Kit Storage. A Dilemma and Questions.

[Billy Kingsley]

As you may or may not know, I do all my model car building on a fold up card table in my room. Not the best place to do work and not something that is permanent as I have to take it down periodically. (I took it down in July).

I have, for the first time, the opportunity to have a Permanent Home to work on models, in the basement.

I already have a table handy, as mom is going to give me the old computer desk, and get a better one. We've used this one since 2002 when we got a PC (before that was laptop only) and it's never been right for our computer.

The problem is, the area it would go is currently housing my unbuilt model car collection, about 800 kits.

The soulution would be, sending them to storage and keeping only a few home at any given time. Hopefully this would solve another of my problems, starting too many projects.

My problem is, will the kits be unharmed by being kept in a storage unit?

I've been told they would be fine up to 200 Degrees F. If it gets that hot, I think we have bigger problems, but it may get up to 115-120.

In the winter, it can get down to below 0 F. Wind Chills on record is -60 F.

Will this wide temperature change hurt the kits? I don't want to go down there some day and find a bunch of dead kits that cracked in half, melted or warped or something.

There is NO temperature control in the storage unit. Whatever the temp is outside, that's what the temp is inside. There's not even a light in the units we have.

I have older kits, too, back to the early 1960s. Odds are I would keep those home, but is there a limit? Does the plastic get brittle with age? Most of my collection is fairly current stuff, I'd say about 80%-85% is stuff issued in the 90s through current. Should everything Pre-1990 stay? Or another time frame?

The units are secure so the only real worry is what the elements would have on the kits. They will stay dry, but the humidity could be a factor.

I already plan to take the tires and decals out of each kit.

What kind of extremes do your kits stay at?

Thanks for all the advice possible...I'm open to, and ready and willing to listen to anything anyone has to say.

I've been dreaming for a long time of having a permanent workspace...and it COULD become a reality by the end of September.

[Irvin Arter Jr.]

Billy, I had mine in storage for 6 months and they were fine. The one thing I did do is put wood strips under the bottom to keep the large cardboard boxes up off the cement and I thru mouse poison around to kill local rodents just in case

[Kris Morgan]

Just send all your kits to me. I will take goos are of them(LOL). Nah, really. I think as long as you remove the decals and, instructions you should be o.k. Irvins idea of placing wood underneath and, using rodent poison should help keep them safe as well.

[jbwelda]

i would be a bit nervous about this i think, especially the cold temp part. one good thing, the "wind chill" wont affect them because they will presumably be out of the wind inside the storage unit. i would try to go through the kits and sort or prioritize what you put in there and what you keep at home. if your stacks are like mine i could probably potentially write off half my kits if it really came down to it but would not want to lose the other half.

maybe you can store them in your bedroom where you wont need any space now except to sleep? moms will probably love that eh?

good luck on it; at least youll have a nice place to build now!

[RowdyYates]

Billy said, "I've been told they would be fine up to 200 Degrees F. If it gets that hot, I think we have bigger problems, but it may get up to 115-120."

Billy, who ever told you that must not know how hot 200 degrees is!.If you want to do a little experiment, take an old unwanted body, or better yet, take your most prized possession and put it on a cookie sheet.Set your oven for 200 degrees and slide it in when the temp is at 200.Just let is set there all day long and see what you get.

Now I'm not Bill Nye "The Science Guy" or Mr. Wizard, but 200 degrees is 200 degrees whether it's in an oven or in some HOT storage building.You would most likely end up with warped bodies and chassis.

I don't trust the heat and I won't even store my kits in even 90+ temps.

I don't see a problem with the cold though.It can't change the shape of the bodies like high heat can.

RowdyYates

[RowdyYates]

Oh Billy, one other thing.I am working on a model for a friend in Florida.I won't ship it to him until this Fall when temps drop down around 60-70 degrees.

The heat in those UPS and USMail trucks during Summer are just too high for me to be shipping a finished project out.

RowdyYates

[jbwelda]

youre right about the heat but i discounted the statement about 200 degrees because no way is it going to get that hot in there...if it did everything would be ruined. i mentioned the cold because i think there is potential for the plastic to become brittle but thats just a gut feeling. certainly if its going to approach even 150 in there i wouldnt want anything i valued in there at that temp.