In every vehicle I have ever had to haul models in, I ALWAYS put heavy objects like flight boxes and such in front. That way they are already there in case of an accident. Even in a minor accident, you never know where a heavy object is going to end up, and can bounce out of the 2X4 blocks. if in a truck or van, put the flight boxes up front against the seats or the front of the bed.
I have a Pontiac Vibe and have gotten 5 models in it using the stack method, including a large stunt model like my Shark 45. I fold the seats down, and the Vibe has a very nice, flat deck. I put my large flight box up against the drivers seat. Then I take stock of what models I'm packing. In the "stack method", one model is stacked right on top of another with padding in between. I sstart with the bottom model at kind of an angle, and have it upside down. I'll mention here that I have a moving blanket covering the whole deck. I'll take an old towel, and drape it loosely over the model, and then pick the next model that kist best over that one , but put this one in right side up. Sometimes it faces the same direction, sometimes it's pointing the other way. I continue this until I get to the large model. I have an empty cardboard fuel case box that goes in the back of the car opposite the flight box. I put a piece of foam on top of the flight box and the cardboard box, and the large model goes on top and rests and balances on it's wing tips on the boxes. The big secret is having lots of foam and towels to protech ans stabilize things. I use the foot wells for the back seats to hold jugs of fuel, starter boxes and other stuff. My car has a roof rack, and I have one of those roof top travel bags to hold duffel bags and other stuff for long trips, and bag chairs get tied up there also. With gas the way it is, I have used the Vibe for trips to SIG and Oshkosh that included my friend Bob Arata, or my son Sean. You just have to be creative and make best use of all space.
I bought a used 2008 Chrysler Town and Country two years ago, and have made a couple trip in it also. I can get anywhere from 1 to 8 models easily in it including three large stunters. It's a stow and go model, and you can make real good use of that storage. It has a trailer hitch, and I have a cargo rack that fits in the hitch, and the same roof top cargo bag I use on the Vibe sits of a custom cut piece of plywood and it holds luggage and what ever. I'll have to take some pictures the next time it's loaded up and post those to best illustrate how I use it. Anybody that was at the SIG contest last year saw it was holding quite a bit and the Minnesota gang pulled up chairs to watch me load it all before we left , or at the Paducah contest last August. I think Sean and I took 8 models there plus luggage and other stuff. It just take imagination, planning and a good eye.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee