The tasteful white exterior of the Econo Box

If you’re anything like me, you have a LOT of minis in your collection. I’ve been painting off and on for most of the last 20 years, and even allowing for the usual number of figs abandoned at the primer stage or left half-painted, I’ve got a large number of painted minis that I want to protect and care for. Even my ghastly early efforts still need a home to call their own.

In an ideal world, everyone would have ample shelf space available to display their prized hand-painted figs. Sadly, most of us have to live in the lousy, no-fun real world, where limits on space and money can be quite severe. Non-hobbyist spouses, children, and rogue pets can put an even more serious squeeze on available display space. Anyway you look at it, you’re likely going to need some kind of a high-density storage solution for your minis.

Unfortunately, most storage boxes for minis are intended as heavy-duty transport units. They often sport high-impact plastic cases, zippered waterproof nylon enclosures, and thick foam. All that’s great, but if all you need is a place to store a few minis on a shelf it’s gross overkill, and brutally expensive to boot.

Luckily, Neal Catapano and his lads at TheWarStore.com have recognized the need for a low-cost stay-at-home storage box, and have created the Econo Box. Essentially a cardboard box enclosing a custom 12”x9”x1.5” foam tray, the Econo Box is plenty tough enough to protect your minis in the safety of your basement or workshop. I would be a bit hesitant transporting your precious minis inside, because it IS only cardboard after all.

The foam tray is precut into cubes like the trays for the popular Sabol Designs Army Transport line of cases, but lacks the hard rubber backing. Instead the Econo Box has a thin additional layer of foam glued to the top and bottom of the box to provide additional cushioning and protection. Thanks to the cube-style construction, the user can custom-craft whatever size or shape holes required for a given mini. This is a big plus for collectors of oddly-shaped figs unlikely to be accommodated by the standard-size squares of a normal case.

Due to the customizable nature of the foam, it’s tough to rate the capacity of the Econo Box. Mine is configured to store my collection of zombies, which range from 25mm to nearly 30mm, so I chose to just make equal-sized squares. In this configuration, which will easily handle most humanoid minis that aren’t brandishing polearms above their heads or otherwise being difficult, I was able to get space to hold 42 minis.

There are a few drawbacks to the Econo Box. The 1.5” depth of the foam can be a problem for minis wearing very tall hats, reaching above their heads, and the previously-mentioned polearms enthusiasts. The foam on the top and bottom of the case allows for a bit of wiggle room, and this has so far proved satisfactory for my zombies, but there are going to be some minis that will have to lie prone to fit in the Econo Box, which takes up substantially more room.

Also, while the customizable foam is a big plus for me, it does mean that you have to take a second to think and plan a

The chewy center of an Econobox. This one is zombie-flavored.

bit before jumping in to tear out squares willy-nilly. The fruits of failing to do this can be seen in my photos of the interior of my case. The first row is snaggle-toothed from the rest because I didn’t count out the cubes properly before I started tearing my first row of holes for minis, and ended up with an odd number. Not a tragedy, but easily avoided if I’d just used my brain. If you’re not interested in doing a little bit of planning and assembly work, this case is not for you.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the Econo Box. It does a fine job housing my painted minis in safety while keeping them easily accessible for play should the need arise. They are only available direct from TheWarStore.com, so you’ll be stuck paying $5.95 shipping even if you only want one case, but Neal sells all kinds of great stuff, so odds are you can find something else you “need” to share the freight.

Pros: Cheap, Durable enough to do its’ job, Customizable foam

Cons: Not durable enough to transport minis in, Direct-only availability

Source: Purchased from TheWarStore

MSRP: $10.99

Rating: 4/5

Popularity: 9% [?]

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