Model car storage

[dragcarz]

I recently moved from Georgia to Southern Indiana and downsized my home in the process. I lost my Modeling room. I have a large number of unbuilt kits that I need to store, and the only place I have is the garage. It’s insulated, as well as the garage door. But temperature has me concerned as weather here can range from 0 degrees in the winter to high 90s in the summer. Has anyone else stored models like this and what issues did you have? Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

[stinkybritches]

I stored my kits in an unheated/cooled garage for many years without any issues to the physical kit. The only problem I had was with decals, and I can't say for sure that it was the storage conditions. I'm in central Virginia with temperatures similar to yours, maybe not quite as cold in winter.

[Miatatom]

13 minutes ago, stinkybritches said:

The only problem I had was with decals

I think those temps will play havoc with the decals.

[cobraman]

Maybe just remove the decals, bag them and keep them in the house ?

[Plowboy]

I have my built and unbuilt kits stored in my garage. Along with all of my paint. I heat it in the winter with a kerosene heater during the day. That causes the foundation to sweat on the inside. So, I had a few open boxes get damaged from that. All I had to do to cure that problem was scoot them away from the foundation a couple of inches. Other than that, no issues.

[dragcarz]

I recently moved from Georgia to Southern Indiana and downsized my home in the process. I lost my Modeling room. I have a large number of unbuilt kits that I need to store, and the only place I have is the garage. It’s insulated, as well as the garage door. But temperature has me concerned as weather here can range from 0 degrees in the winter to high 90s in the summer. Has anyone else stored models like this and what issues did you have? Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

[Misha]

I store most of my stash in a storage unit that is unheated though insulated. The temperature range generally is between -5 C in the winter to +30C in the summer. I remove the decals, tires and instruction sheet before storing the kits. These are then filed in plastic sheets and baggies for the tires. I haven’t encountered an issues so far, apart from a few missed decal sheets that end up cracking up on the surface making them unusable. That may be caused by excessive humidity being unheated.

Cheers Misha

[maxwell48098]

In addition to the temperature concerns, there is also humidity to worry about that can affect decals.  The plastic can handle the temps in the 90's, but not resin which may warp.  If possible, build some shelving at least 6 feet off the ground, and consider putting the model kits in larger boxes that can hold multiple kits.  You may also want to consider putting the boxes into large garbage bags and seal them up after getting as much air (and humidity)  as possible.  I stored several dozen kits like that in a storage unit while we were selling our last home and moving to our current one.  They all came through in flying colors.

 

[High octane]

I myself would never store plastic model kits in the garage because of the very high and low temps in my garage and I would not be okay with any kind of warping that may occur. I think that it's a gamble that not a good bet.

[SfanGoch]

Posting two separate threads asking the same question three hours apart isn't going to increase the chances that somebody will respond with an answer you might agree with.

[Zippi]

10 hours ago, dragcarz said:

I recently moved from Georgia to Southern Indiana and downsized my home in the process. I lost my Modeling room. I have a large number of unbuilt kits that I need to store, and the only place I have is the garage. It’s insulated, as well as the garage door. But temperature has me concerned as weather here can range from 0 degrees in the winter to high 90s in the summer. Has anyone else stored models like this and what issues did you have? Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

From one Evansville dweller to another, I hadn't even thought about it.  I keep all my kits on the bottom shelf of my computer desk in the garage.  I have my heat on when I'm out in the garage but its off at night.  May have to rethink this about the decals.  

[dragcarz]

19 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

Posting two separate threads asking the same question three hours apart isn't going to increase the chances that somebody will respond with an answer you might agree with.

The first post didn't show up immediately so I thought I did something wrong, so I reposted it…….

[Spottedlaurel]

This is a well-timed question for me, interesting to see different views on the matter.

I recently moved house. At my old place, for more than a decade I had the kits out in my big, timber shed. Although unheated it never got super-cold in there, and everything seemed to survive OK. Although poorly built it always seemed dry in there (maybe because of the draughts?!).

Occasionally I had issues with decals, but it's difficult to say whether that was my storage or it'd been inherited from a previous owner (most of my kits are bought used). I could find decals from kits that must have been in there for 10+ years that still worked OK.

I'll be storing the majority of the kits in an unheated brick/block/concrete floor garage at the new place. It's not too old and it seems dry, but I wonder what it will be like in the depths of winter. I don't really want to heat it when I'm not in there. They'll be stored up off the floor, maybe I'll just lay some thick blankets over them, which should also keep the dust off.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

1) Most decent kit styrene won't permanently deform unless it's heated to around 212 F (100 C). What this means is it won't just warp on its own unless it gets that hot.

2) HOWEVER...kit parts put under stress at lower temps can be permanently deformed. What this means is that you need to be careful stacking boxes to avoid too much weight on the contents. I try to never stack over 5 or 6 high on a shelf, with the boxes arranged so the corners of the boxes are aligned to take the vertical compression loads. Packing in larger boxes to remove loads from the individual kit boxes is recommended for long term storage or transport.

3) Resin is a crapshoot. You never know how the stuff was mixed, etc., or what the temperature resistance is for a particular resin. Same goes for kit tires. Sweating out of plasticizers, surface powdering, embrittlement, and shrinkage are common.

4) Cold temps, within reason (down to about 15 F in my experience) seem to have no effect on kit styrene.

5) High humidity will ruin decals, period. The adhesive will likely be activated and they'll often fail to release from the backing when you try to use them. They may also crack from repeated cycling through high and low humidity. The paper backing will swell and shrink due to moisture content, the decal film may not be able to withstand that repeatedly, and cracking is the result.

5) Many decals will support mold and mildew growth in humid conditions. This is damaging, obviously. Some "rubber" parts will also support microbial growth during long term storage. 

6) Insects like silverfish will eat decals. They'll also eat instructions. I've seen kit instructions that literally look like lace.

7) Rodents can also do significant damage. They'll gnaw holes in boxes, make nests by shredding decal and instruction paper, defecate and urinate on everything, and even gnaw the plastic parts themselves.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Zippi]

I've got about 25 kits out in the garage.  It never gets as cold in the garage as it is outside so I'm hoping I'm ok. 

[peteski]

Bob, cold is not what can damage the kit's parts and decals -- it is excessive heat and humidity.

[Zippi]

3 hours ago, peteski said:

Bob, cold is not what can damage the kit's parts and decals -- it is excessive heat and humidity.

Good to know.  Thanks Peter.