Movement Trays

From time to time I like to play with toy soldiers (15mm medieval warriors, from the sadly defunct Tabletop Games in the case of the ones in the photo) and to maintain as much flexibility as possible, with regard to rules systems, I mount them all on 30x30mm square MDF bases (40x40mm for 20mm figures, 20x20mm for 6mm).

However, then pushing them around the tabletop can get a bit tiresome, and it becomes easier if they can be moved en masse.

To which end, I've been tinkering in Blender to make these little movement trays. The sizes and proportions of things can be controlled very precisely in Blender, but for something like these, which need to be tight enough that the individual bases don't rattle around, but loose enough that they're easy to get in and out without sticking, a certain amount of trial and error is necessary to determine the exact degree of slack.

These first ones are all slightly too roomy, so I'll shrink them down by a few millimetres where necessary and print another lot. Once I've determined the optimum spacing, I can just production-line the things in any size or configuration.

Next Day...

I've settled on the exact sizes I want, and I've started a production line to print as many as I'm likely to need. Hail Caesar is fairly accommodating about basing, and you really only need to be able to distinguish between large (at rear), regular, and small units, and there are a couple of other things such as pikes and war-bands needing to be in deeper formations. All pretty straightforward.

I suppose I shall have to paint the trays a grassy green or something, but to be honest I quite like the pale blue.