h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is a minority interest, I know, but we weird people who carried on collecting toy soldiers and tanks of the Airfix type (actually, Airfix aren't the big name any more, but like Hoover it's a handy generic), once they're built, crafted and painted they need somewhere to live.

Shoeboxes, being a handy fairly compact uniform size, are ideal, as they're relatively sturdy and easily shelveable with enough space on the end to stick a label saying what's in them.

You can "compartmentalize" the interior and have up to four layers of stuff inside. For instance, sub-divided with cardboard partitions (any old cereal packet will do) a typical shoebox "barracks" might have three layers, designed to be lifted out one after another, containing Roman Cavalry, then Greek Cavalry, then Celtic Cavalry, with enough space on each layer for a hundred or so of each figure type.

Also good for transporting kit to other peoples' houses or gaming days.

Ah AgProv, how very interesting, I think you're a great loss to Blue Peter.

I'll bet that kept boys all over the country quiet on rainy summer days, making little barracks for their soldiers. I seem to recall us girlies used to do something similar with our beads and buttons.

Beads and buttons? Mine were turned into stables for little plastic horses

And also useful to put together in ever-changing configurations as impromptu castles for my Playmobil knights, ah, those were the days.

But you're right. I like boxes, and tins, and my shelves are full of them. I keep my postcard collection in them, and my bank receipts (though I do have a file drawer, just never use it) and there are several filled with musical insturments and juggling props, not to mention all the old Uni papers I can't be bothered to throw out

Isn't it strange that almost everyone has their little boxes of goodies, it does seem to be universal, like the monster under the bed.

I had no idea really ... until I wrote this, just how much people treasure their shoeboxes.

Well, thank you for bringing it to our attention, it's almost philosophical, show me your shoebox, and I'll tell you who you are...

Now I wouldn't go that far ..... my shoebox contains highly sensitive material which could be used against me.

That's why it's handy to have a decoy

I need a decoy for my decoy shoebox.


*nips out to buy more shoes*

That's the trouble, having to buy shoes to get the things

At least they are really made to last nowadays, so they don't need changed too often.

I think I have about 3 that I *actively* use at any one time, perhaps one, or two, in the shed for emergencies and the rest I just recycle.

Not so much sentimentality as ingenuity... when you've built the model or painted the figures, the least that can happen to it is for it to sit there and gather dust! Bits can break off, the paint job on the figure can flake and scratch off, and after spending hours on the build you want the finished model to enjoy a degree of protection and carry on looking pristine.

So after a while, you get to be good at cutting, folding, shaping and sellotaping cardboard to fit the inside of the shoebox. If nothing else, all the interior work gives the whole box a lot more strength and rigidity. The finished product isn't so much a fully-equipped "Stand by yer beds!" barracks male equivalent of a dolls house, as a series of interlocking trays fitting on top of each other and used to square wargames figures away.

Although a little bit of child-like susperstition does remain... at the age of five you mi8ght suspect that your toys have a secret life at night or when you're not looking at them.

At the age of forty-five, you think twice about housing World War Two Germans and Russians together, as right at the VERY back of your mind you wonder if they're going to refight Stalingrad without you there to roll the dice for them... (possibly derogatory comments about a WW2 Italian Army deleted by author)

Now that would damage the paintwork - if that happened there'd be sure to be a sign somewhere, but I love it. Thank you so much for sharing that. Bless.