Moving/Storing Completed Builds

[cubfan78]

I will be moving in the next year and half back to the mainland. How do you guys move with completed sets? How do you store them? I have started working on a small city using mostly creator 3-1 sets and houses. I am thinking about stopping these builds knowing that I have to move next year, it almost seems pointless. I have some SW sets that I can build in the meantime and I am sure other builds will come up too. Just not sure if working on the city makes sense.

Do I tear all the buildings I have already built down or do I just try to pack them and store them in a container?

[ISO8T0]

5 minutes ago, cubfan78 said:

I will be moving in the next year and half back to the mainland. How do you guys move with completed sets? How do you store them? I have started working on a small city using mostly creator 3-1 sets and houses. I am thinking about stopping these builds knowing that I have to move next year, it almost seems pointless. I have some SW sets that I can build in the meantime and I am sure other builds will come up too. Just not sure if working on the city makes sense.

Do I tear all the buildings I have already built down or do I just try to pack them and store them in a container?

How does the thought of starting from scratch on your city sound? If you are ok with that (which would probably be less expensive to move) then I think you have your answer.

I think you could tear down what you have over the course of two months or so. No need to prevent yourself from enjoying builds 12 months ahead of time.

 

[redghostx]

29 minutes ago, cubfan78 said:

I will be moving in the next year and half back to the mainland. How do you guys move with completed sets? How do you store them? I have started working on a small city using mostly creator 3-1 sets and houses. I am thinking about stopping these builds knowing that I have to move next year, it almost seems pointless. I have some SW sets that I can build in the meantime and I am sure other builds will come up too. Just not sure if working on the city makes sense.

Do I tear all the buildings I have already built down or do I just try to pack them and store them in a container?

This entirely depends on the sets you are building and how much you want to rebuild them.  Many sets can be separated by build and placed in ziploc bags, mostly built together.  Examples of this include Harry Potter, City houses, all of the winter sets, Arkham Asylum.

Modular sets nicely fit in any 12x12" box and the dimensions of a box of pallet wrap is 12x12 at the base and 16 or 19" high.  If you have a warehouse near you or work for a company that ships pallets of goods, then you have a source of 12x12 boxes.

Pirate ship sets can be carefully packed into boxes with the masts and sails removed with no damage.

Exclusives like the Mini and VW Camper Van are perfect sets to simply drop into a box together

Instructions perfectly fit into Large Flat Rate USPS boxes and can be sorted by set type.

Trains can be placed in either rubbermaid type containers or medium flat rate boxes, long type. 

I recommend that you gather some USPS boxes for Lego storage and buy the Extra large freezer bags.  Smaller sets can sometimes fit in Medium or Large freezer bags without taking them apart and simply take apart the ones that you want to rebuild.  I rotate my display sets 2-3 times a year and sometimes I take them apart and sometimes I don't.

Please don't use the Kragle and good luck.

[citymorgue]

That's a tough one honestly.  If you want to make it super easy, you can take them apart and enjoy rebuilding everything.  Or find a way to carefully pack them up individually and hope only a few pieces come off during the move.  I know I dealt with this a year ago, and it was a pain period.  Even though I only moved about a mile and half from where I was before, it still took like 4 car trips (with 2 cars) to move everything to the house before I even moved anything else.  I know the next time I move, I'll probably have to box them up, because I've expanded so much with my lego sets, doing that again isn't really going to be practical.

Or you could do the SUPER fun thing, and break everything apart, throw it in one big box and then enjoy the many hours of separating and rebuilding!!!

[cubfan78]

1 hour ago, redghostx said:

This entirely depends on the sets you are building and how much you want to rebuild them.  Many sets can be separated by build and placed in ziploc bags, mostly built together.  Examples of this include Harry Potter, City houses, all of the winter sets, Arkham Asylum.

Modular sets nicely fit in any 12x12" box and the dimensions of a box of pallet wrap is 12x12 at the base and 16 or 19" high.  If you have a warehouse near you or work for a company that ships pallets of goods, then you have a source of 12x12 boxes.

