Storing the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

Few times I've had to move, my sets have only ever been dismantled enough, and usually in chunks, so they can fit in their boxes for transport.

If I was reselling them at some point would be the only time I'd ever fully dismantle them and sort the pieces.

Now that is a neat feature, I guess I just pack them in a box. But I do need to make space for diplaying all the sets I am not using.

I bought a big box from IKEA. To get some space on shelfs again, I put the sets that are not on my 100% all time favorite list in there and moved it out of sight (attic). I will have to do this every year now but so far I am not missing anything that is in the box.

I'll keep them whole or in manageable chunks and then put them into a box, but usually they first go into plastic bags to ensure no pieces fall off and get separated. It also makes it easier to keep chucks of a given set close to each other. Sets are almost never fully disassembled, unless I've already decided they will be scrapped for parts.

There could have been yet another option, at least for Creator and DreamZZZ sets: Rebuild into one of the other models.

Loved the simpler times when most of my Legoland vehicles e.g. 621-2 fitted perfectly back into their boxes after building. Now it's masses of 84L Really Useful Boxes for built, unbuilt or dismantled into ziplocks (catalogued for easy location).

I usually store sets whole or separate easily removable modules like wings or sections of buildings. This used to be easier with older sets. However, newer sets are built far more sturdily and often can't be broken apart without working backwards to remove individual pieces that lock the set together. I had this problem recently with 76286 Milano. Pretty much the only sections that can easily be removed are the smaller wing fins. The larger fins are really locked in there, and they make the set extremely wide and difficult to store without putting pressure on them.

I put them in giant plastic tubs, with that nonslip stuff you can buy for your cabinets taped to the button with double-sided tape. Works pretty well.

I have limited space and display only a few sets at a time. Apart from the few on permanent display like 75192, 21303 and 910017.

Dismantling is a bit of a relaxing prelude to (re)building another set.

Storage is unsorted, but per set in labeled bags or plastic boxes. Makes for a nice system of rebuildable stuff. And I don't sell anything, but I'm beginning to think I might have to...

BIG plastic boxes with lids, in which the still-assembled sets are stacked as carefully as possible to make best use of space. I've stored the sets that I didn't want to take apart this way ever since I was a kid, and I've always preferred it to dismantling; far easier to get them out to mess around with on a whim, rather than having to take the time putting them back together when all I wanted was to play around with one or two of them for a little bit!

Actually, I have more such box-space than sets to fill it these days... I got many of these large storage boxes - often from Lidl or other cheap places - for just such a purpose back in the day, but my collection has also never recovered its former size after I significantly downsized it a decade or so ago; so now I just use these boxes for anything and everything, and only two of them actually contain Lego...!

It also doesn't work for quite every set. My 6090 Royal Knights' Castle has always resisted efforts to store it this way, due to a combination of the chunky baseplate and too-tall towers that can't be easily removed in a single piece; but as the single oldest set I own, that's one that I find nice to have on display anyway so it's not often an issue in that particular case.

That said, I will grant that my collection has always tended towards smaller sets - I only have two over-1000-piece sets, and even both of them are ones that are easy to store this way as the Modular Building can be taken apart into layers and the play-scale Millennium Falcon is wide and flat which suits the boxes that I have - so I can see how this wouldn't be so useful a strategy for collections that include more big and bulky sets than mine does.

Usually keep the majority on display, but I do rotate out a bunch in December for Winter Village / Christmas themed sets. I like to dismantle them for cleaning before rebuilding and switching around different shelf displays.

Since I like to rotate my models every few months, then I always partly dismantle them. But I've always wished that LEGO would make their boxes of a size and dimension that could allow storage. I realise that this wouldn't always be possible (e.g. The Home Alone House), but in many instances the existing boxes are literally only a few centimetres too small. Anyway, it is nice to know that the Shuttle Carrier will fit!

If only I had room to keep every set assembled and on display!

Christmas village stored assembled in small plastic bins for easy display in November. Trains stored assembled in larger bins, along with random City vehicles. Large flagship Technic sets are stored in large ziplocs unassembled and those bags are in plastic bins. 76023 Tumbler is also bagged and binned. Everything else is either assembled and on display or sealed NIB in the closet :(

I take the model to pieces after a month or two of displaying. It gets stored in ziplock bags and kept in individual wooden boxes. These boxes are numbered and I have in inventory of which set is in which box. I have about 100 such boxes and these are all stored in my loft along with the flattened boxes and instructions.

