I started taking inventory of my model stash and I was surprised at how many kits I had. Finding room to stow them is becoming a problem . My house doesn't have a basement or an attic and my garage is too full to even think about using it to store more stuff. I have been thinking of getting a wooden outdoor storage building about 10 feet by 12 feet in size. The one I'm looking at is very nicely constructed, all wood with a shingled roof, and windows. It would even be quite suitable for a workshop with some interior work.

I'm wondering about using it as storage for my models but am really not sure what kind of environmental extremes they could handle without damage. Summers can get in the high 90s and winters into the teens. I know the decals would best be stored inside the house but I'm not sure the plastic itself wouldn't suffer ruining the kits.

An alternative would be to rent an environmentally controlled storage room of which there is a place locally that does, but that may easily run into several hundreds of dollars a year.

Does anyone have any comments on the storage shed or any alternative suggestions? Any and all appreciated as always.

i would be very carefull as i kept my stash in my shed and the lovely little mice got into them and nested they used the instructions as nesting material and chewed on the plastic

good point! i would leave bait and traps based on that experience of yours. and check regularly...

The best environment is a cool dry one. Water or moisture will ruin the decals and heat can deform or warp the plastic. If they are going to be in storage for an extended time, it is best to put the decals in a ziplock bag with tissue paper on the front side so they don't stick too. As long as it doesn't get excessively hot (120+), the plastic shoud be fine.

Good luck.

Jim--remember that sheds and other structures can become much hotter than the outdoors, so the inside temperature could easily top 120 in the shed when the outside temperature is only around 90. You definitely don't want to have your models swelter like that. I would suggest that you take some of the stuff that is in the garage and store it in the shed (gardening equipment, for example), then use the freed-up space to store your models. Alternatively, you could install an attic fan in the shed to reduce the interior temperature and hope for the best.

Hi! I have a 12 X 32 storage building of the same type I was considering. I think I will take some temperature readings in it on the really hot days and see what it shows. The garage is the detached variety and gets as hot as the sheds would. I was actually thinking of converting the second shed to a small model building shop, adding insulation and a small heater to keep it about 50 degrees in winter when I wasn't in it and a small window air conditioner in the summer to keep it cool. But, until then an attic type fan as you suggest would take the edge off the heat.

I wonder if I built a storage "closet" in it that was lined on all six sides with thick styrofoam if that would have an effect on heat and cold? The more I think about storing them outside the less it seems a good idea. I'm dealing with 400+ kits which currently have a clothes closet full from floor to ceiling and 8 fairly good sized boxes stuck into every corner I can fit them in.