Loose 1/6 parts are like the missing socks

I’m sure just about everyone here can relate to this.  I don’t have a lot of spare 1/6 parts lying around, but I do have a few ziplock bags in various sizes.  Somehow this cross from a knockoff PVC statue I bought years ago got mixed in.

Every single time I took those bags out, there it was.  “Bah!  There’s that cross again!  Where’s the thing I’m looking for?!?

So I’m putting together a figure, and last night I thought “Hey, that cross would be perfect for this figure!”

Now the cross is nowhere to be found.  

LOL. Welcome to my world. I actually do have a ton of loose parts accumulated over time -- I really need to stop picking up new ones -- and they live in transparent plastic boxes and ziplock bags, cardboard boxes, paper bags, shippers, you name it. Your experience is totally familiar. And you know what makes it worse? When you try to get organized or straighten things out -- God help you find something afterwards. And not just the small stuff, too. Anyway, I feel your pain. But if you're like me, don't worry, you would not have thrown the cross away and it will eventually reappear. Hope springs eternal... plus, archaeological excavations and (re)discoveries can be fun.

Sorting stuff is the dumbest decision I ever made. As a kid, I had all the LEGO in one crate, all the tiny, little and big parts, and when I wanted to play, I emptied it all on a large blanket and flattened it so I could see everything at the same time. Much more intelligent than the sorting systems I experiment with today.

I have several dozen boxes of stuff in baggies. Each baggie is labeled with whatever boxed figure it came from, but there’s also miscellaneous items in individual bags (the ones they came in). Each box is then numbered. Some of the boxes are in cabinets, some are above display cabinets. I have a Pages (Word for Windows users) document with each box listed in numeric order. The boxes location is listed, and the contents of each box. When I’m looking for something I just do an Edit Search, and I can go right to the box. A crap ton of time saved.

Of course, now I have a butt load of stuff lying on the floor, tables, book cases, etc., that hasn’t been bagged up or documented.

Stryker2011 wrote:I have several dozen boxes of stuff in baggies. Each baggie is labeled with whatever boxed figure it came from, but there’s also miscellaneous items in individual bags (the ones they came in). Each box is then numbered. Some of the boxes are in cabinets, some are above display cabinets. I have a Pages (Word for Windows users) document with each box listed in numeric order. The boxes location is listed, and the contents of each box. When I’m looking for something I just do an Edit Search, and I can go right to the box. A crap ton of time saved.

Of course, now I have a butt load of stuff lying on the floor, tables, book cases, etc., that hasn’t been bagged up or documented.

I try to do all that, but often put it off until it is too late. At this point, I would have to sort through a lot of stuff, make some guesses, give up on others, and just organize things accordingly. One conundrum is whether to break up or not things that came as a set -- either a set as sold or items parted out from the same set. Break them up or keep them separate in a sets category. I used to be much better at keeping tracks of head sculpts. Alas, I'm far behind on cataloguing these.

I bought these plastic containers that are for screws, etc., from Home Depot that lock together that have compartments that can be adjusted that are perfect for storing spare heads.

Stryker2011 wrote:I bought these plastic containers that are for screws, etc., from Home Depot that lock together that have compartments that can be adjusted that are perfect for storing spare heads.

Oh, you know I have head boxes... problem is being systematic in filling them with catalogued content...

My stuff is just .... a mess. I don't have nearly enough storage space in my current house (need to rectify that), so all my spare parts and storage boxes are just in big stacks or piles, sitting around in plain sight. A bit of an eyesore. Though thankfully I almost never have guests over, so...

I think we all suffer from this! I am currently looking for grey T-shirt that I put up safe, so safe in fact, I can't find it!

A couple of months ago I picked up a small pot of black paint and started to shake it when it flew out of my hands. I watched it fly across the room and saw where it landed but I still haven't found it.

BAMComix wrote:I think we all suffer from this! I am currently looking for  grey T-shirt that I put up safe, so safe in fact, I can't find it!

There’s no easier way to lose something than to put it somewhere safe where it won’t get lost.  Unfortunately, I do that with important things as well.

The other thing I have to watch out for is that we have cats and no carpeting, so if they find a loose part before I do, they can bat it to God knows where. I’ve found things like 1/12 hands that have traveled from the bedroom in the back corner of the house to the living room in the front corner of the house under furniture, throw rugs, etc.

Haha, I can relate. As an artist, I tend to have a messy working area, but I tend to know where a pencil, brush, pen is despite this. Every time I clean up and organize, I spend hours finding that trusted pencil or pen, defeating the whole process of organizing haha. I hope you find that cross!

I found it. It was under the flap at the bottom of the cardboard box that I keep my ziplock bags of 1/6 parts in. It must have fallen out of one of the bags when I was rummaging around and gotten stuck under there.

Isn't it such a relief when you find the smallest thing, not because you couldn't live without it, but because it was eating you up on the inside.

