display areas

[l88 chevelle]

1 am looking for some display ideas,how does everybody display their hard work?what room?permanent diorama?lighting?large cabinet,or lots of small ones?thanks

[High octane]

I have a couple good sized curio cabinets with a mirror back and overhead lighting. These are wood & glass cabinets and I have on e in the living room and one in the family room. I suggest if you go this route, to get a good sized one and it will "inspire" you to build more and fill up the shelves.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Display areas? WHAT??? That assumes you have finished models !!! Geez...you're supposed to finish the things ???

[Mark]

They don't have to be finished.  One guy I know keeps his rebuilders together, even with primer or stripped paint, sticks the bumpers on, and on the shelves they go.  Because they're unfinished, they can sit out on a shelf as opposed to being inside a case.  He's got boxes for each of them (whether they came with the car, or found separately) and the small parts go into them, along with any replacement parts, decals, instruction sheets, and customizing parts that go with each of them.  I've got one cabinet similar to that, except I don't necessarily have the boxes to go with every car. 

Other cases include a couple of Timex watch store displays (the individual slots are sized right for 1/25 scale cars).  One holds five cars, the other eight.  I found those at flea markets, one was $5, the other was (I think) $15.  Those are plastic, often they are dirty when you find them because they have probably already seen use by a flea market vendor after the store got rid of them.  They polish up pretty nicely with some Novus plastic polish.  Both of mine load from the back and have doors on the back.  I've got a couple other store displays that I got from a guy who was supposed to scrap them.  He asked me to obliterate the name on them so nobody sees it if I take one to a toy show; he still works at the place that made them.  I researched the designer whose name is on them; she does high-end purses and gloves (these seem to be for gloves).  These are pretty well made.  I haven't used them yet because they are open at the back.  I've got a couple of pieces of acrylic to close the backs of those, even have them marked for cutting, just have to get around to it.  I've got hinges and clasps for them once the back pieces are done.  These are pretty well made, so I'd like to spend a little time on them and make the add-ons with the same quality as the cases themselves.

The big case is a 7' long glass/wood case from a candy store.  As far as I can tell, it was made in the Twenties or Thirties locally.  It has a thick glass top with scratches from people scraping coins on the glass over the years.  I got some of the scratches out, then flipped the glass over.  The felt that the glass rested on needed to be replaced anyway, so I did that while dealing with the glass.  A retired glazier I know cut shelves for it using sections of broken/replaced storefront glass, the finished shelves have ground edges.  I made brackets from extruded aluminum strip and angle, with pads from roofing rubber.  Those big pieces of glass aren't always perfectly flat, so one or two pads needed an extra layer of rubber (about .045" thick) to let the glass sit flat.  The shelves are half the length of the cabinet.  The brackets are adjustable (extra holes) but even at half length the shelves are pretty heavy so I don't think I'll ever change them around.  The sliding doors are at the back, and have mirrors in them.  One mirror was cracked so I had a new piece cut to replace it.  Not everyone has the space for something like that, but if you do, these things are out there.  The bigger cabinets aren't in demand because fewer people have the space for them, and there's the hassle of moving them.  I got mine because the guy who sold it to me couldn't maneuver it into his house.

There are other possibilities too.  A while back, I had a chance to snag a section of a Walmart jewelry/perfume counter (glass/metal); they were tearing up that part of the store and offered them for free.  I didn't have anywhere to put it.  Curio cabinets turn up at garage sales, as do gun cabinets (take out the gun rack and put shelves in, and change out the etched glass in the door for a plain piece).  Over the summer, within walking distance of my house, I saw two decent size china cabinets at the curb.  A couple of extra shelves added would have made either into a decent display case.  I didn't need another one, and didn't have the room for it anyway...

[l88 chevelle]

awesome,thanks for the info

[Dann Tier]

When I finish builds, each car goes into its own individual case, and that case is put into a curio cabinet. if you plan on lighting it, get lights that don't get too hot, it will eventually do damage.

[Miatatom]

I built this about a year ago. Hadn't finished many models at that time. It cost around $150 including the plexiglass, fluorescent lights, frosted glass and lumber.

[DeeCee]

I have used fish tanks for a lot of years, but i recently scored the perfect cabinet, i can fit over 100 models in it.

It runs the length of my hall way, which isn't very big, but the cabinet is  8ft  long and the glass area is 4 ft high.

I am pretty lucky, i can put these anywhere in the house . But i try limit them to the hall way and hobby room.

 

[cobraman]

I have 7 display cases in the house. 3 are converted gun cabinets and 2 are converted china cabinets 1 is a curio cabinet and one smaller one is homemade. I also have 2 storage cabinets for overflow in the garage. I have the largest cabinet in the entryway, 2 are in hallways,2 in the dining room and 2 in the master bedroom. I have a very understanding wife. : )

[Atmobil]

I have two glass cabinets from Ikea in the livingroom, the Detolf. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80269122/

I also have one larger pinewood-and-glass cabinet with models in it.

[disabled modeler]

I use a old store display case that is lighted...works very well and keeps them pretty clean.

[Jantrix]

A combination of displays.

[crazyjim]

I have 4 Carney cases and each one holds 24 builds. And then there's an entertainment center in the living room.  Older builds go in an old stereo cabinet in my hobby room.

[wayne swayze]

A few years ago, I built a display cabinet,  which stayed in my shop. Then I moved to my current place and felt it was finally time (last year) to buy a "proper" cabinet that I have in the dining/living room area. Should have done that years ago! And yes, I still have my homemade display case in my work shop ( bedroom).

[Roadrunner]

I have very limited display space, at least for the moment, so most will be carefully stored, then switched with others that are displayed, as the mood suits.

[IceMan Collections]

I have 4 Carney cases and each one holds 24 builds. 

I have 5 of these and with the exception of one single display case for a kit I built for my daughter, which is in her room.

I think these are well worth the investment and helps to stay organized.

[vintagercr]

I have 3 display cases that are 6'l x 18"w x 3'h.  I bought one from Ikea that is 5' tall.  Scored a free wooden cabinet that had been a cigar display case.  It is 5' tall.  

[dragcarz]

I use an old store display case , and another display case fron a jewelry store. 

[Roadrunner]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Roger,... I love those old paint cans. Are those 1320 die-cast dragsters?

[espo]

A lot of great ideas here. For myself I purchased two book shelve units several years ago. They were inexpensive real wood cabinets that a furniture store had on sale. They are 6 ft. high and 3 ft. wide and 1 ft. deep with five adjustable shelves. I use the bottom two shelves for reference materials.  I painted the shelves and the back a light off white to not make it so dark when displaying my models.

[gtx6970]

I have 3 total.,,,One has diecast cars and dealership promos and some of my wife's Precious Moments figurines ,   2nd one is models and shares space with my 2 girls sports awards

My main one,, in the family room downstairs is all models . That one my Dad made for me a few years back .

 

[dragcarz]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Roger,... I love those old paint cans. Are those 1320 die-cast dragsters?

Yes they are 1320 Diecast, started collecting them before they started reissuing the dragster kits. And for the record I miss St. Louis

[Roadrunner]

Yes they are 1320 Diecast, started collecting them before they started reissuing the dragster kits. And for the record I miss St. Louis

I had about a dozen of the 1320's, but sold them a couple of years ago when I needed the cash. They held their value pretty well I thought. I've lived here all of my life, and have never known anything else.