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Minifig Storage

Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
edited April 2011 in Collecting
Hey everyone, just wanted to know if anyone knew any great ways of displaying minifigs? I'm primarily a minifig collector, and I have few bricks beyond the constructed sets I display around the house. Currently my minifigs are stored in compartmentalised boxes designed for construction work, but does anyone know any proper display cases I could buy or find on the web?

Any and all help is appreciated.
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Comments

  • MartinMartin Member Posts: 375
    edited April 2011
    Simply Bricks in the UK have some great cases. Check them out on Bricklink (this discussion may need to move to Marketplace if we're making recommendations).

    edit: Their store is closed at the moment. You'll need to check back after the weekend.
  • OrthobotrexOrthobotrex Member Posts: 165
    http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/71/how-do-you-display-minifigs/#Item_29

    There's also a discussion about the same topic in the Brickset main site about the said display cases with some pointers by other members. :-)
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,754
    ^ and even a review of the perspex minifig prisons, sorry - 'display cases'- from Huw ! I have 40 of them on order, and will hopefully take delivery this weekend. Can't wait !
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    I use these http://www.minifigforlife.com/theprostore/main.php?P=product&pid=D000004&T=8 x 5 Minifig Display Case not cheap, but good quality and can be stood up or wall hung.
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    ^^ I'm sure I ordered mine after you DrD, and I received mine ages ago!
  • drdavewatforddrdavewatford Administrator Posts: 6,754
    ^ I'm picking mine up in person.
  • evilempire22evilempire22 Member Posts: 31
    I use an old type set box, which has different size compartments for the mini-figs with taller extras, like the fisherman....and it hangs great on the wall.

  • Coder_XCoder_X Member Posts: 29
    I only have 3 minifigs at the moment so I'm not really displaying anything right now. But how about making a minifig display rack in Polyurethane or polystyrene?
    If I'm not mistaken it's the stuff architects use to make maquettes... You would have to be a bit handy I suppose but it's cheap and durable. 3mm thickness would suffice, a piece of 70 by 100cm costs less than $10 and allows you to make about 45 cells of 6dots wide x 6dots deep x 8dots high.
    Hardest part is the precise cutting I guess...
  • pantenkindpantenkind Member Posts: 258
    Personally I have two different setups, the first is just a magnet board hung up, then I bought like 100 extra minfig magnets off of amazon (cheap there) and stick figs on there. The downside to this is they get dusty...For my more unique figures I bought a shadowbox picture frame then built shelves out of lego plates and put those in there. They have a sort of artsy appearance and they display well that way. I have seen the boxes martin talks about and they are very nice as well, just a little more expensive. I just thought I would throw a couple ideas out there for you. :-)
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    Thanks for all the good ideas everyone! I shall look into some proper storage shelves whenever I can.
  • FrodoBFrodoB Guest Posts: 7
    Dad bought me some things from repco a while ago that are ment to store nails or washers or something but that does me just fine. it's double sided so I have my minifigs on one side and my accessories on the other side.
  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    I don't think I'll ever have enough space to store mine......
    084l.JPG 290.1K
  • wagnerml2wagnerml2 Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2011
    I don't think I'll ever have enough space to store mine......
    HOLY SCHNIKEES!!!!
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    edited April 2011
    I don't think I'll ever have enough space to store mine......
    HOLY SCHNIKEES!!!!
    My thoughts exactly... I have a lot of yellow minifigs which I keep sorted and boxed, but I also have a lot of fleshies that I display... if every one of us was to combine our minfig collection, we could RULE THE WORLD...!

  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    I have displayed my Star Wars figures but they get a little dusty.image
    006.JPG 285.9K
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    =O...
    ...
    I'm speechless.
  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    Go to my flickr page for a better view. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    Good work. I usually just buy one of each character I'm after, and I don't really army build...
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    Also, I must congratulate you for having THREE Jango Fetts... I have only one - a second Jango would bankrupt me!
  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    edited April 2011
    I have been collecting for 10 years I did started of with one or two of each figure but things kind of got out of hand (as you can see)....
  • Brickmaster47Brickmaster47 Member Posts: 28
    I started in 1999, with The Phantom Menace, but my logic was (and still is) to only buy a set once...!
  • gold682gold682 Member Posts: 257
    edited April 2011
    Go to my flickr page for a better view. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
    Unbelievable!...Do you keep all this in one room? I really must go through my small collection and try and organise them better. mine are all over the house.....some in the spare room in the loft, some in our bedroom (top of wardrobe and under bed) and some in both my son's bedrooms. Think i'll knock up some shelving in the spare room to stack the boxes without putting too much pressure on the boxes below.

