Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

​Boxes are the bane of a big model collection, and owning over 3,400 models means storage is a problem. Fortunately, I got my loft boarded so can store the model boxes up there, but I realised recently that although my boxes were nicely stored, associating them with the models would be a nightmare if I wasn't available to do it.

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I am fortunate to have a big loft

Before I left for the Amsterdam show it crossed my mind that if the plane crashed I'd be leaving my family with a major issue, in terms of managing what to do with the collection. The collection is organised geographically, but that is no way to organise the boxes because they are so often different sizes, which makes storing them like that a major challenge.

Below: So many boxes!

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​To get around that issue I've always stored the boxes by brand and aircraft type, at least where possible. The boxes, the boxes are stored in, are an assembly of different plastic cases. Plastic boxes are useful, but often not very cuboid, which can make fitting rectangular model boxes in them problematic. Of course they need to be stackable too.

Below: There's a lot of Aeroclassics here - 29 boxes of them in fact!

​A lot of the boxes come from my time in New Zealand and are either open topped 30l Taurus cubes, underbed long clothes storage boxes or flip-top 60l Taurus rectangular underbed boxes.

These boxes are excellent because they are actually cubes so the fit for model boxes is better, especially Aeroclassics DC-9, A320, 727 size ones

​Of course the collection has grown a lot since I've been back in the UK and that has meant more storage boxes. I started with Wilko 50L Croc Storage Boxes, but following Wilko's bankruptcy I've moved towards the Wham Crystal Boxes from The Range, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

I really like these Wilko boxes but they're difficult to get now Wilko has gone bankrupt

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​Anyway, my original way of box storage makes it a problem to connect a specific model with a specific box, unless you know all about aircraft and airlines already. My partial resolution to this has been to take a leaf out of my friend Raimond's book. He gave me the simple idea of assigning a box code to every storage box and then recording on my master collection Excel list, which box every model box is stored in.

Below: Box Code sits in column X (note columns E-W are collapsed here)

​Unfortunately, that would mean going through all the boxes of boxes one by one! Never one to turn down a tedious administration job that is exactly what I have just done - and it's taken nearly two weeks because there are 69 plastic storage boxes of boxes to go through. 

Below: 9 boxes of NG, 2 of Aviation400, 1 of DT Models and 1 of other Customs

​It has been a mammoth task, but is one I just completed - aside from a few boxes that I still haven't assigned. Of course owning over 1,500 Aeroclassics models makes box assignment a lot harder as the majority of Aeroclassics releases come in boxes that are not only similar, but often have no association with a specific model.

Below: 5 boxes of NG Models, 2 of Aviation400 and 1 of Panda

​Anyway it hasn't been exciting, but it has been worthwhile, I think! It is still going to take an age for someone not familiar with the models to connect the model with the box, but at least there's a starting point now.