One of my stepdaughters brought these models for me to go through and see if there’s anything I would be interested in. Everything appears to have been in a flood, all boxes show water damage and I’m pretty sure all decals are not salvageable. I am going to try and clean everything and inventory all kits to see if they are complete. At first glance I can tell some kits have been mixed up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on cleaning, and should I re-bag the sprues since there appears to be mold / mildew on the original bags.
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Wow! Now that is interesting, where did that find that stash?
Decals might be okay if they are in their own bag as sometimes they are.
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She and her husband buy surrendered storage units, but they traded with a reseller to get these kits since I like models. That tote with the yellow lid is also full. As for the decals, they are in the larger bags with the sprues unprotected and others were in the instructions.
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Looks like mostly armor? Not as many decals for those. I hope you end up with a few keepers.
Scale mates has a database of pretty much every model ever, along with the manual you can print, which would give you a sprue list. That might help sort out which sprue is which if the instructions are toast.
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I would wash the sprues in Dawn detergent and warm water, let dry and then bag in new ziplocs. The decals may be gone but there is a robust aftermarket for them.
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Washing and rebagging makes sense,some look like decent kits
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That’s a heck of a stash, probably close to $500.00 worth of models…
Mildew, soak in bleach water and allow to airdry should handle any squirrely things…
Scalemates will be your friend as far as most instructions and replacement decals…
Yes once cleaned of the flood damage the usual wash/dry cycle with dawn before building should handle anything else… Definitely rebag afterwards… You can probably save most of the boxes by allowing them to open air, sun dry, any mildew remaining will not withstand the UV rays of the sun… Mildew grows in dark dank places…
Lot of work but worth it…
Enjoy…
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@Mrlion1026 it looks like you’ve received great advice from everyone else. I would have suggested the same. As for the decals, since it’s mostly armor, I’ve seen stencils you can buy that allow you to paint the insignias and large lettering for 1:35 scale. Buying something like that might save you some money. Cause aftermarket decals can be pricey.
Can’t wait to see your first build from this stash.
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I go along with everyone else’s advice about washing the parts, air drying them, and then bagging them in Zip-Loc bags. That first picture reminded me of when our basement flooded many years ago and I lost so many kits!
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I appreciate everyone’s input, and I’ll do my best to get them clean. The tote under those boxes is also full. I’ve always been interested in building cars and planes, but I think I’ve just been guided toward another facet of this addiction called scale modeling
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Thanks for tip. I have a bagged up Eduard Sopwith Camel that is looking for instructions. I will check that out.
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I thought of your situation when I saw this Tom.
You may love armor. Very forgiving, sometimes its like building junk yard cars!
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