The case for good packing
As some of you may know from here or over on Hyperscale I recently retired after 26 years in the Navy, serving primarily in the E-2 C-2 community, with time in S-3s and a dabbling in H-60s (the might MH-60S Sierras rule baby!). My movers were less than stellar and despite what the pre-move survey person said about how well the kits were packed and that they would be left alone, they were not. First let me say I am not writing this to attack the movers. I did that in another forum and have moved past that anger and am filing the appropriate claims. The point here is the first picture that shows how I have successfully packed model kits for moves, and was somehow the only box they did not "add" items to, in fact it still had my tape on it so it was never opened. I got the idea years ago before the internet from an article in Fine Scale Modeler, and it works great. The box you see actually fell off a stack of boxes when the movers tried stacking them too high, the only damage a wheel came off one of the mains on the bottom Dora. If folks would like I can write an article in the general forum detailing the process,
so sorry bout the damaged planes, silver lining is its a great excuse to buy some more!
Yep!
I'd read the moving debacle saga a few days ago...but from the pics you posted, they appear to be "fixable" (parts came off rather than 'broke'). They're done too well to just toss 'em. Neat idea with the styrofoam, too.
I will be able to fix most of the kits, the Helldiver suffered some internal structural damage that may make reattaching the wing hard, and the USS Buchanan is missing parts and rails and such are pretty bent, now my dead uncles antique violin...
lets just hope the violin wasnt a stratovarius!
Hey Rob, sorry to see all the carnage. I worked for a company as their model maker making one-to-one scale models of engine parts. For their trade shows they had about 20 models of various aircraft made from different materials. After a trade show they subcontracted me to make repairs to all the damaged models. Then they paid me to come up with a travel box for them. Because they were being handled by roadies and not going to be given a gentle touch we built one large rolling box with smaller drawers, each drawer was layered in foam rubber with the outline of the aircraft being cut out at the required levels. It was so successfull that after that was built, I wasn't contracted to make repairs again. Your method is ingenious in its efficiency and simplicity. Its a shame that the moving company could not leave well enough alone. I would be very upset, but I have learned to look for a silver lining. You now have an excuse to ge busy and build more models, to fill in the voids in your display case!
Those movers need to meet a rope and a telephone pole.
Yeah, the thing that made me maddest was they left the planes in the foam, but wrapped heavy glass articles and shoved them into the open spaces. The HAD to have heard the wings breaking off as they shoved things past them. The Helldiver wing was under a heavy glass figurine, tell me he didn't hear a CRACK!