I have dozens of Wham storage containers, mostly 32 l but also some of the 2 taller versions.

Storing the lighthouse assembled is a pain.

I only ever disassemble a set when I am selling it, which is rare.

When not on display, I dismantle them by following the instructions backward and sort the pieces in numbered plastic bags and then those go in one large bag with the set number on the label xD

It's quite the hassle but it makes things so much easier to rebuild them later on...

All sealed in the closet. Boxes that cannot be stored in the closet are landscaped and stacked all together inside a large box and trunks...

The contents of the stacked boxes are stored new and sealed in large ikea SAMLA boxes, or similar. As efficiently as possible to save as much space as possible. In the background are the instructions stuffed in Ikea zipoloc bags.

I only build a few things to display at home. The rest is just buy and store new. It is not known if one day it will be put together. The important thing is to buy and have the largest collection possible, even if it is never built.

I have standardized sizes of white cardboard boxes that are cheap, lightweight and completely stackable without overhead. Sticker applied with image and number to find the set.
The biggest box is 30x21x15cm and takes in one standard modular building perfectly. Heights of 10 and 5cm are for smaller sets, half size and quarter (15x10,5x5cm) for very small sets (sometimes multiple mini sets go into one box to avoid box usage overkill and stored air, i.e. all small m-tron sets).
This system didn't cost much and is very space efficient. Handling all the different sizes Lego boxes come in was a complete nightmare for me.

Sets are disassembled (re-building is fun!) and parts are sorted roughly into huge parts, bricks, plates, small plates and "various", that's enough to find them fast when rebuilding without the need for extensive containers.
All my sets sooner or later get stored that way, impossible to display them all and forever.

I dismantle them fully, and don't sort the parts, before storing them in the box. Yes, even for huge multi-thousand part sets! I sort the parts when I want to build them again.

All of the above depending on the display presence, useful parts in the inventory, size, theme, and personal attachment to the set in question.

It is interesting to read all the different means people use to store their collection. I am right now in the process of reducing mine because I have no space anymore!

For the most, I just dismantle them and put unsorted in plastics boxes, one or two per box. I also usually follow the instructions in reverse order to be sure of having all the parts. But after reading some comments, I think a better method would be to put them first in small bags then in the box, at least for the preferred sets.

I also keep most of the original boxes flattened, exceptions are the little boxes like Speed Champions: these I do not keep.

The next question is how to reclaim even more space because even packed plastic boxes still take some. Sell? Give? This is where i am right now.

Nunca armar y almacenar las bolsas originales de la manera más comprimida posible en cajas de plástico ikea Samla. Así tu colección será casi infinita, como la mía...

Like some others here, whenever I’m out of display space the older, less presentable sets get taken apart or retired to suboptimal areas of the house and replaced by newer versions of similar subject matters, unless it’s something that holds nostalgic value. As I primarily use them for display the newer sets almost always display better than the old, although admittedly they have lost a bit of their blocky, simplistic charm with the focus being increasingly on realism and form over function across a number of themes, especially technic.

It changes depending at what stage (volume of collecting) you are at. Starts off by putting back into original boxes partly disassembled, then when you run out of room putting partly assembled into individual crates (by theme) then the boxes got flat packed. But at the stage now that am running out of space for crates & need to start breaking down fully into zip bags, but with so many un-built new sets to build wanting to waste time taking apart is poor time management. It also boils down to storage space vs time of which I seem to have less of both. Not sure what the future holds for an obsessive hobby like this!

Due to limited display space I frequently rotate sets out. Those that are rotated out and put into storage are typically put in Ziploc bags from S to XXL or even clear recycling bags. Minifigs/loose minibuilds/extrusions are packed in smaller bags and put into the larger bag. And then these bags are put into boxes with other sets and put into storage.

I'm confused. I don't understand one of the words in this article. What does dismantle, mean?

I find dismantling and sorting sets a really good way to unwind, so I actually enjoy the recycling of shelf space (thank you Brickset readers for the Covid era storage inspiration!)

I’m at the stage where a lot of the large castle sets from the past few years need a recycle, and I’ll give the Mario Kart sets some more space, then there’s justification for buying something new to fill that space!

I have a whole system for this:

Step 1: Build set(s)

Step 2: Disassemble and put in bags (big sets by order of original numbered bags or at sensible division points if it wasn't originally divided). I've labeled these with bag number, set name and what part of the set is included

Step 3: Box up. I put the bags in bigger ikea bags (all of the max size type) so that the bricks lay flat. I keep those bags of a set together. These big bags are then sorted by the set's theme. These are then put stacked in moving boxes, which happen to fit two stacks side by side. I've in turn tried to keep themes together that are related. The boxes are labeled with a post-it that can be switched out. And they are stored on a storage rack now!

