The Saga of the Move

The Bunker as of a couple days ago.  These bags on the floor are filled with wrapping paper, shredded paper, and bubble wrap that I used to ship the collection.  I have 400 boxes left by latest could.  So far I have unpacked about 400 or so including the books and video collections.

These boxes are mostly terrain, but the collection was packed based on space and weight.  So Romans are in with Atomic Cannons.  Rocketships in with Dinosaurs, and Alamo Mexicans share a box with casting supplies.  It used up all the space but makes unpacking and looking for specific items difficult.

 My beloved wife, MRS Bunkermeister, took years of paper, mail, and such and shredded it for me to use as packing.  I have bag after bag of used shredded paper.  Despite her heroic efforts, the majority of the collection was packed using biodegradable packing peanuts.  Some of the collection was packed as much as three years ago in anticipation of the move.  Most of the collection was in storage for the past year, and of course all of it rode in a moving van for 2,000 miles.  Most of the boxes look like the ones in this picture, with packing peanuts holding the models in place, with the models sitting on a bed of bubble wrap, and covered in bubble wrap.  So far damage has been almost nothing, and all damage is repairable.

This bad of peanuts holds 14 cubic feet of packing peanuts and is almost six feet tall.  So far I have repacked 8 bags of these peanuts, and I still have a lot to go.  I am so glad I saved the bags, I used them for packing too.

One table is almost clear, this is about another weeks worth of work to unpack.  Note in the background the boxes are tucked away under the table.  That will be the barracks for my soldiers from now on, inside an underbed storage box and stacked neatly on custom built shelves.  Boxes won't be stacked on each other so no stress on the boxes.  Boxes are readily accessible individually, so I don't have to move four other boxes to get to the ones on the bottom.

Moving and Packing

My living room in my old house.  My wife, and my friend COL Jim and I packed all the boxes.  I have over 300 underbed storage boxes for the move.  For each box I started with an empty box.  Then lay down a layer of bubble wrap from end to end.  Then put in each vehicle, and a second layer of bubble wrap over the models.  Put a 3X5 card with the contents listed on it, at the end of the box so they label can be read from outside the box.  Then fill the box with biodegradable packing peanuts.  I used well over 300 cubic feet of packing peanuts.  Then each box was wrapped at each end with stretch cling wrap to hold the lid on. 

Each box was weighed and the weight of each box noted on the end, in pounds.  The heaviest box was 24 pounds and the lightest was three pounds.  I tried to keep them under 12 pounds.  Lightest boxes on top.  Don't stack over twelve high or over 100 pounds in weight.  There was a lot of storing to keep the weight below the limit.  The movers damaged about 4% of the boxes, mostly the lids, by stacking them poorly and without regard to the box weight limits I prescribed.  As far as I can tell, none of the contents were damaged due to the careful packing I did on the boxes.  Sterilite makes the boxes and I contacted them for a dozen replacement lids, and I offered to pay for them.  They sent me a terse email reply saying they don't keep extra lids in stock and they don't sell them without the box.  Not very good customer service in my opinion.

Many of the larger items were packed in this size box. I used the same technique for them as I did the other boxes.  I lost two of the lids in the move, but again the contents appear fine.  Some items required even larger boxes and I even had a few custom made cardboard boxes for larger items like my flak tower and Altes Museum.

The vast majority of the collection is in climate controlled, high security, storage sheds waiting for our house to be ready.  Then it will move to it's permanent location in late 2018.

Back in Business

I finally got the computer working and so I can begin blogging again.  Despite the fact that it's almost Pearl Harbor Day, I am going back and play catchup.  I will fill in all the missing blog postings.

It will take a while, but check back again daily now because I am back in business.

My wife and I have been planning our retirement for a few years now.  California is a land of increasing crime, high taxes, over-regulation, and overpriced real estate.  So we  have been looking for a place to live that does not have those problems.

We actually travelled to Arizona and Montana to check out some property, the cost of living and other factors, but in April of this year we visited rural Kentucky.  For those who don't know, Kentucky is in about the middle of the USA.  We liked it so much we decided to move here.  So we retired from our jobs, sold our house, packed our stuff and moved here.  It was 2,000 miles from California.  It took well over 200 boxes to store the hobby collection.  Most of our stuff is in storage sheds while we live in a motel.  We have leased an apartment; they are turning an old school into apartments, and our unit is not completed yet, we hope to move in this weekend.

While we live there we are negotiating the purchase of land and building a new home.  I am hoping for a large wargaming room.  I will keep you all updated as things continue.  So far we are very happy, the people are very nice and friendly.  Not much hobby stuff here, but I have brought a few models to work on while we wait.

News

MRS Bunkermeister and I have retired and moved to Scottsville, Kentucky, USA.  Right now we are living in a two star motel, and the collection, as well as our household goods, are in storage sheds.

My computer access is wonky so I have not been able to post for the last ten days or so, but I finally managed to get the computer up and I hope to be able to post photos again soon.

Prior to leaving Southern California, I stopped by both Pegasus Hobbies, in Montclair, CA, and Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove, CA.  Both of them gave me some smoking great deals on my very large "goodbye" hobby purchases.  I have been going to Brookhurst since 1974 and Pegasus Hobbies for at least 25 years so not having direct access to them will be a huge change.

I also picked up a few items at the Dinosaur Farm, in South Pasadena, it's right on Mission Street, across from the Police Department.  I managed to pick up a few flying reptiles and you can bet they will appear here soon.  I already took a few pictures but transferring them from the camera to the computer is a bit sketchy right now, my cables are packed someplace!

Thanks for all the great comments, hope to have more for you soon.

Moving

Starting in about April, 2017 I began packing my collection.

I have purchased over 1,000 feet of bubble wrap, in two different sizes.

I got over 300 cubic feet of packing peanuts.

Most of it I got at Serv-All packaging, great folks, great prices.   https://serv-allpackaging.com/
 

Some of my Christmas buildings, each one gets individually wrapped.

Then packed up or down to fit snugly into the plastic box.

A Special Announcement From Bunkermeister

After having been born and raised in Southern California, MRS Bunkermeister and I have retired, sold the house....

Packed up 100 boxes of terrain and buildings, and GI Joes....

And three hundred boxes to troops and vehicles to move to a New Life in the Off World Colonies.

Moving Day

The last couple of days I have posted a bit of foreshadowing.

Not only have I retired, but I have loaded up the trucks.

MRS Bunkermeister and I have sold our home in California and are moving 2,000 miles away to Kentucky.  My family is from there, but I don't know anyone who lives there now.  We are retiring to a more rural environment to slow down, relax, and spend more time with the loved ones; each other and the Army Men.

This will be the new home.  There may be some disruption in Internet service as we travel or as we get the new house built, so if I miss a few days, keep checking back, because I won't be gone long.