Keep the boxes or pitch them?

Borg R3-MC0

........... I always "make a little show" of the throwing the box away so my wife know models actually get made and do not just lye around in the stash.

I toss 'em. I used to keep them, but it started taking up too much space, and I never looked at them. It'd be easier to buy stuff with lousy box top art.

I used to keep the box tops but the pile just became to large. Nowadays I throw them away. I always "make a little show" of the throwing the box away so my wife know models actually get made and do not just lye around in the stash.

I guess I'm labeled "unusual" in this thread, as I actually value throwing stuff away as the build progresses.  It's almost like a sense of satisfaction.  I only do aircraft kits, so all the box tops get clipped with just the plane picture, and hung on my sons wall.  He's got quite a nice little dogfight scene happening in his bedroom.  Sometimes I'll have to use the razor knife to trim some of the stuff, but it's a small price to pay, and he and I both have something to look forward to at the end of the build.  I build for a guy in Michigan who sends me kits to do commission work for him.  A lot of times, he'll stuff a lot of kits in one box, and expect me to sort through it all, but I've learned to deal with it.  I have maintained a few extra box bottoms to be able to give some of the loosely placed kits in a home of their ow, but when they're done, I pitch it.  Instructions, all spare parts except for weapons, seats, consoles, and pilot figures.  The first part of the fun was obtaining the 100 kits that I now have in the stash, and I get equally as much enjoyment now by slowly starting to see some room start to open back up in my closet as I get rid of the old stuff.  I have also put the red light on buying anything new for quite some time, as I feel like I have everything I want to build in front of me.  The challenge to me now is to completely empty out the closet.  In the past 12 months, I've completed 30 models, so it doesn't take long to see progress.  

As for the spares and such, do yourself a favor and go to Wal-Mart, and spend ten bucks on two of the plastic containers with lids.  I keep all my spares, decals, and other random stuff in these.  And every six months I'll go through it and evaluate how important some of the stuff still is.  If I don't need it, or haven't remotely come close to using a part that's still being saved, then I pitch it.  I prefer organization over collected chaos anyday.  

I toss mine out. Can't afford to stash them in my house otherwise, it's potential to be a fire hazard.

I usually cut the photos of the actual model on the sides of the box and tack them up, just for another reference point.

Once I get done with the build, those photos and the box get tossed.  I keep the spare parts in a drawer. (well, drawers now), and I have another drawer for decals.

Like others I only save some boxes to hold spare parts/tools and whatnot. Otherwise I toss the boxes out. I do like save some of the artwork however.

FOX

Do I get to build a fort with them?

I have the same problem......   40 years of boxes.  All neatly folded.

I usually trash the boxes unless I give one to the cats to sleep in, or use it as a storage box.   Too much clutter in my house otherwise.

I am the same as you mark. It is a shame to throw away the really nice one. But they would just get put away some where and forgotten about. Besides, I photograph all my kits when I get them, so I still have that.

Use a few for extra and leftover parts, but the rest get pitched as soon as the kit is done, if not sooner.  Getting space critical with my stash of unbuilt kits, so no room for empty boxes.

Mark

I keep all of mine, I like the box art.

I would keep them :

  You can fold them flat and put them in files much like say " BANKERS BOXES " WHY ? Well , it seems silly , but in some cases (REVELL'S " VICTORY at SEA  " BOXES  for instance .) They are ,  RIGHT NOW , almost worth more than some kits I know of by a CHINESE manufacturer .WHY ? Well the answer is very easy .JOHN STEELES artwork !  I don't know about ARMOR , but there are some KICK-BUTT aircraft covers too . I have seen them (at shows ) priced more than the kit , if they contained one !  Go Figure .So my vote is to keep them .        Tanker-builder

Timmy, do you realize how much room 66 years worth of kit boxes would take up waiting for the right guy at the right time to buy one empty box? I'll tell you what, You but me a nice big house, with all the room to spare, and I'll start saving all the boxes. 

Jim 

You guys may want to look on E- BAY......    Do you know how much an empty box can sell for ?   $$$$

I would cut  and keep the box top  art/ photo  and directions. I still have them from when I was a kid. And I thought I was the only one. LOL.

I wish I had all the boxtops that I had when I was a kid.  The ones I basically wallpapered my bedroom walls with

Same here I keep the top if it has some cool art work (sorry cyberhobby yours are to dull for me to keep)

I keep one box top for each unique model (no duplicate tops) that I make. I don't use them now but when I move to a larger home in the future, I plan to make a nice display of completed builds.

Box bottoms get trashed and burned in the fire pit out back. I keep spare parts in sprue bags with the instructions included, cover side up so I can easily see which model the parts belong to. Parts/instructions bags are organized into racks and separated by country in a filing cabinet. If I have leftover parts from a duplicate build, I just add to the previous bag rather than make a new one. Empty areas of the sprue get trimmed off for size.

I find this works very well and takes up very little space. Though I haven't been building for long, I expect I will be able to retain many years worth of parts using the smallest space possible. 

I would run out of space quick keeping the entire box from each model. Keep some for storage needs, all the rest I only keep the covers, flattened down and stuck in one of the boxes. And definitely keep your instructions

I keep the box top and the instructions, and some of the boxsides art and advertising.  I started building in 1978 and some of them are very interesting and unusual now.  I'd say keep them.  The tops do not take up much room.  And 30 years from now you'll like them.

I toss mine. Just no room and no need to keep them. Like others though, I keep any leftover parts, decals, etc, and I always keep the instructions.

I'm in this dilemma now.  I like the art on the boxes.  But I really don't know where I'll keep them.  For now, they're under a spare bed.

I keep the instructions.  And any leftover parts/decals.

I keep the very top panel of the box and the instructions in a sheet protector sleeve in a three-ring binder.  One end of the box top I display with the model.

Paul

I keep the instructions and the box top in the file folder with the rest of the research for that model

Jim 

Sometimes keep the box for other storage uses, but apply a label indicating contents.

I keep the model kit plans.

I like to keep either the box or the instructions, so I can remember whose kit it was, and details like that.  Since if I built it out of box I would need the instructions anyway in order to enter the OOB category, I have decided to keep just the all my instructions.  They fit in file folders nicely, too.

I toss them.  I keep the spare parts and some extra sprue (specially clear color ones).

I had trouble getting rid of the awesome box top art on most of mine.  I break down (flatten) the tops and file them (or use them as art on the walls or table tops!).  The box bottoms are great for organizing new builds, storing spares parts, or in my case, I'm saving some to practice airbrushing on!  Sometimes I'll copy and cut out the painting instructions and tack them to a box and try to spray what they have for camo designs.  

Eagle90