Post by Fadril Adren on Mar 27, 2015 7:23:14 GMT -5
By JAMES MACKAY
Your local pack junky is going to put the new Citadel Crusader case through its paces.
First impressions
A marked improvement over the previous models. Not giving up my Battlefoam though.
Mobility
It's still a hard case on your hip but it sits much more naturally under your arm and doesn't bash things while your walking as much as the old version. Major deal!
Materials
The same plastic that's in the citadel hobby box. It's not particularly rigid, especially compared to the old model. The ribbed design accounts for all its structural integrity.
The latches are made of a harder plastic.
There's a single heavy duty metal pin attaching the lid.
The metal loops for the strap are sturdier than I originally guessed.
Latches
The critical element here.
The lid needs to seat right to close properly. It's not baffled like a pelican case and with the way the plastic twists, it's in your best interest to take an extra few seconds and make sure it's all lined up.
It's held together by 2 integrated plastic pins, not metal. So take care. Once one tab goes, the whole case goes.
There are no lock holes, but there's enough of a lip to allow you to drill one or two if you had to.
I'm envisioning a hefting strap I have as a potential backup.
Strap
Same style as before, but new, slimmed down.
Studs
Each case features little stacking studs to lock them together. BUT they are only going to work with cases that share an identical footprint. Making the crusader the one off.
And I checked, the hobby box doesn't seat on it either.
Okay, first hurdle, the smell of the glue in the foam is quite potent.
Next is the new tray design.
Each tray is in a set. A base tray and an insert tray. The insert tray loses half an inch on the sides compared to the base tray, which becomes more distinct when you compare the slots on the sides.
But you get 8 total trays in the large crusader. It is not compatible with battlefoam trays.
The new foam is soft but denser than the old citadel foam.
Battlefoam trays are much more crisp and rigid.
The new trays rely on compression. And the tighter closed cell foam seems much better for the job.
Okay so in one set I managed to fit almost my whole sisters army.
I was impressed until I picked up the insert tray full of metal minis and the weight twisted the tray, popping minis out of place.
Tall sticky outy bits were not harmed with the dense squishy foam.
Still had to place the tallest ones on their side.
TIP
Keep your metal minis in a base tray, not an insert tray.
TIP
Tall pokey models are best in the top most tray or laid on their side in the outside slots.
Okay, got a full stack of 4 trays with a variety of metal, resin and plastic models. Plenty of wider terminators and tall pokey models.
I'll leave it compressed for a while and see what happens.
The zig zag trays could not accommodate my more delicately modeled pieces, like my terminator command squad.
So they remain in my battlefoam.
I was surprisingly able to get this many vehicles into a base tray.
There's a lot of cushion here, but I don't like having to take apart my land raider.
I can't use the insert tray like this.
TIP
store vehicle trays like this on the top
We tested it with a Stormraven earlier thanks to Sam.
It did in fact fit!
I'll try this again later with eldar and all their spikey flimsy bits.
But this concludes my current battery of tests.
Read more after they've had time to sit in the case for a while
I gave the case the fully loaded shake rattle and roll.
Weight
It remained light feeling even fully loaded. Better than the old case and even the battlefoam 720
Hinge
The lid includes some stop tabs. A very good feature. You're not likely to snap these, but with how soft the plastic is, it's more probable than on the old model
Handle
A surprisingly comfortable octagonal handle with a sandwiched hinge held by 2 metal pins.
Solid as you could possibly hope. You're not likely to snap this by overextending it
I noticed that when fully loaded, the lid bowed up from the compression and the hinge bowed inward to compensate.
I want to re emphasize that this is not a rigid plastic like the old model or a pelican case.
Shake test
Shook it, tossed it, kicked it, whoopsie stomp, rolled it and squeezed it.
Nothing broken, damaged or out of place, except for a land raider door which was already temporarily held on by sticky tack.
I was pleasantly surprised. The old case and even the battlefoam couldn't boast that with all the wiggle room in the cells.
