Do you organise your bits box, and if so, how.

[eldargal]

Fairly obvious, do you organise your bits box, and if you do, please say how. I used to assume everyone organised their bits box but lately I've been hearing people talk about the fun and frustration of digging through a mammoth box of bits.

Personally I organise mine by race and type, thus I have a box for Eldar infantry bits and a box for eldar vehicle bits.

How do you do it? What do you store it in, do you remove it all completely from the spru? Do you clean the bits when they go in the box or when you go to use them? Etcetera.

[Lord Azaghul]

by race vehicle & weapon type, using those nice little tackle/crafting boxs.

generally bigger boxs, one for imperium, several smaller for various fantasy stuffs.

[DrLove42]

I use the Eldar Battle Force box, and is just mixed Eldar bits. Which means its mostly a massvle pile of heavy weapons, (Cannons, Lances, Missiles, Lasers) and a few other bits

My DE is similarily in one big place, in this case a heavy zip lock bag that something from FW came in. The DE heads are also in a seperate little bag, as a all the Finecast spares.

Its a credit to the DE line, that my DE are a newer, smaller army, and yet have more bits

[pgarfunkle]

I have several bit boxes, which tend to be the plastic boxes which contain GWs metal models.
Generally they are seperated by race and item type. I've been thinging about buying some sort of bits box from an office depot type shop to organise my bits a bit better, but money spent on that is less money spent on actual models so the idea never gets very far.

[wittdooley]

So organising bitz has taken me to heights of anal retentitiveness I didn't know were possible for me (I'm not a super organized person by nature, as my desk at work will attest)

Basially, it's like this:

I have 5 hardware store part organizers, each sorted and labeled with a label maker. At the top is weapons. Weapons are sorted by weapon type per army. So all the Vanilla marine power weapons are together, next to the Blood Angels power weapons, next to the Space Wolf power weapons. And so on. So here's an Example row:

| marine PW| SW PW| BA PW| BT PW| DA PW|
| Marine shoulders| SW Shoulders| BA Shoulders| BT Shoulders|

It's all quite pathetic, really, but If you need a bit, I can tell you if I have it in about 10 seconds.

[Wildeybeast]

I used to have mine race specific, still on the sprue, but as my collection has expanded over the years I found I had a number of different half empty boxes lying round and I simply don't have space for them all. So now there is a Warhammer box and a 40k box and that's it. I quite enjoy rummaging around in them for stuff and I have reasonable idea of what's in there based on what models I have in my army and how they are equipped, so it' not a mjor hassle to find them. I found it quite a release to let of go of my anal retentivity on this one and I reccommend to those who find themselves in a similar situation.

[isotope99]

Ah, the halcyon days when all my spare bits would fit into a mere box.

I used to have one of those multi part tool boxes but I have long since outgrown that, although it still exists and occasionally vomits up a useful bit that I saved.

There are multiple levels to my madness:

1) Bits still on the sprues are organised more or less by race and in some cases are even in a relevant box. Others less so, my daemons bits are in a storm raven box. I tend to break down any sprues where less than 50% of the sprue remainms to save space.

2) Once off the sprue, bits for my current projects are loose in a rhino, or similarly sized box. Older projects tend to get tipped into some a black hole box, probably never to be seen again until I start a new army.

3) Bits earmarked for specific future conversions because I know what I'm going to do with them or they look particularly useful are stored in one of the sectioned plastic boxes that GW metal kits come in.

One of the fun processes of starting a new army is crerating a new bits box for conversions and rummaging through the old boxes for new bits. Its also cheap as everything is recycled from stuff you've already paid for.

Similarly, some of my favourite conversions are scrap daemon style results from just trawling in my bits box and finding useful parts.

[Necron2.0]

I use the tried and true heap sort method, but mostly I just store the bits in their original boxes (or a box related to their race) in my closet.

[david5th]

For my IG its...

Personnel.

1. By body part - arms, legs, heads, torso.
2. Weapons then add-ons such as pouches, grenades etc.
3. Backpacks.

Vehicles.

1.Turrets.
2.Chassis inc sponson bits.
3.Tracks.
4.Weapons - pintle and sponson.
5.Crew memebers.
6.Extras - dozer blades, smoke launchers etc

This was the same for my Marine army.
I use 2 B&Q storage organiser tray things. I would have posted a link for item but appears they no longer stock it.

[Necron_Lord]

I keep a battleforce or battalion box for each race and store unused sprues in them, or have ziploc baggies for each different unit to store things in. For example, one baggie for Kabalite Warriors, one for Wyches, etc.

