The Energon Pub

hi guys, alittle advice would be great, cuz about a couple of months, my family are planning to move to a smaller apartment. so here comes the packing problem, because last time i packed all my plastic cheap figures mostly mcfarlane toys in one huge box so they're piling up like dead bodies. so naturing most of my figures have either broken arms, hands or paint chippings. so my question is how do you guys package your precious transformers, especially the masterpiece ones, cuz they're already of of its original boxes. so how can i avoid having them not to cause any unnecessary damages such as paint chippings and scrapes. any wise suggestion?

normally, i just keep the boxes for the more valuable figures and those that are more prone to damage....

Get yourself some bigger solid plastic tubs, preferably with lids (50 litres or so-whatever that is in gallons)

Get some old shirts/pants etc, or some you aint going to be wearing for some time.

Lay down the material at the bottom of the tub/container. Transform your figures into their most compact and solid form (usually is alt mode). and place them along the bottom of the tub, strongest and heaviest figures first.

once you have a full layer, place another layer of material (or bubble wrap, but you'll need alot of it) on top of the transformers and start layering the next level.

Continue till complete, leaving an inch or 2 spare at the top and fill with material, then place the lid on top. If no lid, try electrical tape at intervals to create a mesh pattern. That'll keep transformers shifting around too much.

You can do it with Cardboard boxes, but they are easily broken and pierced by other objects.

Wear a mouthguard and 16 oz. gloves!!

Does anyone remember a while ago someone had packed all their TFs into a plastic tub and a lot of this person's toys had been discoloured? They had a photograph of Action Master Shockwave as an example, where the orange had turned grey (I think it was due to paint fumes but I'm no Dr. Scientist). How can that be avoided?

I'm moving out soon so this is also a relevant issue to me. How do you guys keep your toys from chipping/breaking?

Leonardo wrote:Does anyone remember a while ago someone had packed all their TFs into a plastic tub and a lot of this person's toys had been discoloured? They had a photograph of Action Master Shockwave as an example, where the orange had turned grey (I think it was due to paint fumes but I'm no Dr. Scientist). How can that be avoided?

I think that was because of the plastic fumes building up due to the tub being sealed away in the roof space (not 100% sure if thats right, but it was somewhere warm)

Heat made the plastic fumes worse. I guess that if you are going to store your figures in plastic tubs for long periods of time, airing of the tubs would be a wise idea.

Raymond101 wrote:I'm moving out soon so this is also a relevant issue to me. How do you guys keep your toys from chipping/breaking?

For a simple move however tubs are the way to go, they are water proof, easy to balance and stack (if need be), and alot tougher than cardboard boxes. If you want to protect your figures even more, individually wrap them in scrap material/bubble wrap before layering.

Counterpunch...
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SnapTrap wrote:Counterpunch...
These posters need you....

i_amtrunks is right. His method is what I recommend.

I'll add these things to what he said. All of this pertains to long term storage:

1. You have to air the plastic out. Every now and again, 6 months or so, open the case, take everyone out and let them sit for a week on a shelf or desk. This should beat any kind of fuming issue in the tubs.

2. I recommend white bath towels as packing material. Wash them without detergent prior to using them for packing. They provide great protection.

3. Ziplock baggies are bad. Left over residue can cause plastic degredation. This won't happen for sure and it's not the actual bag that's the problem. The fixing agent that is used to cure the plastic bag is occasionally not cleaned out entirely. That's what will corrode the toy plastic.

4. Heat is your mortal enemey. Freezing cold ain't too good either, but heat causes breaking and chemical changes to the plastic.

5. I personally do not recommend bubble wrap. It breaks, pops, and has old stale plastic-y air in it.

6. Helocopters on top.

7. Pack G1 stuff in longer, less deep containers. It keeps weight off of them.

8. Follow i_amtrunks' method of stacking, etc. He's knows what's up.


I am currently packing up my MASSIVE AECC collection. Beast Wars and RiD are going up on the shelves. All of this stuff has been on my mind lately.