Displaying a collection without a glass cabinet

GubernatorFan wrote:Like Sky, I don't have a proper display set up, so I'm happy to see others' solutions..

Yeah, I appreciate seeing what others have come up with. I'm open to all kinds of suggestions, I guess I was just not finding what I needed via all the various youtube tours of people's collections in their huge fancy and expensive display areas.

GubernatorFan wrote:Sky, is there some sort of relatively cheap de-humidifier gismo you could plug in have running in that room? If not, I suppose you will have to add silica packs to your shelves once you set them up. Also, is there another place you can dedicate to your framed art -- although I understand the logic of keeping it all together -- from both the theme and neatness points of view. Alternatively, is there another room (hobby, entertainment) to host your display and this for something else? Open metal shelving with figures displayed in clear acrylic boxes/cases -- space allowing in every sense -- might not be a bad way to do it in the end, provided they are not subject to too much UV light.

Re: the dampness issue --- from the moment I set up the room, I've had multiple 'charcoal bamboo scent and moisture absorbing packs' placed all around it (in various corners out of sight), and they do seem to help a great deal. The room itself is so tiny, there's hardly any space for a dehumidifier, but there *is* a dehumidifier in the hallway literally right outside it. So,in addition to the moisture-absorbing packets, every couple of days I open the door of the room either overnight or for several hours during the day (or more frequently if it feels particularly damp in there), and let the dehumidifier take care of it.

I think the window became especially damp because over the winter, the gutter on the roof right above the room had cracked and would drip directly onto said window on rainy days. It was stressing me out because I worried that it might have the precise effect that it did. We finally got it fixed, but it was like that for several months and I think that might indeed have been the cause. Fingers crossed that this coming winter it won't do that again, but I'll keep a close eye on it all the same.


Re: the posters and wall art -- I realise that it might seem silly to be so focused on that, but I've been collecting posters and fan art for even longer than the figures themselves, and I'm pretty attached to it all. And I especially want it all to work together as one big display, if possible. Of course, there are some things that simply do not fit (like the full size movie posters), but there are lots of smaller pieces that do. I've left one wall section 'blank' for now until I finalise everything, so there's still potentially a little bit of extra space for figures if I end up needing it.


Speaking of extra space, I went into the storage cupboards today and did some serious rearranging. Much of the seeming lack of space was due to the Mr.Z horses taking up wayyy too much room. But I decided to try to utilise the existing space a bit better, and found that I could indeed fit pretty much all my unboxed Hot Toys and customs between the two storage cupboards. While they aren't all in one place, it's as close as I can get at this point. And they are at least within easy reach and I can get them out and pose them for photos any time I want now. That's really what was causing me such stress -- I hated having to unbox figures and then put them back into boxes just to take pics. Maybe some don't mind that, but for me it's a just a prohibitively annoying pain in the arse. ;p

I'm still thinking about how best to display everything, but for now, this will do.

If you plan to use book cases, you can always get the kind with adjustable shelving. Not the fanciest, but you can remove shelves to make more room for your stuff, raise and lower the shelves as necessary, and if you decide to put them back to back be sure to place a couple shims under the bottom front so they literally lean just a smidge against each other — that way they don’t fall over.

Stryker2011 wrote:If you plan to use book cases, you can always get the kind with adjustable shelving. Not the fanciest, but you can remove shelves to make more room for your stuff, raise and lower the shelves as necessary, and if you decide to put them back to back be sure to place a couple shims under the bottom front so they literally lean just a smidge against each other — that way they don’t fall over.

Good advice, I'll keep that in mind! ^.^

Sounds like you are making progress on a temporary solution until you are ready to try a perfect one.

GubernatorFan wrote:TGF, those are some very impressive displays and collections! Thanks for sharing -- and the advice, too. Like Sky, I don't have a proper display set up, so I'm happy to see others' solutions. I just don't get too worried about dust, although I am annoyed it has taken its toll on some of my super-glossy helmets that I did recently.

Thanks Guv! It took years for the placement and furniture acquisition to reach this stage, and it's far from "finished" (is it ever?). 

skywalkersaga wrote:

GubernatorFan wrote:Like Sky, I don't have a proper display set up, so I'm happy to see others' solutions..

Yeah, I appreciate seeing what others have come up with. I'm open to all kinds of suggestions, I guess I was just not finding what I needed via all the various youtube tours of people's collections in their huge fancy and expensive display areas.

GubernatorFan wrote:Sky, is there some sort of relatively cheap de-humidifier gismo you could plug in have running in that room? If not, I suppose you will have to add silica packs to your shelves once you set them up. Also, is there another place you can dedicate to your framed art -- although I understand the logic of keeping it all together -- from both the theme and neatness points of view. Alternatively, is there another room (hobby, entertainment) to host your display and this for something else? Open metal shelving with figures displayed in clear acrylic boxes/cases -- space allowing in every sense -- might not be a bad way to do it in the end, provided they are not subject to too much UV light.

