Bitz Boxes: How Do You Sort Yours? (Plus General Update)

Well what a fortnight this has been, crammed with so much wargaming goodness there's been no chance to blog about it. Never though that I'd write that

Firstly I've had some actual games. A huge thanks to Zzzzzz, for not only introducing me to Apocalypse in an epic fashion but for providing teas and bacon sandwiches on the same scale. Excellent company, some bloody beautiful miniatures and a superb fluffy Apocalypse game. If this hobby is about anything it's surely that. You can get a sneak peak of the game between Zzzzzz, myself, Karitas and Ed on the good Colonel's blog here - the photos are outstanding but still don't do the board and minis justice. Zzzzzz will be doing a proper write-up on his Devos IV blog later this month.

"I wonder whose mum does use new biological Biz?" the shining gallant Palladian officer on horseback gets top points for style...

Also on Ed's blog is a write up of the first of our Edethor campaign games, only 500pts but what a belter it was. Again, there's some cracking photos of a closely fought match. The second game saw my Mawdryn Marines massacred as they attempted a breakout, but an equally cracking game that saw me praying for more assault weapons.

The Scouts definitely win "man of the match" for the first game with Ed... more on the Palladian Guard blog

The Spears of Mawdryn are finally geting some paint on their armour and some lovely new bases. I'm actually enjoying painting now, something I never thought I'd say until recently. More on the Chapter is on its way.

Quick preview of the Spears of Mawdryn in progress - still a little more to do (plus new themed bases)

 And last but not least, I've gone and bloody won something. I won the follower raffle for the well-deserved celebration of Società di archeologia e cimeli getting 100 followers. Tomsche sent me a superb pair of Mithril Middle-Earth miniatures - which takes me back to playing Middle-Earth Role Playing in my younger days. So many thanks Tomsche, here's to the next 100!
  

Bitz Boxes: How do you sort yours?
So, onto the business of the day. Although I moved house in August, I've only just got round to giving the lead pile and everything else hobby related a half-decent sort out. The first target was the bitz box.

As a fan of conversions (and now terrain building) I love a well-stocked bitz box. But there's always the issue of how to arrange all those lovely gubbins.

In the distant past I tended to put everything into one tub and then tip it across the floor/table/urban wasteland like a tub of LEGO and rummage through it hoping for the best...

"I know that short axle is in there somewhere..."

But a couple of years ago, when I got back into wargaming proper, I decided a bit more organisation was in order (no pun intended...). So I invested in a small container with optional dividers:
 

My old bitz box, now home to various metal minis and "misc" bitz.

However, that soon became full even without all the bitz in it, and I couldn't organise the bits into enough categories - it's times like this when my inner OCD gets let loose.

So, just after the move I invested in this hefty chap with trays that can be moved around and rearranged (although it's like a puzzle trying to find the few configurations that actually fit).

Ahhh, plastic crack... so "more-ish"

It also gave me a chance to exercise (exorcise...?) my organised side and let myself go mad with a marker pen for quick reference.

But there are still smaller boxes with terrain bitz in elsewhere, plus a large bag full of sprues (empty and with bitz on). So perhaps the plan for the future is to get a (slightly) smaller box for each project and separate box for terrain items. But then there are some pieces that can be used for multiple projects. First world problems, but still presents the dilemma of "which box do they go in?"

Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll work something out. But the question stands - Bitz Boxes: How Do You Sort Yours?