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How to Pack your Models
slodder
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Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 06:22 AM UTC
Henk shares his method for packing up models for a move or the post. You took the time to build these gem''s now take the time to pack them for safe transit.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
ti
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Dalarnas, Sweden
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Posted: Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 06:41 AM UTC
I am wondering how good this will hold up for models that have highly fragile details? The brushing up of the paper against the model will certainly remove those small detail pieces...won't they? I had a similiar delimma and unfortunately my guntruck, both Stryker models(ATGM & Mortar) were completely destryed)
Henk
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Posted: Friday, August 01, 2008 - 04:20 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I am wondering how good this will hold up for models that have highly fragile details? The brushing up of the paper against the model will certainly remove those small detail pieces...won't they?



The idea of this method is that the paper has enough 'spring' to be secure, without moving. Because you use the springyness of the sqrunched paper, rather than force, to keep the paper (and thus the model) in place, the paper does not usually damage the model. To avoid damage to really fragile parts, the best way is to surround the piece with a 'ring' of scrunched up paper. The model only needs to be secured at a few points on all sides to stop it from moving. By filling the rest of the box with very lightly scrunched up paper, you prevent model from accidentaly moving, in case the handler decides to be excessively rough.
I'm confident that my models will survive a game of football (yes, parcel handlers will play football with conviniently shaped boxes... , I've seen it. ) , as long as the box is not actualy broken.
It is imperative, to use a very heavy gauge cardboard box though, because the strength of the box determines how secure the model will be. Standard shipping boxes as supplied by the post office etc, are not very strong, and must only be used as a last resort.

The Panther, incidentally, has arrived save and sound.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers
Henk
spongya
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MODELGEEK
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Posted: Monday, August 18, 2008 - 09:55 AM UTC
I'm packing up all my models right now, and have a different method
Plastic shoe-box, Styrofoam, lots of cutting, peanuts, and glue needed -certainly more labor intensive.
Line the bottom with a thin layer of Styrofoam. Use a thicker layer on top (glue it), with a hole in the middle cut out in which the tank/model smugly fit (usually the running gear takes that little pressure)
Cut other pieces so that the turret, gun tube, etc secured by them, and unable to move, and it fills out the box (so that these Styrofoam pieces cannot move by accident either).
Fill up the remaining space with peanuts.

I have to say, it takes a while, but it does not let the piece move. I can upload a few photos if someone interested.
(Sorry, Henk, didn't mean to take over the topic.)
About shipping unbuilt models... After much deliberation, and with a bleeding heart I discarded the huge boxes, and put all the sprues bagged into two bigger cardboard boxes, defiling them, essentially.


Now, if someone has a good idea about the cheapest way to move them through the Atlantic...
desertfox42
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Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 02:35 PM UTC
I have shipped over one hundred models from US to Europe, Asia and as far away as Australia with no damage to date. The gentleman before closely described the method that I have been using for three years.
I use a very cheap plastic shoe box as well but with a slightly different turn. I remove the turret from the AFV and rap each separately in Celophane (clear plastic) wrap. Once this is done, I place them in the shoe box which has been lined with a cushion of batting,......the stuff you fill a pillow with. This is the key to the whole process!
Tape the shoe box up with clear packing tape and then that goes into a cardboard box full of the same white batting. In the US, I buy it at Walmart for three dollars. This is enough to pack at least three boxes. For boxes, I go to the corner liquor store. There are always plenty of empty boxes the manager wants to get rid of. The boxes used for shipment found here are incredibly strong owing to their main purpose,......shipping heavy, liquid-filled glass. Perfect!
The box is then tapped up and wrapped twice with heavy brown paper I buy at the hardware store. This is then taped up very well. I also wrap the end with "Fragile" marker tape such as the moving company uses.
I have shipped everything from single models to rather large dioramas. It works everytime.........and to tell you the truth,.....Tim Sloan gave me the original idea. All I added was the shoe box. Thanks Robert Liles
kevinb120
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Posted: Saturday, August 30, 2008 - 02:09 PM UTC
When I do it if I sell anything from afv's to ships, to $1000+ pocher builds, I use styrofoam bases. I either wire it down or built a frame to support it with foam and hot glue(this takes practice with foam). Then build supports to anchor the 'base' up the sides so it can not move. Essentially the model 'floats' so even if it is inverted its ok. This is always double boxed so no impacts hit the box with the fitted base directly. The heavier foam used for this Pocher (24" long, $900)was from computer equipment. And all the new owner had to do was lift out the vertical side panels and snip the foam on the 4 green lines with scissors.






It's trickier, but I've even shipped 1/350 battleships with hundreds of pieces of etched railings, masts, and whatnot. I would 'frame' out the shape of the hull so it can't slide around, build 'bridges' over the turrets with foam, build pieces that sat on the turret tops(the only place not covered with etch), and support the bridges to the box edges so it can't move around.

Packing something like this is a real nightmare(roughly 300 pieces of etch on this thing):

kevinb120
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Posted: Saturday, August 30, 2008 - 02:20 PM UTC
Although, I DID have one casualty. Not sure how this happened, but it must of been Ace Ventura at UPS on this one(half of the packaging is missing from the photo, it was tight) and yes, the front sprocket is actually broken in half:






Vermont6
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Posted: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 - 09:17 AM UTC
I moved from Botswana to Germany about two years ago and was quite concerned with how my collection of 30 odd tanks would hold up in the move north. The manager of the moving company came out to my house for the pre inventory and I brought my collection to his attention. He came up with a great solution. Moving companies have small boxes for packing CDs. Each box is designed to hold about 20 CDs but it will hold most tanks, some larger tanks M1, King Tigers or tanks of similar size you will have to remove the turret, otherwise they fit perfectly pack with some "popcorn" and then place in a larger box and presto a very safe and efficient moving method. I kept all the CD boxes and use them to move my completed projects to my office.


Alexziz
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Primorskiy, Russia
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Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - 09:19 PM UTC
To you has carried, that similar packing you do not send model to us to Russia.
I think, very much the little would escape inside of a box.Therefore, if suddenly somebody will have a necessity to send something mail in Russia - to pack the item of mail it is necessary much more carefully (I think, in a titanic box, it is desirable bulletproof)
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