Smarter Miniature Storage For Under $20

Editor’s note- These are just our favorites, so if you have a go-to for storing your minis, let us know! As we are always looking for great new hobby products. 

Magnetize & Store Your Miniatures for Cheap: Tutorial

There are a lot of really cool transport cases out there, but they can get pricey to store a lot of minis. Plastic cases like these are cheap and durable, and since they’re clear, you can see your minis inside.  Rob uses this method for the storage and transport of a good chunk of his miniatures, so you know it can be used for an extensive collection!

To start with, you want something you can magnetize your minis onto! You can get these sheets for pretty cheap, and you can get your pre-cut ones like this on Amazon here, but you can also get them from your local Home Depot or equivalent store.

You will need some sheers to cut through it; it’s not hard; just be sure not to cut yourself on the metal!

Once you have your metal ready, you just cut it to the size of the container you are using and then secure it to the bottom with this double-sided tape. It’s pretty easy so far! Rob also secures it with some black duct tape on the inside to be safe. It’s super solid, and Rob has never had one pop out on him before.

We recently also looked at how to magnetize your mini bases (which you need to do to take full advantage of this). You can read all about it here.  Now that you have the metal sheets ready to go, you have to decide on which case you use.

Picking the Right Case For Miniatures Storage

For smaller minis on anything around 28mm-32, Rob goes with the Iris Project case. The slightly taller one can store things up to around Dreadnought size.

Then, if you have some big minis, Rob still goes with the IRIS case but in the bigger size, which you can find here. The crate is fairly large and can fit 4-6 or the large Greater Daemon or even Daemon Primarch-sized models with about 10-1/2″ of clearance.  Pretty awesome! It’s that easy; just cut out your inserts, get the bases magnetized, and put them in it! 

Some of Rob’s Favorite Cases

First up are these stackable cases that are super cheap (about $10). You can find them at your local arts and crafts store or on Amazon. They work super well for storing things like Marvel Crisis Protocol minis.  They’ve held up really well; the only thing you’ll have to do with these is cut out the metal sheets to fit.

He uses the double deep case from Artbin for this; all you have to do is put little magnets on the bottom of your minis’ bases, then throw down a piece of sheet metal with some double-sided tape on the bottom. Then, you can transport all of your minis safely to wherever without much hassle!

Plus, the case is pretty cheap; the only issue is sometimes the snaps get stuck a little bit, but nothing big. Maybe best of all, it has a handle on it, and since it’s magnetized, you don’t have to worry about your minis falling out.

They also make them with dividers inside (you can grab them here), so it’s perfect to hold your terrain, and again, it’s cheap and has a handle.

The Art Bin fun doesn’t stop there; they also make a case for glitter glue storage (you can grab it here), but it works perfectly for dropper paint bottles!

If you need a case to hold all your tools, etc, this Super Satchel case is perfect. It’s big and even has side spots that would work perfectly for your brushes and accessories.

Storing Your Game Aides

This is another Artbin case (big surprise), and there is actually a pencil case in there from them as well because it fits all the rulers and such perfectly. You can see how it holds everything pretty tight, so you don’t have to worry about stuff rolling around. The postcard holders are perfect for character cards.

You can also use these coin holders as they are perfect for holding your objective markers and make organizing them easy!

Be sure to watch the video below for all the details!

Collapsible Tournament Push Cart

Some folks also use this bigger collapsable cart to set things on for tournaments. The casters on this cart are VERY strong and, barring concrete surfaces, really glide along well. Plus, you can fold it up, which also fits most luggage!

Top Storage Cases Brands for Transporting & Displaying Your Miniatures

Some talented designers have brought their big guns to the table with these storage cases for transporting and displaying your miniatures.  Here is our latest list of the best miniature cases out there:

Crystal Fortress:

Crystal Fortress has some amazing cases, and their cube system allows you to pick exactly the sizes you need! Plus, you’ll be able to display them with pride while they are safe!

