Clearing out some space

There is an excellent scene in the movie Incredibles where Helen Parr calls her husband to announce they are officially moved in. She has finally unpacked the last box following their last house many months ago. I sometimes feel like that's how we are going to be, it's incredible how much stuff one can accumulate over the years and I'll openly take the blame myself. 

It's really hard to throw things away. Sometimes its easier to think there may be a future project use for that spare bit of mdf or sprue. That obscure mimeograph copy of old tank warfare rules found at a second hand book sale will be played one day. Every time I put together a box set of 36 plastic British line infantry I carefully snip off all the spare unused bits from sprues and squirrel them away somewhere in case I need them. (please don't stop giving us all these choices however, Michael and Alan, I'm certainly not complaining.) Sometimes I even paint the parts on the sprue, so I have tubs full of already painted British infantry arms like some bizarre field surgery dumping ground. Multiply this by all the kits I own (also taking up valuable limited storage space) you can see why I have to have a purge every now and then.

At one point my "bits box" filled a 90 litre storage box. When would I ever start a project that needed that many arm swaps? That's weirdly what most of it was, human arms, ork arms, space marine arms, hormagaunt arms. I guess I could have made a 1/56 scale model of a section of Jim Henson's Labyrinth?

I promised myself I wouldn't start any painting or modelling until I had finished clearing the old flat and tonight I can comfortably say that task is finally finished, with a lot of help from the Father and Brother in law.  So I can allow myself the luxury of trying to find the box with the paints and brushes in now. Of course I am also fully aware that I also made myself public promises to get some more Napoleonic models painted ready for September and the new year has brought that deadline looming into focus. It will be here before we know it. If you see me at Salute in April, ask me how my Prussians are coming on.

In a serendipitous moment, the last personal item I moved from the old home was a wargaming item. Left on a windowsill to be carried as he wouldn't fit in a box and almost forgotten, my 28mm scale Orky Stomper was squeezed into a plastic dustbin for protection and brought across in the final run. He was pretty much the last thing to leave the flat.

This chap is a reason I do keep some things in a bit box. Made from an old Land Raider, a Spam Land Speeder, some plasticard and bits from a Poundland toy, this old scratch build predates the official GW kit. My only reference came from the Epic scale Stomper.

So, sometimes it is worth keeping the odd bits and bobs, recycling and all. But also bear in mind, it might be worth having the odd sort through your bits box every now and then. You might even find a complete kit or two you can sell at a bring and buy stall.

A Seasonal Post

It may seem like things have been quiet here at Lead HQ. Well, far from it. With Christmas looming I have had to up sticks and relocate to a new home. With a tale that was almost Dickensian, involving forced house moving at Christmas I have done it. A wargamers worst fear, transporting their leadpile.

So, apologies for the lack of posts, but I'll be honest, I've been busy. I don't need to explain in detail, everyone knows moving house is a pain. Moving house with a wargamers collection even more so. So, now we are mostly settled, (the Christmas tree is up and I can find a shirt for work) I thought I would talk to you about the exciting world of storage.

We all spend a small fortune on our toy soldier collections, yet how much care do we take of them? I have seen collections thrown in cardboard boxes with little more than a carrier bag to vaguely try and stop the Armee du Nord from chipping their paint. I have seen players sweep whole regiments off the table at the end of a game like them are gathering loose change into a bucket at a jumble sale. Taking them home in a shoe box tucked under an arm like a subuteo team.

When we discovered we had to move house one of the saving graces was that my extremely intelligent and organised wife has always insisted that apart from the few pieces on display in a couple of glass cabinets, all our hobby items were already organised and stored correctly. Only a couple of days after we had agreed on our new home, I was moving the lead pile in. A combination of old GW cases, KR multicases and boxes from The Works ensured most of my armies travelled in comfort. Yes, I have discovered that The Works sell a collapsible box that can hold five GW or KR trays with space at the side for a rulebook or two. They have lots of designs, comic characters, cute characters, I even got a  couple in classic Great War propaganda posters.

If you are buying multiple, they will cost you a fiver a box, then just buy some foam trays separately from your favourite supplier. I'll still use my official cases for taking models to play elsewhere, but for home storage they do an excellent job.

So, the home move went well, minimal casualties, there was the odd model that was in the glass cabinet that yes, I did just put in a very small foam filled box and carry on my lap in the car, some models are just too delicate. Yes, a tiny model of a boat with paper sails and rigging looks good, but how do you transport them without completely trashing all your hard work?

How this resin guy made it unscathed I will never know, he normally breaks from just being looked at.

Some models didn't fare so we'll.

How?

Looks okay at first...

my dodgy pinning job is going to need re-doing though.

The rest of the move? Well, luckily my wife's hobby is knitting. Wool is a lot lighter than lead and doesn't need packing in bubble wrap or foam. I'm a little jealous of a hobby that is light and soft. Well, apart from the needles of course, but my wife has nowhere near as many needles as I have brushes, so let's leave that there shall we.

The Illustrious Opponent was one of many that selflessly gave up some of their free time to help me move, for which I am forever grateful. When he saw our new living room with space for a new larger dining table the gaming ideas were already being discussed. The new year will definitely have to have some tabletop skirmishes taking place at the new Chez Lead. I have however promised myself not a dice will roll or a brush stroke until the boxes are fully unpacked. (Let's see if that promise is kept.)