Lost Patrol Game Box

My recent Space Hulk box trick worked really well, so thinks I "Why not go for two from two?"

Lost Patrol is a much smaller game and I am keen to have it ready for travel and play. What I needed was something that would keep the hex pieces in some semblance of order, store 5 Marines, about 10 Lurkers (aka Tyranid Genestealers ), dice, tokens, and the rules.

Rummaging around my shed, I remembered my parents gave me a "Medal of Honor Warfighter" case - some EA games promotional box that my younger brothers likely got once upon a time. It had a handle, and two latches and appeared to be the right sort of size at 10x7x4" (25x17x10cm). So I got to work!

Firstly, I removed some of the box's interior linings which left the raw shell and a divider in the bottom half. Next, I took out my ruler and some paper to make a section that would hold the hexagon tiles. It took a few trials and errors, but eventually, I had something that did the job. With that solved, using the paper as a template, I cut the same again using some heavier card. After a dry fit to prove it worked, I put that aside and tackled the next bit.

To store and secure the Lurkers I needed to be creative. I got out the paper again and made a template to cover the 4 sides and bottom of the remaining deep interior of the case. Once I was happy with the sizing, I found some old sheet metal I had saved from the landfill and cut it out using some heavy-duty snips. What a shame the case was aluminium (I think) and not a ferrous metal - I suppose it is lighter for it.

The metal was seriously tough, so bending it into shape took some effort. Having done some other stuff with metal previously, I remembered the old trick of using wood offcuts to bend the metal over and around. It still took a bit of effort, but the result was well within my exacting tolerances.

I pushed the metal 'cradle' into the slot and then used some strong glue to fix it to the sides - using some claps I left it overnight to set. I also made and glued a metal rectangle to the inside of the lid and strategically glued a series of N50 magnetic disks to the same. See I had the idea of storing my dice and game tokens in metal mint boxes that could be secured by magnets and easily removed from the box during play.

At this stage, things were looking good. Everything could fit securely and I could have left it like that - it was a major improvement from the pencil case I had been using for the last few years! As I was drifting off to sleep later that night I recalled seeing some velvet-like adhesive sheets - what we call "Contact" here in Australia, but used to line things like jewelry cases and drawers. A quick google search informed me that they stocked it at Bunnings (of course!) and later the next day I had a roll, ready to apply.

Unfortunately, I had thrown out most of my paper templates so I had to cut them afresh - that took a bit of time. The velvet contact wanted to curl and was surprisingly delicate - it ripped very easily. One thing it did do was stick well, and being black, the various joins and patches weren't particularly noticeable. It took a few attempts but I got a satisfactory outcome in the end. I've got to admit, I'm glad I did it as the tiles now sit very well in their slot and don't rattle and won't scratch. Also, the contact is very thin, so it doesn't degrade the magnetic effect any - I magnetise the bases of my minis and they stick to their spots quite nicely.

The final touch was to give the outside of the box a touch-up. Using a can of black auto filler spray primer, I gave the case and the dice + token tins two coats. Once that dried, I used some water-based gloss sealant/varnish and slapped it all over the case. The varnish goes on very streaky but I've learned from experience that it dries very flat - so I only had a little bit of a panic.

And here's the end result: the Marines, Dice, and Tokens all sit on the inside of the Case's lid using magnets. Nids and game tiles sit in the Case's bottom, larger cavity.

I'm now making a collection of Quick Reference Guides that I'll glue to some extra Hex Tiles I had. While they haven't got the full details of the rules, they've certainly got enough that I don't need to also bring the printed rules with me when packing the game - they're included in the box. How cool is that?

What's next? I am intending on making a club box for my Axes & Ales chums - now that I know how to do it, I've got some ideas in that regard. Also, I am thinking of redoing (upgrading) my Space Hulk box with some even better interior boxes + using the velvet contact velvet to give it all a more polished look. Also, the black spray with the gloss varnish looks great - I think it would suit the Space Hulk box to a tee. If I can manage it, I might try and fabricate some stencils or letters to put the names of the games onto the boxes as well - that would really make it look special, especially if I can recreate the original artwork/font style.

All-in-all it was a fun project that has proven to be very cheap to execute and practical as well. Got to love this hobby.

UPDATE

I ended up making a box for my mate at the Axes & Ales club - it turned out a treat and you check it out here.

When I made my mate's game box, I printed a rule summary and stuck into the box's inside lid. Having worked out how to prepare a precisely sized panel for printing, I turned my mind to do the same with a hexagon. The end result was just what I wanted - five double-sided hexagonal tiles that detailed (my version of) the Lost Patrol rules - I had to do it in five tiles because that was all I could fit into this box.  Here are the tiles:

Now I can truly call this project done!