Re: the dampness issue --- from the moment I set up the room, I've had multiple 'charcoal bamboo scent and moisture absorbing packs' placed all around it (in various corners out of sight), and they do seem to help a great deal. The room itself is so tiny, there's hardly any space for a dehumidifier, but there *is* a dehumidifier in the hallway literally right outside it. So,in addition to the moisture-absorbing packets, every couple of days I open the door of the room either overnight or for several hours during the day (or more frequently if it feels particularly damp in there), and let the dehumidifier take care of it.

I think the window became especially damp because over the winter, the gutter on the roof right above the room had cracked and would drip directly onto said window on rainy days. It was stressing me out because I worried that it might have the precise effect that it did. We finally got it fixed, but it was like that for several months and I think that might indeed have been the cause. Fingers crossed that this coming winter it won't do that again, but I'll keep a close eye on it all the same.

Well, sky, I'm not sure I recall you mentioning the humidity/mold issue (other than possible leaking roofs or plumbing) but that does change the calculus quite a bit. Absolutely, high humidity and the presence of mold/mildew will ruin your figures!! So either steps should be taken to change atmospheric conditions inside the house/room, or a different room should be chosen, or your figures should be stored in some other dry, mold-free place. Being from the States, you're probably aware how much people here freak out about mold/mildew in the house, but I've found other cultures around the world just live with it, including over in the UK where you are (I grew up on a subtropical island nation in Asia, where it was just a given in everyday life; you should have seen the walls in the house! ). But, you also seem aware of the dangers given your previous experiences so I trust you will take the necessary precautions.

Aside from dehumidifiers, which are pretty bulky, proper ventilation can help dry the air, so buying a high quality HEPA filter and running it 24/7 in that room will help a great deal. In addition, it will suck up mold spores and reduce the proliferation of said fungus. (Those silica/charcoal packs are IMO not that effective as air needs pass through them for them to work. If they just sit there without moving air they are pretty useless.) Be sure to eradicate all traces of mold in the room or it will just keep coming back (the usual method of bleach is the best). Be aware that any and all substances that absorb moisture (paper, cardboard, fabrics, wood, etc) are prime targets for those spores and if left unchecked will permeate. So any books, boxes, drapes, and yes your artwork and posters should be checked and given the "smell test" to see if there is the tell-tale odor. I once bought an old Dragon figure that was long out of production and discovered it was full of mildew when I received it. I washed and soaked everything many times, but still some items retained that stink and I threw those away, saving what I could. Once it takes hold, it can be almost impossible to remove. Ironically one method of killing mold/mildew is strong sunlight, precisely what you shouldn't do with these figures, so, please do all you can to mitigate this issue!

It would help to by a hygrometer to check humidity levels. Ideally it should never rise above 50% (except for short periods). Closer to 40% is probably better. In my home despite living in one of the wettest parts of the country, our forced hot air central heating system keeps things below 40% for the majority of the year.

Sorry if I sound alarmist and may be adding to your anxiety, but I know how much your figures/artwork means to you and would hate for this to actually ruin them.

Tankgirlfuzzy -- Don't worry, you're fine, and I appreciate your concern. I am definitely aware of the problems with mold due to having lived here in the UK for the last ten years now. During that time, I've lived in houses ranging from Victorian era, to the 1930s, to many post-war houses built in the '50s, and so on. (The Victorian house in York was the worst for black mold, it was just everywhere. The second worst was the house in the countryside where all my stuff got ruined with fast-growing green mold after the roof leaked and everything near it got moldy. I managed to salvage some books and a few clothing items, but that was about it.)

Over the years, we've moved around a lot, for various reasons. The previous house we were in (which was probably the most dust- and mold-free of the houses I've lived in here, since it had been totally renovated in the '90s) was supposed to be a lot more of a long term situation, and much of my original display plans were formulated with that house in mind. The room I was planning to use there had very high ceilings, so my idea of keeping the wall space free was a lot more realistic. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and we had to move again, and here we are. So I ended up with a lot more stuff that I intended to display than if I'd started out just basing it on this current tiny room.

Compared to other houses we've lived in, the mold and damp here has not really been an issue (hence why I wasn't worried about it at all until just now). It's probably second best to the previous house in that regard (the current place was built in the '70s, so that is quite new for a house here, lol). Most UK houses don't have air conditioning, nor built-in vent systems, so you are limited to what you can control manually, via turning on the heat, installing dehumidifiers, etc.  Realistically, keeping a room less than 50% humidity at all times of the year is a tall order, though your idea of a way to monitor the humidity is a good one and I'll keep that in mind.

