stands, sometimes with stands in "packs" of tissues together. This works well for things like pikes or other pretty regular figures. Then put some bubble wrap (or tissue or whateer) in the bottom/sides/top of each box than fill with the packs of figures. When it si fairly full stuff full with more tissues, packing popcorn whatever. Then put the top on and seal up. Repeat until everything is packed.

I then stuffed all the boxes into the air freight boxes packed in with lots of clothing as stuffing/padding in the air freight boxes.

Everything arrived basically ok. Some figures were off their bases, some weapons bent or popped off but nothing too drastic.

ethan · Post by **ethan** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:34 am

If you have few enough figures to carry them all as a carry-on it isn't any trouble at all.

Urizen · Post by **Urizen** » Tue May 31, 2011 6:02 am

Thanks for the advice everyone... seems like it is no problem at all!

wkeyser · Post by **wkeyser** » Tue May 31, 2011 8:16 am

When I moved across the pond to Denmark, I used puff corn. It is cheap and easy to use. Have the armies in boxes and fill with the puff corn, make sure that the box is completly full, the figs do not move.

I shipped mine via ship!
William

lonehorseman · Post by **lonehorseman** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:48 am

Would you also suggest using this method to ship armies to buyers? I ask this as I am a figure painter and wish to bring my business online and try to expand my target market to other countries as well as RSA. Also is ebay a sensible place to sell painted armies off?

lonehorseman · Post by **lonehorseman** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:51 am

Would you also suggest using this method to ship armies to buyers? I ask this as I am a figure painter and wish to bring my business online and try to expand my target market to other countries as well as RSA. Also is ebay a sensible place to sell painted armies off?

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:33 am

lonehorseman wrote:Would you also suggest using this method to ship armies to buyers? I ask this as I am a figure painter and wish to bring my business online and try to expand my target market to other countries as well as RSA. Also is ebay a sensible place to sell painted armies off?

I buy a lot of stuff off e-bay.

timmy1 · Post by **timmy1** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:57 am

I used to until I was advised by my good lady that I had run out of room...

hazelbark · Post by **hazelbark** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:57 pm

lonehorseman wrote:Would you also suggest using this method to ship armies to buyers? I ask this as I am a figure painter and wish to bring my business online and try to expand my target market to other countries as well as RSA. Also is ebay a sensible place to sell painted armies off?

I would use a very relaible snug packing for figures if shipping via ebay. The chance of a bent figure and a pissed off buyer should be avoided.

The trick is to have some give if the box is banged, but packed well enough to not shift. So tissue with bubble wrap works well.

IanB3406 · Post by **IanB3406** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:19 am

One of my buddies just moved back to the US from Korea, and used what I believe now to be the best method.

Sticky tack (stuff used to put posters up) layed down on the bottom of the box and the stands stuck to it. He had thin plastic boxes, and turned the box upside down and shook it ---not one figure came off. This was 15mm on fog bases. I have found magnetice bases will not hold near as well.

I have also seen metal bases used on top of a strong magnet, and this works, but for a big move with lots of figures the sticky tack seems the way to go.

Ian

hazelbark · Post by **hazelbark** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:13 pm

I think you are right for sticky tack for a move. I don't care for it for every day use. But the tack has a little more give compared to most magnetic fields.

Transporting Figures Overseas

Transporting Figures Overseas

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Re: Transporting Figures Overseas

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