I'd considered doing this myself to save money too. Like Norm, I priced it out and found that it wasn't much cheaper than Moducase, especially for the added effort of sourcing parts. Eventually I ended up modding some muscle racks and it's worked out well for my display.
I personally have used the Besta frames from Ikea to display my Gunpla. They work well as a wall mounted option and you can get glass shelfs for them to customize your layout.
I've got some hardwood shelves with square apertures, but my models were getting dusty so I bought some acrylic, hinges and magnets and I'm making my own doors. My spotlights are similar to yours... I hooked them up to a wifi controlled usb hub.
Thank you so much for this Norman!!! As a Canadian, it's a min of 8-12 months wait time and about $320usd plus shipping for the Moducase but knowing that I can find 20x20 extrusions on Amazon Canada may help bring the cost of my project down significantly. I still would prefer a Moducase to be clear but a year wait is a little excessive lol
Just got my first Moducase displays last month. I lusted after them for a long time... and, finally decided to buy a couple. The only thing I hated was the long wait time for them. I think Moducase had some manufacturing issues because of Covid. I knew this when I ordered them... so, I wasn't surprised. Not sure if this is still an issue. Moducase is a great company, which has given us collectors a perfect, no compromise solution to display our collections in. I'm glad you came to the conclusion that we should support them. Like many, I've tried cheaper solutions when I started collecting... but, as my collection grew... I felt the need to invest in a display solution to show off my pieces and protect them from dust and damage. I've already decided to buy more cases. Nothing ridiculous... just one bigger one for statues and another two DF120s. I was so pleased with the first ones... so glad I finally decided to buy them. Worth every cent.
@@vinceteo7091 Wait time was 6 months... which was a known issue at the time (due to Covid and rising demand). But, I bought mine direct from Moducase. Not sure if Sideshow sells "in stock" cases. Last I heard Moducase has invested in new factories in Singapore and is promising to have all backorders delivered by this March... then, be able to accomodate the current demand.
I have 3 stacked df120s which are simply amazing and after seeing the simplicity of the components first hand I continue to remain amazed at how similar DIY efforts on RU-vid fail to compete on price,value and build quality and always failing on cost although I fully support the rationale behind them. Yours though is the best I've seen in terms of comparible quality and build and I applaud your efforts and your conclusion which is not uncommon given the cost of acrylic. Moducase shipping and taxes costs to the UK account for at least a third of the total cost so I'll keep looking for alternatives of course but great build and finish. The spots on moducase are a bit weak I find and would encourage buyers to buy strips or stronger spot lights although I understand its a matter of taste and what the user is trying to achieve. Thanks for highlighting this new approach with components that are widely available though
Currently building a 3 tired 24x48x72 and a 18x36×72 using Black Metal Racks incased in acrylic as shown by Pop culture livingroom. For diplaying 1/6 Vehicles and figures. Definitely cheaper plus the ability to adjust heights.
For the back you can use photo cardboard. Like you would back a picture with. It's pretty thin and will probably fit nicely through the slots in the rail. Very cool build!
I build and customize 125th scale models and also customize 164 scale Diecast and I'm always looking for a good display case so thank you for this video !
I'm a little too cheap for this kind of thing. My display cases are an old curio cabinet that Walmart carried nearly 20 years ago, and a 6.5 foot display case I found at a flea market. To be honest, though, I think I'd still pick them over this. This would be great on a table somewhere, but I can't see it looking good free-standing and I don't really want to dedicate table space to displays. If I went with something like this, I'd need some sort of shelving system that accentuated it.
If you need something a bit stiffer for your opaque panels, see if you can find 3mm Alupanel (or other trade names, Alucobond or similar). It's a composite layered panel of thin aluminum sheet sandwiched around a plastic layer. Edit: check with a local sign shop, see if they have off-cuts or scrap they aren't going to use.
For me it is less about the cost and more so the long lead time moducase has right now. Also if you shop around a bit you can find better deals on the Aluminum extrusions and the panels. Especially in bulk for building more than 1 cube
Question re Moducase: if you stack them, is the bottom case really secure enough to support 2 fully loaded cases on top, given that one cube already has a max load rating ? Also windering how does the moducase system prevent stacked cases from slipping of they're accidentally bumped?
Cost isn't going the be the selling point on making a nice case like that, getting EXACTLY what you want without having to tear a pre-fab item to pieces and modding what you want the first time. Been thinking about wanting something a bit more custom for large Star Wars models (AT-ST, AT-AT as examples). The extruded aluminum is a GREAT idea!! I might spring for tempered glass. Acrylic/Polycarbonate is GREAT stuff, but eventually scratches/gets hazy just with regular cleaning....and doesn't take into account unintentional bumps/gouges/etc. Glass is more expensive, heavier, and can outright break....trade-offs. Always trade-offs. lol
Awesome video Norm but have you ever found a wall hanging display case for miniatures? I’ve looked at shot-glass displays but never found one that I liked. Certainly nothing with lights.
Acrylic in hot humid areas will bend and warp. If you dont use ac i dont think this will work. You will need a rigged frame no flex for the stand to be reliable.
Here's a screwed up statement. I've been collecting Hot Toys, Sideshow, Blitzway, Hollywood Collectibles, Shepperton Design Studios, Regal Robot, Jazzing, etc since 2008 and I've got other things dating even further back to the early 90's and I've spent around £100K plus and I've yet to open a shipping box. Very full 30' loft space. I haven't had my display room done yet as I cannot decide how I want it as it will be bespoke as I'm a film studio owner who used to be a model maker/art director. I couldn't tell you half of what I have. Madness aye. Any ideas?????
Norm awesome content for us sixth scale figure enthusiasts. It was awesome meeting you at the sideshow booth during comicon. I'm sure you are already aware of the loss of audio the last few seconds of video, great content though, keep it coming!
At that price and appearance why not just buy a fish tank? They can come with lights and are built to withstand some abuse. Virtually the same look and pet stores sell them at heavy discounts from time to time.
Yall went WAY overboard. I have the entire Nightmare before Christmas village. It’s a total of 25 buildings. I needed a super large display case. I bought the IKEA Blaliden and turned it sideways, didn’t put shelf’s in…. and done. Display case.
Not a fan of moducase, build the same system for around 1/3th of the price with higher CRI color acurate led's working on the phillips hue smart lighting system. If you're not willing to do the research yourself moducase is fine from what I've seen but for my personal collection which is everchanging, growing and shrinking from time to time, Moducase will never be a good option.
BOUGHT ONE FIVE MONTHS AGO FROM IKEA AND ONLY HAD THE WILL POWER TO BUILD IT LAST SUNDAY. FKN BIG SLEDGEHAMMER NEAR WENT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING LOL !!! AWFUL BITS OF KIT - BUT LOOK WELL WHEN MADE 😂😂😂😂
I would shop around a little more. Amazon isn't always the cheapest place to find stuff... But these extruded type of aluminium profiles can be found pretty cheap since they are used in all kinds of indistries. Everything from concert, to movie productions etc. Same with those LEDs, just searching for "mini led spotlight" yielded a wide variety of price options for spotlights that look just like these, but from other brands. I know people really love amazon because their variety, but again it's not always the cheapest place...