Then after a while I repeat step 1!

If I want to build a specific set again, I know exactly where to find it. And since everything's grouped I can even build the other sets of its theme along with it :)

An issue with this is that new sets are hard to fit in, as it's rarely ideal to add one set's bag when the sets I already owned fill everything already. This requires a periodic reorganization, which is a pain. So new sets usually take a while to join their respective themes.

A thing I've noticed with newer sets is that bag division is getting more arbitrary and sets sometimes stop at a weird point in the build. I often have to open instructions to check if I disassembled the right parts for a given bag number. Also, newer sets need smaller bags because the parts are getting so fiddly.

Not a ringing endorsement for this set.

"You can put it away, out of sight, VERY easily!"

Bionicle had some experiments in storing a set in its canister as a way to also display it, you could peel the back sticker off a Bohrok canister and use a hook to attach the model upside-down in a sleeping position in the canister. Stack a bunch of canisters together like that and you'd create the image that the Bohrok were sleeping in a massive hive. I know why LEGO discontinued plastic canisters like that, but when I think of using packaging to display a set that is unbeaten. Imagine a big UCS Star Wars set or one of the LoTR sets now having a fold out backdrop on the box? That would be a similar effect and would give fans a reason to display the set next to the original box.

Never off display.

Except for holiday displays (Xmas, Halloween). Those get carefully bagged and placed in large cardboard boxes until the next year.

@Huw said:
"Thanks for the interesting comments. I am slightly surprised that relatively few poll respondents break their sets for MOCs, but I guess most here are collectors rather than MOCers.

If the question was asked at Rebrickable the responses would almost certainly be different."

I’m guessing the poll being in an article explicitly about storing sets in their boxes may have passed by some casual MOCers who don’t store models by set?

I take mine apart and put them in a few gallon-size Ziploc bags (quart-size for small sets) labeled with the set number. I'll number the bags if there's more than one (60052 has like three if I recall correctly), but I don't bother sorting them out further beyond that. I figure that when I decide to rebuild the set, it won't particularly matter if the parts are sorted or not - the big ones, like 42025, are always on display anyway (21309 will be... eventually... when I find somewhere for it...), and sets that can fit into just a few Ziploc bags don't quite have enough parts to really make it worthwhile to sort them out further.

That or it's straight to the unsorted random parts bin. Rest in pieces, 75105...

I have very little display space, very little room to work on MOCs, and very little protection from dust or UV light in my house. Because of that, I rarely leave any individual set or MOC out for display, play, or building more than a week or two. Instead, most of my collection is stored in plastic ziploc bags inside plastic bins. I like small sets, because they are easy to take apart and put in a single convenient ziploc bag without further sorting. For large sets, I prefer those with modular structures so that I can take apart each module separately and store each module in a separate ziploc bag inside a larger bag for the entire set. I sort large sets with non-modular unibody structures by color or shape and bag each sorting category separately when taking them apart for storage, because I hate sifting through big piles of parts looking for the one little part I need when putting them back together again.

My collection and my storage techniques are in desperate need of reconsideration. Most pre-dark age sets are stored in bags, either disassembled or intact. My Star Wars sets are either on display if good representative models (ships, etc.) or disassembled for MOCs if the build was meh (Microfighters, etc). Modern castle sets are intact, collecting dust, and waiting for a better display system.
All in all, kind of a mess right now…

The poll doesn't have an option for dismantling a set and throwing all the parts in a bag without sorting them at all, which is what some of us do! :)

@Desbug said:
" @MisterBrickster said:
"Some sets I dismantle and store in plastic bags by set, but I don't sort the parts from the set itself. Other sets I part out and sort into my parts collection. Some I just sell on. I'm trying to be better about valuing the space they take up rather than just the money I paid for them.

This does actually lead me to a frustration with modern sets - they are an absolute pain (often literally) to take apart compared to the sets of my childhood. I can see how this makes them more robust toys, but it doesn't really feel in the spirit of Lego sometimes. I usually end up with a sizeable backlog of things to disassemble."

I have this problem... sets that need to be dismantled and sorted, but unlike building them that's not quite as fun an activity, so there's a middle stage of Lego Purgatory... "

My prime dismantling time used to be on long video calls where I wasn't needed to talk. It's a pretty good low-brainpower way to keep your hands busy. Sadly I rarely get those now, although maybe thats a good thing!

