Armory

With such a large military force, you need a place to store all the arms and equipment they need to train and carry out their duties.  So, why not build an Armory to store everything.

The Marine Armory 

Designing an Armory was pretty easy.  First, make sure there is a desk where everyone has to check out the equipment they wish to use.  Put a guard at the front door to prevent someone from looting the place or causing a firefight.  Then place some containers in the Armory to hold all the weapons and shields and whatnot, so the marines could look at the merchandise available for use.

 The current guard on duty at the Armory (left) and a marine checking out some equipment with the the depot officer (right)

Swords are the most common item available in the armory.  With all Castle and Pirate sets I had from the late '80s and early '90s, there are a lot of broadswords and cutlasses for use.  I've also got some newer swords from more recent sets, like longswords and katanas.  I do need a few more, just to even out the counts.  I'd like to have 6 of each type in the barrels here, regardless of their color.

 Deciding on what sword to use in training today

Of course, you can't just expect everyone to wield a sword when they go into combat.  They'll need things like spears, or maybe even a firearm or two.  Sure, they're all flintlock pistols and rifles, but they'll get the job done.  And you can't cause too much havoc with such a limited amount of firepower.

 Spears and equipment bags (with some pistols in the background)

Hey, my marines are not the kind to go into battle and just spray and pray.  They are supposed to help people and keep the peace.  They aren't going to war.  No one wants that.

Looking at the different kinds of shields available in the Armory

We also have shields and tools, for use out in the field.  Plenty of shields to choose from, but I need to find a way to store the third kid of shield these troops use.  You know what I mean.  The triangular ones, like this.  Definitely have to find a way to display those...

 Tools can be checked out, in addition to weapons

As for tools, everything is modern.  Walkie-talkies, binoculars, even drills, sextants, and an oil can.  Lots of fun there, using it to lubricate the various transport carts and wagons (no, there are no tanks or trucks here).

There's so much inventory, we just can't store at all!!

There's way too much equipment to store in the Armory as it sits now.  I was kicking around some ideas for a new building design, just before Thanksgiving.  I'm thinking of combining the Armory with the Marine Garage on an extra large 48x48 baseplate.  I think it's feasible, but I need to construct a physical model to ensure all the wagons and carts fit in there.  We'll see how well that'll work after the holidays.