Foam Storage trays

[Andy Blozinski]

For my Axis and Allies ships I just have baseball card boxes for the cards, and Plano boxes for the ships. Upon opening the first SoG ship it became clear that something like that was not an option, and that I really needed to put each ship right back in the original box in the original configuration after looking at it or examining the stats, or things would quickly become completely unmanageable.

On the other hand, my next thought was--actually the original box makes a pretty nice storage container.

So... how will the foam storage solutions compare to just using the original packaging? Is the custom storage solution... safer? more compact? quicker to access? has other qualities I'm not thinking of?

The individual ship packages are pretty nice...and only hold one ship.

[fredmiracle]

The individual ship packages are pretty nice...and only hold one ship.

Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...

[Gunner]

Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...

Your last sentence says it all.

[The Royal Hajj]

Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

EDIT: I should add that I'm not trying to be a smart aleck--just trying to get the sense of the value people get out of such add-ons and gauge whether the value merits the price for me. Like, I don't go to conventions, so personally that's not an issue. But I do have a spouse who begrudges the space games take up in the house, so if they stored really compactly then...

Storing them in the foam trays will take up slightly less room than the Ship Pack boxes. They will offer way more protection however. If you just play at home, the Ship Pack boxes would work just fine for you. However, if you have to go to a store or club to play, the foam trays will work out much better for you. Not only keeping them safer, but making it easier to access all the components needed to play a ship.

[Cool Breeze]

Say Keith, I didn't measure all of them, but for the Frigates wouldn't a 2.5" tray be better than a 3" one? Less overall space plus less tipping?

@ Fred - In addition to other folks comments on why foam I'll add that I like the convenience if grabbing just one bag knowing everything is in it. Nothing worse than getting to the FLGS and realizing you left a shop or necessary components home.

Well sure, and then each packs very nicely back into the Capt and Lt boxes :) I may cut off the protruding upper cardboard bit though

I just tuck those into the top slot of the one next to it for now. One tucked in, the other below. Keeps the box integrity but accomplishes the space saving you're after.

[Gunner]

Say Keith, I didn't measure all of them, but for the Frigates wouldn't a 2.5" tray be better than a 3" one? Less overall space plus less tipping?

I don't think 2.5" would work on SOL's without bending the mainmast or at least making it hard to remove from the tray safely.

[The Royal Hajj]

My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

[Cool Breeze]

My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

Depends on a few variables. The first question being...

Will the ship cutouts be in the based shape, or bases off to the sides vertically with the ship logs and cards?

As far as the terrain and ship log boards go, I was thinking 2 1" trays. One for ship logs and associated markers, the other for terrain elements, coastal batteries, and their markers.

I'm also wondering about damage chit bags and rulers and wind gauges.

I think I may need to see how you're regular stock trays are going to be set up to get a better idea of what modifications my odd size could accommodate.

* Edit to add - Never thought about measuring the ship logs, lol. 3" thick it is.

[Nightmoss]

My standard trays are going to be 3" for both SOLs and frigates. Because most people want the cards and such stored with the ships, the trays have to be 3" to accommodate the Ship Logs.

Curtis, Posting it here is just fine sir. Have you decided how you are going to hold/sort your ship components (thinking about what I posted in the line above)?

Keith, do you have measurement information from Ares concerning the 1st Rates that are coming in Wave 2, which also makes be think of the special edition of the HMS Victory? From the photos I saw those ships will be larger still than the current SOL's. I'm just wondering how you might be planning ahead for those ships as well, much bigger and possibly smaller.

[Cool Breeze]

Very good point Jim. Very good point.

[The Royal Hajj]

Depends on a few variables. The first question being...

Will the ship cutouts be in the based shape, or bases off to the sides vertically with the ship logs and cards?

As far as the terrain and ship log boards go, I was thinking 2 1" trays. One for ship logs and associated markers, the other for terrain elements, coastal batteries, and their markers.

I'm also wondering about damage chit bags and rulers and wind gauges.

I think I may need to see how you're regular stock trays are going to be set up to get a better idea of what modifications my odd size could accommodate.

* Edit to add - Never thought about measuring the ship logs, lol. 3" thick it is.

I plan to do my standard trays for the ships attached to their bases and loaded from the top. So a really rough ship cavity in a tray would look like this from the top:

Keith, do you have measurement information from Ares concerning the 1st Rates that are coming in Wave 2, which also makes be think of the special edition of the HMS Victory? From the photos I saw those ships will be larger still than the current SOL's. I'm just wondering how you might be planning ahead for those ships as well, much bigger and possibly smaller.

