What to do with old instructions?

[The Rat]

Cut them up for masking. Saves on tape.

[PR19_Kit]

GOOD thinking! 

[Rick Lowe]

Interesting, but potentially as much faff as using tape in the first place.
I've seen the colour instructions blown up to the model's size and used as painting masks for the various cam colours, but that's probably old news to us here.

I usually file them, but other opinions are available and as valid.

[The Rat]

Interesting, but potentially as much faff as using tape in the first place.
I've seen the colour instructions blown up to the model's size and used as painting masks for the various cam colours, but that's probably old news to us here.

I usually file them, but other opinions are available and as valid.

Yes, on a 1/72nd fighter it doesn't save a lot of tape, but with larger scales or models it saves a lot. And I've done the camo masking bit before, but not with an airbrush, just to draw pencil outlines for brush painting.

[Rick Lowe]

Oh, ok - I usually think in 1/72 but I see your point about larger models.

[NARSES2]

I keep them them in a rather large box. It's to do with this thing I have, seriously not joking, about the preservation of the printed word/image, even if some of them are banal.

It's the same with books and magazines, as Kitbasher found out to his advantage  . Don't apply it to newspapers for some reason 

[Dizzyfugu]

I collect them (at least one specimen per kit of that kind I have built) for reference (paint schemes/references, constructions, optional parts, etc.), and have several folders. Started with that way before the internet and platforms like scalemates made looking up these documents much easier.

[Beermonster58]

Line my cat's litter tray! Opened out, a couple of sets of the larger instruction sheets are just about the right size.    I used to use copies of The Scum and, Daily Heil but, Sir is very particular....!

[The Rat]

Line my cat's litter tray! Opened out, a couple of sets of the larger instruction sheets are just about the right size.    I used to use copies of The Scum and, Daily Heil but, Sir is very particular....!

    

[zenrat]

Model car tyres can stick to the varnish on my display case shelves so I lined them with sliced up instruction sheets.  That took about one and a half kits worth, the rest are in a box and i stopped varnishing the shelves.

[loupgarou]

I collect them (at least one specimen per kit of that kind I have built) for reference (paint schemes/references, constructions, optional parts, etc.), and have several folders. Started with that way before the internet and platforms like scalemates made looking up these documents much easier.

I do the same, prefer not to lose track of what I have doen... and don't have too much confiance in Scalemates having the models I am interested in.

[Nick]

I had a fair pile of instructions that I didn't need so I gave them to the IPMS UK at a show for their Instruction Library. They could then send a copy to anyone who needed it. Not sure if they still do this.

Lots of instructions get published on kit manufacturers websites and on Scalemates.

[Old Wombat]

I keep them in case I want to have the build judged at the SA Plastic Modellers' Expo (maybe others, if I ever get my arse in gear), as "references" (usually need 2 or 3 sets of instructions per build, with the relevant bits high-lighted).

[zenrat]

I do that at Model Expo.  My "references" usually consist of the instructions for the main kit used and a print out of the back story I wrote for here.

[Wardukw]

I keep all of em ..no cutting up or drawing on ..reference material is the main reason and like Chris a library of what I've built here ...I lost a monster pile of em in the " Incident " so I'm collecting them again ..not the ones I used to have thought  because some of those kits are hens teeth now.
The best part for keeping them is if I've gotta pull off  large part from a build for wiffy purposes and j can tell or remember how it went together..the plans baby 😏 😉