Displaying

[ju52junk]

I need some suggestions please.  I only build aircraft in 1/48 scale.  The planes are displayed in my basement on wooden shelves mounted on the walls of the basement.  My collection of built aircraft is exceeding 200+.  I used to be able to keep up dusting off the planes.  But my collection is growing so large so that I cannot keep up with the dusting off.  I need to display my models better than having them on wooden shelves exposed to getting dusty.   I looked on line and I cannot find any good clear acrylic floor model display cases.  I do not want to spend a arm and a leg(no more that $500/case).  I also cannot find any large enough for 1/48 scale bombers(these plane can take up a lot of space).  I now I could scale down to 1/72nd.  I prefer 1/48th scale.  Any ideas?

Edited April 3, 2018 by ju52junk

[Rusty White]

Watch your newspapers for stores going bankrupt or closing.  All stores have display cases.  Even if they aren't selling them ask a salesperson.   You'll be surprised what they will sell to pay the bills.  I picked a beauty of lighted commercial display case from a bankrupt jeweler.  Used furniture stores (where do you think they get them?) and your local Craigslist have them as well, but you'll need to keep an eye out.

[ju52junk]

2 minutes ago, Rusty White said:

Watch your newspapers for stores going bankrupt or closing.  I picked a beauty of lighted display case from a bankrupt jeweler.  Used furniture stores and your local Craigslist have them as well, but you'll need to keep an eye out.

 

Rusty,

Thanks for the info.  I will keep an eye out.

[ghodges]

I too build almost exclusively 1/48, and occasionally 1/32. I've been building my own display cases for decades, and I'm no wood worker. The plan that I'll post is "expandable", meaning you can adjust the lengths and widths to make a case bigger or smaller as you need to fit what you build AND where you'll place it in your home. The last case I built was nearly twice as big, and was sized expressly to be able to build my 1/48 bombers. You can control costs by using cheaper wood and also by buying shelves as you need them, as opposed to buying enough to fill the case immediately. It's a basic wood/acrylic display case with 1/8th in. glass shelving. It uses readily available adjustable shelving brackets you can get at any good Home Depot/Lowes/Ace; though the longest shelf brackets need to have their end lips sawn off to allow for a larger shelf. The cost of the average size one is probably $200-$300, and the largest is probably closer to $400. The most expensive item is the acrylic sheet, which is no longer cheap. But, once you learn to cut and drill it yourself (easy, actually), you can save money there by buying larger sheets instead of ordering it cut to size. And, the only tools you need are a saw (electric one helps, but a hand saw will do the job too), a drill, a box cutter tool (to scribe and snap the acrylic), and screwdrivers (powered ones save time and effort too); or you can simply use a hammer and nails. Extras that help, but aren't necessary include corner clamps, and adjustable clamps.

Here's some pics of the cases themselves...none of them are lit, though you could do that too if you wanted...

The last pic is the BIG case...note that the C-119, B-47, B-45, and the P-3 are all 1/48. You can see the unused shelf brackets lying in the bottom. When I need more shelves, I'll buy 1 or 2 at a time and add them at that time. Each of those large shelves costs about $30.

Let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps!

GIL

Edited April 3, 2018 by ghodges

[Dick Montgomery]

As Rusty suggested, keep your eyes open for store closings. I found a jewelry display case many (many,many) years ago at a GoodWill Store that they had just acquired. I also found some Ikea cases that fit the bill nicely. Gil's cabinets are very efficient, and with all that glass, make it easy to view the models.

[ju52junk]

44 minutes ago, ghodges said:

I too build almost exclusively 1/48, and occasionally 1/32. I've been building my own display cases for decades, and I'm no wood worker. The plan that I'll post is "expandable", meaning you can adjust the lengths and widths to make a case bigger or smaller as you need to fit what you build AND where you'll place it in your home. The last case I built was nearly twice as big, and was sized expressly to be able to build my 1/48 bombers. You can control costs by using cheaper wood and also by buying shelves as you need them, as opposed to buying enough to fill the case immediately. It's a basic wood/acrylic display case with 1/8th in. glass shelving. It uses readily available adjustable shelving brackets you can get at any good Home Depot/Lowes/Ace; though the longest shelf brackets need to have their end lips sawn off to allow for a larger shelf. The cost of the average size one is probably $200-$300, and the largest is probably closer to $400. The most expensive item is the acrylic sheet, which is no longer cheap. But, once you learn to cut and drill it yourself (easy, actually), you can save money there by buying larger sheets instead of ordering it cut to size. And, the only tools you need are a saw (electric one helps, but a hand saw will do the job too), a drill, a box cutter tool (to scribe and snap the acrylic), and screwdrivers (powered ones save time and effort too); or you can simply use a hammer and nails. Extras that help, but aren't necessary include corner clamps, and adjustable clamps.

Here's some pics of the cases themselves...none of them are lit, though you could do that too if you wanted...

The last pic is the BIG case...note that the C-119, B-47, B-45, and the P-3 are all 1/48. You can see the unused shelf brackets lying in the bottom. When I need more shelves, I'll buy 1 or 2 at a time and add them at that time. Each of those large shelves costs about $30.

Let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps!

GIL

Thanks Gil for the blueprint and pics.  I will try to build one.