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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Hobby Project


























A major disaster struck the collection recently. While I was moving some boxes, six of them fell over and spilled some of their contents. Those that did not spill were shoved to the side of the boxes. There were probably 500 vehicles, a hundred train cars, and thirty boats. About 100 received some kind of damage and the other 400 were just bounced around.























The scene reminded me of those pictures after a flood that has washed cars downstream into a heap. For about 40 years I have stored my vehicle, aircraft and some of my buildings in underbed storage boxes. These are cardboard boxes of various sizes, about six inches tall and a long rectangular shape. Many of them I lined with plywood to make then sturdier and many also had a second layer of plywood standing on blocks to make a take out tray inside the box, so the boxes were two layers.





















Many of the boxes were full of resin or die cast models and double stacked, so they were really heavy, probably thirty pounds or more. Over the decades some of the boxes have gotten wet, some tore open, had the handle rip off, and most recently, get mice nibbled! After this last problem with the mice I elected to go with plastic underbed storage boxes. I use the Sterlite 41 quart box, in clear plastic with a blue lid. The clear plastic is a nice touch because I can see what is inside the box without having to open it up.





















This has been a major hobby project because the new boxes cost a bit over $8 each, and since I have to replace over a hundred boxes I anticipate spending around a thousand dollars on this conversion. The new boxes stack really well, it looks like about nine or ten will stack without much trouble. I will post a few photos when I get more done.

Write us a comment and tell us how you store your collection.

4 comments:

Bill Jr said...

Damn Mike,
Hate when that happens...... :(
I store my Roco's in Joe Corbi's Pizza Boxes (Make your own pizza sets) I can put 4 Complete Armor Companies to a box, and the Admin/HQ Companies in another box. I have a piece of card board cut down to act as a lift out tray, and they are nice heavy card board boxes ment for freezer use. and you can stack them up to 6 boxes high. The boxes measure 13"W x 17"L x 3 1/2"H. I also use the "Little Ceaser" Pizza Kit Boxes, that are basicly the same design as the Joe Corbi's, but a little smaller by an inch, except they are the same height.

Graham said...

Hi mike I use some plastic boxes do not know there corect type name but they look like tool boxes without the pull out piece for the smaller tools. I get about one armoured company depending on what armour it is or on complete regiment of infantry.

Snickering Corpses said...

I see some Hot Wheels trucks in the back of that first photo, don't I? I recognize the camo.

I've got my WW2 vehicles stored mostly in a set of cardboard boxes, of mostly unknown origin.

My infantry platoons are partway through moving into a stack of Gerber baby food containers, as they're nicely sized stackable plastic things with a lid, each of which holds a section comfortably.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek said...

Good ideas all. Pizza boxes? Are they clean and new or are you forced to eat the pizzas and then live with sticky boxes forever? LOL

I used beer flats for years, then put them inside other bottle beer boxes. That worked for as long as I worked in a liquor store!

Now I am looking for a place to store my storage boxes. Costco had some good plastic sheds for about a $1,000. I only need about four! Maybe I should just by the neighbors house.