Attic storage for your model collection??

[Icon Modeler]

I sent this email to a friend of mine who uses his attic for storage of his model collection. While I wait for his reply I thought I would post it up to see what you guys all thought about the idea.

I was wondering what you have done in the attic so that you can store your collection up there. I'm starting to do the same kind of set up and started by installing a attic ladder. Then I have scooped up all the blown-in insulation so that I can see the electrical runs and re-route them accordingly before laying down the plywood deck. After I sort out the electrical I will spread the insulation back down before laying the deck. I'm doing a area about 12 foot by 15 foot. It is the majority of the attic space available, the rest has AC ducting strung out across it or it pinches down to a space too small for a fat guy to use anyway. Part of the attic is wasted by the vaulted ceiling of the master bedroom, damn vaulted ceiling. I also plan on installing at least one attic fan and would like to insolate between the roof joist with the foil backed roll type of insulation. I have been thinking of walling off the area and finishing the inside with drywall. Also splicing into the AC with a small duct to the new storage space. The biggest question I have is what is the acceptable tempiture to store plastic and resin models at? I have removed all decals & tires from the plastic kits and have them stored in a closet in the AC. I was kind of hoping to avoid having to do this with the resin stuff.

Any info or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks to all,

Icon Modeler

[2.2 Straight six]

mine just sit under my desk, i don't have that many. i think there are 10-12 kits there. they just remove my much-desired leg room. the attic's not so suitable at the moment, it's full of stuff and i want to build a spray booth in the second level (i have an odd house).

[klutz_100]

I would have thought that dust would have been the biggest problem - so keep them in a dustproof case.

I keep my finished models in shoe boxes in the cellar so I don't keeping being reminded what went wrong

[exhaust smoke]

My day job is a Building Surveyor, therefore, I hope I have reasonable knowledge of how buildings work .

The attic space is basically a massive insulation space of a building (at least that is the case in the UK, but let's assume that all properties are the same! ). This means that unless you have a means of ventilation, i.e. a skylight, heat is contained within this area and in the summer months the roof space will become extremely hot.

I store kits in the attic also, but I make a point to remove all the decals and window masks and store them at room temperatures. I store them in the A4 plastic pockets with the instruction manuals and in a box file. This way, the glues and inks will be preserved as best as possible until you are ready to build the kit. If you do not, the intense heat will damage the decals, which will lead to problems with adhesion, cracking and potentially yellowing. Where possible, I will store the kits together in a large cardboard box. This will help to prevent problems with dust.