When hanging out at the LGS, whether it’s during a tourney or just going between games, we all have various ways of transporting our armies from one spot to another. Some people put their figs back into the foam trays or tackle box they came out of. Though that can be really time-consuming. Others will just toss their figures on the back of a rulebook. But your figures can slide and fall off. Some just grab them and move them over to the next table a handful at a time. But your models can bend or break and your paint can chip. Others get custom trays for moving around minis. It’s one of those that I’m looking at today.
Arkee Dan gave me one of these trays at Adepticon to try out and let you know my thoughts on.
So buckle yourselves in, it’s time for another TGN Review. This time it’s The Guildmate Tray from Tectonic Craft Studios.
So, a bit of a confession: I’ve never used a tray like this before. I was one of the “back of the rulebook” guys that I mentioned above. And yes, occasionally I would have a mini slid off the side of the book and go crashing down to the floor. But it didn’t happen too often and so I never thought much about the custom trays. Also, I don’t play in tourneys, so I’d usually have plenty of time to move my figures from table to table at the LGS. During an event, you might not have that time.
Anyway, the tray is made from several layers of laser-cut MDF board. When I first got it from Arkee (and his fabulous hair-swishes), it must’ve been rather fresh-cut, since there was still a slightly “burned” smell with it. However, that has since gone away (it faded in a day or so. And it was never really strong enough to be anything more than “just something you kinda noticed). The tray has thirteen 30mm spaces and four 40mm/50mm spaces. Considering your average Guild Ball team has 6 players on it, there’s plenty of room for a team as well as alternates on the board. Or you could even fit two teams on there. That’d be handy if you were doing a Demo-day sort of thing and wanted to show off the game to a friend.
When the figures are placed in the slots, they fit rather snugly. I wasn’t brave enough to really try and tilt the tray too much or whip it around quickly, but any “average moves” that you’ll make with the figures slotted on there won’t dislodge them. There’s a good amount of room between the slots, so you don’t have to worry about the figures tipping over or rubbing against each-other and either bending pieces or scratching paintjobs.
The top of the board also has a recessed area on it. This “catch-all” space can hold things like your tokens, dice, and cards. It’s not quite wide enough that your cards can fit there flush. But then again, with how deep it is, it wouldn’t really “contain” your cards, anyway. However, the sides around the edge of the board are certainly high enough that your cards won’t slide off and onto the floor when moving it around.
All in all, the Guildmate Tray is a great way to carry around your Guild Ball team. It’s got plenty of space for a whole Guild’s worth of players with extra room for the various accessories you’ll be bringing with you. Since creating this one, Dan’s made another version of the tray with even more space, if you’ve got a Guild and a whole bunch of extras minis you’d like to bring along as well. Both are available over in the Tectonic Craft Studios webshop.