Shrink Wrap. To peel or not to peel, that is the question

[1930fordpickup]

I have been putting my kits in the cheaper Banker boxes from Officemax. not free but they have a good lid and are all the same size for easy storage. this keep the boxes in good shape and I can keep a better inventory of what I have and what box to look in. Every box gets a number . I put the contents on a 4 by 6 card with pencil for easy change . Yes I know there are programs for your computer for keeping the records but I had to start someplace.

I have also found that many of the new kits are hit and miss if they are bagged correctly. The bags I use are from Hobby Lobby and come in packs of 100 .

[1930fordpickup]

  On 11/15/2014 at 6:07 AM, slusher said:

Newer kits have the glass in sealed bags but does the tire burns on glass and styrene still happen in a controlled temperature?

That is a good question. Does anyone know the answer ?

[Deathgoblin]

All of mine are unwrapped. We just had to move out of necessity due to bug infestation (thanks to some bad neighbors), so I had to move all of my kits from the boxes to 1 gallon freezer bags. None are even in boxes now. They do take up a lot less room now.

[slusher]

  On 11/15/2014 at 6:58 PM, 1930fordpickup said:

I have been putting my kits in the cheaper Banker boxes from Officemax. not free but they have a good lid and are all the same size for easy storage. this keep the boxes in good shape and I can keep a better inventory of what I have and what box to look in. Every box gets a number . I put the contents on a 4 by 6 card with pencil for easy change . Yes I know there are programs for your computer for keeping the records but I had to start someplace.

I have also found that many of the new kits are hit and miss if they are bagged correctly. The bags I use are from Hobby Lobby and come in packs of 100 .

Average how many kits per box. Andy? Sounds like a good idea..

Edited November 15, 2014 by slusher

[rasafyff]

Does the shrink wrap shrink,or does the box swell from moisture?

[ChrisBcritter]

  On 11/15/2014 at 6:07 AM, slusher said:

Newer kits have the glass in sealed bags but does the tire burns on glass and styrene still happen in a controlled temperature?

Definitely - it's a chemical reaction (although heat could speed up the process?). This could be another thread by itself...

[gtx6970]

I bought a sealed Barrey Setzer Vega Funnycar several years ago,

I cut the shrinkwrap along the bottom and opened it . leaving the top of the box protected .

Good thing to,,,,the decal sheet had a tire burn on it and I happend to have a spare mint sheet . Still have it.

Many years ago I bought a factory sealed 1970 Challenger kit . when I opened it in front of the guy I just bought it from . I thought he was going to have a heart attack right there

[1930fordpickup]

  On 11/15/2014 at 8:32 PM, slusher said:

Average how many kits per box. Andy? Sounds like a good idea..

I get 6 AMT ( the normal size boxes) per box and the Rezell larger boxes I get 5 in there. They are not cheap but being the same size makes them easier to stack or put on shelves that are adjustable. 10" high x 12' wide x 15" deep. They make longer ones but they cost more and get less boxes in the pack. SKU #23494684. Officemax

[vintagedragcrazy]

heck i have opened them in the car before i got home.

vince

[DrGlueblob]

I agree with Tom. That kit was exposed to some high heat sometime in it's storage days. Check for warped parts.

[Tom Geiger]

For those of you talking about kit storage...

I know a guy who would take every model he got, immediately clip all the parts off the trees, put the parts in a plastic bag and ditch the box. He'd sometimes fit 2-3 kits in a single box. He thought he was being rather efficient... until he had financial difficulties. He thought he could liquidate some of his collection and pay some of his bills. Nope. He had made the kits virtually sale proof. People will never trust that all the parts are in that bag, and most want the box etc. even if they're planning on building the kit.

For storage, I've begged my share of manufacturers dozen kit cases from dealers over the years. My model warehouse is several aisles of these, stacked up to maybe six boxes high. I have categorized what is in each case on the side panel on a white sticker. If it changes I can always rip off the sticker or just put another one over it. I have my cases by car make, and when I have a lot, I can further break them down such as "1950s Chevy" and even "1950s Chevy pickups"...

What also works decently are Home Depot moving boxes. Their large box is about $2 and is plenty sturdy for kits. I have all my odd size boxes like Japanese kits in those.

[JTalmage]

If I really like the box art and the model, I'll use a sharp knife and just cut the bottom plastic off of the box. So the top and sides still have a perfect cover. But I dont have a ton of room to store boxes so typically they get trashed. Thinking about cutting the tops off and holding on to them or something.