A 3 inch tray will hold the largest 1st Rates in Wave 2 by 3mm. But with the new foam that will be plenty.

[Nightmoss]

Thanks Keith. I'm glad you're planning ahead for the first rates. I know I'll be purchasing a few and once rigged they will need really secure storage. Cheers!

[BRIAN DUNBAR]

Keith I will definitely get a few of these as well as the ratlines when available.

[stickywicket]

I am looking forward to trays for my ships. I currently have 8 and my shelf is full of other mini's. The masts appear to be somewhat fragile.

[Andy Blozinski]

The down side to using card protectors........
The stack of cards is now thicker than it used to be. I'm having to jam the 37 card decks into the factory packaging. The 27 card decks aren't a problem. Just keep this in mind when designing a storage system for sale.

[Gunner]

Keith, do you have release date for your trays? I thought I read someplace that it would be mid May.

[Gunner]

Bumped. Just in case you missed this. Thanks.

[The Royal Hajj]

Sorry, I did miss these. These trays are suffering from the same foam melting issues as over on the Wings side of things. I've gotten 4 more samples, none of which will work. I do have one sample that works at .5 inch thickness, but the company does not make it any thicker than that. So, I have to see if another company has it or can make it for me in 1, 1.5, and 3 inch thicknesses.

[ChyronDave]

I have not gotten into the foam storage for the ships (though I am looking into it now that I have picked up my latest batch of ships).

The one thing I have done is I have constructed tuck boxes for the ship logs and the maneuver decks, allowing me to keep them together. I just used an online template creator and added my own artwork and text.

[7eat51]

I have not gotten into the foam storage for the ships (though I am looking into it now that I have picked up my latest batch of ships).

The one thing I have done is I have constructed tuck boxes for the ship logs and the maneuver decks, allowing me to keep them together. I just used an online template creator and added my own artwork and text.

You must show a picture or two when you have the chance. We enjoy looking at folks' handiwork.

[ChyronDave]

You must show a picture or two when you have the chance. We enjoy looking at folks' handiwork.

I'll try to get a couple of pictures up sometime soon

[ChyronDave]

I was looking to create a foam insert to an existing box that I picked up at the local craft store (on sale), but I have not really worked with foam before.

I was thinking using the high density foam that comes 2 in. x 22 in x 22 in (the box I have is 3 inches deep, which gives the tall ships a half inch clearance off the base). I really just need to know the best (read: most inexpensive) way of cutting the foam to size and cutting the shapes in the foam.

[ChyronDave]

I splurged Sunday and picked up a few pieces of pluck foam to work with. For a first attempt, I think it went well.

[Nightmoss]

David, it does look good. Congrats! From personal experience I'd probably look into some additional protection for the Wave 2 First Rates, especially if you take them to a hobby store or anywhere out and about. Those foremasts (without the new plastic insert Ares is working on) are still susceptible to damage. If you've already repaired or reinforced them then it's probably not as much an issue?

[ChyronDave]

I have been very lucky, I've only had to repair one mast so far (that was right out of the package). The previous case I used had them bouncing around a bit, and I was real afraid that they would break in that case. I think that the foam is snug enough to prevent them from shifting around too much, but soft enough to keep my bulky clumsy fingers from breaking them taking them out of the foam and putting them back in.

[ChyronDave]

I mentioned in a previous post that I had been using tuckboxes for the ship decks and logs. Sunday I got a couple of pictures of how I store the game (shot prior to the foam insert).

This case loads nearly everything needed to play the game except the ships, ship decks and ship logs. The blue felt is just a 3x3 piece that I can use for a mat.

The tuck boxes I have for the ship logs and decks. The bottom bears the flag for the country the ship is from.

These trays are from GMT and are perfect for holding the tokens needed for the game. They sit very flat and can stack. I have a second for the ship ammo and action tokens as well.

[Nightmoss]

Again, very nice. Thanks for sharing the photos and ideas!

[7eat51]

Nicely done, David.

Now that I am going with laminated ship logs/mats, I am rearranging my storage and transport system. I can store more ships in each bin and need not carry as much accessories; I have eliminated one case thus far.

[DeRuyter]

I too am changing my storage system. I have magnetized my bases and storing the decks separately.

Nice work David! Care to share your tuckbox files?

[ChyronDave]

I can do that. Most of the images I pulled from the internet.

I also changed how I store my ships... again. I trip to Jo-Ann Fabric to look for a case that was larger than 13 by 13 had be finding something better. I have pics in an album on my page here.

