Art with box art
Posted by Huw,
Here's an interesting article contributed by Soupperson:
Some of you might remember the series of articles on storage that was published here last year. I was always blown away by people’s collections and unique techniques!
One thing I’ve personally been doing to maximise my storage is getting rid of boxes. Once I entered my mid teens I began keeping all of my LEGO boxes but I soon ran out of space.
So, I did want most of the community does and flattened them. This worked for a few years, but I eventually ran out of space even for that...
I didn’t have the heart to throw them out as I really like LEGO Boxes, specifically the backs where they show the set at various different angles. But as my family did not want their rooms filled with LEGO boxes I had to come up with a solution!
What I came up with might horrify purist collectors, but I think it might appeal to the crafty side of the community: cutting the pictures from the boxes. I think this is a fun solution for those who like me want to keep a little part of the box when they don’t have space to keep the whole thing.
I also think this is a really fun activity for KFOLs or those who tend to throw out their boxes anyway to try. It also adds a bit of extra value and time spent with your LEGO purchase.
So, here’s a simple tutorial on what I do with my boxes.
First you get a box and a pair of scissors. I recommend a large sturdy scissors as it’s difficult to cut larger boxes that have thicker cardboard with the smaller ones.
Then you open the box.
Next you flatten the sides.
And end up with a shape like this:
Then you choose your favourite images on the box and cut them out. This can take some time depending on how sturdy the cardboard is and how strong your scissors are. From experience, I think cutting around the image’s border and keeping it gives the most visually appealing results.
The only problem is, you’ll have to look for images where the contents aren’t spilling outside the border, such as the book in the bottom right corner. If you want your borders to be straight or perfectly round I recommend cutting a larger section around the border first with the large scissors, then using smaller scissors on that smaller section going around the border.
Then you’re done! These take up very little space and can be stored in a very small box. It’s great every now and again to open the box and flick through all your past sets. It’s a lot easier doing that than flicking through boxes!
The cut-outs look great when lined up with pictures from other sets of the same theme.
Or even just muddled up with all the others.
If you’re on the more artistic side you can find more uses for them. If you get a strong adhesive you could stick them in a journal, on your bedroom door or in a scrap book! Or you could find a poster board and some pins and hang them up as a collage. Lastly, I think they can add some extra colour and uniqueness to a LEGO display:
Thanks so much for reading! I have so much fun doing this, and I really hope that at least some of you try it out. :)
223 likes
56 comments on this article
Thanks for sharing, Soupperson! This is a creative way to get some extra mileage out of set boxes and seems in line with some of the suggestions LEGO themselves put out!
This is pretty much what I did some years ago: instead of throwing it all away, I cut the logos of the themes (those are some of my favorite things with the boxes) and some other interesting stuff from the boxes. They're still somewhere waiting to be utilised...
Your cutting out skills are top notch, Soupperson! The images do look good together. I can't keep any sets at work, but I can make a little collage or two for my office from some of the smaller boxes that I've recently decided to get rid of. Thanks for the idea!
yeah, I do that, but I'm a bit behind :(
My son asked me to do this when he was little and I was about to throw out the boxes for his Star Wars sets. He put them up on the wall as posters.
Some of the box art are really nice. I do tend to cut and collect the ones I like. I'm still thinking about covering a wall with them in the near furute.
I remember our art and print shop had a badge making contraption, where you could sandwich your own image between the plastic cover and back before manually squashing together with the handle. So it was not long before we were producing unofficial Lego badges using images cut out of old boxes for our school bags etc. It was just a bit of fun 30 years ago and we never sold any, so TLG need not worry their lawyers.
I used to cut out the small section, with all the minifigures and their names, from Star Wars boxes when I was a child. I still have the cutouts.
Ever since I was tiny, I've cut out the pictures from box-art to keep, as you describe; I've always been a collector of pictures that I liked - to the extent where I used to cut up things that PROBABLY ought not have been cut up (like comics and smaller instruction booklets, WHOOPS), just so that I could keep the pictures all in one place. I went through a phase of trying to make posters out of them, too; but too many small images, not having great compositional skills as a child, and preferring to have the pictures loose anyway, put an end to that idea!
In the opposite way around to the article, it's actually only relatively recently that I've started keeping the boxes whole as-is; once I stopped getting Lego sets frequently, it became a more of a stand-out when I *did* get any, so I've been kinda keeping boxes intact ever since, just because... I don't know, really. Just because, I guess.
(Plus, I don't get many nowadays, so I've few enough to not take up a ton of space!)