But normally if I buy a sealed kit.... it gets opened. I've bought several old monogram 30 Model A's off ebay still in the shrink wrap... those suckers get opened as soon as I get my hands on em.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

With my T Fruitwagon, I opened it in the Hobby Lobby parking lot.

[JTalmage]

^^ I'm pretty sure I did the exact same thing!! ^^

[High octane]

I only open 'bout 30% of my kits, as I'm not goin' to build 'em all anyway, and a sealed kit is easier to sell, trade, or donate. When I do open a kit, I cut an X on the bottom of the box from corner to corner, open the box, and then fold over the triangles of shrink wrap into the cover and tape them. On the shelf, the open kits looked sealed and don't have edges along the bottom that can be snagged or ripped.

[robertw]

  On 11/15/2014 at 1:26 PM, Tom Geiger said:

That Vegas '57 T-bird kit looks like someone stored it in an outdoor shed over a few East Coast winters. I've also seen kits like that at outdoor flea markets, no doubt having been baking in the sun at flea markets for years. Those kits have no value other than to retrieve the "builder grade" kit inside, and to make sure it's actually okay. I'd suspect that the decals and instruction sheet are also toast.

I do what Don Sikora suggested on a lot of my kits, even the new ones. Dave Burket taught me to do this maybe 20 years ago. I turn the kit over, and carefully cut the shrink wrap in the box bottom groove, so that it remains intact on the lid. I toss away that small patch of wrap that covered the box bottom. That keeps the kit boxes protected in my closet. As Don said, it also preserves any cool old price tags etc.

I do have some older kits I've never unwrapped. I don't care personally, but I'm not planning on building them, and already have seen what's in the box so leave them be in case I want to sell them someday. I also have a few boxes that are autographed on the cello, I'd rather have the sig right on the box, but I got these this way.

I do what you do on most kits that I buy but cut the bottom groove on only three sides (one long side and two end sides). The bottom cellephane is then tucked up the side of the box. This helps hold the top celephane on and if in the future I wanted to reseal the box I could do it with Scotch tape.

[Tom Geiger]

  Quote

But I dont have a ton of room to store boxes so typically they get trashed. Thinking about cutting the tops off and holding on to them or something.

If you have limited space but want to save boxes, remember that they fold up. I have a model case (AMT 12 model case) that I keep those in. I fold up both the top and bottom and put them in the case sideways. Once you get near a full box, just squeeze them in to fit more.

[High octane]

And after you've found a place and a way to store them, what do you do with them in the future? Trade them like baseball cards or what?

[slusher]

The new Revell boxes are not as strong as AMT boxes. I see Revell boxes deformed in Hobby Lobby from shrink wrap..

[turbo nova]

I open many of mine but I must say when buying I will not pay as much for an open kit, IMO a non collecttable kit that's open is worth FAR less than a sealed kit, part of that is the usual reason of everything being there etc. the other part is the fact I don't get to open it, I love opening new kits

[Tom Geiger]

  On 11/18/2014 at 4:42 AM, High octane said:

And after you've found a place and a way to store them, what do you do with them in the future? Trade them like baseball cards or what?

So far most of them are still preserved for the future. I have given boxes to guys who wanted the original box for their kit or built model. I have boxes going back 30 years I've been saving. I used to use them to transport kits to shows, a model to a box surrounded by styrofoam peanuts. I stopped doing that because guys who see the box and pick it up (always tilting it of course) to see the box lid. No doubt thinking it was a kit I just bought at the show.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[ZTony8]

I have several shrink wrapped AMT and Revell kits from the 70s and they haven't pulled the boxes in like that T-bird kit.Most of my older kits,regardless of the company, are packed away tightly in large boxes in my basement.

I usually open the kits I buy nowadays unless I've already bought a prior example.In that instance I usually keep the later purchased kits sealed. My intent isn't to collect the kits(who else wants a dozen Peugeot 206 WRC kits but me?) but to build them all.So they're my insurance policy.I calculate that I'll have to live to be 400 to build them all if I stopped buying kits today (fat chance!).So far,so good.

[Tonioseven]

  On 11/15/2014 at 2:46 AM, jeffs396 said:

I open 'em ALL in the car as soon as they are bought!

Yep. I buy them to build but to each his/her own.