Jucoci Miniature Cases:

Here is a closer look at all their offerings that are perfect for games like Warhammer 40k!

• Jucoci Plastic Miniatures Storage & Display Case (Medium)
• Jucoci Plastic Miniatures Storage & Display Case (Large)
• Jucoci Foam Miniatures Storage Case (under $50) 
• Pre-Painted Jucoci Terrain is Perfect For Warhammer 40k 
• Jucoci Wooden Miniatures Display Case

We all want to show off our painted minis (the grey ones can stay put away…), and this is a great way to do it.  However, while most cases like this are minimal, they have two sizes of large and medium that can store an entire army!

Battle Foam:

Battle Foam is known for amazing cases and precut inserts, but maybe their best products are the Magna Cases! They are super easy to use, durable, and just awesome. 

The Top Army Cases to Store and Display Your Miniatures

• Crystal Fortress: They have some really innovative ways to store minis, display them, and transport them all at the same time.
• Battle Foam: Not only do they have a ton of amazing options to store your minis, but they also make pre-cut foam for almost every major release!

Tutorial: Store Your MCP Minis and Accessories.

• Artbin: They make great containers and are a much cheaper alternative. 
• A-Cases: If you want a really innovative case, they are the place to look! Their cases work great for carrying and displaying minis of all sizes.

A-Case Victory case

• Collapsible Tournament Push Cart: This thing is MONEY. You can roll up to the tournament, pull out your minis, collapse this thing, and tuck it under the table.
• IKEA Cases: make for some of the best display cabinets, and you can grab them for relatively cheap and light them up!
• LED Set For IKEA Case: If you go with the IKEA display cases, we also recommend grabbing these.

Tutorial: How to Light Your Ikea Cases

• Feldherr: If you are looking for a quality, inexpensive way to store your minis and transport them safely, it’s hard to go wrong with Feldherr!
• Jucoci: If you’re looking to store and display a bunch of minis for an affordable price, the Jucoci Miniatures Storage Case might be perfect!  They also have foam cases for under $50 as well.
• Casematix: has a ton of foam storage cases to keep all your hobbies safe, especially if they involve miniatures, dice, or trading cards!
• TPCY Miniature Storage Sturdy Carrying Figure Case: With a couple of different color options, the TPCY hard shell case is a solid and lightweight option for you if you’re looking for an excellent way to transfer your minis without breaking the bank.
• Steel Sheet: (For Clear Cases)- use as a base for something to magnetize your minis to.
• 3M Double-Sided Mounted Table: (For Mounting Steel Sheets)
• Iris Cases: These are another really cheap option to store a ton of minis! They have tons of sizes, so there are plenty to choose from.

Tutorial: How to Store Your Miniatures for Cheap

• Really Useful Boxes: These are another alternative to carry your minis in clear cases and can be combined with magnets to really make them great!
• Magnet Inserts: Magnet Baron has a ton of pre-sized magnets for Really Useful Boxes and way more. If you’re going to make your own case, they are a great place to look for magnets.
• Project Cart With 6 Cases for Miniatures 12″x12″ 2″-1/2“: As seen below

TUTORIAL: Store Your Miniatures Safely For Under $20

• Sterlite Bins x12: You can put a metal sheet in the bottom of these and throw your minis with magnetized bases inside!
• Hobby Bags: You can never have enough transportable bags to keep your hobby supplies in one spot.
• Bankers Boxes: They fit the Battlefoam 720 trays and two Sabol or Gameplus foam trays side by side and are pretty cheap!
• Large Acid-Free Cases:  Perfect for miniatures like Magnus, Mortarion, Beetle Lady, and more.

Casematix Miniature Cases

• Tablewar: Looking for the best way to store your miniatures and play games? Tablewar might be the place! 
• KR Multicases: These are great for the money and even come with precut foam inserts, making your job easier!
• Harbor Freight: While these aren’t made for minis, their cases are really tough, and if you don’t mind cutting some foam, you’re good to go! 
• Enhance Cases: These have all the style you need to transport your minis in style!

