Shipping/Transporting a Collection?

[Pearson73]

Now then folks, in a month or so I'll be moving from the UK over to Sweden and was wondering if anyone has had any experience moving their hobby abroad and has any tips to offer or services to reccommend? I'm presuming that just whacking it in a suitcase, even if well packed isn't advisable, though it'd presumably be much cheaper than parcelling everything up for a courier.

[Panzer]

Never had to myself but from what I read ... prepare for at least some repair work regardless of how you pack and if possible try to avoid flying since they aren't exactly careful with your stuff.

[Lost2Requiem]

Hi.

I moved a large amount of stuff (armies, terrain etc) from the U.K. to the US. Ours was done via sea freight - took a while, but avoided the tender mercies of the airlines!

 

All the armies were packed in those multi-compartment flat hobby boxes. I think I had about 15 of them. Each miniature was wrapped in tissue and then tightly packed - limiting the potential for movement was key! Larger models and terrain were wrapped and tightly packed in plastic tubs. I reckon the packing materials (boxes etc) cost over £100, but it was worth it when it arrived and there were only a few minor repairs!

 

Stay away from any packing outer than can be crushed (cardboard boxes, foam cases), go for rigid boxes that you can sit on when full without them collapsing.

 

Hope that helps, and good luck!

[Axineton]

Never had to myself but from what I read ... prepare for at least some repair work regardless of how you pack and if possible try to avoid flying since they aren't exactly careful with your stuff.

Seafreight can be worse than airfreight by miles especially if the package is not packed properly or strapped to a pallet securely. The container your gear goes in also needs to packed correctly with all the right materials to stop side shifting and shifting backwards and forwards as it goes on it’s journey in rough or calm water. But your right about airlines not being careful with your stuff though mate. 

[Imren]

I moved from Scotland (Where I started my collection) to Brazil to Ecuador and then back home to Sweden and I have this big boy that I have only good things to say about:

 

• The case bag: https://www.feldherr.net/feldherr-bundle-transporter-dseb305-empty/a-58238
• The infantry trays (half of the width of the case): https://www.feldherr.net/feldherr-foam-trays/feldherr-full-size-foamtrays/fs050c4s-50-mm-2-inch-figure-foam-tray-with-base-and-28-slots-for-larger-tabletop-models/a-43624
• The vehicle tray (Full width of the case): https://www.feldherr.net/ds100rs-100-mm-3-9-inches-figure-foam-tray-double-size-raster-self-adhesive/a-58177
• The bottom for the full size pluck tray vehicles: https://www.feldherr.net/fs010bo-10-mm-0-4-inch-figure-foam-tray-full-size-bottom-topper/a-40364

I got a various tray inserts of the pluck foam variant for the vehicles and the precut slot trays for the infantry, The case bag is sturdy and can fit everything up to 28 mm Glaives and Warhounds/Reavers and Warlords if disassembled. My models survived the globetrotting with that transporter case like a charm.

[Panzer]

Yeah I can definitely recommend Feldherr. I've been using those for about 10 years now.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Panzer

[Pearson73]

Thanks for your thoughts, the Feldherr case bag certainly looks like a good option.

[Fajita Fan]

I've begun magnetizing my mini bases onto steel sheets and putting them in plastic boxes. My hope is that I can just foam peanuts in there and hopefully things won't get damaged.  That said there's a gazillion models I don't buy because I know they're not going to survive being moved.

[Pearson73]

That's another good idea, thanks!

[Fajita Fan]

[Kastor Krieg]

I ship painted stuff from the studio internationally by just going with appropriate sized Safe & Sound foam + cardboard boxes, then packing those into container boxes, with empty spaces on each side line with filler of some kind (foam peanuts for example).