Kit Boxes

ardvark002

...I put any unused parts in one box and spare decals in another...

I started using plastic containers from Chinese takeout for storing leftover parts, along with odds and ends and other materials for scratch-building.  The containers are oblong, with clear or rather opaque lids, and they stack easily on the shelves.  I use smaller ziploc bags to keep like things with like, in those boxes.

Leftover decals go into larger ziploc bags, and I stick those in the binders with instruction sheets.

It's interesting to read how everyone approaches the same issue!

murph

Mostly, I flatten them and toss them in the recycle bin.  The Boss may keep a few as some boxes are the right size for wrapping presents.  It's hilarious to see the reactions and quizzical looks on the faces of people tear off the wrapping paper of a gift to see a box for a Hasegawa Sabre, a P-51 or an Avro CF-100.

 

Hey,  

I've done this too, once on a gift to my future wife when we just started dating, and boy did I get a funny look when she unwrapped her gift to see a picture of a B-17 on the front of the box.

Model boxes seem to be perfect for clothes. 

At least the receiver of the gift knows where the gift came from.

Mostly, I flatten them and toss them in the recycle bin.  The Boss may keep a few as some boxes are the right size for wrapping presents.  It's hilarious to see the reactions and quizzical looks on the faces of people tear off the wrapping paper of a gift to see a box for a Hasegawa Sabre, a P-51 or an Avro CF-100.

Some boxes I keep to hold spare parts. I have an old Italeri M4A1 Sherman box that I use to hold WW2 US left over parts. A Tamiya Jeep box to keep softskin vehicle parts, a Tamiya M1 Abrams box for modern armor, a Dragon BMP box for Soviet armor, etc. 

Every once in a while, I update the old box with a better box when it gets worn. Normally boxes get recycled. Sometimes I also put the completed kit back into the box.

freem

...Think for now I will toss the tray and flatten the top (keeping the sides) and store them on a shelf.  Some will eventually be huge like the 1/48 B-1 and B-58 and the other Mongram bombers...

Those are ones that deserve their own individual frames, especially if you build the B-17, B-24 or B-29 and get the original boxings.  Flattened out, they can fit in a conventional picture frame; you'd just need to get one with the right dimensions.

Yeah, I've done and do things that are similar to what the rest of the guys have said.

When I was a kid, I got the idea to cut the box lids apart and frame the art.  I did that with the boxes from Revell's 1/720 ships, for example.  And I cut the side panels apart, to collect the images like baseball cards.  Of course, my imagination was far in advance of my skills or available tools at the time, so it was a hack job.

Today, I accumulate boxes to put a bunch of them into a frame as a sort of collage.  For example, I've got a lot of 1/1200 ship kits.  Some are old boxings, like Pyro or Eaglewall, others are later, like MPC, ESCI or Revell.  I can arrange them to fit in lucite photo "box" frames that are about an inch deep or so, and then hang them up.

I stow instructions in clear document sleeves in a binder, and keep them with my other reference binders.  I have collections of things like tobacco cards, post cards or cabinet photos, for uniforms, and I keep all of that stuff in three-ring binders.

I saved instructions when I was a kid, but I don't know what happened to all of that paper.  That included most of Shep Paine's "Tips on Building Diorama" sheets, too.  I think it's all still at my dad's house, in the attic, but it's been over thirty years since it's seen the light of day.  In the meantime, I've picked up other copies of the "Tips" brochures, to have hard copy of them.

I'm with GlennH, too, about more extensive info in instruction sheets.  When I was a kid (b 1964), I learned a lot from Monogram's and Revell's instruction sheets.  They didn't just write, "Glue part 13 to part 14," but the sheets would say, "Glue gear box 13 to front cylinder row 14", things like that.

fox

I just keep the top of the lid and recycle the rest. I'm starting to frame them and plan to hang them on the walls when I get around to fixing the room up and repainting it.

Jim  

 

Pretty cool idea. I've usually just kept the instructions. On a side note I really wish more kits had instructions that actually named the part instead of just using a number. It's a helpful learning thing to me when building something I have limited knowledge of.

I also forgot that my boxes are pretty well used throughout the build.  I airbush in them, mix paint in them, mix epoxy and other adhesives, cut bits off of them for shims or knock holes in them to support parts, and keeping the cat out my way by letting him sleep in it.  By the time I'm done with the build, so is the box.

