JediDefender.com Forums
Collecting => Collector's Tips => Topic started by: Scott on April 7, 2003, 01:17 PM
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I use Plano Tackle Boxes to store my loose figures. It is sweet cause you can adjust the height of the slots and keep the weapons below each figure. They harken back to the days of the vintage cases...
(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/4-03/plano.jpg)
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how cute and useful.
(http://adwoff.com/ubb/graemlins/teddypink.gif)
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All of my loose figs are in individual Ziploc bags and then placed in Rubbermaid containers (the shallow ones, about 12" deep) and then are stored in the closet in the spare bedroom. I have absolutely no room for any of my collection and most of it's packed away. This way they're out of light, smoke (wife smokes), and no weapons and accessories get lost.
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Hey OCB (does that stand for Old Country Buffet?) where do you get those tackle boxes?
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Hey OCB (does that stand for Old Country Buffet?) where do you get those tackle boxes?
Whoa boy, did you just open a can of worms. ;)
I'll let Scott (OCB) explain.
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Nope, my name doesn't stand for Old Country Buffett :P
I can link you to our username thread though...
http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?board=28;action=display;threadid=642
I get them at Wal Mart but I'm not sure if Plano still makes this case. They are in the Sporting Good section though
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Just curious here... why do you "store" your loose figures? Wouldn't you want them out for display purposes? If you don't need those Stormies let me know and we could work out a deal.
;)
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I stored my old loose figures in a bonfire at the age of 15 (prime pyro days). Melted them into a big blob of Kenner plastic and I still have nightmares about it!
Otherwise I'm in dustro's boat... I display them. I assume that OCB has this profoundly emmense collection and not enough room to display them. Or he's currently in the process of cloning an army of ICMGs (notice he conveniently has ICMG on a stand in the image) and doesn't want to get plastic shavings and dust on his nice and clean troopers...
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Kind of, having recently moved I needed a way to store the stuff while in storage and in transit. I also have 100+ figs just waiting to be customized and extra versions of Vader and Maul that don't have homes in my display. Just an easy way to keep it all together Plus if you play with you stuff you need a way to put them away when you are done :-*
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My loose figures are on Real Stands on a shelf. My last 17 figures & rare ones are in a cherry wood display case with a mirror backing & a nice glass front.
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I have a few of my loose figures in hard plastic boxes that are just the right size for 3 3/4" figures. I don't know what the boxes were made for, but my husband had a few and I put them to good use. :) The others are in snack sized Ziplock bags -- just the right size for a figure and weapon. The backcards are stored separately in a box (yep, I opened my figures and saved the backs, for the pictures, going right back to my 12-back Luke and Vader, the first figures I ever owned. I even same some of the blisters and those little bits of cardboard the figures stood on). Someday I hope to package the backcards together with the figures and their blisters and their little pieces of cardboard, either in clamshell packs or larger baggies.
Auriette
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I have loose figures everywhere, there is no rhyme or reason. I have figures in my bathroom, living room, in with my sons toys, in drawers, in buckets, in my tool boxes, crates and even in a christmas fruitcake box :P. I have 4 display cabinets full, they have 3 shelves each and each shelf has around 30-50 figures. Its actually pretty organized, now that I think about it ;D
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I display my 400+ figures in dioramas, and on shelf units. My Cantina diorama has 70 or more figures in it, and my Geonosian setup has about the same. 140+ figures in two dioramas, and they look sweet in their natural suroundings. The rest are scattered throughout smaller dioramas, and shelf displays. The whole setup really impresses people when they first see it. This just goes to show, you do'nt have to be a carded collector to be cool. ;)
Get loose with your figs. ;D
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Geonosian setup has about the same.
....must...show...pictures. *Is a sucker for Genosian Scenes*
I keep mine loose, and falling on floor when a certain Clone decides to adjust my shelves. :-X
Kevin
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I used to just throw them into shoebox-sized palstic boxes and put the accessories in another box altogether. Now I'm in the process of putting them into Ziploc bags with their accessories, and putting them into some better storage. I have no room to display them all, so they spend a lot of time in storage.
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Count me amongst those who uses the Plano 3700 tackle boxes for storing loose figures. I simply don't have the room to display them, so this is the best alternative I could find. It gives each figure their own individual space, helps keep the right weapons with the right character, and the cases themselves don't take up a lot of space (well, when you've got about 45 of them like I do, they take up a bit, but not as much space as they would on shelves. :)
The cases themselves have become increasingly hard to find for me lately. I used to get them at K-Mart on a regular basis, but I haven't seen one there since last summer at the latest. A possible explanation for this is that Martha Stewart started selling a "similar" case to the Plano 3700 and we all know about her contract with K-Mart. The problem with this is that MS's uses a cheaper plastic (not nearly as durable as the Plano) and costs just under 7 bucks, whereas a Plano case was right around 4. Maybe with Ms. Stewart's "problems", K-Mart will start selling the Plano cases again and tell her where she can take her inferior products.
