Review: Minifigures display board
Posted by Huw,
The recent rise in minifigure collectors has prompted the manufacture of products designed to display them, from plastic boxes to house them individually to deep picture frames for hanging on the wall.
However, I have seen none that are as high quality and elegant as this new display board from Minifigures Display which I have been sent to review by the manufacturer.
As soon as you open the box you can tell it is a high quality product.
The component parts, the display board and stand, are wrapped in film inside the tissue paper and a layer of bubble wrap which ensures everything arrives in pristine condition.
Sixteen 2x3 white plates are provided along with a largely superfluous instruction sheet.
The display stand is machined from solid maple wood, then varnished. It is extremely well finished; exceptionally smooth and silky.
The display board is made from PVC foam board. The holes, in which the 2x3 white plates are inserted, are precision machined so the plates fit in snugly and will not easily fall out.
Before receiving the stand I had reservations about the use of PVC foam board, which I thought would be a soft and easily damaged material. That is not the case at all. It is extremely rigid and it is not likely that you will dent or mark in in normal use.
The one I was sent is designed to mount 16 minifigures, so here it is loaded up with series 16.
A 20-minifigure version is also available.
It looks superb even from the back.
I am aware that everything I have written above is full of superlatives. That's because it really is superb.
I don't normally end a review with a pros and cons list but for this one I will.
Pros
- Well made from high quality materials.
- Looks very elegant and would not be out of place on the mantelpiece or display cabinet in your front room. If you have had trouble persuading your partner to allow you to display your figures in public rooms at home you will probably have more success if you suggest using one of these.
- Easy to access the figures as there is no glass or doors in the way.
- If a 2x3 plate is not sufficient to display a particular figure you can replace it with a 2x4 or maybe a 4x4 'L' shaped plate if you want to put accessories next to them.
- Best quality minifigure display solution I have seen.
Cons
- Perhaps the biggest one is the price. They are £28.44 / US$35.50 / 32€. That is not to say they are expensive and not worth the money: that is not the case at all. This is a quality item handmade in Spain and you definitely get what you pay for.
- Figures are not covered, which is good in many ways, but you will need to guard against dust if you are planing on long term display.
This is a product for the discerning collector who is prepared to pay for displaying minifigures in the best possible way. The cost will prevent it from becoming a mass-market item but if you can afford it, you will not be disappointed.
I was sent this one f.o.c. to review, but would I actually pay for them? Actually, yes. I have just placed an order for two more. It would be nice to have one for every CMF series but clearly that would be pretty expensive. I will use three to display the last few series of CMFs rather than putting them into storage almost as soon as I have built them.
You can purchase from Minifigures Display who will ship them worldwide.
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35 comments on this article
too much empty space. If one wants to display all collections at once, this displays will eat too much space. Just not my thing I guess...
looks nice
^^ You're missing the point: yes there are more high density ways to display minifigs but they don't look their best when crammed together.
Those that can afford to buy these in quantity probably have the space to put them.
i prefer my "IKEA Homemade" solution
If you are a little handy you could "steal" the design and create your own ones relatively cheap.
The level of finish would be up to you.
Now if only these pesky CMF collections would stick to the 16 figure format....
Hi.
In my opinion there is to less space for bigger minifigures like:
http://brickset.com/sets/71012-17/Ursula
or
http://brickset.com/sets/71012-18/Ariel
Mahal.
^ There is a solution though with this one: just use a bigger plate. With frames and boxes that's not an option, she simply won't fit.
Pass. Expensive. And I cant speak for others but I like my figures to be enclosed so I don't need to dust them. Dust is the enemy. There are better options, way better, for less. And getting the figs out, should you choose so, is not hard.
If you're not going to have your figs protected with perspex, then why not just build the stand out of Lego, to you own prefered size/colour/shape/etc.? Especially if you're willing to shell out almost £30 for a single stand!!! Spending that much is just silly - why not forget about having a stand; but buy another 12 odd figures instead for that same single cost.
Ho my god it is so expensive for what it is !
I'm sorry, but a piece of PVC and a small piece of wood, even from Spain, does not coast 32€ in my eyes. Any solution with the IKEA Ribba cost less.
Not having a glass is very negative too in my opinion. The sun will kill the grey and white colors, you have to clean the dust every week... When you only have 20 minifigures, it's OK. But if you have something like hundred or more, it's a really pain to dust them all. So no, the glass is better even if you can't toy with them.
A descent and elegant solution with IKEA Ribba is hanging in our kitchen as well.
For $35 I'll buy 9 more minifigures.
They are nice, but I think there is one more Con for that list. The depth is limiting. Some of the figures need extra depth in their display area, and while you could conceivably add your own white brick and have it hang out farther to accommodate, not sure how that would affect the area around the cut out as far as stress pressure.
I think it is a very interesting alternative display environment, something that would work well as a supplement or addition to what you have for a 'bulk collection'. Perhaps minifigs that you are currently using in your play rotation, or I also see it as ideal for any small retailer. A great POS display alternative that, for the price, is a steal compared to what is usually sold through retail supply stores.
There is also the option, if you have LOTS of room, you could do as the Brick Show has it, as a giant minifig wall. It's in the background of pretty much every video they post, except for the news updates.