Edit

Here is a link to the PDF of the boxes I have made. This excludes the Kickstarter exclusives. Also note that even though the Montagne box is a four piece ship log, it is built in the three piece box size.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...ip%20boxes.pdf

[Nightmoss]

I can do that. Most of the images I pulled from the internet.

I also changed how I store my ships... again. I trip to Jo-Ann Fabric to look for a case that was larger than 13 by 13 had be finding something better. I have pics in an album on my page here.

Edit

Here is a link to the PDF of the boxes I have made. This excludes the Kickstarter exclusives. Also note that even though the Montagne box is a four piece ship log, it is built in the three piece box size.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...ip%20boxes.pdf

Wow, Dave!! Those are exceptionally nice.

[Diamondback]

Dave, would you consider adding boxes for the KS ships if someone fed you the info on 'em?

[ChyronDave]

Dave, would you consider adding boxes for the KS ships if someone fed you the info on 'em?

All I would need is the ship names, Nationality, and whether the logs are the three piece or the four piece versions.

Added

For the record, I used the following website to actually build the box templates. The artwork was added in Paint Shop Pro

http://www.templatemaker.nl/

I like this site because it can create templates for a lot of different types of items

Addenda

I think I have the four ships in the Kickstarter set, I just need to verify that they have the larger 3 piece ship logs. And, thanks to work, I probably will not get them until Friday night or the weekend.

[ChyronDave]

Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...0boxes%202.pdf

[Gunner]

Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...0boxes%202.pdf

Hi Dave, what are you putting in the boxes? They seem too large for the maneuver decks..

[ChyronDave]

Hi Dave, what are you putting in the boxes? They seem too large for the maneuver decks..

They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

[Gunner]

They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

Ah so, thanks Dave. I'll start downloading now.

[TroubleAtTMill]

They are actually designed to hold the ship log and maneuver deck. Since there are two styles of ship logs (3 piece and 4 piece) there are two styles of boxes.

Just discovered these, and am typing to the sound of a busy inkjet :D

Awesome job, Dave.

[Berthier]

Here is the link to the file for the kickstarter ships. I also included a small box version of the Montagne as well.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...0boxes%202.pdf

Very helpful David thanks.Now all you need is an avatar

[7eat51]

Two huge boxes arrived today from JoAnn's. I spent the evening transferring WWII planes from their boxes to the bins. So much nicer. All of my WoG and SoG pieces are now in clear containers that stack. It will be much easier to find and use items. I never thought I would become so fond of a craft store.

[Diamondback]

Eric, that's what I said when I discovered ArtBin's Super Satchel line early in my A&A/War at Sea days.

[The Royal Hajj]

They are tied to the Wings trays Rob. As soon as I have a firm solution for those, the SGN trays will follow. After messing with things quite a bit, the best solution for the ships will be to have them top load into a thick tray attached to their bases. This will allow me to keep the same cutout sizes for all ships (there will be an over hang cut at front so the larger ships still fit). This will also allow for the ships to rigged and have ratlines added... so long as no of the additions over hang the bases to the sides/rear.

The only real thing I have left to work out is if I should offer the trays in different thicknesses. The little frigates might fit into a 1.5 inch thick tray (have to check this again, could be a 2 inch) while the 1st rates will need 2.5 or 3 inch trays.

[Bligh]

Thanks Keith.
I will hold off on doing anything preemptive then. It ain't critical yet.
Rob.

[jnewell68]

Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.
Attachment 12923

[Bligh]

Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.
Attachment 12923

That's a neat solution you have there Jeff. Thanks for sharing it.
Rob.

[Gotham Resident]

Here is what my solution looks like. Have 4 trays, 2 for each British and French.

Use card boxes to store ship cards and stands.

Nice, what did you use on the inside? I got a bunch of boxes from work that are card box type (for a product we get and they are WGS box size width. I'm try to customize them to hold planes, but they will work for my 6 ship fleet as well. I was trying to figure out how to get bubble wrap on all sides of a smaller compartment to work.

[jnewell68]

[jnewell68]

My pleasure. I didn't want to break the bank with my solution (a first for me) and these 'APCs' are cheap and have been great so far. Have traveled my kit three times and not a concern in the world.

I'm shocked to hear that folks carry their 16+ individual boxes to play. What a pain, not too mention I always worry when I remove the one and only time from the official packages that something is going to break.

[Loki 13]

WOW !! I need some of those cases , I have a lot of ships to keep safe and sound. Thank you.

[7eat51]

That's rather nice, Jeff.

I will be retooling my storage a bit for June's gathering. It's one thing to carry stuff to the FLGS; it is another wheeling it around a convention site. Once I figure it out, I will post some pictures.