Outside of buying an AT43 army and re-selling all the miniatures, where can I get a big stack of 28mm scale shipping containers?

I've found some cool pictures of scratch-built ones here. O-gauge is the closest commonly available scale for 28mm (oversized, but easier to find than S-gauge) - there are some nice 40' containers here, and some 20' ones on eBay.

Most model railroading gear makes wargaming seem like a budget hobby though... has anyone found a source for cheap, probably unpainted/unassembled containers? I've just seen Vexille and have a sudden need to run Infinity games in a dockyard

Should I just make my own from plasticard siding and L-shaped plastic rod?


EDIT: I've just found a good tutorial on TOPO's website, using foamcore and corrugated card. For anyone interested in checking it out, you can find it at http://www.toposolitario.com/workshop/container.html

This is a scene from the Vexille dockyard... http://www.youtube.com/v/VtBrZOIh-Y0

After looking around the (virtual) world, I found these ones from bugbait in NZ...



Awesome stuff. Next stop: look for corrugated card in local art supply shops.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I've been wondering how to make my own, but I've never gotten off my bum to look for a way.

Cheers mate!!

No worries - I was starting to wonder if anyone was going to post in this thread

Post some pictures when you're done. I think I'll start work on mine some time next month, after I clear some space on my desk.

i actually made up and cast a multi part container, but its a 'wee' bit big for a 40K model, its about twice the height of a space marine, when it should really be about 20-50% bigger at most.

i will dig up some pics of it anyway and post it, so you can see what i am working on for the smaller version.

AL

Ben, instead of buying corrugated card you can either:

1. find a normal cardboard box and peel off one of the layers exposing the corrugations underneath.

2. 'borrow' some from the stationary room at work. If you work in an office where people ship stuff there is often rolls of the stuff lying around and plenty of useless off cuts that are the right size for hobby work.

3. scavenge the corrugated bits from inside other packaging. I've got some bits in the past that were used as padding in other boxes. (appliances, crockery, etc).

PM me if you are still looking for some in the lead up to JD and I will bring you some down.

I'm self-employed, so if it's in the "stationery room" at work then I paid for it myself Although, I do need to find a roll of card at some stage, as there are no postpack boxes small enough to send out most of the things I sell...

I tried peeling open cardboard boxes, but the outer layer tends to damage the corrugations when it's removed. I've tracked down lots of different sizes in Dean's Art and Eckersleys, for a few dollars a sheet - $5 worth of card plus a few empty cereal boxes should give me enough to make a table worth of terrain.

Al - cool, pictures would be very handy.

Those look fantastic - I'm going to have to have a go as well!

Try the Reject Shop - they had various colours of corrugated cardboard there and it may be cheaper than the "arty" stuff.

i am just putting the finishing touches on a better scaled container, so should have pics up by the end of the week and also on our store.

Cheers,

AL

While looking around my local Hobby & Model store (Frontline Hobbies in Newie), I came across some Military "containers" in 1/35 made by Italieri that were called "Battlefield shelters" or something similar"

They were about $20 each (but they only had a couple in stock).

I think the corrugated card version will be the most cost-effective way, though. I'm going to give them a try.

You can also get some really good looking containers from the AT-43 terrain range. Out club picked up a stack of em (not sure where from however). They are good quality and look great too. You also get search lights and Stone baracades with em too

I been trying to think of the best way to make a mould that i can cast in resin, and then assemble to make lots of them. any ideas would be helpfull. i like the idea of a table full of them like a shipping yard.

I can't find any mention of it on the Italieri homepage?


The terrain pack from AT-43 looks OK - I don't know how much they'd cost locally though.
http://www.rackham.fr/index.php?option=com...&Itemid=242

I got some of the giant shipping containers from Al and the one's I got are plaster rather than resin to save cost.

They are still pretty strong and you could fill them with expanded polystyrene or no more gaps foam for added strength if you didn't need them to open.

Makes for great LOS blocking terrain.

I love the AT-43 terrain (Accessory Pack 2 is retails for about $22AUD), but it's a bit out of my price range.

I'd like to make heaps of containers, and combine them with a hangar bay crane like this to shift them around

Does anyone know if HirstArts have a mould with sci-fi cargo boxes on it?

EDIT: found them. The mould only gives enough parts for one barrel, one small crate and half a large crate per casting, and the large crate is still only a 1" cube.

as discussed i have finally finished our containers.



http://ironhalo.net/store//catalog/product...products_id=123

Any questions let me know.

Cheers

AL

Those containers are great Grendel
But the most important thing that has come from this topic is : Vexille !
thanks Morsla!

Mithril

I also found these on the armorcast site... But 3 for $40US is probably out of the price range you were after morsla.
http://armorcast.com/store/product_info.ph...products_id=700

I go to my local $2 shop and there is a certain scale truck with a really long Shipping container onthe back. I cut it in half and add a couple of bits of card and a base board and I get 2 containers for about $8 without much work. Peel of a few stickkers and give it a light dusting with black spray for "dirtying" and some battle damage. I also have a truck+ flatbed trailer for converting or wrecking....

I'm going to use my AT43 containers as templates and make my own from foamcore, corrugated card and plasticard angles (and keep an eye out for those toy trucks with containers BHR mentioned.)


Thanks for the further info. (Goes off to case the local $2 emporium.)