I have never used Pluck Foam and I have a question about its configuration:
Lets say you buy a 8"wide, by 14"long, by 2"thick piece of foam that has 1/2" plucks..........
If you pull out one little piece will it be a 1/2"x1/2"x1/2" piece or a 1/2"x1/2"x2" piece?
The little pieces you pull out are not cubes they are square prisms, They will be 1/2" by 1/2" by just under 2". At least the kind that I have used.
it depends on the system, the variant I used had pieces that went all the way through the layer. they offer separate self-adhesive bottom layers to complete the box.
It depends where you buy them.
as a warning don't use a system with a too coarse resolution, mine where, if I remember correctly, 1,4cm x1,4cm which can be a bit large for the smaller detailed ships like the x-wing, at least if you want a close fit and a symmetric slot.
I got 1/2 x 1/2 x 2 pluck foam, and haven't had any "resolution" issues with it. That being said, I set it up such that I drop my ships in and stand them up for the most part, so when you look at the X wings, you see the nose cone and the 4 lasers. But this was making me nervous as the lasers would catch on the sides of the foam as I removed them, so now they go nose cone down, so I can gently guide them straight down, and then easily pull them out without them getting caught on anything.
A wings are dropped engines first, and there's a slight bit of tension on the top/bottom of the "wings" so they don't fall all the way down (which makes it hard to get them out, i really should put a small block of foam at the bottom so they can't fall 2 inches down). Y wings go in on their side, and fit perfectly, and take very little space. B wings I had to put a slight foam block underneath their wings so they'd stay horizontal, but it's a nice fit for them too. The HWKs nose moves a bit since the wings took up extra space, but that's why it's surrounded by foam.
My TIE/ln are all in one tray, otherwise they'd take too much space. They've been in there for months without any damage to them. The /bmb /x1 /int are all dropped in engines first and are doing just fine. The large ships were all plucked to fit the shape and hold enough tension to keep them in place. They were the hardest to get right (and sadly, I should have done the Shuttle rotated 180 degrees - on an 8'' piece of foam, you can fit two in the 8'' space if the pegs are facing each other - the peg requires another foam square to be plucked... which if they face each other they can share that same square for the peg, and then have a row separating the actual ships).
So if I buy foam and pull one piece out I can see all the way thru the way you are all talking....right??? Has anyone ever bought two one inch thick pieces and attached them so you could make a more multi dimensional slot? You know 2 inches deep in some places and only one inch deep in others? (3 one inch thick pieces ect ect)
There should be a 1/4'' piece of foam on the bottom that does not pluck, so you will not be able to see all the way through. This is required so you can put your minis in the foam without them falling through.
Careful use of a craft knife allows you to get a more "fitting" foam tray than only plucking cubes out. It takes a bit of practice but it helps if you leave some of the joins intact.
Thanks guys, there is a lot of info in these few threads. I found a cheap place to get foam so I can practice my foam cutting skills.
When I get that down I will buy one of these and start setting my rebel armada.
http://www.dewalt.com/tools/hand-tools-storage-and-work-support-organizers-dwst14825.aspx
20 bucks a piece at Home Depot and they clip together....so I can set my Empire fleet in another case.
1.5" pluck foam. I kept the trays that the ships came in. TIE's fit perfectly in 2 x 2 squares removed. Interceptors I had to glue in place to hold.
Solid foam that I had to cut out to fit each ship. Foam can be tricky to cut depending on the quality of the foam. This foam I cut/tore to get the ship packaging to fit in.