Display Domes for Figures

[Black Knight]

Figure display domes from Poundland

I'm always on the look out for display covers for my 1/48 and 1/32 figures.

I used to buy real fancy ones of a wood base and borosilicate glass but these have rocketed in price. I then started to buy ones off ebay. Their prices have also gone up and of every 5 I ordered 3 would arrive broken. Of all the ones I've ordered I've actually only ended up with 5 or 6 of different sizes

A couple of months ago I spotted these in Poundland and bought one to test out a theory. I was right and I've now bought more

This may sound daft; these cost just £1. (These days Poundland sell a lot of things at more than £1)

 

These display domes come with an LED light unit and parts to make it look like a bulb is on inside.

 

The Chinese like to stick these together with a heat-melting glue, like the bars you would use in a glue gun

After removing the battery, which is not really necessary, and a soaking in very hot, but not boiling water this can be dismantled. I took this one apart and cleaned it up all inside about 5 minutes (timed by a song playing on the radio)

 

You then end up with the parts; the LED light & battery compartment with switch, base unit, 'donut' which holds the plastic 'light bulb' and plastic 'bulb' 'filament' and the dome.

The main base is wood as is the 'donut', the dome is plastic. 

I put the LED unit into my small electronics storage box, the battery went into something else which needed a fresh one. The 'Bulb' parts are scrap. I've not imagined a use for them yet.

OK, so you have a hole in the centre of the base, small on top but large underneath, but using the 'donut' as a guide I've cut discs of thick card and glued that on as a base for the figure

 

In good Blue Peter fashion here is one I've prepared earlier for a figure I'm working on

 

And two already done. On the left is one of those Del Prado figures, I think he is about 1/30 scale, on the right the figure is 1/32. I added, as I always do, small discs of leather as feet pads on the bottom side of the base

 

Sizes; the base is about 68mm diameter overall, the display centre is about 55mm diameter. With the dome on the base the inside height is about 98mm. Thus it would take a 75mm or 1/24 figure as well

 

 

 

[colin]

Don't think you'll get better than that for a pound