Dust is a huge annoyance to me, so I think I'll just stick to the case I have.
This is the way how I'm collecting minifigures, less than 4 euros per one plate. Each plate in color due to color of series!
https://8studs.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/recenzja-podstawka-pod-minifigurki/
>not sure how that would affect the area around the cut out as far as stress pressure.
It won't be an issue. The material is very hard and durable. A few extra grammes won't make any difference.
It's not card, or card backed foam board. It's a rigid PVC sheet.
Six issues with this display:
1) Inefficient with space. Only 16 minifigures in that amount of space is wasteful in my house.
2) Expensive. Only 16 minifigures for $35.50 USD is wasteful for my wallet.
3) Not able to isolate minifigures from kids or adults who think the minifigs are there for them to play with. I like doors to protect my investment and strongly imply not to touch.
4) Not adjustable. I have a few larger figures I like to display as well. This display doesn't allow that.
5) Not UV protected. I don't want my minifigures to fade after spending time and money accumulating them.
6) Dust! I have enough to do already without having to clean my minifigures and their tiny parts periodically.
I found a nice looking oak cabinet on eBay that doesn't take up a lot of space, has adjustable shelves, a UV-protected door, holds over 200 minifigures, all for $80 USD shipped. The only thing missing is a lock, and that can be easily added if I took the time to do it.
I'm not into displaying CMFs, but even if I was, I don't like the design, especially the rounded edges. It's not an Apple product, and not everybody is an Apple fanboy, so it's not that appealing. IMHO of course.
I think this is a very nice way to display figures. I only wish it could be hang on the wall.
What a hunk of junk. The best way to go is a "Shot Glass" display case. These are easily found on the likes of Amazon and Ebay in a large range of sizes (up to several hundred Minifigures per case). I personally use the "Keepsake Display Case by Studio Decor" from Michael's (a craft store in the US). Each case comfortably holds 54 Minifigures with their stand, has a magnetically sealed, hinged door to keep out dust, a UV resistant acrylic front pane, mounting brackets to hang the case on the wall, and the whole thing is finished in black, which in my opinion, really brings out the colors of the Minifigures. Each unit retails for $50 US, but they are constantly on sale. Right now, they are $25, but I have gotten them for as low as $20. I currently have a bank of 12 on my living room wall, and I buy more quite frequently.
nice way to display your minifigs or minidolls but i think there could be room for atleast another 4 figures if they move the 3x2 plate slots closer together..
Not to my taste, especially not at that price. I can see how others might like it, and I'm always happy to see more love for us collectors, but I think I'm going to pass on these. Like those that have mentioned already, dust is my main enemy, so any solution that isn't enclosed is less appealing.
Thanks for the review though -
To each their own - but this is not my style at all. I've given up on the IKEA Ribba frame hack - that works well for standard minifigures, but anything with larger accessories or different leg elements - forget about it. I bought some golf ball display cases a few years ago that have actually been pretty much perfect in terms of allowance for enough depth and height for virtually every CMF in my collection.
i just display my minifigs on baseplates. :|
Where's the dog?
I echo what @Farmer_John said
I bought this 6x6 Le Duke display case from China, it's dustproof and high quality but a little bit expensive for all minifigs I have (RMB9.9 each, ~US$1.5).
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.Aqh4s2&id=21689068748
Although these look nice, at a cost of £1.78 per minifigure these are expensive. I would much prefer to buy one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-Minifigure-Display-Frame-Minifigs/dp/B01KKM1KGU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478598462&sr=8-1&keywords=large+lego+minifigure+display+frame
and have enough to display 7 series at a cost of 63p per fig (it can display more) also as these are not a modified Ribba frame they can hold the figs with tails - Medusa, Ursula) without a problem. I think these look pretty darn good too, my wife even let me put two up in our lounge so they can't be that bad.
An interesting idea and something one could adapt to make ones own. Eg use lego for the backplate and a wooden block as the stand. That would also allow custom gaps for odd figures. But it's for a modest sized collection or subset for display. The manufacturer's bigger (105 and 112 figure) wall mounts are the high efficiency higher value for money options for large collections.
The best minifigure cases IMHO were the ones that LEGO were selling a few years ago made by IRIS USA. They easily held a CMF collection, and came printed with a minifigure head on the outside. You could even buy ones printed with "minifigure series 11" (and a pic of the entire series), "CHiMA" etc. on the outside. And they were only $3 each!
Everyone has missed the point of this product. It's like me reviewing a Rolex and everyone saying they can buy a Swatch for a fraction of the cost and that it does the same thing. It may well tell the time just as well but it won't look as elegant on your wrist.
Some people are prepared to pay for that elegance, those that can afford to, and many won't think the elegance and image projected by one's choice of watch is important enough to pay out for.
I'll definitely admit this is a very nice-looking product: very clean, simple lines which help the minifigures to stand out. (And its design would make displaying minifigs that come with ice skates easy: just stick them on the underside of the mounting plate.)
But, yeah, it's expensive. Way too much for me to consider using it for CMFs. On the other hand, I am quite tempted to get one for my promotional minifigs and pack-in minifigs from the various DK books. This could work quite well for those, since I don't accumulate them nearly as fast as CMFs.
A big, solid MEH.