I'm moving my home office into an office a few minutes away from home this weekend, and I'm taking my 3 Detolfs and all my toys with me. Has anyone done a short move like this where they didn't fully pack all their toys away into their bags? If so, how did you pack up your toys for the short move?
Clean socks are great temporary movers for smaller figs, I used them when I take stuff out and about to photograph or whatever and they'll be riding in a backpack.
i'm also a fan of thick socks. For thinner toys you can just slide them into a sock and you're done. Great way to protect against rubbing. I also used carlton towel/paper towel (i think that's what you guys call it). Just quickly wrapped it around a toy and folded it like an enchilada. no tape. Even for short moves, I prefer containers over bags though. just for extra caution.
I used plastic bags from the grocery store and cardboard boxes for my move. Just anything that won't allow any vinyl to vinyl contact (or paint to vinyl), then keep them snug in a box so they won't dance around during transport. And don't let anyone else handle that box unless it's you! I like the sock idea, wish I though of that.
yeah, I remember ASPrinting going and shattering a pane really easily. safer to take apart or to leave whole? Im prepping for a move soon too.
Yup. I moved mine three times and shit man no matter how careful they just don't hold up to good. The doors started to stick and hard to open. Mine are in storage and who knows how bad they are now.
Luckily the shelves probably cost less then any one of the many toys they display. Never had any luck moving one either. Even being very careful they just aren't right afterwards.
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm thinking about doing something similar, but using plastic wrap instead. Do you guys think that the plastic wrap would be too thin to protect the toys though? I've actually moved my Detolfs a few times now (longer moves than this one) with no issues. What I do is remove the shelves and then put light blankets inside the cases.
plastic wrap is my first choice. it adds less bulk (helps to fit more toys into a container) and is unlikely to accidentally come undone. since the toys don't shift around due to the slight tackiness of the surface, they don't bump/rub against each other during transit. bonus: you can see what's what without unwrapping first. and, if you're careful, you can reuse the sheets multiple times.
When I moved to my current apt 6 years ago (had a lot less toys though) I just chucked them all in plastic bins layered with t-shirts. Worked fine. The detolfs were a two man job to the moving truck, but once in I just surrounded them with couch cushions and pillows. They were some of the first items on so they were completely surrounded and unable to move. Might be moving in the next few months and I AM NOT looking forward to packing up my collection this time around at all. No way I'm bubble wrapping 500 or so toys.
Brotherfromanothermonther! Plenty of good ideas in here, toweling and t-shirts have all been applied, but the sock method rules my world - essential for a field trip!
I agree with plastic grocery bags, sandwich bags work too for smaller figures. My last move i put all my sofubi in the poly bags but i never kept em paired to the headers or figure so i just have a box full of bags and just put whatever fig fits. Also i never had a problem moving a detolf, i bought secondhand or was gifted all 3 of mine, all built. My doors are def sticking or hard to open causing domino effects but i just removed one of the metal covers that magnets attach to.
Sock idea is great for smaller figures wish I would have thought of that the first time I moved. Like many, I use plastic bags in boxes, each toy single wrapped. Toys always separate from their headers/inserts. Also, its important to keep the toy from rubbing on itself (arm on tight, etc.) so keep that in mind when packing in your figs.
I wrapped my toys in very soft white paper towels (handy because a roll is continuous, and you can tear off as much as you need), then packed wads of toys in plastic bags, and put in cardboard boxes. After your move, and depending on your patience, you can unroll the paper towels and re-use. No scuffs, and everything came through perfectly--not only toys, but delicate ceramic sculptures too . Good luck with the move!
Update: I moved this past weekend, and used a combination of wrapping toys individually in paper towels and pieces of bubble wrap that I had from tons of previous shipments. When unpacking, I didn't find any scratches or rubs at all, and everything went very smoothly. I'd highly recommend that technique to other people who are thinking about how to pack toys for a short move!