Jucoci Solid Wood Miniatures Storage Case

Came with all the pieces intact. Exactly what i need to store my new hobby :D

Got a Sylvaneth army and saw this case. Felt it would be an excellent thematic carrying case for my new mobile murder trees. I had bought the plastic Jucoci case first and had relatively high expectations for this case. And... it is mediocre at best. I have more cons for this than pros for this.

Pros:
1. Dang thing be sturdy!
It IS wood and I can safely say that if I took a bat to this and the plastic case, the plastic case would give first. I'm sure I can also stain and sand it down (see con on this one) and make it look lovely and such as well.

2. Cheaper. Yep, this is cheaper than than the plastic case. Yay for that! Saving money is always good because boy do them models and paint add up...

3. Customizable. Unlike the plastic case, I feel more confident in adding things to this case. Unlike the plastic case, which has hollow walls, this one will take screws, nails, and so forth. I can probably even install things onto it! Like say, a real door. That'd be great, lovely, yuuuuuge... Because yeah, see the first Con...

Cons:

1. Poorly crafted. The box I got is misaligned ever so slightly, yet in a critical way. I had to hammer the last side hard to get it to slip down around the back panel. However, this leaves the issue of front groove where the plexiglass is supposed to sit in - as you can see in the photos, the misalignment does not allow the plexiglass to go down all the way and a rather sharp bit sticks up. No amount of finaggling will make it sit and I am not sure I want it to go all the way down because it looks rather annoying to get back out. Top this off with the plexiglass catches on the slot rails for the trays on the way down, forcing me to re-enact the Great Plumbing Incident of 2006 as I shift the glass up and then back down to try get it to the bottom... Ah. Trauma.

Speaking of, in the pictures you should also be able to see that nothing sits flush at the edges after installation is complete. What this means, beyond OCD going ballistic at the unlevelness of it all, is that my bottom tray sticks at the entrance when I push it in or try to pull out. Thank goodness for magnets because I can totally see my Treelord jumping all over the Warsong to be the first out of the box come game time.

2. Heavy. It's wood. Wood is heavy. 12lbs + models and what-have-you type heavy. I guess this could be a pro too - weight training with this in one hand and the plastic case in the other...

3. The confusing are instructions! The instructions require better pictures and a few more steps. And more words. In the section after assembly, the picture showed the guy with his screw driver pointed at a socket with a clearly visible screw head. The section instructions were 'Secure the box.' I wondered if I was supposed to jump on it to save it from orbital bombardment, or heavily chastise the screw head with my own screwdriver. Turns out it meant 'Insert the screw head holders and turn them clockwise until snug to secure the sides in place.' Instructions for plastic push pins were left out entirely, but luckily I'm smarter than the average plush bear and stuck them around the handle to knock my knuckles against whenever I needed it.

4. (Minor quibble) Not as much utility as the plastic case. The plastic case has spoiled me. The handle can be laid down into a groove, giving you a nice, flat surface to set trays on and the absolute utility of this in the a crowded space cannot be underestimated. I can offload models onto the table and then stuff the trays back and the other way around when I'm done in minutes. Also makes for a great rulebook holder without cluttering up the table top and I swear I'm going to install a can holder someday too!

The handle on this wood case? Sits smack dab in the middle. It's comfy to hold and lift, but I miss the extra space. Personal nitpick, but a vital one if you play in a confined area with so many other tables and with little wiggle room.

5. (Personal Quibble) Smaller Trays, less width space. I know I paid less for this carrier and I should expect that I will get less. It even tells you how wide the dratted carrier is and so forth. Still, the tray space difference is real. In my picture, the tray with the Jucoci logo is the one that belongs to the plastic carrier. The small one in the middle goes to the wood carrier. That's a large difference of one row of 8 Plague Marines!! You can fit 60 of them on a single Jucoci plastic carrier tray, you know. Don't ask me how I know this.

Thankfully, Sylvaneth armies are smaller so this shouldn't be an issue. Both carriers are the same height so vertical storage isn't affected, but if you have a LOOOOOT of models with large bases and such, the shorter width and depth might hurt.

Conclusion: If you're handy with shaping wood, comfortable with modifying objects over $20, play a smaller model army, don't have weight restriction (or want to weight lift), and Luck was with you when the boards for the case was made, this carrier may do yo...

Lots to like here so let's get into it. It ships flat and assembles quickly much like an Ikea table; assembly is a breeze and anyone with a screw driver could handle it. The plexiglass in the front is very clear so you can see every detail through it. The rest of the case is wood; not wood-tone plastic over pressboard, it is real pine so it feels very sturdy and looks very attractive purely as a display case.

I had already magnetized my bases so my minis don't slide around on the metal trays which are provided. The trays can fit into various slots so you can control how much vertical space you want to allocate to each one. They can accommodate your taller minis without sacrificing all the room needed for your normal grunts.

I can pick this whole case up by the very sturdy handle and bring my minis to the game. The case is a little heavy due to the robust materials used but it is easily managed for short distances. After the game I can leave the case on the shelf and it proudly displays my entire armies quite effectively.

Jucoci has other cases that may suit your tastes better so it is worth looking at their available product line. They also contribute ad dollars to some of my favorite YouTube miniature content creators (Jay @ EOB talkin' about you) so I feel doubly good about spending my money with them. I find this case a good value for the dollar and have no regrets, I may even buy another if I can continue to chip away at my pile of shame.

I purchased two of these to store my miniatures and they get the job done and look really nice. The insides tracks are a little rough, but still functional. I did recieve one where it was missing two of the pre-drilled holes but I managed to drill them in myself instead of dealing with the return process. Overall, very pleased.

This is my second Jucoci miniature case order. Based on my experience with the brown model, it was a no-brainer to pick up this pine one when I was out of room in my existing box. Similar storage/transport solutions are available through multiple vendors for prices ranging from $150-300, so a flat-packed budget option that gets the job done is much appreciated. Plenty of room for most armies, and lots of internal flexibility in case you have large or awkwardly proportioned models to transport.

Assembles in 10 minutes and both of my cases have been quite sturdy. Highly recommended, especially in the natural wood/acrylic material.