Pirate ship sets can be carefully packed into boxes with the masts and sails removed with no damage.

Exclusives like the Mini and VW Camper Van are perfect sets to simply drop into a box together

Instructions perfectly fit into Large Flat Rate USPS boxes and can be sorted by set type.

Trains can be placed in either rubbermaid type containers or medium flat rate boxes, long type. 

I recommend that you gather some USPS boxes for Lego storage and buy the Extra large freezer bags.  Smaller sets can sometimes fit in Medium or Large freezer bags without taking them apart and simply take apart the ones that you want to rebuild.  I rotate my display sets 2-3 times a year and sometimes I take them apart and sometimes I don't.

Please don't use the Kragle and good luck.

Thank you! This is pretty helpful. I will probably put all Modular buildings in ZipLoc bags by set, like you suggested and put them in some USPS boxes and stop building those. I do have a Ferris Wheel and Fairground mixer and about 6 mini mod's and houses that will probably just have to wait to get built. 

Kragle?

Thanks again!

 

[Guest brickcrazyhouse]

Kragle = crazy glue

[nerdsforprez]

I am military and so I move quite often.  I have never had a set get ruined, and I pretty much keep them together.  I created this page to provide tips, information and pictures for the community nearly a year ago. 

 

http://mocpages.com/moc.php/416912

 

Although I primarily build and buy Technic sets, I have plenty of regular sets that I have built and preserved over the years.  I think the main tip I can give is to first pack things in a box, and then (with other wrapping, bubble wrap, etc.) place it into yet another box.  Tedious and time consuming.... but it is better than having to take everything apart.....This is the best way in my opinion.......

[cubfan78]

4 minutes ago, nerdsforprez said:

I am military and so I move quite often.  I have never had a set get ruined, and I pretty much keep them together.  I created this page to provide tips, information and pictures for the community nearly a year ago. 

 

http://mocpages.com/moc.php/416912

 

Although I primarily build and buy Technic sets, I have plenty of regular sets that I have built and preserved over the years.  I think the main tip I can give is to first pack things in a box, and then (with other wrapping, bubble wrap, etc.) place it into yet another box.  Tedious and time consuming.... but it is better than having to take everything apart.....This is the best way in my opinion.......

Thanks, this was helpful! I am in the military too and retiring at the end of next year but have not done a move with Lego sets.

[cubfan78]

I did not want to start a new thread for this question so hopefully it gets answered here.

Is there any issue with storing Lego sets inside their original boxes in a garage? I live in HI and it is pretty humid here and a lot of salt in the air. Should I store them inside the house instead?

[jaisonline]

38 minutes ago, cubfan78 said:

I did not want to start a new thread for this question so hopefully it gets answered here.

Is there any issue with storing Lego sets inside their original boxes in a garage? I live in HI and it is pretty humid here and a lot of salt in the air. Should I store them inside the house instead?

if you care about tape seals possibly peeling , store them inside or get some form of climate control in the garage.

[cubfan78]

I don't care about seals peeling. I am a builder not an investor. I have about 10 sets that I am not going to build until I move in early 2018.

I was not sure if the Lego pieces themselves would be affected.

[gregpj]

39 minutes ago, cubfan78 said:

I don't care about seals peeling. I am a builder not an investor. I have about 10 sets that I am not going to build until I move in early 2018.

I was not sure if the Lego pieces themselves would be affected.

Humidity will not affect the pieces... but the boxes, instructions and any cloth pieces will absorb some humidity. Here's the thing... does the humidity/temperature change often or does it stay pretty consistent? If it stays pretty consistent then the situation isn't so bad... the boxes and instructions will absorb some humidity and stay like that. Fluctuations in humidity is what causes cardboard and paper to warp, etc. Essentially getting wet, then drying, getting wet, then drying, etc.

Since you're a builder, it's the instructions and cloth bits you might want to take extra care of. Open the boxes up and take them out. Put them in a sealed ziplock with a few packs of silica gel crystals. Put them back into your garage and forget about them until you move! The plastic bricks will not be affected.