Question For Any Collector Who Displays...

I was just curious, do any of you collectors (who display their figs. and vechiles) do anything to enhance your displays?

For instance; building models and things to re-create certain scenes. Perhaps the Endor battle scene or the different Death Star scenes.

(I'm talking trees and dioramas)

If so, I would like to hear what and how you do what you do.

Thanks

 

I display my figs, with nice, acid fee, virgin plastic*, waterproof, Protech STAR CASES! D@mn! I sound like a frickin commercial! What few loose figs I still have, (my jabbas palace diorama and fett collection) are displayed throughout my room. Jace

EDIT: If you use a Star case, has it lost its virginity ("virgin" plastic)

 

I just nail a few of my favorite boxed figures up on my wall, (the more valuble ones in star cases) and the rest of them that I have loose I just set on a shelf.

Forcebewitya!

 

I have some of my more expensive carded figures in Star cases as well. I know alot of you here are students so this might not be an option for you but a nice looking cabinet and good quality lighting really makes a dramatic impact on the presentation of your collection. I have also used lighting to highlight 2 of my dioramras that are almost complete. Please feel free to look at my link below as I have several night shots of my room...

 

lighting....gotta work on that...

 

Uh, I think that Darth Critic's question was geared towards "loose" collectors, being as how he asked what you use for dioramas & such. After all, you can't display a carded figure in a diorama, can you? Anyway, I'm not very intricate when it comes to building dioramas, but I tend to create a lot of mini-scenes using printed backgrounds & such.

 

I do the same as Forceguy Only I wouldn't call mine mini scenes A few are rather big actually

I have the Cantina & Jabba's Palace dioramas set up as well as an Ultarama that's part of my Death Star ANH escape scene

I would loooooove to create some dioramas of my own with plaster or clay, I really should! Maybe Yoda's hut on Dagobah

At the moment it's mostly printed backgrounds, Playsets, Ultaramas & foam board And TONS of opened SW figures of course

 

/\ As soon as I get the space to set up a Tatooine scene I will do so. It will be built into the wall with a large glass panel streching across the room. I plan to have plaster buildings and the bottom will be covered in a couple of inches of sand (partially to hide the stands that the figures will be mounted on).

 

sounds awesome!

 

I display my "Force Users" on the rod above the blinds over my windows, the rest just go on shelves, or my entertainment center.


GO DEVILS!!! Series 2 - 0

 

For those of you who have Geonosis dioramas, what do you use for the sand feature? I really don't want to use sand, seeing as that could really work it's way into my nice figures and stuff, and... I dunno, I'd just rather not.

Would sawdust work?

What have you guys used? (And I've REALLY got to get some updated pictures up soon... The ones in my profile are so incredibly outdated. The difference is incredible... ANd I like to think I have one of the most movie-accurate Geonosis Clone War dioramas so far )

Maybe I'll take some more picture right after I go shower now (I just woke up )

 

Hmmm. Good question. I wouldn't use sawdust. It has been my experience that it is waaaay more messy than sand. Just because it is a lot lighter, and will "fly" and spread more. So, if you walk by too fast, the saw dust will fly up and get everywhere.

I'm thinking maybe if you are too worried about your figures getting sandy (I don't think you should be worried myself, I think they will be fine) but, maybe getting sand, putting it in whatever container type thing, and lay a thin sheet of glass, or plexiglass on top? So, the texture still looks the same. The only problem I see with that is if you want to do any kind of dunes.

Or, maybe a piece of that textured plywood (I can't remember the exact name patchwood maybe?) and painted a kind of sandy grainy color?

Just some random ideas. I'm really wanting to get into giving my scenes more detail so it doesn't just look like a big war in my floor or something.

 

Sithman, for the texture and color without the mess I would suggest that you buil the floor of the set and then glue on strips of sand paper. Sand paper comes in various colors and I'm pretty sure I have seen some nearly the same reddish shade as Geonosis dirt.

 

"maybe getting sand, putting it in whatever container type thing, and lay a thin sheet of glass, or plexiglass on top?"


Heeyyy, I like that! Looks great, clean, easy to stand figures up on (though I do have Real Stands anyways)... I really like that!


Oh, and Stalker, that's a great idea! If I could find a way to make it look actually like sand instead of a bunch of square sandpaper sheets, ya know?


I'm sure I'll experiment with both of those ideas! Thanks so much!

 

There are actually really large rolls of sandpaper you could get.

I was thinking the glass would be ok because I don't think the real action stands would be so noticable. (since I took your advice and got a bunch of those, I'm thinking about doing something along the same lines.)

 

I use sand in 2 of my dioramas, what i did was build a litte " sand box" out of old boxes, like my ol slave 1 box, and my SSD lego box . I mand the sides about 1.5 inches high and painted them, filled them about half way up with sand. Works really well, the sand gives a really nice base for the figures to stand on . the sand won't get into the joints of the figures, the grains are a tad to big for that. if anyone wants to see pics, pm me and i can email you some


EDIT: heres a link so you dont have to PM me, for all us lazy people out there

Here

 

Right now, my carded figures are hanging around my room, forming a straight border on the top of each wall. Saga line is on one wall, POTJ on the other, Ep. I on the other wall, and POTF2 on the last. I didn't have room to put up all the carded figs, but I do have a lot more storage room now that they're up. It looks great. As for the opened figs....they're standing along my window sil. I usually change the poses every day or two, just depends on when I look/play with them.

 

I've got a five-foot tall display cabinet with glass doors that most of my on-display figures are in. I plan to eventually install small running lights on each shelf so that I can illuminate my collection at night.

The top shelf are McFarlane figs, but the other three are SW. I've got a small stuffed Chewie sitting atop my scale sports car cases, and a Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan TacoBell cup on top of the cabinet. On one of the two shelves above my CD racks, I've got a 12-inch Hoth Outfit Luke and a Boba Fett that can act like a door sensor. Luke on the Taun-Taun sits on my floor, with the tail hooked underneath one of the CD racks so that it won't topple forward. Then on a single shelf of another little display I got are my SE videos, radio drama CDs/tapes, the SW soundtrack anthology box set, and a deck of homemade Sabacc cards.

I'd love to have bigger displays, but I just ain't got the room. So all of my ships and a bunch of other figures and stuff are stored away in a couple tupperware containers in both my closet and the spare room closet.

 

also....Sithman...I have another idea that you might try...on a small scale anyway...to see how it looks...

maybe take some cardboard....completely cover it with a coating of a glue that dries clear....then apply sand to it...let it dry....blow off the excess sand....see how it looks...worth a try...and I think it might look a little better than sandpaper....

dunno...might work...

 

Hey Sithman for my Geonosis Diorama i just painted the board a a dark bronw/red color. It looks just like the sand in Episode II.

 

S_G, great idea. I can't wait until I move into a place big enough to set something like this up!

 

"I plan to eventually install small running lights on each shelf so that I can illuminate my collection at night."

You know, I've wanted to get some track lighting for a long time for my collection. God, I'd love that. I've seen a few collection with track lighting like that... It looks gorgeous.




Oh, and that's a great idea Shlopy! I think I'll try that one first, actually.

 

I have mine in a display case:

[image=http://www.dansjp3page.com/hosting/SiteC/SWCase.jpg]

Works nice, its not elaborate, does its job. Needs more figures...would like 100% better if I could find new stuff to go in there.

BTW the Busts and Unleashed are just in there for a temporary residence, I don't know where they are going to go yet...

 

Sithy, I ran some X-mas tree lights under my shelfs, it look reall awsome. And is pretty easy to do.