This week as previously mentioned, the theme for Thursday’s The Plastic Scale Modeling Hour will be SPARES STASH, so I decided to poke around my STASH to show you how it is all currently stored.
My collection of spare parts, decals, instructions, aftermarket and discarded or unfinished kits takes up a good portion of my man cave (modeling workshop). I have devoted considerable resources to storing all that I have collected over the years…decades!
To the left you can see a stack of white crates, these I acquired from the local grocery store for a buck a piece. These were the crates that grapes were shipped to the store in. They make excellent storage containers! They are ventilated to prevent moisture from building up inside. I typically pack parts inside plastic bags otherwise they would slip out through the openings in the crate.
Rubbermaid totes of a variety of styles are seen stacked here (right) under my stairwell in one corner of the workshop. I use these for larger items or near complete sprues. The transparent plastic makes it easier to peek in to see what is inside.
Anything can be used for storing parts. When I first started building I had a small fishing tackle box which I kept the leftover or unused parts. Eventually that grew to larger and larger containers. For a time I was getting empty cigar boxes and making bins for small parts, but they too filled up fast and soon I was needing larger containers and more space. It was a good thing that learning to drive came along, followed by learning to fly and girls. Not necessarily in that order!
Plastic parts drawers were very handy…these are filled with parts from those transferred from other containers I had as a teenager!
Over the years in the military I frequented the DMRO (Defense Material Reutilization Office) aka Base Salvage Yard and picked up various pieces of equipment at auction. These stainless steel drawer units were from the base hospital. Although very heavy, they are great for storing parts or paints. If something spills inside, they are easily cleaned…not much sticks to stainless steel.
If you shop local, especially at your local hardware store they often “Reset” their store. That is reorganize everything so you can’t find what you’re looking for. This often includes the vendors of a product line replacing the exhibits and dispensers containing their products. The nuts and bolt aisle is usually lined with banks of small drawer units. These make excellent storage bins for plastic model parts, tools, paints and accessories. Again these are either discarded or sold for a great bargain price too good to pass up.
This morning as I snapped a few pics for this post, I got to thinking yet again…I could spend a whole year sorting and organizing this collection of spare parts and still have not gotten it all done!
In fact when I am bored of a project and not really in the mood to work on a model, I will often sit sifting through those items waiting to be added to the SPARES STASH while watching an old movie on television. Sprue cutters in had, trimming away the chaff and discarding it.
If you ever want to take a trip down memory lane, go through your SPARES STASH and think about where the part came from or how you got it. I think there might be a couple things in the stash that would remind me all to well of a project gone bad…but for the most part its an enjoyable trip.
Take a peek at your SPARES STASH, then call in Thursday evening and share what you found on The Plastic Scale Modeling Hour.
Submit your acronym for S P A R E S for a chance to win a prize. Details can be found on this webpage.
As a member of IPMS-USA (#5477) I check the wants and disposals list If someone needs something if I have it it theirs. All I ask is that they pay for ever they want is to be be paid forward.
I have a huge stash and I have inventoried it, so if is is among the 100 plus boxes its theirs.
12/5/11
Hi, Hawkeye: Most interesting subject. I am mainly concerned with storing spare parts. Do you sort spares by general type, such as wheels, tires, etc., or by aircraft type? P-51, F-4, or some combo such as P-47 props? Most of what I build is 1/72 scale, for what that’s worth. Oh, and any suggestions about DIS-ASSEMBLY of an old clunker to salvage parts? It seems about any type glue is going to cure rock hard over time, and the most careful efforts result in broken parts. Anything for wheels which have been glued onto axles, except to drill, drill, drill?
Thankis,
Horton
Horton,
I typically sort them by what they are…glass/canopy, cockpit, weapons, figures, engine, landing gear, wheels, fuselage, wings, fins/stabs/tails. Sorting by a/c type would be easier if I did less of a variety of subjects.
I’m going to call the producers of Hoarders and have them visit you!
Hoarding is a trait of most scale modelers. The one with the biggest stash wins!
Of course, I reduced the size of the stash (models) in the mid ’90s. Sometimes I kick myself for doing it, but today when I look at the space I would have to have had I kept it…glad I did.