One of the best parts of the Modi Boxi community is seeing how builders take the system and make it their own. Every hobbyist has different needs, collections, and ways of transporting and organizing their miniatures.
Today we're featuring Vintage Dan, a prolific miniature painter and hobbyist who created a custom slim-profile Modi Boxi design specifically for transporting Blood Bowl teams and Necromunda gangs. By modifying existing Modi Boxi components in Tinkercad, Dan created a storage solution tailored to his messenger bag, local gaming trips, and growing collection.
Let's hear his story.
Trapper: Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started with 3D printing. What gear do you have?
Dan: I originally got into 3D printing as I was looking to print replacement parts for old metal and plastic miniatures that I had in my collection from the 80s. This was on an Elegoo Mars resin printer. I’d not got into filament printing, but my brother had, so I knew a bit about it.
Trapper: It's funny how many people get started with one specific need and then end up deep in the hobby. At some point, your focus shifted from printing miniatures to storing them. How did you first hear about Modi Boxi, and what made you jump into the community?
Dan: I was looking at various Kickstarters, and I’d be trying to find various solutions to the storage of Blood Bowl teams and Necromunda gangs. I paint a lot of miniatures, as you can see on my Instagram and Bluesky pages. I saw the Modi Boxi advert and backed it even though I’d not got a filament printer yet. It seemed to cover exactly what I needed. I think it was a year and a half before I got my Elegoo Centaur Carbon printer and started using Modi Boxi.
Trapper: Backing a filament-printing project before owning a filament printer is dedication. Before Modi Boxi came along, what were you using for storage?
Dan: Before Modi Boxi, I was using various solutions with foam from Tabletop Tyrant and KR Case, which worked well, but it limited me in expansion. So, a larger team that might have loads of models and star player options, I kept running out of space and having to modify options. Or for some, I’d have less models but loads of wasted space in a case. I love foam as it offers excellent protection for when you invest loads of time into something, but it limits your choices. Also, if you need to change something, you need to figure a whole new solution, and that can take time. It can leave you with foam you’ve modified that’s not fit for other models.
Trapper: That's a challenge a lot of miniature painters can relate to. Collections are never static. New models arrive, rosters change, and suddenly, yesterday's storage solution no longer works. What inspired this build? What problem were you trying to solve?
Dan:I’d printed a couple of Modi Box cases for Blood Bowl and Necromunda, but I found that if I was carrying them in a backpack or messenger bag, they didn’t work. I wanted to start catching the bus to some local places. So I needed something half as wide, but height was less of an issue. I also needed something I could just put on a shelf side by side and slide out as needed.
I’d used Tinkercad before, as it has a very low skill level and learning curve, but you could still do a lot with it. So, I took a standard medium case trimmed off one side, copied, rotated, and joined it together. As I was using a cage to make the box, I needed to make sure the short side holes lined up the same, but also that there were enough locking points on both long sides. Then I took a latch lid and pretty much did the same. It didn’t need a handle as it would be slotting in a bag.
After this, it was just a matter of cutting down a tray for the miniatures. This just meant it only had 8 models per level. Most Blood Bowl teams are only 16 players max before Star Players, it wasn’t really an issue. Bigger teams, I could work on another solution.
Trapper: I love this. It highlights something I see all the time in the community. People don't wait for us to make the perfect solution. They take the pieces they already have and make exactly what they need. How long did the build take from idea to finished setup? Any major learnings along the way?
Dan: It was pretty much all done in a couple of days. Once I had the first level 1 modified, I just did the same for level 2 and level 3. I did make a mistake with the mini trays, but I just adjusted and reprinted pretty quick. I just had to make a little tray to fit in the level 1 for the dice to sit in. This meant I could just swap out any Boxi trays without having to modify them.
Trapper: A couple of days from idea to finished solution is one of the superpowers of 3D printing. Once you solved this problem, I imagine the next ideas started showing up immediately. Are there other builds you are working on with Modi Boxi? What's next?
Dan: I’m thinking of making something long and thin, the same as this, so double long but the same width. Either a modification of this medium box or a thinned-down large box. I’d have to check how things will fit on my Centauri Carbon printer, as it will be designed to still fit in my messenger bag. I am wondering if I can make one that is just 3 minis wide, rather than the 2. Should be more snug. Also means that the Boxi levels would fit 2 Boxi trays and other things like dice cups.
Along with this I need to think about how I store each team, when they are not in my bag the whole box will sit on a shelf with other teams. Then just grab the team I want, slip it in my messenger bag or backpack, and go. I’m also thinking of a way to put in modular foam trays. I like to cycle, so I’m not convinced magnets and rubber bands are going to cut it.
Trapper: Before we wrap up, any sage advice for all the other Modi Boxi builders out there? Words of wisdom?
Dan: Tinkercad is a really easy and free tool, you can do so much more than you expect if you have a play with it.
Trapper: That's probably one of the best pieces of advice anyone can give. You don't need advanced CAD skills to start customizing and experimenting. Finally, for anyone who wants to follow your builds and experiments, where can they find you online? Any website or social links you want to share?
Dan: Most of my stuff I post on my Instagram or Bluesky page @Vintagedan.
Trapper: Thank you, Dan, for sharing your process, your ideas, and your creativity with the community. We can't wait to see what you build next! See you on the Discord!