Model size
I was pleasantly surprised again when it securely held my super heavies.
Boxy vehicles do okay, provided you can break them down and stow any top turrets.
Walkers do better with the base securing them into the zag.
Flyers didn't do so well, their huge displacement made for very awkward packing and tons of wasted space.
Spikey bits
A lot of banners and pokey weapons did fine for my imperials.
But my eldar and Tyranids did not do so well.
The eldar troops did ok thanks to the soft foam, but so many hooks made it irritating.
The small nids did better but the medium and large nids were nothing but hooks and claws. It was all I could do to get a set of Carnifex into a tray, but then topping the tray became a problem.
Fortifications
Smallest only. The Aegis line is perfect. A set of vengeance batteries made it in, but anything with four walls has no love for the tray.
Next test is with half trays. To seat fortifications or odd shaped models and see about efficient alternative packing or bracing materials
Second look
My gut says these trays will be best used for your standard nubby type infantry units. Anything bigger than a Dreadnoughts or delicate as a servo-harness needs more space or wiggle room. And for that battlefoam is still the best.
Maximum model storage
It's hard to say with all the various packing configurations but at the moment the Crusader holds about the same as 4 battlefoam troop trays, the zig zag makes up for the loss to outside foam walls. And it allows for more variety by allowing you to lay models sideways.
However the soft trays do not like weighty models like metal.
Keep those at the bottom or use the more rigid battle foam.
Relative capacity
The crusader does a lot more with the space, but the saving is lost when the case is closed.
Compared to the old citadel cases these are much more space conservative.
They don't do vehicles or large models as well. They excel with the rank and file.
The crusader beats battlefoam in affordability and compression security. But battlefoam is still better for fitting anything and everything you have.
Magnetic trays are for those spindly spikey models you have that tear up your good foam.
Internal dimensions
Depth 10 3/4 tapered 11 1/4
Width 17 1/4 tapered to 17 3/4
Height 6 1/4 + 2 = 8 1/4
- By James MacKay
Your local pack junky is going to put the new Citadel Crusader case through its paces.
First impressions
A marked improvement over the previous models. Not giving up my Battlefoam though.
Mobility
It's still a hard case on your hip but it sits much more naturally under your arm and doesn't bash things while your walking as much as the old version. Major deal!
Materials
The same plastic that's in the citadel hobby box. It's not particularly rigid, especially compared to the old model. The ribbed design accounts for all its structural integrity.
The latches are made of a harder plastic.
There's a single heavy duty metal pin attaching the lid.
The metal loops for the strap are sturdier than I originally guessed.
Latches
The critical element here.
The lid needs to seat right to close properly. It's not baffled like a pelican case and with the way the plastic twists, it's in your best interest to take an extra few seconds and make sure it's all lined up.
It's held together by 2 integrated plastic pins, not metal. So take care. Once one tab goes, the whole case goes.
There are no lock holes, but there's enough of a lip to allow you to drill one or two if you had to.
I'm envisioning a hefting strap I have as a potential backup.
Strap
Same style as before, but new, slimmed down.
Studs
Each case features little stacking studs to lock them together. BUT they are only going to work with cases that share an identical footprint. Making the crusader the one off.
And I checked, the hobby box doesn't seat on it either.
Okay, first hurdle, the smell of the glue in the foam is quite potent.
Next is the new tray design.
Each tray is in a set. A base tray and an insert tray. The insert tray loses half an inch on the sides compared to the base tray, which becomes more distinct when you compare the slots on the sides.
But you get 8 total trays in the large crusader. It is not compatible with battlefoam trays.
The new foam is soft but denser than the old citadel foam.
Battlefoam trays are much more crisp and rigid.
The new trays rely on compression. And the tighter closed cell foam seems much better for the job.
Okay so in one set I managed to fit almost my whole sisters army.
I was impressed until I picked up the insert tray full of metal minis and the weight twisted the tray, popping minis out of place.