That said, there are some cases where I'd love to get back intact empty boxes of a few most significant childhood sets, since I rather regret being so scissor-happy with them back then... xD
If there are any cut-out images that particularly appeal, you can put them in a picture frame made of LEGO. You could make the frame modifiable to accommodate different image sizes and shapes. When you get bored of an image or simply have a newer one you like more, you just adapt the frame to the replacement cut-out.
Wonderful article. Never have i thought about this kind of solution for the storage problem! It seems a lot of fun and creative, especially for my 2 boys. Might keep them busy for a while as well ??.
Still i’m hesitating if I should do this to my own specific set boxes.. ?
Wonderful article! Something I never fully thought about doing but I'm close to getting rid of boxes.. and yes they do really look great in those collages!
Back in the day I used to do this. I put some in my agenda, others I kept within larger boxes.
Until about 2005 set boxes used to have unique pictures on each side. So there would be alternate shots of the set, or shots of the playfeatures etc. Sometimes just a charming shot of a minifig doing their own thing with some parts of the set. And of course the alternate models, which took up quite some space from the back. I wanted to keep those, hence the cutting.
I miss old box art. It was so much fun to look at the boxes in the toy aisle. Now each side has the picture from the front of the box, and the back has one alternate picture, and maybe a second one with a play feature if you're lucky.
The Horror...
thats great, I love it, I can imagine a whole wall covered in this as a giant collage!
You had me at "What I came up with might horrify purist collectors..."!
••• Yes, I agree this article is horrifying.
••• Can't you do this scrapbooking digitally and print yourself a photo?
@ LegoSonicBoy, @yuffie, @LofElle and @andylego99 , thanks so much for the kind compliments! They mean a lot! :D
@mfg3000 you’re too kind, my cutting skills ain’t that good. There’s a lot of uneven lines if you look closely! XD I’m glad you’re willing to give this a try! It be neat to have a little collage by your workspace. :)
@TransNeonOrangeSpaceman, @punisher3564, @pv3020, @CT808, @ThatBIONICLEGuy, @Lego_lord , @Binnekamp it’s really neat to see you were all doing this before! I haven’t seen anyone talk about it in the community bedside today. :)
@Ambr that sound really creative and fun! LEGO shouldn’t be after you as it was free advertising. ;)
@Zander putting them in a LEGO frame is such a clever and simple idea! I wish I had thought of that before writing this! XD
@lORDoFTHEbOARD do try it with your boys, it’s a really fun craft activity!
Oh and once again thanks to Huw for letting me publish this! :D
I do keep all of my boxes because one day I may sell all of my sets and retire to the Caribbean! Seriously though, yes a great idea. Another display idea is to put them in lots of different sized picture frames and make a collage.
Great idea. For the last 6 or 7 years I have just recycled every box, but I have the 80107 Spring Lantern Festival box in my room right now and I'm on the fence about throwing it out because it's very nice. Maybe I'll try cutting some sections out to keep!
Nice article, I did shout at the Computer mind.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo but like a lot of things a Hobby and the associated habits divide opinion. I am definitely a box keeper, and regret loosing a few when I was a child. Luckily you can get instructions and in some cases scans of boxes online. In my day the backs of the boxes all had Alternative ideas so you had to keep them. I wonder if this may start a scanning project..... then maybe some of use hoarding boxes may be able to let go, if we know we can see a good quality image of them..... just keep the special or larger ones maybe and as I do keep a box within a box within a box. I keep instructions too and I know they are available online.....
I've kept all my boxes but yes, I'm breaking them down to flatten. Seems best to store in case of resale, but if you're tight on space or don't care for the boxes, I think just cut out the front face of the box art.
That'll be a good collector's keeper with the instructions and at times you can use the front of box as a nice diorama backdrop for display of the model.
This is what my brothers did for all their sets in the '90s.
Still horrifies me. Lol. That Skull's Eye Scooner would be worth so much more with the actual box...
Me? I wrap them in grocery bags and store them in sealed containers in a dark climate controlled corner up and down to prevent any aging or flattening.
A great idea! Using the picture-in-picture bubbles has an excellent effect, they almost look like they've been digitally cut and pasted! I keep very little packaging, but I've used some instruction booklets as wrapping paper for White Elephant events at conventions
@tink , well it’s either I bin the box or get some use out of it. xD Printing digital versions also costs a lot because coloured ink ain’t cheap and using my boxes is free once I have the set. :P
@CCC and meesajarjar72 , neat suggestions!