Every WM I've been to only carries the Rubbermaid style cases (they're almost exactly like the Plano 3700, but not quite). The annoying thing about them is that the lid does not latch very well when you close it and lock it, and it does not have the number of slot/separators that the Plano 3700 has. You kind of have to look to find the Plano cases these days, but they're well worth the investment.
Oh, and one other thing about the Plano cases: there are certain figures who will not fit in the cases for various reasons. Among these are the Darktrooper, Shaak Ti, Luminara, Graxol Kelvyyn, AOTC Deluxe Mace Windu, Ephant Mon, and Dexter Jettster. I found a solution to storing these figures (with the exception of Ephant Mon, who still won't fit anywhere and is displayed on a shelf) in a "deeper" Plano tackle box. It's about twice the depth of the 3700 and while it doesn't have as many slots in it, it does enable you to put the bulkier figures in a space where they can be stored easily. Luminara can even be stored standing up!
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my Action Fleet ships (I mainly collect Action Fleet) are stored in my room in the furniture drawers. They are protected from dust and sunlight. And i don't smoke. Each of them is protected by a bubble plastic bag I received with the CD's I have in my collection. My action figures are all in big bags, but each one is in separate bag and then put in bigger bags.
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Right now my loose collection is stored in a handy container called a 10x6 self-storage unit. :(
When I moved, I surrendered all of the space required for my collection to “normal” life things… like clothes. I brought the loose figures along in hopes that they could go up on a wall somewhere, but that just didn’t happen.
Instead, I bagged them individually in little Ziploc snack baggies, which are just big enough to fit the figure and its accessories. Then they’re piled into larger Rubbermaid storage tubs from Target.
BTW - It’s always fun when you go to the grocery store and buy about 8 boxes of those little snack baggies. The looks you get are precious.
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BTW - It’s always fun when you go to the grocery store and buy about 8 boxes of those little snack baggies. The looks you get are precious.
yeah, i actually did just that about 2 weeks ago. with a little bit of luck, and some free time, my loose figures will all be in their new homes by this weekend ;)
(pics are forthcoming)
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Through the yrs. I've picked up a bunch of the plastic individual cases from Michaels(craft store) sometimes you can find them on sale which cuts the cost a little(still kind of pricey at around $1ea. (maybe less) I have one long shelf in my fireplace room with vintgae all in these cases(a few short of the entire loose run)
Keeps them dust free, and displays real nice.
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Just thought I'd post with some interesting news for those of us who use the Plano 3700 tackle boxes. I was in a K-Mart the other day and noticed that they have stopped carrying the regular 3700 box in favor of the 3700-2. The difference doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's actually going to make things a bit more cramped.
The good news is that it has even more slots for the dividers, so it can practically be used a loose weapon case there are so many individual compartments. It also has a new latch system (the reason for the -2, I suppose) that is supposedly much more secure than the regular 3700.
The bad news is that the new latch, while not sticking out much further on the outside, requires a greater amount of space on the inside. I don't know how to explain it, but the indentation in the actual compartments is about twice as deep as the 3700, making any figure that is stored in either of those two spots very cramped. I'm hoping the 3700 hasn't been discontinued, as I really like them and I never had a problem with the latches, but if it has been, I guess I've found a nice and slim compartment for San Hill at the very least.
Just wanted to give my fellow Plano fans a heads-up in case they hadn't heard about this.
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I found these Blister Packs which I am going to order. You can find them here: http://www.users.tpg.com.au/bigdover/
I live in Aust so its easy for me but I'm not sure if they ship overseas, so you'll have to ask.
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I've got some vacation next week, so I'm planning to take care of this collection storage problem.
It'll probably take me all week to do it, too. ::)
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Some of the cases I use can be seen here (http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=230&PRODID=71934). The compartments are big enought to hold most 3-3/4" figures. In some cases, I can get 2 - 3 figures in each compartment.
(http://images.containerstore.com/MEDIA/ProductCatalog/17270/17270.jpg)
They're a little pricey at $9.99 each, but I like them a lot.
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I have a question for you Plano fans:
As I wrote some time ago, I have been storing my loose figures in individual baggies, which are then placed in larger plastic storage bins. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been pulling them out to take photos, and have noticed something a bit concerning – the weight of the figures piled on top of one another is causing bending to both figures and weapons. I don’t think it’s a good idea to continue storing them this way and need to switch to a single-figure-per-compartment method – meaning I need a LOT of those clear storage trays.
I have 2 Shimano cases that Walmart carried a few years back. I really like them as they fit 12 figures comfortably without wasted space and have a nearly airtight seal, which is good to prevent yellowing. I don’t know if these are available at Walmart any more, and they seem to be very limited online, like they may have been discontinued.
So… Are the Plano boxes still available since last discussed in ’04?
Has anyone compared them to the Shimano cases? Are they a nice airtight seal like the Shimanos?
I’ve got to find a cheap solution to store, wow, like hundreds of loose figures. They’re just sitting on the floor and I’m afraid to back them all away to continue their bending process. Any input you guys might have would be wonderful!
-J
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I haven't checked for a while to be honest. You may want to check a sporting goods store if you strike out a Wal Mart. Oh, and check the craft area at Wal Mart, they might have something similar for storing beads and bows and junk.
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Jared, Plano is still making cases, although they are slightly different from in the recent past. The case that was pretty much the standard as far as SW figures go, the 3700, disappeared from most retailers near me overnight, and although I found a stockpile of 8 at an out of the way K-Mart six months ago, I had not seen any others until recently.
Plano apparently decided to upgrade their latch system on the sides of the cases (instead of being part of the actual mold, they are now a solid, and more secure, latch as a separate piece) and in doing so, introduced a few new cases (as well as sneaking the 3700 back onto the market).
Wal-Mart is the predominant carrier of the 3750 (I think) case. This has slots for 12 figures, but unlike the 3700, the slots are done in a fashion where the left-most six slots are horizontal instead of vertical. While this makes for a tighter fit on the vertical slots, this enables the horizontal slots to hold figures that the 3700 could not (such as Luminara Unduli, the Darktrooper, or Dexter Jettster) lying flat. The only drawback is that the new latch system actually takes away from the slot space on these horizontal slots, so many of the taller figures will still not fit in the case. That being said, I was able to fit Graxxol Kelvyyn (from Watto's Box) in three of the horizontal slots when I removed the dividers, so there you go.
There is also another case (3770?) that has the ability to make "angled" compartments. I don't have any of these, so I can't comment on how good they are, but it looks like it's the same size and slot distribution as the aforementioned box but with "flexible" tabs.
The classic, though, is the 3700. I have about 30 of these myself, and they're damn near perfect. They have also apparently just reissued them, although WM doesn't seem to be carrying them (I saw them at K-Mart), and they have the new latch on the sides. This is easily the best, the sturdiest, and the cheapest (4.00 give or take per case) case on the market for loose figures. I've been using them since 2000, and I could not store my figures in anything else. I even loaded up on these and the 3750 above so I would have room for the ROTS figures.
You can find the Plano cases in the fishing tacklebox section of your local WM or K-Mart, but KM seems to be the only place that has the 3700 "Classic" right now. Trust me, Jared, I swear by these things. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Oh, and the only figure I have that does not fit in either the 3700 or the 3750 is Shaak Ti from Saga, believe it or not.
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Thanks a lot, guys.
I found out more about the old Shimano cases from Walmart. They've been discontinued, and are now being manufactured with a slightly retooled mold by some company called "Arapaho" which Walmart is carrying, though I've checked several other Walmarts since finding them, without luck. I also found a place online that carries them and ordered 12. I prefer these cases since they are deep and have rounded bottoms to the compartments, which gives a bit more storage to fit larger figures.
I did manage to find five 3700s at Sportmart ($3.99) this afternoon, which are my first Plano cases. I like that they have more flexibility in how you can place the dividers, much more so than the Shimano/Arapaho ones. I can fit taller figures while still allowing enough room for a shorty in the compartment above.
I'm just going to mix and match as they seem to work fine stacked together.
There are still quite a few figures that won't fit in either case, at least comfortably. For those, I'm using the little plastic blisters sold on wholesalecases.com, and they work fine, with the only problem being I need to now get a storage container to store the containers storing the figures. ;)
I'm about 1/4 of the way through re-storing all of my loose collection. Whoa, boy... fun times.
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Just a follow-up on my quest for massive amounts of storage cases:
I found a dandy little supplement case today which has come in real handy - the Plano 3730 (I think this is the case you mentioned in a post last year, DocP). It is basically the same as the 3700 but 31/3" deep, which is enough to house all of the oddball figures that don't fit the standard case, like most of the dressier Padmes, the AOTC extreme-posed Jedi like Luminara, and the Sneak Preview Wookiee Warrior. The only problem is with how I've layed out the dividers. I've created three smaller compartments in the last row of the case. But what works out is that they fit 3 astromech droids stored upright perfectly.
I found the case at Sportmart. I've been checking every Sportmart I can find, and each has had completely different cases in the fishing department.
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Yeah, the 3730 is actually helpful in that it "lines up" perfectly with the regular 3700 (at least before they changed the latch sysem) and it gives you a deeper slot (har har) to put the larger figures in. I don't see this case nearly as often as the other models, but out of the way K-Marts often have them lying around at bizarre times of the year. This time of year is also the best time to be picking the Plano cases up, as sporting goods sections are stocking a lot of fishing equipment and this type of case is in demand from both the target market for such things, and from action figure collectors.
I also thought I would post and let everyone know on who will and won't fit in the cases. Not everyone will lay flat in the 3700, but I've managed to get all the Amidala figures into the regular 3700 case without fail. That said, here's who won't fit in the 3700 whatsoever, and what cases they will fit in:
POTF2: Darktrooper (3730, 3750), Muftak (3730, 3750)
TPM: Graxxol Kelvyyn (3730, 3750), Darth Maul (from Tatooine Showdown Cinema Scene; 3750)
POTJ:
Saga 2002: Shaak Ti (3730), Dexter Jettster (3730, 3750), Luminara Unduli (3730, 3750), Ephant Mon (won't fit anywhere), Deluxe Mace Windu (3730, 3750)
Saga 2003: Mace Windu (3730, 3750), Chewbacca (from DS Trash Compactor set; 3730, 3750), Barris Offee (3750, but only with cloak removed and placed alongside her)
Clone Wars: Rodian and Human Jedi (from three pack; 3730, 3750)
Clone Wars Animated: ARC Trooper (3730, 3750), Count Dooku (3730, 3750), Durge (3730, 3750), Asaaj Ventress (3730, 3750), Obi-Wan (3730, 3750), General Grievous (3750, but only after removing his head)
Saga 2004: Rappertunie (3730, 3750, but this is if you want to keep his harmonica and base with him), Budo (3730, 3750)
ROTS: Deluxe Darth Sidious/Palpatine (3730, 3750)
I've also found that the 3730 is an excellent case to hold accessories that are larger (such as Big Ass Cannons) and to keep stuff from the accessory packs (TPM or Saga) together so they won't get mixed in with regular figures. They also work pretty well for storing bases, but a lot of times, I just use a regular Rubbermaid container to hold all of those.
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I have maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of my figures in a Rubbermaid tub; the rest are scattered on shelves, my computer desk, stacks of books, and so on. Most are just strewn without rhyme or reason, but one bookshelf has a fairly organized Clone Wars display on stepped plastic mini-shelves (so the ones in the rear can look over the heads of the ones in front).
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I found something kinda cool for storing loose figures -- picked them up at Wal-Mart. They are open-front, stackable tackle boxes with removable cases that slide in and out. You can slide 4 cases into the front of the tackle box, and the cases are basically just PLANO 3700-type cases.
What's nice is you can stack these things (or even hang them from a wall, they have holes for that) and you're still able to slide out the cases on the very bottom. Really convienent, and the cases hold most figures, except the really large or action-posed ones. Probably much like the Plano cases. And the tackle boxes have handles too.
They're like 15 bucks each and in the Fishing section of Wal-Mart. There are two sizes -- the blue ones are the larger ones that I use, and then there are smaller ones that won't fit figures -- these are black or maroon, can't remember.
I'll try to post pictures, but if you're in a Wal-mart, check them out. They really made my life easier with all these loose figures. I just have 2 tackle boxes (8 cases/128 figures) for each movie, and 2 for EU. Works GREAT, and might be a little easier to deal with than just loose plano cases. Hell, the plano cases might actually slide into these things, I don't know.
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Have any of you guys who use the tackle boxes ever found the plastic to interact with your figures? Has there ever been any discoloring or figs getting stuck to the case in heat, or anything?
I'm thinking of getting some of those for loose figs that I need to store. I used to keep a bunch of loose figs bagged in ziplocs and stored in a plastic container, but I'd like to go with something that has individual compartments. I have way too many figs now to be piling them on each other in a big box. That's a recipe for disaster with all those delicate guys like battle droids and whatnot.
I thought I'd ask about any problems because I've heard people complain about certain plastics. I know one guy posted about wrapping some of his 12" figs in bubble wrap and said it turned R2-D2 yellow! I about **** when I read that and started worrying about all the ones I had in ziplocs. So far I don't think I've had any problems, though. One or two figs from the mid '90s seem to be a bit sticky, but I don't know if it's enough to blame the baggies....
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Ook, the only things I have ever had a problem with as far as plastic reactions in the Plano cases had more to do with the figures and their accessories than they did the storage medium.
I've had my figures in Planos since around the time of the 2002 AOTC product launch, and the only figures who have had adverse reactions are the following:
-Episode I Chancellor Valorum (paint on staff sticks to the figure)
-Episode I Qui-Gon Jinn (Naboo) (paint on cloak sticks to saber)
-Saga Deluxe Obi-Wan Kenobi (Kamino Showdown) (lightsaber hilt paint sticks to robe)
Other than that, I can't tell any reactions have taken place. I have read about Episode I era figures with painted accessories having this "stickiness" problem in general, so I doubt that has anything to do with the cases. As for the Saga Obi-Wan, I don't know. As always, it's really difficult to say as to how they will be in there long-term, but as yet, I've had no problems from them and it's much more convenient than digging through stacks of bags to find a figure too.
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Thanks for the input.
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I've meant to do an update in here but just haven't put the information together until now...
Target is carrying a new Plano-style utility case in their housewares section. Its roughly the same size but a tad deeper, while only being 3 compartments wide. What it gives you is a case that more easily accomodates action-posed figures or slightly oversized sculpts. They're 5.99 if I remember correctly.
Here's a comp next to the Plano case:
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Those look cool, Jared. While the 3750 has worked for me as far as larger figures go, they do present some problems from time to time and the more I use them, the less happy I'm becoming with them. These might be a good solution for the larger figures and, in particular, the Clone Wars animated figures, which are easily the most difficult figures to store due to the lack of articulation.
Thanks for the heads-up! :)
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i store my vintage figs in ziplock bags, they are stored by category (armyuilders, vintage, modern) in A4 paper boxes
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My loose figs… Vintage through VOTC (ROTS line won't fit)
Soon I'll be adding 2 Ikea bookshelves into the mix to spread out the figures a little and give them some breathing room…
(http://home.comcast.net/~jedijaybird/case.jpg)
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Nice display jjb. Awfully compact space for a ton of figures, that's for sure.
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This thread is kicking me in gear to get back to my shelving and get my butt to Target for some of those cases you have there Jared. I really need to start widdling crap down that I just don't really want displayed (not right now anyway) like the POTF2 figures.
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(http://home.comcast.net/~jedijaybird/case.jpg)
That's a nice unit. What are the dimensions? Got a model number or URL for a site?
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I bought it years ago from a HOM Furniture store for around $150.00.
Dimensions: 26" x 12" x 72"
It originally came with 5 glass shelves but I went to my local glass shop and added 4 more.
I'm using the case now for my Unleashed figures (the big ones), since I am in process of setting up new shevling units from IKEA for the 3.75" line.
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(http://www.jedidefender.com/spearson/jan26/cases.jpg)
Here was my stuff the way it was for a few long long months :)
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I'm thinking about getting some of these plano boxes. How many loose figures can you fit in each one (assuming standard figures and now squishing them too much). I've got most of my figures big rubbermaid tubs and I'm worried about the long term squish factor.
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Brent, it all depends on who the figures are. The majority of figures (height-wise) take up four slots; taller figures like Chewbacca, the other Wookiees, or R1-G4 take up five slots; Astromechs take up three slots; the smallest space taken up is by Yoda, who uses 2 slots.
On average, each case can hold 12 "standard" height figures, although this can vary. When I'm organizing mine, if I have a tall figure like Chewbacca, I will put one of the short figures like R2-D2 below him, so it ends up evening things out. If you had a box of all astromechs, though, you could have 16 figures in one Plano 3700.
There are some figures who will not fit in the 3700 at all, like Ephant Mon, Shaak Ti (Saga Version), Muftak, and the Darktrooper. As mentioned earlier in this thread, there are other styles of Plano cases and other companies' cases (as Jared posted) that can be used for these larger figures. When it comes right down to it, though, there is a lot of trial and error in figuring out who will fit and who won't.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask away as I have so many of these Plano things in various shapes and sizes that even if I can't answer off the top of my head, I can always grab one and do some experimenting to help out. :)
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I just display my figures on a shelf. It's cool, cause you can look at them and admire your own collection. I make sure to keep the ones that fall the most at the back of the shelf near the wall, and the figures that have no difficulty standing I put in front of the shelf. I have two average-sized shelves, and one can hold up to 100+ figures!
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I've been storing all my extra 3.75 figs in baggies in three drawer Rubbermaid storage. But for space efficiency I'd rather use average size plastic bins. My concern is, is that too much weight on the lower down in the container figures over one, five, ten etc years? Any thoughts?