And for instructions, well, ever since I was a little boy, these seemed to always end up covered in glue, paint, saliva, blood, cat barf, and just about everything else that ended up on the base of my work table.  So I really don't keep them, unless I have a lot of building notes on them, or someday want to practice reading French, German, Chinese, Korean, Japanses, Spanish, and Icelandic all at the same time.  

Good ideas all around.  Think for now I will toss the tray and flatten the top (keeping the sides) and store them on a shelf.  Some will eventually be huge like the 1/48 B-1 and B-58 and the other Mongram bombers, but I may not get to them in this lifetime.

Just cant see having an empty box stash when the full ones are in the hundreds.

I have been throwing them away.  I have been giving all the left over parts away to modeling budds.  I used to keep everything, but the stacks got way too large.  I don't keep the old directions as I have plenty of duplicates of the kits. I now just build kits OTB.  I don't do conversions or scratch build anymore,  You should see the stash. LOL.

Doug

Instruction sheets? Oh I have all of mine since the late 70's or so... and quite a few from before then... just not all of them. They can be useful on occasion.

Kinda depends.

If the art is good, I will cut it out and store it in a file cabinet.

Some boxes are good for storage.  1/700 ship boxes, because of the size and all are uniform in shape, are great for storing my stock sheets of wood and styrene.  

What Don said the ones that are thin enough I run through my shreader the rest I just tear them up, then recycle them, keep instructions I've got instruction sheets back to 2010.           ACESES5                                   

Depends on the box. If the cardboard is usable then i keep it for useing as a base for 72nd aircarft, if not they get binned.

I cut the one end of the box top off, and keep that.  I toss the rest.  Unless it's a C-130 kit, then I keep the whole box.  I have all the spare sprue/decals, and instruction booklets stored in them, so they aren't just taking up space.

I used to keep all the boxes. Didn't take long to run out of room. Then I'd just cut out the top/art and display it with the model. After hundreds of models...it's just too much and now I don't give a second thought about throwing them out....unless something is really, REALLY cool.

I have a few I'd like to frame for hanging around the workbench, but most get tossed.

I've saved the box tops.  137 kits would make a pile about 6 inches high by the size of your biggest box top.  One guy in the club saves the sides as well, not any higher but more shelf space.  I keep mine in a dresser draw, out of the way.

tigerman

 

 

stikpusher

Most box art today is not worth saving... into the garbage bin they go. Now once upon a time many model companies employed some great artists to produce their box art. I cut out more than a few of those and hung them on my wall back then.

 

 

 

 

Not totally in agreement on this, but I respect yours. I think some of the newer companies are quite good, and Tamiya and Dragon still release good artwork.

 

Thats why I said "most", not all Tamiya's box art is good. However the plain white background of nearly all their armor is rather plain. But occasionally something like their Ardennes King Tiger comes along with a proper full scene. Dragon's armor box art runs from yikes to pretty good. But I think their ship artists are better. A couple of their 1/350 Destroyer kits come to mind of stuff that would look good on a wall properly presented. But in my mind, the stuff like Revell's or Hasegawa's original 1/32 aircraft box art, or some of Revell's ships box art really set a high bar standard that is not matched today. Perhaps it's a generational thing. Think of advertising for many products with painted faces rather than actual human faces photographed in later advertising. Rosie the Riveter vs. The Marlborough Man. Many of today's kits use a CGI background with a photo of the model which, while giving a much better look at what's in the box, just does not inspire the mind so vividly. At least not mine. 

Recycle them or to the trash bin. Gathering and holding onto many empty kit boxes is a recipe for a fire hazard. Ask me how I know. I had the hard work of tossing years of magazines my mother saved since the 70's. Yeah, it was that bad. Toss them! Don't leave it to your wife and kids to toss them for you after you die.

I recycle the box, keep the instructions.

stikpusher

Most box art today is not worth saving... into the garbage bin they go. Now once upon a time many model companies employed some great artists to produce their box art. I cut out more than a few of those and hung them on my wall back then.

 

Not totally in agreement on this, but I respect yours. I think some of the newer companies are quite good, and Tamiya and Dragon still release good artwork.

Most box art today is not worth saving... into the garbage bin they go. Now once upon a time many model companies employed some great artists to produce their box art. I cut out more than a few of those and hung them on my wall back then.

I just keep the top of the lid and recycle the rest. I'm starting to frame them and plan to hang them on the walls when I get around to fixing the room up and repainting it.

Jim