Blockquote
I may then pack the kit away for a decade or two
Makes me think of this:
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That is almost 100% accurate!
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Always open the shrink wrap when I get home. Rarely open the sealed bags, but I love looking at the sprues and figuring the size the finished product will be. Online is okay, but being able to get the view I want is nice. Also enjoy reading the instructions thoroughly and starting the mental planning process, even if I won’t be building it for quite some time.
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I will open them up once I get them into my hobby room and have time. I don’t always have time to open them immediately once I get them home and/or in the hobby room. Most kits nowadays, everything is sealed in bags, but I buy a lot of old kits are still sealed which don’t have everything sealed in bags. I have had more than a few car kits with messed up windows or decals because the tires ended up on top of them and started to chemically react. I usually bag up the tires and clear parts in their own bags.
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ALWAYS !!
You have to look to ensure there aren’t any short shots, major warpage, missing parts, and decals
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Always have to open up the model box I can’t help myself.
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I used to have zero discipline in respect of unboxing, even if a kit is just going to the stash. Lately I’ve tended to leave a kit be, but I do go and check out online reviews or builds to see if there’s a common thread about garbage parts that benefit from aftermarket replacement. This could trigger another round of online shopping, and my experience with aftermarket 3D Printed parts has taught me to leave plenty of lead time before I want to start building.
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That used to be my standard operating procedure. But as my stash has grown I have begun to worry if I will ever get everything built so I have kept more recent additions in the original wrapping figuring my kids can perhaps get a better price when the estate sale comes. But I am stubborn enough to try and finish them all before my end of days, so keeping the wrap on gives me more to look forward to.
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PaulC…that was my original thinking- value. But ive been to estate sales…the price for model kits amounts to a smidgeon. Theyre usualy lumped into a bundle and sold for whatever the attendees will pay…normally a laughable amount. There can be exceptions if the sale organizers know their game, but I dont have money to buy $60 Eduard kits, or collectibes. Any value mine might have is pretty low to start with.
But its worth a thought for those who DO go that route.
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The suggestion from my LHS, who does commissions, was to take a couple of their business cards and put them in the bins with our stash. This gives our kids a contact to sell them to somebody who knows what they are, and keeps it easy for everybody involved.
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My LHS also does estate sales. That is a good idea that I will follow up on.
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The other insane thing i do is i write the purchase info inside the lid of the box: price, date, retailer. Then if i wash it, i’ll put a bit of green masking tape on the outside so i can immediately identify which kits are clean and ready to be built.
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Im a hobby reseller, so I like estate sales as a way to get merch to list. My wife, of course, loves them, for the reaaons you can imagine.
Theres always somethig to resell, and once in a while - to keep.
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I always open my new models. Just to see what’s in them.
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I open the boxes and, if something looks off, I’ll open the wrapping plastic. I review the instructions to see if I need any paint. If I buy aftermarket stuff, that goes in the box. Everything gets noted on my scalemates account. I use hobby color converter to determine what paint colors match and which ones I’m lacking still.
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That reminds me, I do it also to make sure it’s all there. I had a brand new ICM OV-10A I bought for my birthday a couple of years ago. If came with the wrong decal sheet. I wrote them and they sent me a new set all the way from the Ukraine.
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Sit right down and open it, that’s half the fun of having a stash, otherwise, I could have just left it on the shelf at the store.
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Got a great deal on the Seasprite at spruebrothers sale + damaged box. Kit looks all in tact in the box - for sure open and inspect this one. And the Titanic will sit next to my 1/350 Minicraft whenever I finish it 
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Does that come with the iceberg?
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