    Wish Lego made sturdier boxes, especially for the UCS/expensive sets. Ideally i'd like the box dimesions to allow the built model to be put back in without dismantling :-)
  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    My collection of box items are spread between the loft and two small rooms. I have a storage container for the 2000Kg of loose colour sorted bricks. The stuff on my flickr account is kind of sorted but the loft is a real mess. I need to get up there and sort. Your right it is a pain the built model can not be stored in its original box this would sort out some of my storage issues.
  • romdamromdam Member Posts: 136
    I'm just starting to collect and have about 300 diff. I don't intend to display so I just bought a ton of 2x3 ziplock baggies and put 1 in each. Then I put a label sticker on each with the catalog #.
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    edited April 2011
    Just found these on ebay, they seem pretty nice ways of displaying minifigs:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEGO-Star-Wars-STORMTROOPER-Custom-Display-Case-/110671321545?pt=UK_Construction_Toys_Kits&hash=item19c48659c9#ht_3331wt_1139

    or

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lego-starwars-mini-figure-DISPLAY-STAND-/270733319828?pt=UK_Construction_Toys_Kits&hash=item3f08f69e94#ht_1808wt_1139

    please note: these are not my auctions, or those of any person I know, just found them whilst browsing so thought I'd share with you all!
  • elsielontohelsielontoh Member Posts: 4
    edited April 2011
    http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i391/elsielontohsh/Lego/IMG-20110403-00090-Copy.jpg
    http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i391/elsielontohsh/Lego/IMG-20110403-00078.jpg
    http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i391/elsielontohsh/Lego/IMG-20110403-00084-Copy.jpg
    I hope this could help you
  • madforLEGOmadforLEGO Member Posts: 10,761
    edited April 2011
    Actually the easiest, and cheapest, way to display figures is to buy a Collectable 1:24 scale car case and build little stadium levels (one higher than the other) on the base with Lego plates and stand them up like that. Should be plenty of room, as a matter of fact someone on Brickset did just this and color coded their levels to match the series of minifigs they were displaying.. Not sure about dimensions but I'd say one die cast car case should hold about 16 figs, or more... That is what I am going to do eventually.. Or you can always wait until Lego starts selling their new display cases that will stack on each other (I think they sell them as a unit to hold four figs then they stack as well) The car cases are also UV Protected I believe and see through, or you can get one with a mirrored back if against a wall, As I believe the Lego display cases to be released are white backed so you only see the fronts. Actually... just like elsielontoh did, but it appears with a smaller case, you can get biggers ones than this I believe at a hobby store that sells die cast, or car models, usually....
    @ elsielontoh: NICE lego room btw!
  • StyerStyer Member Posts: 73
    edited April 2011
    If you have even a few bricks, grab some smallish (maybe 16x6) baseplates and build little backdrops, then stick thematically linked batches of minifigs on the baseplate in front of it. Those shouldn't take up too much space, and might be something you can put together with stuff you already have.

    This isn't exactly like what I was talking about, but I have this for my Ninja figs:

    Please forgive the crappy picture quality -- my camera battery died before I could reshoot:

    image
  • otterotter Member Posts: 12
    edited April 2011
    =O...
    ...
    I'm speechless.
    Me, too! How many sets have to be purchased to have that many minifigs??! Awesome work! :-)
  • romdamromdam Member Posts: 136
    Ok, for all who use the case thing, what do you do wheen you have like 1000 figs? Doesn't that take up a lot of room????
  • Bluefox1966Bluefox1966 Member Posts: 360
    @otter. I don't really know how many sets I have purchased. I started seriously collecting the Star Wars sets around 5 years ago, these I tend to buy mint sealed box and never open. The loose figures display I have acquired over the last 10 years with random looses sets and general bulk Lego finds. Going back 5-6 years Star Wars Lego was cheaper you could regularly grab a bargain on Ebay , My limit used to be £5.00 a Kilo back then, but the price has steadily crept up and now you lucky to get it for under £10.00.
  • MvdSMvdS Member Posts: 34
    Bluefox1966: do you also sell some mini-figures?
    You got a few that I would like to own.
  • Si_UKNZSi_UKNZ Member Posts: 4,179
    edited April 2012
    image
    I'd been using Bluemoose's technique too (above), but yesterday I discovered a new shape of really useful box has been released, which is the perfect size to fit a baseplate full of minifigs .. no dust, no hassle building anything, infinitely stackable, perfect!