I completely sort them into boxes by bricklink categories

I dismantle the whole set into plastic bags, label the bags and store them in a plastic container.

Dismantle fully, sort the parts in numbered bags per instruction and then store them in the box

I used to dismantle everything as a kid after a week or two and put it all in the parts bin for MOCS. I gradually parted out the sets in adult years, before sorting into bags. Now, my children have arrived and do I let them mix everything up for MOCs? I don't want to go all President Business, but it was years of work aaargh. Also TOP TIP: put rubber tyres in a separate bag for each set, in case like one my 2000s sets the oils leach out and make everything sticky nooooooo!

I find that most sets can fit in their box without taking them apart. If they need to be dismantled it’s usually only partially, most sets these days come together/apart in a modular fashion.

When I swap out models on display, I only take apart in large chunks, that are easy to put back if needed. Zip-lock each section, loose parts, then put in a clear bin.

I have only a few sets on display at a time. Once I am ready to display a new set, I take the old one apart and put the bricks back in their original numbered bags. This is tedious work, because I need to disassemble the set in reverse order of building. I seal the bags using gaffa tape and put them in the original box. As @greenhorn wrote, I can then enjoy the building experience again a couple of years later.
I am actually very unhappy about the new paper bags, as they can't be resealed

If it’s a set that I like enough to want to display it again, then I break it down and bag it (usually all in the same bag unless it’s a larger set). If it’s not a set that I’d be interested in displaying again then I do break it down and sort the parts for MOCs. One thing that’s nice about just bagging a set is the fact that if I need a very specific part for a moc, I can search it up on brickset and find exactly which set that it’s in, and then go and find the bag with that set.

I have a serious case of OCD whenever I dismantle a set: I use the building instructions backward and put all the pieces in there respective numbered bags. So, when I build it again, I can have the exact same experience because all the parts are in the right numbered bags. Most of my 'rotating' display sets are large Technic sets.

I have a few 'permanent' display - I guess you can catch my favourite theme - they are: 10283, 21309 (with a gigantic launch pad/MLP/LUT 25K parts), 21321, 10266 and 10497 (with a custom baseplate/space station and a few MOC vehicles). And soon 40767.

@Huw said:
"Thanks for the interesting comments. I am slightly surprised that relatively few poll respondents break their sets for MOCs, but I guess most here are collectors rather than MOCers.

If the question was asked at Rebrickable the responses would almost certainly be different."

Sets bought for the set stay built as sets. MOCs stay built as MOCs. The twain shall never meet...unless they get displayed together at a show. But stuff that goes to shows stays packed at home because it's just too much trouble to pack everything up once a month. You asked about sets, not MOCs.

For the most part, large sets stay assembled and on display. If a display-type set is small enough to fit in a quart Ziploc bag when disassembled, then I do that and put it away, eventually. Sets that are (at least mostly) intended for play also get dismantled, bagged, and put away, usually more quickly than the display stuff. Which reminds me, I need to take apart some Brickheadz to clear space for 40803 and 40804 when I get them!

@Huw said:
"Thanks for the interesting comments. I am slightly surprised that relatively few poll respondents break their sets for MOCs, but I guess most here are collectors rather than MOCers.

If the question was asked at Rebrickable the responses would almost certainly be different."

That’s me! Everything gets completely disassembled and sorted by part for MOCs. Sets get disassembled and sorted almost immediately. MOCs might last a little longer, but pretty quickly get disassembled and sorted to make new MOCs. Nothing on display. None of my friends even really know about the LEGO closet in my house, like a little secret Narnia-type space (surprisingly full of endless rows of floor to ceiling Akro-Mils drawers and great space for imagination).

@PurpleDave said:
" @Huw said:
"Thanks for the interesting comments. I am slightly surprised that relatively few poll respondents break their sets for MOCs, but I guess most here are collectors rather than MOCers.

If the question was asked at Rebrickable the responses would almost certainly be different."

Sets bought for the set stay built as sets. MOCs stay built as MOCs. The twain shall never meet...unless they get displayed together at a show. But stuff that goes to shows stays packed at home because it's just too much trouble to pack everything up once a month. You asked about sets, not MOCs."

I agree, two separate categories. Most sets (by number) I build once then split for parts, a small number of sets (the biggest by number of parts plus a few particularly interesting smaller ones) I disassemble into a (unsorted) bag to build again another year. So it's difficult to pick a single option.