Here's how the master of collecting (or HeMustNotBeNamed) does it:

The following applies to 1:6 loose parts (not bodies/heads).

Start with the following.

Organize into the following categories.

Accessories (i.e., not weapons or pouches)
Clothing
Footwear
Headgear
Weapons

Once the preceding is done, then organize/sort further based on how one prefers.  Use of plastic bins (i.e., Sterlite shoe box size bins ) and assorted plastic bags with using labels makes things easier.

Yes.

I know the preceding is obvious and may be viewed as being too complicated by some.

Glad to see he is keeping an eye on us and sharing his wisdom. Mark, I think you may earn a cool but ominous sounding title (perhaps suitable for Darth Stryker) -- Sole Prophet of He Who Shall Not Be Named. As for clothing, that's in fact a big part of the problem -- it would help to sub-divide it between male and female, between genres (historical/fantasy, modern, futuristic), and even the simpler classification implies breaking up sets (e.g., those that came with both clothing and footwear).

Great tips.

I also tend to sort by universe and tribe. But for me it blends with the crafting supply stuff.

Like everything white and with a mirror or chrome parts get in a white clean Mirror People box, then there is sea shell equipment in woven baskets, a wooden box for the forest people for leather, furs, wood, totems etc....well it sounds much more organized than it really is, haha.

Oh and all my guns are in one box. I just realized I have quite some guns, but no character wielding a gun. (except that one shotgun in the avatar, but it is outdated.)
There are these wall racks that came with these model kit guns, they could be used as wall decorations.

I inherited quite some tool and nail boxes etc from my dad, all of them are in 1/6 use now. But do I really need one compartment each for a head, or would it make more sense putting them in separate plastic bags and throw them in a box, maybe? Oh and those hands...

And while we are at it, where do all you people store the male tbleauge and jiaou doll appendages?

Ovy wrote:And while we are at it, where do all you people store the male tbleauge and jiaou doll appendages?

LOL. You had to go there. For the sake of saving space, I store each TBLeague or Jiaou body (male or female) in a ziplock-like plastic bag, labeled with the body product name/number, and all the extra hands, feet, etc., that it came with. Then the bagged-up bodies go into dedicated cardboard boxes or plastic containers. When bodies are borrowed for clothing and kitbashing for a long while, leaving their bags and extra accessories behind, it can be a little hard to remember which bag they came from, but the labeling and accessories left behind help with the matching.

Whenever I put a figure on display I include a container (briefcase, crate, barrel, antique chest, shopping bag - depending on the theme) and store all the excess appendages and accessories for the figure in that. It keeps everything together in one place, I don't have to label anything, and it helps to fill out the scene.

shazzdan wrote:Whenever I put a figure on display I include a container (briefcase, crate, barrel, antique chest, shopping bag - depending on the theme) and store all the excess appendages and accessories for the figure in that.

That is a really neat way to do it. Cool idea.

I only keep small items in organizers that I got, the thing is that I still have to search through at least 6 of them because I forget where that little piece I need is. But it's better than dumping my two big plastic crates and then spending an hour or more looking for the tiny piece. That's basically the extent of my organization.

shazzdan wrote:A couple of months ago I picked up a small pot of black paint and started to shake it when it flew out of my hands. I watched it fly across the room and saw where it landed but I still haven't found it.

This is great! How many times have I dropped and item and thought “ At least I know where it is.”, only to be stumped when I finally search.

The only “sure fire” I have right now is are large and shallow tubs for my hands, boots and jumpsuits ( love me some jumpsuits!).
Everything else seems to wind up in box lids, for easier sorting and spotting. I occasionally upsize the lids, if they get too crowded. I still can’t find things when I look for them.

Yesterday I wanted to make a mold with air drying/hardening clay. As I was kneading I realized I should get the sculpt ready as the clay was already starting to get brittle. I had already made an attempt the day before, but now I couldn't find the sculpt! I looked everywhere! I remembered hearing something fall to the floor the other day so I searched the floor, too! Under the armchair, under the cabinets, many a corner, boxes,...

In the end I found it exactly wehre it belongs: In the cabinet, inside a plastic bag (which wasn't see through). The bag had looked empty and I really didn't think that I had put the sculpt back in there, thinking that I had kept it at the ready for the second attempt. D'oh!

Needless to say that after all that the clay got brittle and the mold was useless. Third time's the charm!

Welcome to my world, Diana. Better luck next time.

Ovy wrote:And while we are at it, where do all you people store the male tbleauge and jiaou doll appendages?

Haha. Truth be told, I actually USE them. Not the… ahh… “soldier standing at attention” version, but the “sad, defeated little boy” version, as it makes pants look more natural, as opposed to the castrated Ken Doll look. The other ones… they’re floating around in the boxes somewhere all lonely and not getting any attention from the female TBLeague’s probably feeling dejected.