Spare parts box question.

Take the biggest box of a completed kit ive got and stuff it all in then never look at it again

I only organize (so far) to the point of keeping clear parts separate from "solid" parts--in their own little box.

well what i did, is i took old tackle box containers, the clear kind that has seperate compartments and used that. i used some old plano brand bait boxes that are approx 10" long x 7-8" wide x about 3/4" deep and they come with dividers so you can pick and choose how big a compartment has to be for certian parts. and they come in many different sizes and depths and are usually fairly cheap. $5-$8 should get you a fairly decent sized one at walmart. Hope this helped!

I try to separate my spares as such -

35th scale in one box / figures in a separate box ( I work in 35th scale most of all).

I keep all other scale spares in labeled boxes (72nd, 48th, etc.)

I don't have enough spare parts yet to orginize. I'll probably end up getting one of those blue organizers that have all the little drawers that are used for nuts, bolts screws, etc. Right now the ones I have go in a small cardboard box.

Throw it all in either planes, ships or armor box.

All my spares get thrown into a single box together.  If I had a large number on a sprue, I used to keep them like that, but now i cut everything off the sprue and throw them in.

I also keep the copy of all my instructions of every kit ever built, together with all left over decals.  Instructions and decals are kept in a separate box.

Whilst I have good intentions by keeping this stuff, I'm not one for adding extra detail etc and can't recall when i've ever dipped into the spares box...but you never know...

Chris.

I separate parts according to intended purpose.

For example:

Ship, Armor, Sci-Fi parts are grouped into a separate Sci-Fi box.  Some parts may be segregated further if I have a particular build planned and a rough sketch of the project would be stored with the parts .

Auto parts might be added to Sci-Fi or Auto, depending on scale or usefulness.

I recently retrieved some old Revell 1/25 Don Garlits' Swamp Rat XXX Dragster parts for a vehicle build.

All Aircraft parts are grouped together for use on future aircraft builds.

I also attach a brief list on each box listing the donor kits

Very small parts, such as 1/72 aircraft parts would be stored in clear, adjustable storage containers.

Hope that helps !

I organize leftover/spare parts in individual ziplock bags labeled with the source, i.e. "T-34/76", "Panther A", etc.  Then they go in a medium-sized plastic tub.  Decals, likewise, go into a single ziplock bag (I don't organize them).  Spare after-market parts go into the bags with the appropriate kit parts.

Maybe a bit OCD, but it makes it easier to find specific stuff when I need it.

Since I've only built 6 subjects thus far, keep the boxes with the spares in them.

Thanks everyone was a help in some way. I was thinking of doing what one person said and cutting them off the tree and keeping each kit seperate for easy identification. Seems everyone has their own thing.

Decals are another story. You really will get dividends from storing them carefully, and dry. I have a number of binders full, in paper in plastic pages. I'm constantly going through the things looking for stuff. You forget, but there's so much that is left over. Having it easy to review really helps.

Many years ago, I got rid of most of my spares. Recently, I reorganized what I have into 3 drawers: German, Allied, and decals and misc.

I organize it by model genre. I have three boxes, one for airplane parts, one for car parts, and one for ship parts.

A Plethora of Parts should show you how I manage my spares.

I have several bins with drawers for the smaller parts. For the larger items I have boxes labeled for what they contain such as one for wings and fuselages,anther for sprues with parts, etc.

I have my own little AMARC in a huge box, a stash of 100+ model I build when I was a kit (no paint, lots of glue smears). These come in very handy when I build whiffs.

I use an old make-up box my wife was getting rid of..looks like a metal tackle box...for some stuff and the bottom drawer of my hobby desk for clear parts, figures, props and bombs/fuel tanks. Each of these subjects are in those white , chinese food combo containers...the ones that are rectangular with the clear lids ala tuperware...that`s about as organized as I get.

I have mine by scale.  they are kept in zip-loc bags, with the origin kit name, in shoe boxes.  I also have a set of plastic drawers with nothing but decals (also by scale).

I have a plastic file box where I keep all the instruction sheets. Why I keep those? I do not know; I cannot think of a time where I have had to pull one out.

joeviz

I have a plastic file box where I keep all the instruction sheets. Why I keep those? I do not know; I cannot think of a time where I have had to pull one out.

That'll eventually take up too much room... The parts organizers I use are those wall-mounted units with the 12-24 sliding drawers... I keep decals in three-ring binders, organized in Zip-lock bags by Country.

Other stuff, I organize by general purpose... Props, cockpits, tires (tape sets together) , engines, transmissions, radios, weapons (which get broke down to sub-catagories of  small arms, pistols, rifles,  machine guns, cannon, artillery, special (flame-throwers, AT weapons, mines), and separted by scale.

Figures, first  by scale, then by nationality- (Aircrew w/ flight gear sitting, aircrew w/ flightgear standing, then (ground crew-Allied/Axis. PTO/ETO ground crew WW1, WW2, Korea, 60's through 90s) and finally, jet pilots.

1/32-35th scale: Country and era. Then I stop with separating them and go to equipment.. Drawers get tagged Helmets/caps, TA-50 (field gear like packs, E-tools, ponchos and gas masks), boots, right arms, left arms, heads, left legs, right legs,

Various sundry items like brass PE and resin parts, gunsheilds, scrap plastic and wood (pieces smaller than three inches long and two inches wide, plus  rod, strip, wire etc.)

Misc: Those parts that don't fit any particular category, but just have interesting shapes, or are studded with bolt-heads or nuts, like Panzer drive wheels and skirt-armor.  Also, wheel-wells can become cokpit tubs and gunbay platforms,so keep them too..

Long pieces of straight sprue... Might laugh, but they make great camouflage net support poles... And keep various colors as well.. You never know when you'll need blue, red, yellow, or clear sprue...  Those colors are getting harder and harder to find... OD, Black, Grey, and Tan are common as the cold, so unless it's an interesting shape, toss it...

I used to keep spares till I got over how I would never use them to begin with.

Gave it all to a buddy that uses it to make weird scifi stuff.

Organizing spare parts?  That can be done?

Medicman71

I don't have enough spare parts yet to orginize. I'll probably end up getting one of those blue organizers that have all the little drawers that are used for nuts, bolts screws, etc. Right now the ones I have go in a small cardboard box.

I bought one of said organizers. SInce I now almost exclusively build only armour, I separate the parts into roadwheels, barells, various structural parts, small parts, large parts, pe and clear parts, and figures and their accessories.