The show was great as it was aligned with the Atlanta Model Figure Society. Overall there were about 500 models and figures on display or entered. Since I had to fly up to Atlanta, I needed to pack my models and store in the checked luggage........No, I am dead serious, so much so that I was asked by one of the guys in the AMPS club to write an article and take pictures of how I packed the three models and successfuly transported both ways without incident.
First thing to realize is that this will not work on all models. Plan in advance by making antennae, turrets etc removable. I had to select my Shermans as the antennae are on the turrets which were easily removable and wrapped separately. Using light bubble wrap, I set the turret and made a tent by taping the ends over the antennae.
The wrapped turrets were laid sidways in a padded plastic container. Another layer of bubble wrap was laid over them secuting them in place before putting on the lid. As these were light, they had no means of sliding or crashing into each other.
The hulls were permanently attached to bases so had to be extra wrapped. Bubble wrapped in one direction, taped and wrapped 90deg in the next layer. Each layer taped securing the bubble wrap with the excess folds over the hull.
These were also laid into a separate plastic padded tub. Several more layers of wrap were packed to keep the bundles from sliding. No room to move once the lid was fastened.
These were packed with my clothing so the tubs did not move and could not open. The only unfortunate circumstance was that I didnt have room to bring much back from the show. I did end up wrapping some small items and packed in te tubs along with the turrets and hulls. Dont forget to take the tape with you to re-wrap for the return trip.
Vince Barrale 2-22-12
1 comment:
Excellent post Vince! Extremely detailed with lots of pictures.
I would feel more confident now if I ever need to carry models while traveling.
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