Bringing Miniatures on Airplanes

[BlackEd]

I will be travelling from the USA to the UK in November.  I will have lots of painted 10mm miniatures that I want to bring with me.  Currently, I have them stored in cookie tins with magnets on the bases so they stick to the metal of the tin.  While this form of storage provides great protection to figures in transit, I know that airport security will open the tins to see what is inside.

I would prefer to bring the figures as carry-on, to minimize the handling of the tins.  But I am nervous about getting them through the security check point.

Has any one else tried to bring miniatures onto a plane in this era of hieghtened security?  Has anyone else flown with their miniatures?  What were your experiences doing so?

Thanks!

[FierceKitty]

I glued my bases to a sheet of paper, which was glued to a few points in the boxes. As you might expect, I had to open up at every security check from Cape Town to Bangkok.

[Leon]

There were a couple of guys chatting about this at the Derby show coincidentally.  The concensus from them was that it wasn't a problem, and the airport security seemed quite interested in them, actually to the point of picking them up and admiring the paintwork!  So I wouldn't have thought it being much of a problem.

[Jase]

Every time I fly home from Salute I get picked out the line, because they can't see much inside my bag except a big lump of metal (much to the pleasure of my friends who bring at least as much lead, but never get picked out). Once the airport staff know what's in the bag, however, they just let me go (with a smile), so that I can stuff it all back into my bag. They are very curious about what's in it, but they've never given me any trouble.

[Dave Fielder]

Give the airline a call and they could probably give advice on the local security at the airport. Like all the other responses, it may be worth just telling the security guys what you've got before the check. That way the check can be conducted in a dignified manner, without hassle. Most likely they'll be really interested.