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I'm looking for a showcase for my armies. The ones I've seen so far are way expensive(1-3k).

Ideally I'm looking for wall mounted, but a standalone is fine.

Criteria:

glass shelves
lighting
cost less than an army


thoughts?

Have you looked at Ikea?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40128563

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10011055

The DETOLF (second link above) is cool, and pretty cheap. I might pick up a couple before I leave the Chicago area after Adepticon. They would be awesome in the Nerd Bunker.

I would second the Ikea idea!

I'd also check craigslist or your local paper. Sometimes the ikea stuff is there too, but other things also can work: stereo cabinets, bookcases, etc. Search for "cabinet glass" or "curio cabinet", and you'll usually get a bunch of hits.

I got a nice little glass fronted case about 5 feet tall (I think it used to be a stereo cabinet) for $10. I bought a simple fl to light it for $5, and it works for now.

I see from your profile you are in inland empire, ca. If this is true, a quick craiglist search turned up these, all less than $50, some under $30:

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/2150423469.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/fuo/2180474727.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/2175016659.html <= This is the ikea ones from above, 3 of them, $25 each!

Hey Aerethan,

This is a common inquiry not only for miniature enthusiasts, but also for collectors of nearly anything from baseball memorabilla to rocks. The verdict is in: DETOLF cannot be beat on value. Few pieces of furniture have their own fan clubs, but DETOLF does.

It's all glass and metal so no worries that it's ikea; contrary to their other items (constructed of shoddy material), it will actually last. Couple issues: yes it has a lighting option, but it's ineffective. Your top shelves will be well-light, but if you have a good number of items on each shelf, the bottom shelves will be dark. Also it is centrally located; 40k figures should be lit from the front ideally.

Also, the shelves are not adjustable and spaced 12 inches apart. Obviously a waste of space, unless your collection features forgeworld greater daemons exclusively. There are no slots for shelves or extra shelves available.

Lastly, the door and body has a gap that will allow dust into the case over the long run.

That said, I really do believe that the detolf is a ridiculously good bargain that cannot be beat by any display case under $300. I plan to order 2 this week, and next week or the week after, if time permits I will be writing a tutorial showing you how to add proper lighting for minis, how to add extra shelves, and how to seal the gap.

Might want to grab some used ones if you have the opportunity.

I'll end up buying 2 of them and I'll add corner lighting for each shelf from home depot.

Thanks for the help!

Anytime

Take a picture when you get that corner lighting set up.

Yeah walk through Ikea, they have some really simple, cheap glass shelves all over the store.