@Judgeguy , you can recycle the rest of the box when you’re done too! :)
@Lego34s I wish I had as much space as you to keep all my instructions and boxes. :P
@legoDad42 I agree that front faces can make nice back drops, but even the front faces of larger sets take up a lot of room!
@The_Creator I love how what you’re doing is the complete opposite! The LEGO community is so vast and I’m so happy to be apart of it. :D
Thanks for this article, it's so interesting to see what other people do with their collection!
I cut out the pictures of the alternate builds before throwing away the box for 7163 Republic Gunship because one is a great F14-like jet fighter. I never kept the boxes until around three years ago I started flattening just my Star Wars boxes because SW fans are nuts and will pay for random things later on. I don't keep the boxes for any other lines but I obviously keep the instructions.
I appreciate that Lego.com includes pictures of the back package for most sets. I like to see them even on sets I don't plan on getting.
NOT for kids but you can get much straighter lines quickly with a steel ruler and a good craft knife instead of scissors
I used to cut out and keep only the front and sometimes back of the boxes when I was a kid. Wish I had kept the boxes as a whole, knowing what fortune they are worth nowadays.
With current sets I just flatten the boxes, but it's getting to a point where storage space is running out even for those. So I might end up doing something similar to what you are suggesting. Looks great.
That's genius, thanks for this idea.
I'm selective: I don't bother keeping them for Technic, Creator and other lines that are not that collectable, but do for GWPs, D2C, Ideas and some licensed themes.
Right now I'm working on using box fronts / backs for an accent wall in a Lego work room. It creates a bit of an energy level for the room, and can also help inspire creativity. A mix of Star Wars, Ideas, Creative Expert, Technic and Harry Potter creates quite an explosive collage / wall-paper.
I remember cutting out the front image off the box and hanging it up like a poster. So maybe I will try something like this!
Every empty box has to go. If I ever want to take a look on a box art again, I'll come to this place. In my eyes this is an incredible waste of time and space.
I’ve got every box from every set I’ve ever gotten since coming out of my dark ages. But I also keep most of my legos MISB, so they’ve never been opened. The space they take up is probably equivalent to a small pickup load. It also makes it difficult to display the collection, that’s for sure
Nice Idea. My sone always want keep the box but I asked to throw them away. Now I will suggest little craft with boxes.
Recently I started "condensing" my boxes by slipping smaller ones inside bigger ones. Given how varied box sizes are, it's a lot harder than you'd think!
When I was little my parents tried cutting up boxes and putting small ones in a scrap book and using the bigger ones as posters. I used to have the back of the fire temple above my mirror staring over my bed. Quite fun.
While I understand the amount of plastic was bad for the environment, I miss BIONICLE canisters. Having the ability to actually play with the "box" was amazing, as was including connection points for actual models. At one point LEGO Even planned on packaging the lids of the Toa Metru with a larger vehicle to create a "Matoran Pod Carrier" but canceled it last minute. Real shame, as it was an excellent build!
Nicely done. I could never do that, but it does look nice as a collage.
I tend to just recycle all of the boxes that come my way. I never look at them again. If I want to look at the set I look at Brickset.
Now sadly the boxes from my youth were special and I could never part with them if I had any still. The flap lids on the larger sets. The plastic tray. I had so much fun staring at them in the store, especially the Pirates sets.
This is my favorite kind of Brickset article. I love reading about the different ways that fans enjoy this great hobby of Lego!
I only just recently began keeping my boxes, but only the larger or rarer ones for the possibility of getting some money for them on the aftermarket later. As others have said, you have impressive cutting-out skills! I don't think mine would look near as good! Great article, thanks for opening my eyes to new possibilities!
@GSR_MataNui said:
"Recently I started "condensing" my boxes by slipping smaller ones inside bigger ones. Given how varied box sizes are, it's a lot harder than you'd think!"
I was running low on space and the idea to do this came to me, if you spend the time to try and fit boxes in boxes it can save A LOT of space. I only do it with the same theme - to make it a little less confusing when hunting for a box. I also store my instructions, sticker sheets, and original packaging in my boxes so trying not to bend those while putting a box inside presents a bit of a challenge too.
@yuffie said:
" @shirhac said:
"Every empty box has to go. If I ever want to take a look on a box art again, I'll come to this place. In my eyes this is an incredible waste of time and space. "
Exactly. The only thing I think is odder than keeping empty boxes is keeping unopened sets. Lego is all about the building not hiding boxes in the roof/garage/under the bed in the hope of making a few quid by flipping it a few years later. Try Bitcoin if that's what you care about."
