Looking for a display case.

August 3, 2008 5:31 PM

I need a display case for my models. They range in size from four inches to a foot across. I am sick of cleaning dust and small particles off them from the exposed brick wall they're by. Ideally the case can be bought online and would arrive disassembled so shipping wouldn't be exorbitant. Overall dimensions should be 2'x1'x1' and maybe have a shelf at half-height. I need it to fit on a recessed shelf in the wall. And of course, pricing should be as cheap as possible. I couldn't find anything like that online. Mefites, amaze me! ;)
posted by spacefire to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Depending on what style you are looking for (wood/acrylic/other) you might have some acrylic sheets cut to size and them assemble/bond them yourself. Done properly, you can get some high quality bonds between faces/edges of acrylic (such as when you bond pieces at 90 degree angles). I will have to look for some more particular links, but I have seen home aquarists use this method for constructing custom fish tanks and accessories.
posted by kenbennedy at 6:01 PM on August 3, 2008

Response by poster: acrylic would be preferable, but I'd take glass or wood/glass or wood/acrylic. I only need the front to be transparent.
posted by spacefire at 6:59 PM on August 3, 2008

USA display has a lot of cases for die-cast car collectibles. I have not bought from them, so I can't vouch for quality, etc. The pricing seems pretty good, though.

A lot of the places that sell the scale cars to NASCAR, F1 and other racing fans might be a good bet for finding the case you want.

Here are some other place to check out:

Cases for Collectibles
Great Display Cases
posted by sciatica at 7:28 PM on August 3, 2008

I got a custom made acrylic case from Cases for Collectibes for a Japanese doll that I was very happy with. I also got a reasonable quote for a custom case for chess pieces although I didn't order it for other reasons.
posted by metahawk at 10:29 PM on August 3, 2008

You can get pre-pack kitchen cabinets in this size. And they are available with glass doors. Ikea for example has this unit which is a little larger then specified. Or Thomasville (via HomeDepot) has 12" high wall cabinets {PDF} in 24", 27", 30", 33", 36", 39", 42", or 48" widths and 12, 15, 18, and 21" heights. You can use aluminum frame or wood frame top hinge glass doors with them.
posted by Mitheral at 10:38 PM on August 3, 2008