Protecting Your Warhammer Investment: How to Keep Your Miniatures Safe

Remember those plastic army men you grew up with? The little green and tan soldiers that so many of us played countless hours of imaginary battles and skirmishes with? Miniature wargaming is a popular hobby in which players actually collect models similar to those little plastic army men, paint them, and play epic battles with them on the tabletop, using dice and various rulesets. Warhammer is one such game, as is Warmachine, Flames of War, At-43, Battlefield Evolution, and many other game sets. Now, I have played many of these wargames and have enjoyed them, tet I have found the miniatures to be quite expensive, ranging from $3-5 a piece-a far cry from the dollar store plastic army men of another era! So, I really have taken great steps to ensure that these pricey little 'toys' are adequately protected from harm. How? Read on!

First off, with miniatures that require a paint job, especially from pricey games like Warhammer, one must protect against the chipping and flecking that sometimes occurs when these figures are transported or stored. To do this, I have seen several different methods that can be used for this, including foam, tissue paper, or even bubble wrap used to protect them. Personally, I prefer a cushioning each figure on a array of foam inserts that come with many miniatures, and just sorting them so they do not touch each other. Of course, you then have to be careful that you don't dump the container over, as they will then scratch and rub against each other. When I am mailing someone a group of Warhammer figures, I will wrap each figure in tissue paper, or even just toilet paper squares, thus cushioning them and separating them from damage at the same time.