Good evening everyone! I’ve been thinking about something that doesn’t come up much but probably affects all of us at some point – how do you keep track of your kits?
With 85 completed builds (across Rolife and a few other brands) and 49 more sitting in my stash waiting for their turn, staying organized has become really important to me. The fear of accidentally buying a duplicate is very real!
I use an app called iCollect to log everything, and honestly my entries are pretty detailed. For each kit I track:
Kit title, series/line, any sub-category, and model number
Status: Ordered, Received, In Progress, Completed, Wish List, or Gifted
Purchase date, start date, and completion date
Purchase price and where I bought it
A five-star personal rating
Notes – build observations, modifications, and links back to any community posts I made about it
Up to four photos – a product/listing photo, a box photo, and one to three photos of the finished build
That last one is my favorite part honestly. Being able to pull up a completed kit and see the whole journey from “found it online” to “finished and on my shelf” is really satisfying. And if if I ever want to reference a build I posted about, it’s all right there in one place.
Knowing the total I’ve spent across 134 kits? Yeah, that number lives in the app and I try not to think about it too hard.
I know not everyone tracks the same things, and some people probably don’t track at all and do just fine. There’s no wrong way! But I’m curious what works for everyone else.
A few questions for you:
Do you track your collection at all, or do you just remember what you have?
Have you ever accidentally bought a duplicate kit?
Do you track what you paid, or is that information you’d rather not know?
What tool do you use – app, spreadsheet, notebook, or your own memory?
I create files in Excel, including the model code, name, and link to the posts I’ve published on my Facebook page. Because I don’t miss any new products, duplicate or missing purchases are very rare. Additionally, I keep the photos I’ve taken in separate folders named after the model code and name. These are saved to my portable hard drive so I can easily access them wherever I go. This also helps when I need to check or share images of the products.
I am SO not tech savvy. I could never keep track of any of this and know where I would be able to find it on my computer. I’ve been a housepainter for most of my life and never learned much about using them. I’m at about #110-113??? in how many I’ve built…and I don’t think I could ever purchase a “double” because there is always one little bad/good memory in each and every one of them.
I don’t track my collection. I’ve just built a few builds for now but my stash has many kits in queue. So far, I don’t buy duplicate kits since I remember what I have and don’t in my memory.
Nope, not yet. My memory is still kinda strong to remember things.
Hahaha I rather not to know how much expense I already paid for the kits that I have now.
85 is a lot really. I think making a list of brand then the name of the kit would be helpful. Right now, with 11 kits that I have, I only track on the display. Hehe
Wow! You have a lot of kits. If I have that many I would also need to keep track. I would probably keep them on an Excel spreadsheet if I have a lot but for now I think I only have less than 20 so I’ll be relying on my memory.
Great question @Kim_Kieffer . I used to use this system to keep track of my orchid collections because when they bloody look the same and some times tags gone missing. For building miniature kits…. Ị dont really track because I remembered what I had and never have a duplicate. I purposely dont keep record of the prize because I don’t want to remember or want my family to know how much money I have spent on it. I might get in trouble. Lolz
I tend to cut out the cover of the box that has got nice photos and keep it for record. Plus the designs are pretty.
Since im new at building i havent gotten to the point of too many kits…but even if i didnt i would still forget what kits i had and will proberely accidently buy a duplicate as…my memory is not great
I have a huge stash and I’ve built many but nowhere near as many as you. The only time I have almost doubled up is when I ordered the same kit a day apart. I was able to cancel the second order.
I put all my kits into my spinning wheel that I use to pick kits. I have two wheels, one for larger builds and one for smaller ones.
I don’t use anything to keep track of my completed builds or stock. But your tip will be very handy if I lose track. I haven’t made that many builds yet, and I still remember which ones I’ve already made or have in stock
It is definitely taken over the house, but quite a few of them are super creators and they are all right now on my mantle and we’ve added four different sets of shelves.
I actually just keep everything in my memory. I usually remember the kits I’ve built, and I’ve never accidentally bought a duplicate unless I did it on purpose.
I don’t really track what I paid either, mostly because I buy my kits from different places, so the prices vary a lot. I guess my “system” is just remembering what I have and what I’ve already built! And if my memory fails, well… life is hard
I put pictures of my builds in a photo album that has lines for memos and I wrote the lot information, the date built, the price I paid, and if I gave it to someone, their name.
I also keep all of the instruction manuals. I write the completion date on the manuals and keep them in order of date built.
I also keep a few pictures of each build on my phone so when I’m not at home, I can show people pictures of my builds.
Well, I guess I’ve never thought of this since I haven’t built those many kits yet (around 15 I believe?), but now that you mention it, it’s starting to be like “oh, I think I’m forgetting about something” when thinking about the kits I’ve built lol. Maybe I should start doing something about it.
Do you track your collection at all, or do you just remember what you have? I just try to remember all of them
Have you ever accidentally bought a duplicate kit? Not yet lol e.e
Do you track what you paid, or is that information you’d rather not know? I’d rather not know
What tool do you use – app, spreadsheet, notebook, or your own memory? My own memory lol
So far, I don’t buy duplicate kits since I remember what I have and don’t in my memory.
