Approach for Storing Instructions

From /u/talkingtunataco501 on reddit:

First of all, I did not come up with this on my own. I found this article on BrickSet when they were running their Lego collection/display/storage series because of the pandemic. I thought it was an absolutely fantastic idea so I implemented it with a few minor changes.

Basically, you use magazine boxes, sleeves, and cardboard backing to hold all of your instruction manuals. Previously, I just had them in a couple of the plastic containers that you see in the first pic. They worked OK, but it was definitely a pile of instructions. They slid around and stuff. It worked, but it wasn't elegant. I saw this brickset article and immediately decided to do it at some point. Some point ended up being last week.

Here are the things that I used.

• BCW magazine box SKU: 1-BX-MAGBOX. I found these at a local comic store for under $5. Please support your local stores if you can.

• Magazine sleeves had a BCW SKU of 1-MAG. If I had to do it again, I would use either 1-MAG-THICK or 1-MAG-R-THICK. The thicker magazine bags allow just a bit more room for the larger instruction manuals. The 1-MAG-R-THICK SKU is for resealable flaps on the top if you want that. I didn't think I needed them at first, but since I did the research already, I'm just passing along info to you. If I had to do it again, I would go with 1-MAG-R-THICK.

• Backer boards had a BCW SKU of 1-BBMAG. No issues with them at all.

• 3-pocket 4"x6" sleeves had a BCW SKU of 1-PRO3T-20. These also come in a 100 pack if you have a lot. These worked fantastic for the size of manuals for BrickHeadz or battle packs.

• 9-pocket sleeves are just regular baseball card sleeves. Feel free to get whatever you want. I think I ended up getting some UltraPro Platinum sleeves.

• Plastic container with latching lid is Sterilite 15qt Clear View Storage Bin from Target/Amazon. I absolutely love these things and I have several dozen is different sizes that I use all over my house.

Now that that's out of the way, here is where I talk more about it. The boxes that I used are actually pretty good. They are pretty damn sturdy and I've lugged them around my house and they've held up the 4 days that I've had them. Only issue is with the handles. I need to find a way to tape or glue them in place.

For the bags, I would highly recommend going with the thicker bags unlike what I did. They allow just a bit more room for the bigger manuals. The manual for 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay is about the biggest that will fit and it was tight. Manuals for 75059 and 75827 were just too big for these bags so they go off into the storage containers. If you have monstrous spiral bound manuals, they will have to go somewhere else as well. The thick bags come with a resealable option if you want that. Totally a personal preference but it would definitely be a bit neater to do. Also, there is a tendency for the manuals to slide out of the bag, but I really only had that happen with organizing them and putting them in order. Once they are sitting in the cardboard box, it should be fine. But if you want me to make a decision for you, I would recommend the thick resealable sleeves. The backer boards were fine.

In the album, I provided several examples of how different size manuals fit in these sleeves. Most are going to be pretty easy. I even showed an example where there are 2 "half sheet" instructions in a single sleeve. This was done to save space where I could. It kind of put a crinkle in keeping all of these manuals in numerical order, but every manual is within 2 spots of where it should be. I might break it up later, but for now, it is fine.

Now, for the smaller sleeves. The standard 9-slot baseball card sleeve works great for instructions that come in things such as poly bags and really small sets. Just fold them in half (which they come that way anyways) and slide them in. I ended up doing research on the medium sized manuals and found that they would fit in a 4"x6" sleeve. So, I ordered some of those from Amazon and had them delivered. They do great for BrickHeadz and battle pack sized manuals. I have way more than I need at this point. Also, the guy who did the article on BrickSet decided to put three of these 4"x6" manuals in a single sleeve. I didn't like that idea so I found these sleeves. Also, for the regular baseball card sheet, the article author would cut off the edge that has slots for putting into a binder, put the sheet into a sleeve with a backer board, and put it in with the rest of them. I didn't like destroying the sleeves like that so I just left them as is. They are a bit floppy for sure, and I just thought of something. If I want them to be more rigid, I could just staple a backer board to the tab on the left and that would provide more rigidity. But once they are in the box, they are OK.

So, there you go. This is how I went OCD on my Lego instruction manuals and this made me insanely satisfied.

EDIT: And if you can, support your local comic/sports card store.

EDIT2: For the storage of my boxes, here is what I used.

• 70 liter Sterilite clear boxes. You can also buy them individually at Target

• Packaways underbed storage for large boxes - These are great because they will fit all the big boxes except for the few biggest boxes. The biggest boxes go behind the bed headboard in the guest room for now.