    it's the new 7L one
    http://www.staples.co.uk/office-supplies/storage-archive-organisation/storage-boxes-plastic/really-useful-office-storage-boxes/7-litre-clear-box?r=se

    image

  • andheandhe Member Posts: 3,914
    How much space is left after putting in a 48x48 stud plate? Looks high enough for accessories to be held as well (eg lightsabers, swords)
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    edited April 2012
    ^ I use something similar, but the 4L boxes. The interior dimensions is about the same as an A4 ream of paper, so plenty of room for figures to stand on plates/bases. You can also get different coloured ones, so good for storage of different things in each type.

    They also do tray inserts for the 4L boxes, which is ideal for sorting parts.

    Some examples here.

    http://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/uk/html/onlineshop/rub/b04_0litreTrayPack.php

    image
  • Si_UKNZSi_UKNZ Member Posts: 4,179
    ^ Yes, those are great, I use the ones 2x the height of that for pretty much all my loose bricks. Very adaptable as the colelction changes shape etc.

    ^^ It fits a 32x32 not a 48x48 ..



    image
  • Si_UKNZSi_UKNZ Member Posts: 4,179
    (I know it could be a bit tighter, but to be honest I wouldn't want it to be, as it would be too hard to get in and out with one hand holding each side).
  • AnseltheCatAnseltheCat Member Posts: 141
    Up until a few days ago I had the majority of my SW minifigs (around 400 now) displayed on a couple of bley 48x48 baseplates in the LEGO room. I decided that dust was going to start becoming a pain and thus for now, I have purchased 500 3"x2" ziplock bags. I actually quite enjoyed putting them all away in their little plastic sleeping bags. I still have a few displayed on a smaller base plate as well as the obligatory minifigs under the TV and on my bedside table (I hope I'm not the only one?!).

    At some point I would like a display case or two on the wall. Before that I now need some suitable tubs for all my plastic encased treasures!
  • MinifigsMeMinifigsMe Member Posts: 2,844
    The lego game boxes, eg rameses pyramid are pretty good too. I use them for transporting my roller derby layout to bouts. fits a 32x32 perfectly of course! not sure if accessories fit though...
  • starfire2starfire2 Member Posts: 1,333
    ^ That's a good idea/ use of those containers. I wonder if they have anything like that in the US?
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    ^^^Ansel, you're not alone. I have Kobe and Shaq posing together next to the TV. Recently went on a business trip and brought along Vader as a travel companion. I think we're both sick with minifig fever I'm afraid. Where's Patient Zero, @littletoki, at so we can blame her and her beautiful display cases.
  • littletokilittletoki Member Posts: 519
    Patient Zero!??! LOL. You can't blame this on me!
  • AnseltheCatAnseltheCat Member Posts: 141
    Patient zero, @littletoki, does make the gold standard of display cases, to my mind.
  • LegogeekLegogeek Member Posts: 714
    Sorry guys & gals, but you lost me..... who or what is Patient Zero?
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    Patient Zero is the first person with the 'Affliction', in this case its for minifig-fever. If you feel any symptoms of temptation upon sight of an Exclusive or Promo fig, please a lego specialist immediately. But whatever you do, do NOT open @littletoki's thread of minifig display cases. We believe this is a hotspot for the disease's origins and warning the general AFOL population as such.
  • littletokilittletoki Member Posts: 519
    Next you'll blame the grab bag fever on me as well. >.>
  • LegogeekLegogeek Member Posts: 714
    Ah, I see. I'm already afflicted with the disease, no fault of @littletoki

    However, I have been showing early stages of the grab bag virus - but nothing serious yet.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Member Posts: 3,639
    @littletoki just messin' with ya, you know we love u and your display cases. I didn't even pay any attention to minifigs until I saw your shadow box. Look at me now, all fig'ed out!

    @legogeek have you seen toki's take-home from some of those grab bag expeditions? Minifigs out the wazoo.
  • littletokilittletoki Member Posts: 519
    Get ready for some updated photos this weekend!! :O
  • LegogeekLegogeek Member Posts: 714

    @legogeek have you seen toki's take-home from some of those grab bag expeditions? Minifigs out the wazoo.
    Yes, I have..... and it took awhile to wipe the drool off my keyboard.
    Get ready for some updated photos this weekend!! :O
    Eagerly awaiting!

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