Moving a dinosaur collection

[ZoPteryx]

So sometime early this summer I'm going to be moving out of state, from southern California to Montana.  Now, I've moved plenty of times and have always taken my dinos with me, but this is a far larger and potentially longer ordeal.  I don't know what my living situation is going to be, so it might be several years before I can properly display my collection again, not that it's all on display now or anything. 

I'm looking for tips on how to best move my collection.  Packing, scrape protection, stuff like that.  It don't have any fragile model kits, I'm mostly just worried about warping and paint rubs in the long term.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! 

Btw, I will be downsizing my collection too, so watch for a classified add sooner or later.  That goes for any Lego collectors out there, too. 

[BlueKrono]

Funny... I'm moving everything I own tonight and tomorrow. I've packed almost all of my plastic dinos into boxes. Hopefully they won't shift around too much and get rubs. With smooth surfaced toys more vulnerable to rubs, brittle plastic, resin, metal or figures that might be okay in a box but are so rare I might never obtain another I'm transporting them in a fragiles box - layers between bubble wrap and not too many either so the weight isn't significant.

[Libraraptor]

Bubble wrap, adhesive tape, boxes.

[BlueKrono]

If you have time to individually wrap and tape everything that's great, but when your collection is the size of mine time is of the essence. So as not to pile too many fragile things on top of each other you'll want wide, sturdy cardboard trays, preferably with a lip. The ones that fruit comes in at the grocery store work great. I know Costco gives them away for free, but I don't know if you have to be a member. They use oodles of them every day, and they just get recycled if customers don't take them. Simply lay down a layer of soft foam, bubble wrap or towel and place the figures on the tray, spaced far enough that they don't touch each other. Then you've got an easily transportable unit. Even better, if they're the same kind of fruit trays they stack, for inside the car or moving van.

[ZoPteryx]

If you have time to individually wrap and tape everything that's great, but when your collection is the size of mine time is of the essence. So as not to pile too many fragile things on top of each other you'll want wide, sturdy cardboard trays, preferably with a lip. The ones that fruit comes in at the grocery store work great. I know Costco gives them away for free, but I don't know if you have to be a member. They use oodles of them every day, and they just get recycled if customers don't take them. Simply lay down a layer of soft foam, bubble wrap or towel and place the figures on the tray, spaced far enough that they don't touch each other. Then you've got an easily transportable unit. Even better, if they're the same kind of fruit trays they stack, for inside the car or moving van.

Good tips, thanks!  The thing I'm going to have to remember most is not to over pack the boxes, that probably leads to the greatest risk of figures getting warped and squashed.

[UntidyVenus]

I know this thread is older and reviving it is frowned upon (what's thetime frame btw?) But I have some excellent tips for moving figures cross country for the person who searches and finds this thread.

I have moved from California to Michigan and back with a collection of Breyer horses (all sizes, so you can imagine ) MLPs, and my Chinasaurs, and I pack them all the same way with never an incident, even when being dropped a story by "helpers" ugh. Poor Black Beauty...

Anywho, I get white tissue paper, the kind for bag presents, from the dollar store usually. Like A LOT OF IT.

First was some up and pack between the legs, so it's firm but not warping them. That way you can stack them and store them without legs warping or taking extra pressure. Then wrap each figure on tissue paper , crinkling it so it adds more bulk and air pockets. Tape if necessary, but I rarely need to except for larger pieces.

I prefer plastic storage tubs like rubber maid or the like. Place the larger or sturdier pieces on the bottom and lighter and more fragile pieces up top, adding balls of crunched up tissue paper in between. Pack the tub firmly but not to tight, you don't want the figures rolling around. I personally like to write a list of who's in what tub and place it on top of the pile last before securing the lid.

I also use shipping tape to secure the lid for transport, just in case. I have done this for all my moves and still have a beautiful, unscuffed 1/9 scale Belgian horse from middle school (in storage at the moment, in tissue paper)

Good luck!!

[BlueKrono]

There's really no taboo on reviving old threads if what you have to say in them is relevant, as yours certainly is. It'll give you a warning if nobody's posted in the thread in over 300 days or something, but there's no reason you can't if you have something to add. It's certainly better than starting a whole new thread on the same subject.

[Takama]

As what Blue Krono Said.

There is no problem in reviving old threads here.

However i understand why you may be worried, as on other forums, reviving an old thread is seen as taboo or somthing.     

[UntidyVenus]

Thanks guys so much! Still learning the ropes here and appreciate the laid back bone of this group :3

I also forgot to mention get the white paper not colors because the colors can bleed and stain your figures. The white may turn yellow with age but has never damaged any of my figures, of all kinds of paints and plastics

[stargatedalek]

If you're only transporting them and not storing them you can use shopping bags, very easy to wrap things securely and make fore great cushioning. But they can in theory cause paint damage if left for a long time or in excessive heat.

[ZoPteryx]

I know this thread is older and reviving it is frowned upon (what's thetime frame btw?) But I have some excellent tips for moving figures cross country for the person who searches and finds this thread.

I have moved from California to Michigan and back with a collection of Breyer horses (all sizes, so you can imagine ) MLPs, and my Chinasaurs, and I pack them all the same way with never an incident, even when being dropped a story by "helpers" ugh. Poor Black Beauty...

Anywho, I get white tissue paper, the kind for bag presents, from the dollar store usually. Like A LOT OF IT.

First was some up and pack between the legs, so it's firm but not warping them. That way you can stack them and store them without legs warping or taking extra pressure. Then wrap each figure on tissue paper , crinkling it so it adds more bulk and air pockets. Tape if necessary, but I rarely need to except for larger pieces.

I prefer plastic storage tubs like rubber maid or the like. Place the larger or sturdier pieces on the bottom and lighter and more fragile pieces up top, adding balls of crunched up tissue paper in between. Pack the tub firmly but not to tight, you don't want the figures rolling around. I personally like to write a list of who's in what tub and place it on top of the pile last before securing the lid.

I also use shipping tape to secure the lid for transport, just in case. I have done this for all my moves and still have a beautiful, unscuffed 1/9 scale Belgian horse from middle school (in storage at the moment, in tissue paper)

Good luck!!

Very good information, thanks for sharing!