[Denzark]

I have several of these...

http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy257/denzark/63803.jpg


And an old Mothercare babycare box with compartments for big bits for vehicles and terrain.

[UltramarineFan]

I use a box for each race in 40k but for fantasy I got lazy so just put it all in one box (though I have a lot less fantasy and most of the races don't interest me much so it's not so much of an issue)

[Lockark]

My bits collection is to large to organize nicely. I bassicly have one of thows large plastic drawer things from wall mart. Each other dedicated to a bitz from a different army/grouping of similar armies. (Bassicly three large drawers. So one Imperial gaurd/SM, one Chaos, one Orks/Orcs. Then smaller containers for other assorted things.


I also have smaller screw bit boxs from the dollar store to keep things like gun+corresponding arms together, small useful bits like chaos icons, ect organized/easy to find.

[dvs1]

Quite sadly , i have filled almost three four drawer stacking thingies to the brim. I use old plastic card holders to categorize them by race/infantry/vehicle bits. Rarer bits get separated for easy hunting, along with nearly completed models. Loose sprues go in two or so drawers, although i think im gonna go put them in some race specific battle force boxes like some others mentioned. Several more drawers are unopened boxes for future use/bits, along with another couple for terrain making. Its amazing how much stuff you can buy at the dollar store that would make awesome terrain... if i ever get to it that is =).

[wittdooley]

I use the same thing as you, Denzark. Makes stuff really easy to find.

[Lane]

two stage system:

Separate by race

roughly group by type, ie heads, guns, CC weapons, vehicle bits

[SotonShades]

I actually have several bits boxes now, all stuffed into one of the plasma cell crate boxes GW were giving away a year or two ago (might be more now!). For the most part I have one for Fantasy bits and the rest for 40k. I use old boxes from some of the larger kits (currently Land Raider, Valkyrie, Warhammer Giant). However beyond that, I'd hardly call them organised. As the poll suggests, 'Are you mad, woman?! Trawling through a mammoth box of bits is one of the best parts of the hobby!' The number of times I've been rummaging about looking for that one SM bolt pistol arm that is bent 'just so', but ended up finding a spare black templar arm with a chained powersword instead that works soooo much better for the convertion... well, something like that anyway. Plus, I love the sound all that rattling, tumbling plastic makes :P Reminds me of lego blocks.

That said, occasionally when I am working on a project (like when I started trying to sculpt some jet-engine deffkoptas that didn't have any rotors) I will start a new box and start throwing bitz i think should be useful just for that so I don't have to search everytime for those spare fan blades or that mechanical looking arm do-hickey. Problem is I tend to fill that box with bitz before the project is finished and it simply becomes bitz box number 'Y'.

I do usually take stuff off the sprues though, if only as a space saver. Don't bother cleaning up mold lines or anything though.



p.s. eldargirl, yes I do think you are mad, but the awesome kind of mad that makes this hobby so interesting :)

[JxKxR]

I cut them off the sprue and clean them up, then I sort them. If I need a bit I know exactly what I have, how many, and where it is. I also have some bits that I use to wager when I play. If you win you get to use the bit as a trophy to commemorate your victory.

[Psychosplodge]

Once upon a time, until I knocked it over and that was the end of that because really couldn't be arsed to re-organise it lol.

[FTE-Charge!!!]

Used to use a large cigar box, but now I organize by race when I do new projects. The original bits from the box were put in their own case as they represented odds and ends from 11 some years of hobbying.

I purchased plastic bead cases to hold the bits and a handy carrying case that can hold 4 of these cases in a pack about half the size of an original gw fig case.

[Lerra]

I have shoeboxes labelled for Imperial/Mech, Organic (Kroot/Ork/Tyranid/Chaos), and Tau/Eldar bits.

Then I sort bits into small plastic sandwich bags by categories like "Chaos weaponry" or "shoulderpads" and toss them into the appropriate shoebox.

I do a lot of kitbashing, so I've found it handy to sort by basic category rather than by army.

[Kieranator K82]

I have several bitz boxes,sorted by race only. So I have a box for Space Marines, a box for Orks, a Box for Imperial Guard, a box for Tau (I have a few bits) a box for Tyranids (I have a few bits), a box for WHFB Empire, a box for WHFB Dwarves (my friend's army - I do all the work) a box for WHFB Tomb Kings (I have a few bits). What sort of boxes do I use? 2 Litre ice-cream containers.

[Iceman]

I'm glad to see that I fall somewhat in the middle of this group of obsessive-compulsive organizers! Basically, each race has its own box with body parts, weapons, heads, sorted in an order that sort of makes sense (at least to me). I also keep vehicle parts in separate boxes more or less by race.