Tall sticky outy bits were not harmed with the dense squishy foam.
Still had to place the tallest ones on their side.
TIP
Keep your metal minis in a base tray, not an insert tray.
TIP
Tall pokey models are best in the top most tray or laid on their side in the outside slots.
Okay, got a full stack of 4 trays with a variety of metal, resin and plastic models. Plenty of wider terminators and tall pokey models.
I'll leave it compressed for a while and see what happens.
The zig zag trays could not accommodate my more delicately modeled pieces, like my terminator command squad.
So they remain in my battlefoam.
I was surprisingly able to get this many vehicles into a base tray.
There's a lot of cushion here, but I don't like having to take apart my land raider.
I can't use the insert tray like this.
TIP
store vehicle trays like this on the top
We tested it with a Stormraven earlier thanks to Sam.
It did in fact fit!
I'll try this again later with eldar and all their spikey flimsy bits.
But this concludes my current battery of tests.
Read more after they've had time to sit in the case for a while
I gave the case the fully loaded shake rattle and roll.
Weight
It remained light feeling even fully loaded. Better than the old case and even the battlefoam 720
Hinge
The lid includes some stop tabs. A very good feature. You're not likely to snap these, but with how soft the plastic is, it's more probable than on the old model
Handle
A surprisingly comfortable octagonal handle with a sandwiched hinge held by 2 metal pins.
Solid as you could possibly hope. You're not likely to snap this by overextending it
I noticed that when fully loaded, the lid bowed up from the compression and the hinge bowed inward to compensate.
I want to re emphasize that this is not a rigid plastic like the old model or a pelican case.
Shake test
Shook it, tossed it, kicked it, whoopsie stomp, rolled it and squeezed it.
Nothing broken, damaged or out of place, except for a land raider door which was already temporarily held on by sticky tack.
I was pleasantly surprised. The old case and even the battlefoam couldn't boast that with all the wiggle room in the cells.
Model size
I was pleasantly surprised again when it securely held my super heavies.
Boxy vehicles do okay, provided you can break them down and stow any top turrets.
Walkers do better with the base securing them into the zag.
Flyers didn't do so well, their huge displacement made for very awkward packing and tons of wasted space.
Spikey bits
A lot of banners and pokey weapons did fine for my imperials.
But my eldar and Tyranids did not do so well.
The eldar troops did ok thanks to the soft foam, but so many hooks made it irritating.
The small nids did better but the medium and large nids were nothing but hooks and claws. It was all I could do to get a set of Carnifex into a tray, but then topping the tray became a problem.
Fortifications
Smallest only. The Aegis line is perfect. A set of vengeance batteries made it in, but anything with four walls has no love for the tray.
Next test is with half trays. To seat fortifications or odd shaped models and see about efficient alternative packing or bracing materials
Second look
My gut says these trays will be best used for your standard nubby type infantry units. Anything bigger than a Dreadnoughts or delicate as a servo-harness needs more space or wiggle room. And for that battlefoam is still the best.
Maximum model storage
It's hard to say with all the various packing configurations but at the moment the Crusader holds about the same as 4 battlefoam troop trays, the zig zag makes up for the loss to outside foam walls. And it allows for more variety by allowing you to lay models sideways.
However the soft trays do not like weighty models like metal.
Keep those at the bottom or use the more rigid battle foam.
Relative capacity
The crusader does a lot more with the space, but the saving is lost when the case is closed.
Compared to the old citadel cases these are much more space conservative.
They don't do vehicles or large models as well. They excel with the rank and file.
The crusader beats battlefoam in affordability and compression security. But battlefoam is still better for fitting anything and everything you have.
Magnetic trays are for those spindly spikey models you have that tear up your good foam.
Internal dimensions
Depth 10 3/4 tapered 11 1/4
Width 17 1/4 tapered to 17 3/4
Height 6 1/4 + 2 = 8 1/4
- By James MacKay
