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HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE YOUR SPARES BOX?

Iron Mike

Master At Arms And Resident Curmudgeon
Well, it's that time again! Several builds are winding down and I have all the bones and spare parts left, trying to decide what's the best method of keeping them for use later. Please share with me your ideas and what works for you. Thanks!!
 
Hey, Iron Mike

For the small, delicate parts such as weapons, arms, legs, heads, etc., I store in those plastic, child-proof pain reliever bottles. They can't possibly find their way out of those.
I place the other miscelaneous parts in those small, ziploc plastic bags that many figures come in and then store everything in the traditional cigar box. The plastic bags make it easy to see what's in each one.
It's a very simplistic method, but it works for me.
DioRandy
 
Orga.....what? Let me take a look at the dictionary...... :laugh:

Well, I take the not used sprues and put togheter in a large Dragon's model box, "organized" by type of vehicle: Panzer III and related (Stug, Bison, etc)in one box; Panzer IV and derivatives in another box, half-tracks in another...and so. Each item is in a plastic bag with the kit Nº written with a marker

I take some tools appart and put them in a candy box: shovels, jacks, fire extinguishers, etc.

Cheers

Darío
 
Many of the smaller parts get put into clear multi partitioned plastic hobby boxes ... a bit like thread/floss boxes or small tackle boxes. That way I can put all my firearms and small weapons in one. Others are for things like helmets, badges and clothing items, small PE leftovers, wheels and running gear. Resin accessories etc. The list goes on. If it can fit in one of these containers it gets shoved in as they are all kept together but sorted accordingly within the box and can be easily identified through the clear plastic.

Bigger PE items or whole frets get put inside of the thin clear CD cases and then slipped into A4 clear page protectors. If they are too big for a CD case then slipped into the page protectors with a thin card backing. All the page protectors are in turn clipped into a folder. Decals are also stored this way.

Larger items... well I'm still kinda working on that one. My current system involves chucking it in the bottom of the cupboard in the spare room and slamming the door shut fast enough so that they all don't fall back out again.

Thankfully I have only been at this hobby for 1-2 years and have not accrued so much that I don't know what to do with it...YET. :blush:

While it may not be spares I have saved room with all my paints my removing wide shelving and replacing them with strips of quad stuck directly on the wall. As it is only the width of the bottles it takes up very little space and you can put them much closer together height wise too. Run some more around the edges to frame it all and it looks really neat and tidy and more like a shallow bookcase than lumps dowelling slapped on the wall.
 
Old method. Snip parts from sprues and place in an old kit box carefully. Trip taking box to shelf mixing parts in process.

New method. Snip parts from sprues and place in old kit box carefully. Shake box pre mixing parts then place on shelf.

The new improved method is way more efficient and less painful. Chaos is an exceptional organizational methodology which I highly recommend. :silly:

James
 
I'm sensing a trend here :laugh: , maybe I should rephrase the question. How do you deal with your spare parts for future use? James, your methods are similar to mine, with the exception that I usually step IN the box, scattering the contents to the carpet monster. :S Good suggestions so far, gang!
 
Iron Mike wrote:
I'm sensing a trend here :laugh: , maybe I should rephrase the question. How do you deal with your spare parts for future use? James, your methods are similar to mine, with the exception that I usually step IN the box, scattering the contents to the carpet monster. :S Good suggestions so far, gang!

Ahh thats a horse of a different colour.

I have been saving parts for about 35 years now. Every time I put the parts away I think "must remember this piece". In all that time I remembered I had a spares box once, and that was after the fact. I now wonder why I even have a spares box as I never remember it until I go to store more parts.

James
 
I like to leave all spare parts laying on the bench, cluttering it up even more. I don't think I've used anything "spare" but I like to intermingle old parts with new and try to figure whats what on the bench. I do have parts in a box somewhere but I'm not sure where it is.


I'm not kidding, sad really.


Tom
 
I bought a big tacklebox years ago, the kind with numerous shelves and subdivided compartments. I divide everything up according to vehicle type, for the most part. Prior to that, I just used an old shoe box.

David
 
I used to be very neat and tidy when it came to my modelling stuff. I had an organzer with clear plastic shelves and I had divided the bins into different categories and subcategories and it kept everything where I could easily find what I needed. Cutting everything from the sprues took too much time,now i just have a pile of leftover sprues. My extra p/e parts get put into a box as well. Maybe this winter I'll have a go at straigtening out the mess that is my spare parts pile.
 
I do basically the same as Dario. All Sherman parts and sprues go in a Sherman box marked "Sherman", and the same goes for other types of tanks. Spares track links are kept in small zip lock bags. Same for smaller parts and decals.
Building the type of tanks that I normally build, I always have LOTS of left over parts.I once built an OLD 70's Tamiya PzIII with all the left over Dragon parts. I think I have more spares boxes than I do unbuilt kit boxes.

Rob
www.scratchmod.com
 
I found that I HAD to go the OCD route of collating and organizing things in tackle boxes (hence the introduction of the spares box) as my previous method was to do as most have and put them in various places and boxes being sure I would remember where it all was next time I needed something like that.
Even when I knew for sure I had a certain part I could never find it and the more supplies I accrued the more things there were to look in before realizing that it just didnt want to be found.
Naturally as soon as I had permanently attatched a replacement or paid for another it would show up while looking for something else.
 
well, my spares box is organized but I still do not remember what kits and accessories I have. From my recent haul from Poland, one of the kits was already in my stash (under the original brand - OK, I had three of that kit), all the PE except the bicycle wheels and P.24 were in my stash... the P.24 kit is NOT in my stash (why did I buy that PE set?) so... I need a new brain.

Regards,
 
sharkmouth wrote:
so... I need a new brain.

Regards,

Then you need to see the brain specialist!
http://www.youtube.com/v/IIlKiRPSNGA?fs

Ozzie Jo, it's good to know this is a worldwide dilemma and not just limited to my model room! :D
 
I don't do anything way different or earth shattering on the storage part: clear, multicompatment boxes sorted by scale, force, type etc.

What I try to do is refresh my brain every once in a while and look through it all on a routine basis so I can remember what I have.
 
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