russosborne Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 The only place I will really have to store my collection is in an enclosed carport on the east side of the house. No insulation or cooling. The spray booth will have to be out there as well. I am really hoping I don't have to build there. While I lived there most of my life, I have never had this situation come up. I never had enough kits for this to be an issue before. Am I looking at a major meltdown or should the kits be ok? Decals I know I need to remove and store inside the house. Thanks, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Remove the decals, and maybe even the tires as well, but other then that, as long as they are not in the direct sunlight, you should be ok , I had a lot of my completed builds in a storage shed for many of years , and nothing happened to them being in the heat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I'd be concerned about warpage from the heat. Would they be stored in sealed boxes to keep the dust out? I keep my collection stored in boxes in a climate controlled underground storage unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) I'd be concerned about warpage from the heat. Would they be stored in sealed boxes to keep the dust out? I keep my collection stored in boxes in a climate controlled underground storage unit. That is a good concern to have, I do believe a few guys in the club keep unbuilts in sheds that are not climate controlled , have they had issues, I am not sure to be honest . Edited April 1, 2014 by martinfan5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Over extended time, cardboard will dry out, any masking tape sealing up something will lose its adhesive eventually and turn to powder, and rubber bands will turn hard and fall apart, if you use any to wrap up something. Bottle paint will turn into bottles containing colored rocks. Say goodbye to the water & solvent content in stuff, basically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) Thanks. Maybe I should stick a thermometer out there and see how bad it gets. Hopefully they will be ok. Dust I can deal with, warpage would be bad. Paint and stuff will be inside with AC. Going to be hard to get used to not having a basement again. I will have to share a small bedroom with my wife's crafting stuff. Russ Edited April 1, 2014 by russosborne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Over extended time, cardboard will dry out, any masking tape sealing up something will lose its adhesive eventually and turn to powder, and rubber bands will turn hard and fall apart, if you use any to wrap up something. Bottle paint will turn into bottles containing colored rocks. Say goodbye to the water & solvent content in stuff, basically. For the long term, its not at all a good idea, for the short term, yes, but keep water and solvent stuff inside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my80malibu Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I had mine stored in my garage for a good part of 15 years tires, decal's, everything. They were in Cabinets winter,spring ,summer, and Fall. I had access to them. Never a problem with any warping, or melting. Bugs yes mainly silver fish. those little SOB's will eat decal paper. They are Still in the Garage in moving boxes coming up on 3 years now. I am wanting to buy a home with enough room for a workshop. with No HOA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I'm fortunate enough to be able to store my unbuilt kits in my house and keep them in a climate controlled environment. I have PLENTY of kits and am currently "thinning the herd" as I don't need a zillion kits anymore. I can see where other modelers have storage issues, which will always increase when your "stash" gets bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 High Octane and I live in the same area of Wisconsin so we know temperature extremes. While his is controlled, mine is not, so the stash experiences big shifts in temperature. The garage has no heat nor cooling. I have had no trouble with any of the stash but I am slowly putting newer stuff into the garage and older stuff from the 60s and 70s into the apartment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill J Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I could see having them in the garage but a carport, definitely not a good place for plastic. If the sunlight touches any of the boxes, you'll have warping. Have you considered looking into a small climate controlled storage unit? They can be had as small as a little closet and the cost is not that high. Considering the value of the kits and how hard it would be to lose them to the heat and elements in general, you'll have to decide. Personally, I would liquidate all my kits before I'd store them outside in Phoenix, H.E. double hockey sticks weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) On 3/31/2014 at 9:21 PM, Bill J said: ...... H.E. double hockey sticks weather. Well, not all the time, today was quite nice. A person can get used to the fierce sun enough to feel the need to roll down the long sleeves when the temp dips below 80°. Some days can be on the annoying side, though. Edited May 1, 2020 by Russell C fixed busted photo link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie8575 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 As an idea, perhaps you could put up a small storage shed (around $500-1200 at the HDs/Lowe's/Wal-Marts and some independent hardware stores,) and perhaps put a small a/c into it. I would suggest running some insulation into the shed, though, to help maintain the temperature. The wooden sheds might be a little easier to do this with than the metal ones. One of the reasons I don't want to go to the south- I'd miss the extra storage. Charlie Larkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Russ, As you've seen from some of the comments already, styrene kits shouldn't be a problem. However, ANY resin kits or large resin parts (bodies, interiors, frames, large flat pieces, etc.) need to be stored inside the house where they won't get as hot as your carport will get. The heat will warp resin, but styrene seems to survive just fine. Be sure to look us up when you get here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I stored some kits in an out building for a year. I believe older kits will be fine but the newer kits will warp over time in high heat. I would get tires and decals out. Jonathan has a good point also on the tires and decals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGlueblob Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) I keep the majority of my kits indoors now, but I used to "collect' plastic ice chests from Goodwill, yard sales, and the occasional Walmart sale. I kept a lot of kits minus the decals, tires.. in gallon Ziploc bags in these things sealed away from bugs (scorpions!) and the heat. we have