When I went into a grey ages for 6/7 years I forgot about a few totes of unopened sets I had - boy did that work out well. Significantly better returns than the stock market would have averaged over the same time!
Thanks for sharing. I had absolutely no idea that was possible!
Great ideas!
I couldn’t do it I don’t think. Feels a step too far lol.
I keep all my boxes and they were carefully stored in the loft until a year or so ago when I flattened them all. Except GWP’s which I keep sealed.
The flattened boxes are now piled up like a pyramid on a bed waiting for a hole to appear in the underbed storage area below.
Where hopefully they shall remain for eternity, and added too.
Damn my OCD!
I made a cut-out of the box of 41609 and play it as the "Chewbacca card" to my girlfriend if, in my view, she complains too much (imagine wookiee noises). Most of the time it makes her laugh.
great idea
@tink said:
"You had me at "What I came up with might horrify purist collectors..."!
••• Yes, I agree this article is horrifying.
••• Can't you do this scrapbooking digitally and print yourself a photo?"
I throw mine straight into the recycling! I’m sure you’ll agree that’s a far more heinous crime to the purist.
Unfortunately there are not that many of us that think this is horrifying project to do ... oh well. I am sorry, are we talking about Lego here ? Arts and crafts.com the other way ..
I used to do this as a kid! I thought it was fun to save the pictures. Now I just recycle the boxes, but my kids sometimes like to save the boxes to look at for a few days. It’s a balance between saving everything and having a livable domicile.
I find it funny that there are so many extremes when it comes to LEGO boxes.
From those who throw every box away right after opening it to those who don't open the sets at all, to anything in between. Then again, none of these "methods" are wrong, no matter how anyone of a different opinion sees it.
I keep some, nice and flattened. Most I recycle. Considering the sets I buy usally are beat up with clearance stickers, they're not worth much.
@AustinPowers said:
"I find it funny that there are so many extremes when it comes to LEGO boxes.
From those who throw every box away right after opening it to those who don't open the sets at all, to anything in between. Then again, none of these "methods" are wrong, no matter how anyone of a different opinion sees it. "
The same could be said about other aspects of LEGO too. And yet some people still deem it necessary to gatekeep the hobby.
Idea for the next articles, best and worst Lego box art?
Very interesting article to the great box debate.
Some very interesting suggestions and ideas.
I was wondering, with lego boxes being a lot smaller now compared to what they used to be, just how much space does one potentialy save. Either through getting rid of them all together or flattening. For example percentage wise?
I ask, as I too have run out of space and I really want Mos Eisley which I would keep the box for.
I don't know about purists, or space or whatever else but we keep all of our boxes because in our experience we have been able to get more money when we sell sets.
We live in an apartment and are able to store a 1000+ boxes and still not look like hoarders.
Our Legos are for fun, but also my sons bank account.
If we think a set will go up allot then we get several. But our plan was never to buy and sell right away.
Whatever makes you happy is what is best for you.
Cheers to all who build.
To each his/her own I guess. With 1950s/1960s LEGO sets, sometimes 90% of the value is in the packaging. For modern sets, which are made by the millions, I guess it doesn't matter as much, unless you need cash, and discover that having the box would have increased how much you could get in resale.
But this cutting out the box top image reminds me of what USA children used to do... take 1950s and 1960s baseball cards and attach them to the spokes of their bicycles with clothes pins, and ride them around making a motor type noise... until the cards were totally worn out and thrown away.
I wonder how many 1952 Mickie Mantle rookie cards ended up like that? Especially when high quality cards have sold into the millions....
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-01-14/mickey-mantle-rookie-baseball-card-record-sale:~:text=Sports-,Mickey%20Mantle%20rookie%20card%20sells%20for%20a%20record%20%245.2%20million,for%20a%20record%20%245.2%20million.&text=It's%20the%20Holy%20Grail.
Well to each his own... ;-)
Wow, this is a really nice idea. Unfortunately, it's come at the worst possible time for me, because a couple of days ago I found out that our garage is full of asbestos, and all my old Lego boxes need to be incinerated! I'll have to start again from the ground up...
From day one I have cut up all my boxes and have just kept the front and the back. I don’t collect Lego to profit from it. The only boxes I haven’t cut up are the Ideas and Architecture cause I find them more robust in quality. And I have one modular set box that is filled with fronts and backs of other sets.
@huw you are an evil evil man!! All these years I have managed to pitch my boxes into the recycling bin.... Now... I feel the overwhelming need to cover my LEGO room walls with vast collages of gorgeous box art!! Argh! .... *Quietly slinks down to LEGO room and eyes massive treehouse box maniacally*