Star Wars Imperial Assault Complete Collection Storage

If you have come here looking for a Star Wars Imperial Assault Complete Collection Storage solution then I am afraid I am not going to help you immediately. However, I have been working on a solution that you will see if you scroll to the bottom of this page. My goal in my design is to solve the issue of how to not only store but how to get this incredible game to the table.

Take a look at what we are working with.

Now, remember that inside each box is a complete set of tiles that will cause you the biggest headache when storing and getting to the table. The biggest issue is that the solutions for getting the tiles to the table are awful unless you have the space to carefully store them.

I have tried to keep the tiles in A4 plastic pocket sleeves, I ordered the expensive ones from the USA because those are the ones someone on BGG suggested. I splashed out and bought the folder they used to hold them, only to find out that there is no way in hell to hold all the tiles in this single folder like that and when you store them they will fall out if the folder falls, is stored the wrong way up or even falls forward.

During play this solution is incredible, it works like any file system that lets you quickly flick to the page you need and extract the tile you want, however, once again, any fall, spill or knock and you lose tiles.

The mini Figures are also a problem, the best solution I currently have is to partially use the e-Raptor + expansion storage for painted minis that I reviewed some time ago with a custom solution for card storage. I also keep the unpainted minis in the Tyrants of Lothal box moving them to the e-Raptor storage once painted. How I will keep this going when I have run out of storage is anyone’s guess but it sort of works at the moment provided I know roughly what I will need for the next session. I wish there was a good solution that would let me get everything on or near the table including the tiles.

There is a solution, but it will take a company like Smonex, Laserox, TowerRex or The Broken Token to design a chest. A single storage chest that holds the map tiles in thin drawers, has a space to place all the large figures and room for all the miniatures. Separate token and dice trays that can be placed on the table and the Pièce de résistance, individual trays to hold the minis in place that have marked spaces for each figure. Slightly larger spaces for figures like Darth Vader that have a cape and a lightsabre so take up a little more space than similar-sized minis.

There are lots of examples, of figures that have the same base and are single-figure characters but do not quite fit into a standard space. For example, the Sand People have a longer profile and then there are the larger but not necessarily huge figures, the Wampas, E-Webb engineers and Nexu would benefit greatly from some extra space but also the Jump Jet troopers who are thin and tall.

Laserox makes a chest for Eldritch Horror that looks incredible and I think would make a great basis for an Imperial Assault storage solution. Sure I think it may need to be slightly taller and at €170 this solution certainly isn’t cheap, with more components it could be even more expensive, but what better way to store your complete collection, a collection that has already cost you, £1,016.65 at MSRP.

If you have spent time painting your miniatures and you value your time the MSRP should at least be tripled. I got a lot of my sets at a slight discount so paid approximately £850 for the entire set but even at this price, we are talking about a massive investment in a game that, if I don’t get the entire set to the table often, is as good as wasted.

I am still painting my collection during the limited time I get at weekends and I am moving through slowly but surely when playing I do tend to grab the painted figures over the non-painted ones, however, this means moving them from the storage to the table and back so when the insert is a little too small it means that you perpetually rub the same area of the mini and therefore, your painting is for nothing.

An insert that is designed to hold each miniature in a specific location, with each tray separated by expansion, with a place that would organise and hold the tiles, removable boxes for tokens and dice and a place to store the hero sheets, skirmish maps and rule books would be worth its weight in gold.

Here is a gallery with my entire collection on my dining table that is too small to play a lot of games on however, there is no way I have the space to get Imperial Assault on the table, with all minis, tiles, tokens and campaign guides easily available.

There are two companies I know of that say they offer a complete storage solution, one is Go7 Gaming and the other is Gothsonika. Neither has replied to emails so I cannot attest to their use for game nights but they certainly have storage to hold everything and I have to be honest and say that it’s pretty clear you would need to take every box with every insert to a game night to use them and knowing how heavy The Imperial Assault Complete Collection is before adding the weight of the inserts I would not be happy to wander far with them.

Gothsonika

Go7Gaming

My solution for a Star Wars Imperial Assault Complete Collection Storage

So here then, is the start of my solution. I have been designing this solution in Fusion 360, a program I had to learn to use. I still do not have complete control of this program but I think I know enough to finish this project.

The biggest issue when playing so far has been organizing and finding map tiles quickly and easily. To that end, I designed a chest of drawers that will hold each set of map tiles separately.

Each of the seven released expansions would have its drawer. There is the potential to add a foam inlay but I don’t think that will be necessary for me and I may just line the edges of the drawer with foam core.

This map chest as well as the storage boxes for the AT-STs, Rancor, SC2-M Replusor Tank, Bantha and the miniatures which I will be held in cubic trays can be brought out as needed and used when playing. The token trays will be on the table for the entire session so they will need to look awesome as will the card storage that I will demonstrate an idea for later.

The reason for this is so that each part of the storage can be used during play. It also means you can bring out the parts of the game you need from the main storage case as you play the game.

I chose to use a design that could be laser cut from 3mm and 6mm plywood. I think this will give strength enough to keep the game safe and be light enough to not make the game weigh too much more than it already does.

The card tray will be very similar in design to the solution that Smonex came up with for Gloomhaven which in my opinion is the best solution devised for a game with a plethora of cards.

Token trays for Star Wars Imperial Assault will be easy and obviously I will add a lot of embelishments to the final product but as a starting point I think this could be a very good solution.

The miniatures will be held in stackable trays that will fit into the storage case and above you can see the rough layout I will be using. The above is a test cut to work out sizing and what sort of cutouts will be needed to keep the figures safe.

I suspect the final product will have names and specific locations for certain figures but overall I think this will be a great solution to keep the minis safe when the painting is finished.

As for the larger figures, I have several solutions to protect the 3 AT-STs and a simple case for each of the other larger figures.

This case would open from the rear leaving plenty of space to remove each figure but there are lots of options provided the main case will store the miniature and keep the paint safe.

Then there is the character saver. A double-sided container for in-play and not-in-play cards with a transparent top to cover the character sheet, I will probably incorporate a way to hold the card so it can be removed and flipped without removing the card.

The finger joints are on show in the base with the lid slid open.

The finished solution could have cut outs, labels and lots of “Star Wars” icons and logos to keep it in theme and give it some table presence.

The outer case has room to hold all the miniatures, the larger figures, the map tiles, character savers, Rule books, tokens, cards and Skirmish sheets. There is more room than is needed so once the best fit has been found this case will be made an appropriate size and I am sure the final product will have a different look.

Check back to this very page as I will update when I have finalised the design and built a prototype.