I shipped a model to a contest years ago, and when I received it back, it was in perfect condition! I was instructed to first wrap toilet tissue around the model from side to side, then from front to back ( both numerous times). Then place the model into a suitable sized box surrounded by "peanuts" . Then pack THAT box into a larger box surrounded by more "peanuts". Secure the openings of the box with lots of tape and address the outer box (with the return address), and mark it fragile on ALL sides. I sent it using Fed Ex or Purulator rather than using the postal service. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones that the model was not damaged. Not only did it cross the border (customs), but the person(s) at the contest site handled it with the utmost care and repacked it as I had done. No damage! Shout out to Mark Gustavson and his volunteers in 1991!!