little rodents everywhere out here that love cardboard too.. I included the box top and instructions in the bags and tossed the rest of the cardboard. With gentle packing I can get a dozen car kits in one average ice chest. I now keep the ice chests indoors but all the kits survived for two decades out there without any warpage. I did keep them in the shade and away from any metal walls. Dark and cool is your friend. One other thing to consider is theft.. Lots of property crime out here. Might want to go find a broken freezer or fridge at a yard sale and toss a lock on it? ..Carports and tweakers mix all too well. AZ and especially the Valley are also hit with monsoon storms, bringing mucho dust (fine sand) to our area as well as decal-destroying humidity, so plan accordingly. As stated before, keep your decals, paint, chemicals, resin, tires, and all INDOORS. Be nice to your Wife, but be firm about that.. Welcome to Arizona! Edited April 1, 2014 by DrGlueblob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Thanks, all. The carport is enclosed, it was converted by a previous owner years ago, so theft and direct sunlight aren't issues. Of course our poor car is going to have to be out in the open, which really bites. We are just renting and broke, so we are limited to what we can do. My brother owns the house with a friend of his, so we might be able to put a window A/C in, but I am not sure. In any case it won't be before this summer due to finances. Putting the kits into ziplock bags is a good idea. I tend to like to save the boxes, but I suppose there really isn't a good reason to, except for a couple of kits that I have that are pretty old. That would help to cut down on the amount of storage space needed as well, which will be a good thing. This is not going to be fun. Both my wife and I each have way more stuff for our hobbies than will fit in two bedrooms , and we only have one to share. But beggars can't be choosey and for now this house has to do. This is going to be an adventure. At this age (54) the problem is I don't want any more adventures. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 What Gabriel said. and bag the tires. Remember, it's "a dry heat" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrGlueblob Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Russ, A window AC can be had for around a hundred bucks at Home Depot. At your age, I'd consider it a necessity. Go to the 99. Store and get some aluminum-backed window shades for the car. A lot of us out here leave the Flivver in the sun, no biggie. Keep anything out of the car that'll melt, though. Been here all my life. It's doable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stang_crazy Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I had a large portion of my kits in a storage unit for about 3+ years they were all ok. im in Nebraska it does get hot & humid but prolly not as hot as Arizona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelbuilder Mark Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 (edited) First off, not sure what others do, but whenever I get a kit, I always take the decals and seal them in a ziplock back to help prevent drying them out, or moisture exposure. I do this as I flip through the kit. This is also when I make sure the tires are not sitting against anything they will damage with tire melt. When I first moved to AZ 7 years ago, I thought it was going to be temporary, so all my kits were boxed neetly into packing boxes, and sealed very well with tape to prevent spiders/silverfish etc from getting in while they were being stored by the moving company. My employer moved me out here, and I would be without the bulk of my stuff while living in temp housing for a couple months, and since I had no idea if my unit woud be in a warehouse, or cooled etc, I wanted everything sealed up nice. When we got our first rental home which we thought we would have for a year, I put all my boxes in the garage on shelving. This was NOT my desire, but last option due to space. After four years, it turned out the move was not so temporary. When we finally moved, I made sure I had a place to build. I went through all my kits and everything was fine. The heat in the garage got pretty high, but like others here have mentioned, just make sure they are out of direct sunlight, and I would also suggest that you not store them against the outside wall as that will be hotter of course. One other option, is to possible buy a cheap exhaust fan, like for a bathroom, and place it at a high point in the inclosure, and then have that pulling the heat out of the enclosed area. It will not "cool" it but it will prevent it from getting too hot. How many kits are we talking again? Can you pare that down to those you think you will actually build vs part out then maybe trade out the rest. Otherwise, if you have one room to share for hobbies, consider using the closet in the spare room specifically for kit storage. IF you keep them boxed, (I still currently have 5 garment boxes full of kits, the kind you put hanging clothes in) and several of these will stack into a closet. OR, stack them in the room against a wall, and use the closet as your building space. There is a nice thread on hear where folks show their work space, and someone posted recently their workspace that was the closet. when the door is closed, out of the way, open the doors, build away. Here is the link to their post. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=48712&page=15#entry1135364 Honestly, worst case, yeah they will likely be OK if you take precautions, but you may not build as often if they are out there either. Find to a way to bring them in the house and build away. Edited April 1, 2014 by Modelbuilder Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Well, we are not talking as many kits as a lot of you have. Probably somewhere around 75 or so. Nothing like I used to have when I lived in Phoenix before, but then I had a different wife and a different house with a large room just for my stuff. The closet idea is a good one, if we don't have to use it for clothes. I have to wait and see what this house has. I saw the house once about 20 years ago when my brother bought it, but closets weren't an interest then. Going to be interesting for sure. My wife's hobbies include card making and stamping (among others), so she has lots of stuff that has to stay inside as well. thanks, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Exhaust fan ? 110 degrees inside is the same as 110 degrees outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 but it is a fresh 110 degrees. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Had this debate with the wife, "The Jones had their patio ceiling insulated and drywalled. They got a couple fans too." Yep. 110 degrees is 110 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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