How do you store your NIBs?

[Colt Seavers]

I hope this isn't a weird question. I have a few NIB kits (re-releases actually), and I don't know what I am going to do with them in the future. I hope to build some of them but that will have to be when I have a lot more spare time. If I don't get round to building them I really want to keep them in as nice condition as possible. I have a few NIB Hotshot kits from 2007 which are already starting to go 'off white' and they have been kept wrapped in plastic bags away from any sunlight. Do you try to keep them away from heat or cold?

Again, I know this sounds a weird question, but you know how obsessive we can get about these things!

[MadInventor]

My one NIB that stayed NIB I sealed in the bag it came from in the shop with parcel tape, then stashed it in the loft.

All the others were built and then stored covered in dirt, grass, mud, etc

[Tamiya1/10]

Think of your nibs are like you. Too warm or cold is not good along with too much humidity or too dry is not ideal to store your nib. Ideally, s/b stored at room temperature with R/H at around 68% and away from uv. The plastic and rubber parts wont turn yellow or dry out and the metal parts wont rush. I think a walk in cigar store room is best provide one can affort to set up such room.

[bromvw]

My one NIB that stayed NIB I sealed in the bag it came from in the shop with parcel tape, then stashed it in the loft.

All the others were built and then stored covered in dirt, grass, mud, etc

not quite all of them Martin - that cc-01 you sold me was in almost mint condition .

[Tamiya1/10]

Disagree with Tamiya1/10, as long as they are not stored in direct sun light or outside in a damp shed, they will be just fine. After all they are plastic, metal and rubber, in no way pervious to temp. fluctuations like that of a human being, what nonsense. Just look at the condition of some of the vintage kits we still see today, they weren't stored in hermetically sealed boxes, more than likely, the attic!!!!!!!

Unless your attic is insulated than that is fine. I don't think a thin layer of shrink wrap offer much sealing. Usually hot temp. comes with high humidity and cold temp low humidity. Right temp. and proper humidity with no UV are keys to storing NIB for a long long time. In a the attic or garage for a few years is properly find without doing to much but keep it up there for 10, 15 years and see what happens when the summer is +35C and winter is -10C. The extend on how you set up your storage is how much money you have and how long you intend to store it for. Keep in mind human can regulate the temp and repair itself, metal and plastic last i heard cannot do either. Before you call proper storing nonsense, find out first how long the vintage kits were in storage, under what conditions and the geographic location. My point is temp and R/H are two key factors beside UV for proper storage, which maybe extreme and nonsense to you.

[Champ85]

Here are a couple of links that describe what can happen to rubber due to temperature and moisture:

http://www.epm.com/storage.htm

http://www.rlhudson.com/O-Ring%20Book/selecting-aging.html

We could argue that RC tires are not made out of the same rubber as o-rings and rubber seals (I personally do not know the exact type of rubber used by Tamiya for their tires, and it probably varies depending on the particular tire in question), but due to the basic nature of rubber and the components that make it up, it's going to be affected in similar ways as the rubber o-rings described above. Some rubber compounds do generally last longer than others, so perhaps Tamiya is using those compounds for their tires.

The Smithsonian says storing rubber in cold temperatures (at least for some modern rubber compounds), results in the best shelf life:

http://www.si.edu/*******/english/research/past_projects/rubber_deterioration.html

(The webmaster must be color blind to have picked gray text on a blue background.)

In general, high temperatures (>80F consistently), high humidity levels, ozone, and even oxygen in the air contribute to the general deterioration of rubber. It oxidizes, changes molecular bonds internally, and is weakened over time. This is true even with great storage methods where the temperature, humidity and air quality are maintained at optimal levels. Rubber simply doesn't last forever. I think Tamiya is doing a good thing by wrapping kit tires inside a plastic bag. While not hermetically sealed, the bag helps keep the air around the tires from moving around and thus limits the amount of oxygen that gets to them.

Next on the list is the plastics in kits. Depending on the type of plastic, it can lose moisture (ie. nylon parts), making them more brittle over time. Other plastics out-gas molecular compounds into the air and weaken internally while doing this. This has been discussed here many times in regards to vintage parts that appear to be more brittle than there re-release counterparts, even when the plastic compounds are the same (or supposedly the same) and have not been stored in a lighted area.

"Deterioration mechanisms in weathering of plastic materials" (PDF):

http://archive.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc18642/nrcc18642.pdf
In general, light, heat and oxygen all contribute to the deterioration of plastic parts with varying degrees of degradation depending on the specific compound.

Finally, there are the metals. For the most part, most metals used in RC kits are impervious to temperature, leaving only humidity as a factor to consider. Steel parts are especially prone to developing surface rust in high-humidity locations, especially in storage rooms that vary in temperature as well. Aluminum will oxidize over time, although once it gets a coating of oxidation, it will stop because the coating creates a self-protection mechanism for the part. Anodized parts generally won't oxidize any more than they already are. See: http://www.engineerguy.com/elements/videos/video-anodizing.htm

Condensation is probably the worst thing that can happen to kit parts, and that includes plastic, rubber, and metal. The water molecules (micro droplets) that form on parts that are cooler than the moisture-laden air can destroy rubber compounds and severely rust metal parts.

If you see the staples rusting on the sides of the box top, you know it's not good for the kit.

So, yeah. Keep it cool and dry and you should be OK.