Bloody hell.. what an epic that was trying to find some suitable variations of these.

Anyway, finally i have a small batch batch of them and reassuringly, there are more to follow in March I've been informed.
So a busy time ahead now for me in the next few weeks catching up with a fairly big backlog of feature library containers, some using these, some using the 1200ft ones but each requiring artwork to finish them in.

Onwards and upwards again at last!

Selling any to me? :-) 10 pcs or so would be lovely

When i get another batch in March hopefully, i will Vidar, but these don't even cover my own backlog for the time being, such has been the length of my wait!
They are quite expensive paying per batch of five, but by buying in bulk, I am hoping to further reduce the price if I can in future.
Leave it with me Vidar.

Still not followed up on the Feature 600ft boxes yet, but once these are completed, that'll be my next mission.

There have been these size on ebay for a while Andrew, I thought it was the 4x600' you were after. Either way, I find them flimsy,
and after much use, they get very tired. I still have some features on them, some are protected with sticky backed plastic, but
Derann could have supplied better packaging, even a few pounds increase would have been well spent on more substantial covers.
There are some nice boxes made in clear plastic to suit 1200' spools as previously mentioned.

Bloody Hell Hugh, if you find these flimsy, just try a batch from CHC.

I've always found this grade of card more than acceptable for my own needs of storage, especially when further bound by a feature box with laminated artwork stuck on top to further increase the thickness and durability of both these and the 1200ft sized variants.

I do have Bonum style 600ft and 800ft boxes in abundance, but overall, I prefer the look of the features in card wherever possible outside of 800ft mounted features plus it helps keep the weight down for selling them and storing them.
It is difficult to make the artwork look as polished I've found when using plastic boxes and containers to mount the art work onto. There are just too many uneven surfaces I've found, especially on the lid openers.

It is the extra layers that ultimately give these card packaged films their overall strength. On their own, I agree, they can soon show signs of wear and fatigue.

Personally, for my tastes, had they all come to us in the manner The Jungle Book print did on the one I now have, with individual inner separate boxes, I would have been more than pleased with Derann's method of packaging.
It is only when they dropped using the inner boxes on 4 x 600ft features etc, that I'd have had any complaints.

Fair enough Andrew, but I don't know if you ever came across the 4x400 boxes used by libraries, including Derann, boxes of
this calibre are still to be seen now. Surely a size to accommodate 600' could have been made The best plastic boxes for 8mm in my view are the Noris with clear lid where artwork can still be shown, protected by the lid.

The nearer I can replicate the look of above Hugh, the happier I am.
I haven't seen the Derann library boxes Hugh for 400 footers.
Before my time sadly.

My main interest in Derann products really rocketed around the late 80's onwards. When their catalogues and product range reached the absolute peak of Super 8mm film releases.
So many features on so many different genres. Those catalogues are like visual ecstasy to me now when I look through them all.

I can understand that Andrew, and your boxes are a credit, but I still think Derann could have offered a better box for their
feature releases, indeed, Iver Films used to issue their stuff in 400' blue and white card boxes sleeved in one of the afore mentioned
stout brown library boxes, later they would use the vacu formed cases. It always came across as cheapskate that here we were paying
on average £250- £300,00 for a film housed in something akin to a box sweeties would be bought in.

were these made up special Andy?
i wish i could get a decent batch of the hard plastic cases like the ones Iver use to use,also IE international used the to.

No Tom, nothing special just the standard ones that are still available now and again.

Hugh, I hear what you saying regarding the overall packaging selected by Derann in the later years, but we must remember that by the early to mid 80's very latest, Super 8mm as a medium for the masses had completely gone.
To have plastic boxes made or blister pack types made etc etc, you would need to mass manufacture many thousands like Marketing did in the 70's.

Derann wanted batches of a few hundred at a time, not tens of thousands, so no company would jig up for such a small order on anything elaborate.

Derann did well just to get hold of the quantities of 600ft spools from Grasso that they managed to do. Hardly anyone was still making these even all those years ago.

Its about all they could do when releasing a product in small numbers that hardly anyone else in the world still had a desire to do so.

I personally, believe they did well to achieve what they did in the era they continued to do it in.

Remember that repeating opening line of theirs that used to reoccur in every new catalogue in those days;

"Despite much opposition in the industry, we strive to continue to serve our loyal customers while ever there is still a demand."

No I wasn't suggesting plastic cases, they tried that and they were poor too, no, the really tough cardboard box, some had a flap, others were two piece, would have served better than what they did use, indeed they were flimsy when new, I'll put up somes pics to show the type I mean. The slide covers from Mountain were a great innovation, and again very tough. If you went to a jeweller and bought a nice
ring or necklace for a loved one, you wouldn't expect it to be served up in a paper bag, presentation, as I said, these films were not cheap, and the protection & presentation offered was basic, which is why I have no qualms on mounting them onto larger spools,
the nicer illustrated boxes I leave alone. As I said before Andrew, your boxes are wonderful, but I still think Derann could have presented these films in a more substantial way. better quality cardboard in a nice slip case as Mountain did.

A few pictures of the heavy duty card board boxes that used to be issued with film, some ex library, others with features like
Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the original title can be seen on the box now housing "Night of the Big Heat", other examples show how
I protected Robocop ( does he need protecting ) and Sinbad etc still in their respective boxes, Voyage is also plastic protected, but
I still wish they had used earlier examples that still can handle rough treatment. Perhaps if that had been done, folks like Andrew
could have been saved the trouble and cost of replacing. Also the quite simple but effective box Mountain used, that could have been made to house 600's I'm sure.

The Mountain boxes I have always been impressed by Hugh. Something like that with dividers would have definitely worked!

I have those same two original boxes that you show there for my RC 1&2 features btw. 😂
They're in the loft now, but brought back happy memories from when I first got each of these.

Those Mountain slipcase boxes are excellent. I wish I had all my collection housed in them.
Those I have are sturdy indeed.

A quite simple but very effective box, that still does the primary job of protection, your films can breathe, and you can illustrate them 'til your hearts content, far better than many others.

indeed!

After taking my bollocking from Hugh for spending too much time here Ha Ha Ha, then after posting Paul's lamps, I set about the backlog of box art today, beginning with this one.



Only about a dozen or so to go.

Away bollocking, Andrew, take it from me amigo, make time for your hobbies, no one else will. People suddenly remember you when they want something done, including Families, time is fleeting, keep some for yourself. Work will always be there, the guy that says hard work never killed anybody obviously never did any. I'll say again though, those boxes are something else.