Miniature storage can be a hassle, but not after using the cheap tricks of the hobby trade and some of the best products out there.

What are Some of the Best Ways to Store & Protect Your Minis?

Use a Display Case! This is the best way to go if you want to keep your minis safe and show off your models! There are many options for display cases, and we show you some pretty cheap ways to create your own.

If you want to see how to display your minis for cheap, check out our tutorial on it here. There are also pre-made display cases; just keep in mind they will generally cost more, but there is no work involved. Some display cases, like the Crystal Fortress cases, also double as carrying cases, meaning you can kill two birds with one stone.

Custom Box Inserts: Oftentimes, the games and minis you buy come with extremely cool boxes, so why not take advantage of that? There are a few companies out there that actually make pre-cut foam to fit in the original boxes, so you can store all your minis and get some great artwork.

Battle Foam regularly comes out with amazing pre-cut foam made to fit in all the original boxes, making storing your minis easy.

Magnetic Carrying and Storage Cases: If you take the extra step and magnetize your bases, you can transport them much more easily and with more peace of mind. You can easily make your own carrying cases cheaply with magnets. See how to do it here. However, many companies also make magnetized carrying cases.

That will obviously be a little more expensive, but it will take much less time! This is Rob’s favorite way, as you can transport your minis without worrying about them while also saving a lot of time.

Jucoci Foam Miniatures Storage Case:

Normal Carrying Cases- There are tons of great companies with pre-made carrying cases for miniatures. Be sure to check the whole list above for all the options. This is the most common way to carry minis, as it makes them easy to transport, keeps them safe, and generally, there is not much work involved.

However, there are two main styles: pre-cut and non-cut foam. Companies like Battlefoam have pre-cut inserts for basically every major release, meaning you don’t have to do any work and your minis just fit right in. Then, you can also get foam and cut out the size of your minis yourself. This is a little cheaper but will take some extra hobby time.

Making Use of Other Items– There are a ton of both hard plastic and soft plastic cases, like the Really Useful Boxes. You’ll have to buy the foam and cut everything out, but it can often be a cheaper alternative. If you need more info on making your own, you can check out a bunch of ideas here.

Make a Diorama– This one isn’t the most practical, but it might be the most fun! While it doesn’t make transporting easy per se, it will look amazing, and you can have a ton of hobby fun while making it!

What’s the Best Miniature Storage Case to Transport Miniatures?

While there are many great options out there, Battle Foam has the most amazing options and ways to transport your miniatures to the tabletop. From full cases to pre-cut foam inserts to cutouts that will fit the miniatures inside their original boxes. Their most popular item might be their manga racks, which combine magnetizing your minis with a fantastic case.

The Magna P.A.C.K. 2.0

This combines their awesome pack with the manga slider trays, which can also be taken out if you want to show off your minis.

This load-out option comes fully loaded with the Magna Rack Slider Small Kit for the P.A.C.K. Go, which includes:

• 1x Small Magna Rack Original Tray.
• 4x Small Magna Rack Slider Trays.
• 4x 6 inch (152 mm) Magna Rack Spacer Legs.
• 4x 3 inch (76 mm) Magna Rack Spacer Legs.
• 4x 2 inch (50 mm) Magna Rack Legs.
• 4x 2 inch (50 mm) short Magna Rack Legs.
• 4x Top Plugs
• 4x Bottom Plugs
• 4x Top Caps

Ammo Box Bag with Magna Rack Slider Load Out:

If you don’t need as many minis, this might be the way to go!

This loadout option comes fully loaded with the Magna Rack Slider Medium Kit for the Ammo Box Bag, which includes:

• 1x Medium Magna Rack Original Tray.
  
• 3x Medium Magna Rack Slider Trays.
• 4x 4 inch (102 mm) Magna Rack Spacer Legs.
• 4x 3 inch (76 mm) Magna Rack Spacer Legs.
• 4x 2 inch (50 mm) short Magna Rack Legs.
• 4x Top Plugs
• 4x Bottom Plugs
• 4x Top Caps

However, they have way more than just the magnet solution.

P.A.C.K. 352 Molle:

This tray is perfect for holding everything for your new minis. Plus, here’s a quick rule of thumb with Battle Foam: The number in the title tells you how many minis it can hold at once! 

Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness Box Foam Kit:

As we said, they even have the pre-cut foam that will hold everything in its original box. Just like this, which will hold all of the Horus Heresy Starter in the original box!

How Do You Store a Lot of Miniatures?

The easiest solution is often magnetizing your bases and putting down a metal strip in a cheap box. When you have a ton of minis, going with traditional solutions might cost too much in the end. Magnetizing like this can keep your minis safe and save you cash.

How Do You Store Warhammer Miniatures?

• Display Case- This is the best way to go if you want to keep your minis safe and show off your models!
• Magnetic Carrying Solutions– We show you how to take the extra step and magnetize your bases so that you can transport them much easier and with peace of mind.
• Normal Carrying Cases- There are tons of great companies with pre-made carrying cases for miniatures. Be sure to check the whole list above for all the options.
• Custom Box Inserts– Oftentimes, the games and minis you buy come with extremely cool boxes, so why not take advantage of that? There are a few companies out there that make pre-cut foam to fit in the original boxes, so you can store all your minis and get some great artwork.
• Making Use of Other Items– There are a ton of both hard plastic and soft plastic cases out there, like the Really Useful Boxes.

How Do You Store 28mm Miniatures?

These are some ways to store as they can fit in almost any box. Whether you want to go with a pre-made carrying case that can hold a ton of miniatures with pre-cut foam or make your own custom magnetic trays. Battlefoam, Crystal Fortress, and Casematix have many great solutions for your 28mm minis. However, if you want to make your own, you can check out our tutorial on it here.

How Do You Store Your D&D Miniatures?

TPCY Miniature Storage Sturdy Carrying Figure Case: $39.99

Considering you’ll probably have to carry your minis around, a carrying case with pre-cut inserts is probably the easiest way. While most of the models are of similar size, you still might have to cut out your own inserts for bigger minis.

Companies like Battle Foam have specific cases made just for D&D. You can also use the magnetization route, magnetize your bases, and use a metal sheet in a box to carry them around.

If you want to display your models while they aren’t being used, you can use something like the Jucoci Case to store and display them at the same time.

How to Magnetize Resin & Plastic Bases For Miniatures

Here is an excellent tutorial on how to magnetize resin and plastic bases for miniatures with all the sizes you’ll need and tips to make it easy! Read More

Precision Faction Dice Sets Perfect For Warhammer: $15-$32.50

These new hand-swirled resin dice from Baron of Dice are bubble-free, are made for wargaming, and are perfect for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k!

Click Here To Get Your Dice Rolling On Point Now!

Baron of Dice makes some of the best rolling accessories out there, with great collections and even the option to make your own custom dice and bags! They have dice for most 40k factions, Age of Sigmar and fantasy dice, Star Wars, superhero dice, and so much more!

Latest New JOYTOY Warhammer 40k Action Figures!

If you’ve been eyeing any of the fantastic JOYTOY Warhammer 40k action figures, use our exclusive discount code SPIKEYBITS at checkout to save 12% and get yours for less from David’s Toys!

Best of all, they have free shipping to the States!

Click Here to Get Your JOYTOY Figures 12% OFF!

If you’re looking for a storage solution for your models that won’t break the bank, go with some easy plastic cases. Whether it’s foam trays or magnets, we try to make hobbying easier and cheaper for you!

Click Here For the Best Tabletop Hobby & Miniatures Storage Tools List

With all of these supplies covered, what’s been your best purchase for miniatures storage? Do you have any other hobby recommendations?

Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!