Check your old Star Wars boxes

[Weaver]

I just took a couple of AMT Darth Vader TIE Fighters down from a top shelf and a shower of small and thin parts landed at my feet.

Reason? The ridiculously thin lower box halves had rotted through at the corners, allowing loose small/thin parts to fall through as soon as they were tilted. Easily fixed with copious amounts of parcel tape, but a long time was spent searching the not-exactly-tidy floor for all the bits.

As far as I know, this applies to all or most of the old AMT/MPC Star Wars kits as originally issued.

[su27rules]

  

[jcf]

I doubt that they expected that the boxes would need to survive 45+ years of storage and handling.
🤣

[Beermonster58]

Not a problem I have with kit boxes. When I get any model,usually the first thing into the bin (along with any p/e parts included) is the box!

I've got a supply of plastic envelopes (mostly A3 & A4  size that I put the kits into before then putting them into large plastic storage crates. They take up far less storage space that way
I only model in 1/72 & 1/144 so,it's probably not practical for larger scales. Doesn't always work in my chosen scales either but, the Only boxes I've had to keep are the Airfix V
bombers and, Revell 1/144 An-225. Everything else is crated up 😊.

So I can keep track of what's where ,once everything is crated, I print off a list of the kits inside. The envelopes all have a self adhesive sealing flap

[zenrat]

They are yours to do with as you wish of course, but for me the box art is an important part of a model kit.  Both when buying it and when browsing my stash looking for inspiration or deciding what to start on next.

[Beermonster58]

They are yours to do with as you wish of course, but for me the box art is an important part of a model kit.  Both when buying it and when browsing my stash looking for inspiration or deciding what to start on next.

That's fair enough 👍🙂. Box art does not make any difference to my choices because it's the content of the box that counts. You can have beautiful box art and, a collection of crud inside.

They could be sold in plain boxes for all I care as long as its a subject that interests me.

However,that's just me😂

[zenrat]

I need the pictures to remind me what they look like half the time.

[NARSES2]

They are yours to do with as you wish of course, but for me the box art is an important part of a model kit.  Both when buying it and when browsing my stash looking for inspiration or deciding what to start on next.

Totally agree   

[Weaver]

Of course the other thing you could do, to have the best of both worlds, is cut the top of the box off, put it in the bag with the rest of the kit, and then throw the rest of the box away. Arrange things correctly and it'll help protect the decal sheet too.

Another downside to throwing the boxes away is that it reduces the second-hand sale value of the kits. You might say that doesn't matter to you when you're doing it, but things change...

[Rick Lowe]

And apparently/allegedly there is a market for collectable boxes - not the contents, just the boxes themselves.
I have a few older ones I'd like to get rid of, having already built the kits, but as always the postage will be the deal breaker...

[Beermonster58]

Another downside to throwing the boxes away is that it reduces the second-hand sale value of the kits. You might say that doesn't matter to you when you're doing it, but things change...

Well, that's certainly debatable and, it's true that it doesn't matter to me anyway. I don't personally think it makes any difference except maybe in the case of collectors.

I did recently sell second  hand, unboxed examples of the Revell 1/72 Ju-290 A-7 and, 2002 edition of the Airfix 1/72 Shorts Skyvan.
They eventually sold for £67 and £34 respectively. That's on a par with existing second hand prices for boxed examples so, I'd need convincing that the absence of a box really makes a difference.

Doesn't necessarily mean you're wrong but, from where I sit, it suggests the contents matter more than the boxes

[Beermonster58]

Another downside to throwing the boxes away is that it reduces the second-hand sale value of the kits. You might say that doesn't matter to you when you're doing it, but things change...

Well, that's certainly debatable and, it's true that it doesn't matter to me anyway. I don't personally think it makes any difference except maybe in the case of collectors.

I did recently sell second  hand, unboxed examples of the Revell 1/72 Ju-290 A-7 and, 2002 edition of the Airfix 1/72 Shorts Skyvan.
They eventually sold for £67 and £34 respectively. That's on a par with existing second hand prices for boxed examples so, I'd need convincing that the absence of a box really makes a difference.

That does not of course necessarily mean you're wrong but, from where I sit as the seller, I respectfully suggest the contents matter more than the boxes 😉😊👍