Display cabinets for figures and statues: how to choose one
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A cabinet does three jobs: it shows the collection, it keeps the dust off and it keeps hands, pets and sunlight away. Most regrets come from buying one for how it looks in the shop and discovering later that the piece you care about most does not fit.
Start from the pieces, not from the furniture
List the largest pieces you own and the ones you have preordered, with their height, width and depth including the base. The cabinet has to take the biggest of them with a few centimetres to spare on every side.
Then decide what goes together. A shelf of pieces at the same scale reads as a display; a shelf of mixed sizes reads as storage.
The measurements that matter
- Inside height between shelves, not the height of the cabinet.
- Inside depth to the door. Many glass tower cabinets offer 30 to 35 cm, which is enough for most 1/6 and 1/7 figures and too little for many 1/4 statues.
- Inside width between the frame posts, which is less than the outside width.
- Whether the shelves can be moved or removed. One shelf fewer is often what makes a large statue fit.
How much weight a shelf takes
Glass shelves in light tower cabinets are usually rated for a few kilograms each. A polystone statue at 1/4 scale often weighs 5 to 12 kg, and a 1/3 statue can pass 20 kg. Check the rating in the manual before trusting a glass shelf with a heavy piece.
For heavy statues, put them on the bottom, which rests on the frame, or choose furniture with wooden or reinforced shelves.
Common types
| Type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Glass tower cabinet | 1/6 to 1/8 figures, small statues | Low shelf height and light glass shelves |
| Wide glass cabinet with doors | Mixed collections, several 1/4 statues | Price, and the weight of the whole unit |
| Bookcase with added glass doors | Deep or heavy pieces | Dust seals depend on how the doors fit |
| Wall shelf or floating shelf | A few pieces as decoration | No protection from dust or knocks; check the wall fixings |
| Acrylic case for one piece | A single grail, or pieces on a desk | Scratches easily; clean only with a soft cloth |
Dust
No cabinet with doors is fully sealed. Gaps around doors let dust in slowly, and self-adhesive brush or foam strips along those gaps reduce it a great deal. Leave the cabinet closed and dust the outside rather than the pieces.
Light
LED strips are the usual choice because they give little heat. Warm white flatters skin tones and paint; cool white suits armour and metallics. Put the strip at the front of each shelf pointing back, so it lights the faces instead of the tops of the heads.
Keep the cabinet out of direct sunlight. Ultraviolet light fades paint and yellows clear parts over the years, and the damage does not come back.
Before you buy
- Measure the room too: door swing, skirting boards and the ceiling height for tall units.
- Fix tall cabinets to the wall, especially with children or pets at home.
- Plan one spare shelf. Collections grow.