How do you store you unbuilt kits?

[exhaust smoke]

I've been hearing/reading in lot of threads that some modellers experience problems with their decal sheets in older kits. I think that this may be down to how you store them.

I am a Building Surveyor during the day, and the loft/roof space of a house is designed to contain heat, and this may affect the delicate glues used for decals.

I, like many other modellers, store my unbuilt kits in the loft. However, I separate the decal sheets before they go into storage. The way I do it is to take out the instruction manual and all the decals in the kit. I place the decals face down onto some tracing paper/grease proof paper to stop them from sticking to the instruction manual. The whole lot is then place into one of those A4 size 'Polly Pockets'. Finally I place them into a rigid box file to keep them flat and out of sunlight. Store at room temperature and use when required.

Hope this little tip can help prevent some decalling disasters in the future

[GTi-VR6_A3]

most likely a wise way to store em. but i believe i like others just leave the whole package and everything in it on the shelf or stacked with stuff...

-GTi-VR6_A3

[Chain]

Thxs for that tip Exhaust.

Whatever decals and balances that I have, I leave them in the original box and they go straight into my storeroom.
But the decals do need to be face down on the tracing paper that came with it.

[exhaust smoke]

The latest Tamiya kits are particularly good, as they come with the tracing paper in bags, making storage a dream until needed.