Kit manufacturers in unneccessarily big box frenzy - paying postage for sending air

[Junkman]

There appears to be a contest going on among non-American kit manufacturers "who can pack a few plastic parts in the biggest possible box".
Madness, when you think of the insane postage costs we have to pay since the parcel services got privatised and the eco dogma of reducing waste wherever possible.

Pretty much all of the European and Asian kits I received lately came in boxes a lot larger than required.
At the same time, they build ever bigger container vessels and new harbours to accommodate them.
Crazy.

For example, this is how Heller ships the R4 kit:

Gives the term "air mail" a whole new meaning.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Junkman

[SfanGoch]

It's part of the "All This And Less" movement currently in vogue. It began after complaints about the previously favored practice of  "Stuffing 10lbs. Of C R A P Into A 5lb.Box".

[Junkman]

Needless to say this newfangled practice is detrimental for the remaining space down in my dungeon.

[Junkman]

This is the new Academy Hyundai Grandeur:

 

Not quite as bad as Heller, but still an awful lot of wasted space.

[Casey]

Is the Heller box one of their 'standard' sizes? Might end up being cheaper for Heller and have less overall eco impact to use an existing box rather than create another size.

Is that rule in inches? 36"??

[XJ6]

Interesting and logical answer ? You have a Good Point Casey ?

[Harry P.]

Is that rule in inches? 36"??

Can't be 36 inches. That's the size of a Pocher kit box (1/8 scale). The ruler must be in cm.

[Junkman]

Centimetres, which is bad enough. Almost 15 inches.

Even if this was economical for Heller, it's not economical for me, which once again proves the point, that everything that's good for The Economy(tm) is bad for me.
And it's certainly not ecological, no matter how you look at it. Those boxes sure are 'standard size' (I wonder to which standard), but they are a new generation
Heller didn't use previously. They used to use box bottoms with separate lids, these new ones are one piece with folding lids.

[Matt Bacon]

...and how many people complain about warped or broken parts whenever Revell (US) rebox a Revell Germany originated kit and stuff it into one of those tiny shoeboxes you guys have on that side of the pond? I don't even know how they do it sometimes... the i8 and 918 kits are so well stuffed into RoG's standard 14"x10"x2" boxes that I couldn't get either one back in so that it's still four-square and shuts properly!

bestest,

M.

[Joe Handley]

They must have somebody from the Toy's "R" Us warehouse working for them, when I worked there, we would get a screw driver or hammer sent to the store in a large, plastic tote that would hold a weeks worth of shampoo  when I worked at OSCO.

[Mike Chernecki]

I wish Aoshima would leave a bit more space in their boxes. Ever see one of their Lamborghini kits, once you take the trees out, it is nearly impossible to fit everything back in the box unless you remembered the exact layout they were originally packed. 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Mike Chernecki

[martinfan5]

Us model builders can never be happy, either the box is too big or too small, there is just no pleasing us

[Snake45]

I've got a rather large cardboard box full of bodies that were unbuildably warped or broken by being stuffed in too-small boxes back in the late '80s and early '90s. So I'd rather have a too-big box than a too-small one.

[Mike Chernecki]

Too big or too little I can live with. I just hope we never see the stupid donut boxes kits came in for a bit in 90s... so many lost pieces.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Mike Chernecki

[louie]

I've got a rather large cardboard box full of bodies that were unbuildably warped or broken by being stuffed in too-small boxes back in the late '80s and early '90s. So I'd rather have a too-big box than a too-small one.

x2

[Joe Handley]

I've picked up a couple reissues of the Revell '59 Caddy for cheap because of box damage, after looking athow they packed that big Caddy,  I'm almost nervous about buying a good kit for fear it's in the same shape!

[chunkypeanutbutter]

I've picked up a couple reissues of the Revell '59 Caddy for cheap because of box damage, after looking athow they packed that big Caddy,  I'm almost nervous about buying a good kit for fear it's in the same shape!

Funny thing is, I got one of the 2007 issue Monogram '59 'verts today. Big box, just as it should be for such a big car.

Edited December 5, 2015 by chunkypeanutbutter

[Chuck Most]

...and how many people complain about warped or broken parts whenever Revell (US) rebox a Revell Germany originated kit and stuff it into one of those tiny shoeboxes you guys have on that side of the pond? I don't even know how they do it sometimes... the i8 and 918 kits are so well stuffed into RoG's standard 14"x10"x2" boxes that I couldn't get either one back in so that it's still four-square and shuts properly!

bestest,

M.

This.

I wish the domestic kit makers would make their boxes just a tad larger. I'm not asking for much- even an extra 1/4" longer, taller, and deeper would help quite a bit. I'd gladly pay more to ship a larger box if said box wouldn't be crammed full of warped and broken parts. 

[1930fordpickup]

A standard size box for all models will make life easier for the model company. Same size box for every case, same amount of kits on every shelf or pallet for inventory.  It would not matter how many years go by no reshelving because of the different kits.  

[gtx6970]

I've got a rather large cardboard box full of bodies that were unbuildably warped or broken by being stuffed in too-small boxes back in the late '80s and early '90s. So I'd rather have a too-big box than a too-small one.

Ditto

[Art Anderson]

Model kit boxes, certainly model car kit boxes have been pretty much standard-sized for years now.  It's something that retailers (and I was in the retail hobby shop business, in one form or another for right at 30 years!) came to demand, in order to be able to maximize the use of necessarily limited shelf space.  I still remember having to arrange model kits (all subjects, all manufacturers) as much by box size as by mfr. or subject area in order to do this.  On the flip side, of course, was the problem of not so much box "damage", but kit damage inside due to too large (or fragile--remembering the original packaging for AMT's '59 El Camino kit--LOTS of returns on that kit, due to squashed roofs!) a body shell to fit inside with all the other parts.  Also, bear in mind that kits from other countries (thinking RoG, Heller, Italeri, Tamiya, Fujimi et.al. here:  Those model kits are produced primarily for their home market, where retail stores and customer/modeler preferences can be much different than here in the US.  Couple the differences in expectations overseas (Europe, the UK, Japan etc.) with the necessity of shipping those kits long distance does necessitate different packaging (such as the cardboard dividers in the kit box, to prevent the box's being easily crushed, to the detriment of the body shell), along with the different style of parts sprues tooled up in other countries also dictates a different set of kit box proportions.

In addition, there is a great deal of difference, say, from an AMT or JoHan kit of 1958-61 than most any model car kit produced in the US after that--those early 3in1 kits generally had fewer than 50 parts, as opposed to well over 100 parts in today's kits--AND those early model car kits had bodies with MUCH thicker material thickness, which made them far less prone to warpage or breaking when packed in a tight, small box.  Things to bear in mind here

Art

[louie]

Thanks Art. I have seen some of your posts on the forum before and find you to be very, very knowledgeable on a lot of subjects and I appreciate you sharing this with us because that's how I learn more about this great hobby of ours. Again thank you.     Jeff 

[Rob Hall]

Then there is Revell's bad practice of repackaging some Revell of Germany kits into standard US Revell size boxes.  The parts trees don't fit well in the smaller box and often have warpage.

[High octane]

Us model builders can never be happy, either the box is too big or too small, there is just no pleasing us

You said it, and that's the absolute truth!

[martinfan5]

A standard size box for all models will make life easier for the model company. Same size box for every case, same amount of kits on every shelf or pallet for inventory.  It would not matter how many years go by no reshelving because of the different kits.  

The irony in your post is why this thread was created in the first place, Heller use's a one size fits all for a lot of their kits.