[sebi81]

I have a big toolbox like many others here. For every race there ist a small box for body parts and a small box for weapons. all other small things like grenades etc are together in two boxes for all races, divided in smaller parts like grenades, spikes etc. and bigger parts like backpacks, icons etc.
All parts for vehicles are in a larger box. but to actually search a thing I have to empty the small boxes in a bigger box or on a table, because most of the small boxes are nearly full...

[RebelGrot]

Thinking about it, my bits boxes actually reflect their armies!

Space Marines are the elite - arranged through a couple of boxes with individual compartments for arms, legs, weapons (by type-range/heavy/ccw), torsos, BA/GK specific parts etc.

The Orks are very unruly, body parts mingling with metal attached to vehicles by accident or design.

Eldar have their own serene zone with a spacious drawer to themselves apart from one back corner where their Dark Kin lurk!

[wittdooley]

I would literally have an anxiety attack if my bits were organized like some of you and I had to find something.

I misplaced some FW Mark Armour sets the other day; I spent the better part of 3 hours looking for them. Upon finding them, I promptly clipped every bit and put them in their appropriate bin.

My wife thought I was going to hyperventilate.

[fuzzbuket]

tried , and failed :P

p.s. that being said i lost the head for my GD entry (NOTE: you MUST LOOK FOR IT NOW YOU LAZY GIT :P )

[Thornblood]

I have waaaay to much in terms of bitz. I have a few smaller boxes for armies i have collected extensively over the years. However as different friends have 'gotten out of the hobby' or downsized to just a main army for each system, they gave me there bits. Some got organized, some didnt, so i have a greta big random plastic tray-cabinet thingy that i love digging through as i dont really know what's in there. Of course some of those friends returned to the hobby when GW release something particularly spangly.

[Lockark]

I would literally have an anxiety attack if my bits were organized like some of you and I had to find something.

I misplaced some FW Mark Armour sets the other day; I spent the better part of 3 hours looking for them. Upon finding them, I promptly clipped every bit and put them in their appropriate bin.

My wife thought I was going to hyperventilate.

I've collected for awhile now, and then on top of that when someone reduces thier bitz box/getting out of the hobby I always seem to grab a few large boxs of bitz dirt cheap. It's a bad habbit of mine. I have multiple large containers of bitz at this point.

It is not pyschicaly possible for me to organize my bitz neatly, other wise I would have a wall of thows little draws and stuff.
=/

[miteyheroes]

I have clear plastic boxes, the sort of thing you use for putting food into the fridge/freezer.

Each is dedicated to a body part: heads, torsoes, legs, left arms, right arms.
Then there are boxes for different accesories: backpacks & banners, close combat weapons, pistols, larger guns, shields, random extras (grenades, purity seals, etc).
Then there are other boxes: for all bits from larger creatures (daemon princes, ogres, nid warriors etc), for wheels & tracks, for vehicles in general.
City of Death bits are kept in their original GW boxes.

I like kitbashing bits from different races, so organising by race would be bad. But this way I can often get some great ideas just by digging in a box to find a good torso, then the next box to find some interesting legs, etc etc etc.

[L192837465]

I have a toolbox with 12 years of bits and plastic dust in it. Plus nails. Makes me pay more attention when I'm digging through it.

[MajorWesJanson]

Army, then type of part- body parts, special vs normal weapons, two handed vs one handed arm options, ect. Then a few slots for conversion parts and remnants, and special compartments for projects like Deathwatch teams.

[Lexington]

I have it divided up by army, and only now realize that the amount of organization I put into each of them is roughly equal to that of the army's character, and works best with how I come up with full models for the force.

Aurora Chapter? Clean, neat, all bits put squarely with others of its type in a meticulously-chosen division of the toolbox I keep it in, near bits of a related type that can all be assembled into whole models.

Word Bearers? Organized, but much less so - lots of "spiky stuff here," or "religious looking bits here" all piled together in a plastic, two-tier tacklebox, which often makes for interesting synthesis when I'm assembling something.

Orks? Unit-specific equipment is in individual baggies, all piled on one another without much rhyme or reason, and stuffed into a box, alongside sprues. Two big, heavy bags of general bits, one for "Ork Bits" and one for "Mek Bitz."

[chromedog]

Yes.

I use a few sets of the 15 drawer hobby cabinet thingys (little 2"x4" clear plastic trays that slide in and out in a rack).
So one drawer each for arms, legs go in another, heads, weapons, etc.

The wife stole one of them to organise HER LEGO bricks, too.