The conditions in this house and in houses here in general are not 100% ideal for 1/6 collecting, I will fully admit that. But that's something I've accepted by now, and I'm just trying to do my best with what I have. There's no alternative room to use for display, unfortunately, this is all I've got. The seeming mold development is definitely concerning, but now that I know it could potentially be a problem, I'll be keeping a close eye (and nose) on it.

As soon as I found the suspected mold, I removed everything and gave the whole area and the curtains a spray down with vinegar (this has worked before for getting rid of mold and is how I salvaged some of my items in the past). The curtains didn't really smell, so I'm hoping it wasn't too bad. I also checked the other windows on the same side of the house, and they were all fine, no hint of mold whatsoever. So I'm wondering if this was indeed due to the extra moisture dripping down from the leak in the gutter right above said window, which has now been fixed. I'm not saying it's not still concerning, because it is, but I have hope that it might have been an isolated issue.

The charcoal packets are not intended for managing mold, sorry if I gave the wrong impression. They are merely intended to absorb bad smells, and they do work well for that.  I will look into a HEPA filter and see if i can find something that will fit into a little corner somewhere.


For the time being, I've rearranged things to make enough space to keep all the 1/6 figures in storage cupboards, so they are not exposed to the air, but are still relatively accessible. It's the best temporary solution I can think of until I figure out a safer display. : )

I'm glad it sounds like you have a near term solution and I'll be interested to see what your eventual plan will be to set it up the way you wish. 

Definitely get yourself a good HEPA filter that cycles a good volume of air. I have many running around my house and it has helped keep dust down as well as with my pollen allergies. Years ago I had lots of boxes and junk piled into a corner in my basement studio (which oddly has marble floors) and I discovered things were growing mold/mildew from the damp. I threw everything out and got everything off the floor and onto tables, and put a HEPA filter near that corner to help circulate air, and it's been fine since, it's been several years now. You can actually see a bit of that room in my RC tank videos, and I think you can even see the filter when I start up and shut down the tank right next to it.

tankgirlfuzzy wrote:I'm glad it sounds like you have a near term solution and I'll be interested to see what your eventual plan will be to set it up the way you wish. 

Thanks. I really appreciate all the advice and suggestions. I feel a little foolish for even having made this thread, because I'm not even sure what answers I was looking for at the time. As some people here already know, I've been extremely anxiety-ridden over my dog (whose health is in severe decline) and I looked back and can see a lot of that anxiety coming through in my initial post. I think I suddenly felt a need to finish setting up the display room because everything in my life is spiraling and beyond my control, so I desperately wanted to focus on something I *could* control, if that makes sense. But as you can see, it didn't really help my anxiety much at all.

tankgirlfuzzy wrote:Definitely get yourself a good HEPA filter that cycles a good volume of air. I have many running around my house and it has helped keep dust down as well as with my pollen allergies. Years ago I had lots of boxes and junk piled into a corner in my basement studio (which oddly has marble floors) and I discovered things were growing mold/mildew from the damp. I threw everything out and got everything off the floor and onto tables, and put a HEPA filter near that corner to help circulate air, and it's been fine since, it's been several years now. You can actually see a bit of that room in my RC tank videos, and I think you can even see the filter when I start up and shut down the tank right next to it.

Ooh, that's great to know it helps with allergies on top of everything else. Putting one of these on my must-buy list for sure. :'D

skywalkersaga wrote:
Thanks. I really appreciate all the advice and suggestions. I feel a little foolish for even having made this thread, because I'm not even sure what answers I was looking for at the time. As some people here already know, I've been extremely anxiety-ridden over my dog (whose health is in severe decline) and I looked back and can see a lot of that anxiety coming through in my initial post. I think I suddenly felt a need to finish setting up the display room because everything in my life is spiraling and beyond my control, so I desperately wanted to focus on something I *could* control, if that makes sense. But as you can see, it didn't really help my anxiety much at all.

I’m so sorry to hear that.  We had to put one of our cats down in January after an eighteen month battle with feline fibrosarcoma, an especially nasty form of skin cancer that is for all intents and purposes impervious to surgery and endocrinology.

I’ve experienced my fair share of loss in life, but it was by far the most painful thing I’ve been though.  Her quality of life didn’t start slipping until the end, so we were fortunate to have another good year+ with her after she was diagnosed.  I’m just now starting to feel somewhat “normal” again, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her, and I doubt that will ever change.

It’s also part of the reason I’m here as well.  I bought the 1/12 TBL Vampirella the first week in February, and I think I desperately needed something “new” to collect to help keep me distracted.   I’ve been on an insane buying spree the last few months, but it has helped me through this, so as long as it’s coming out of discretionary money and I’m not incurring debt or cutting corners somewhere else, I could care less.

So I completely understand what you’re going though, and hopefully this crazy hobby and this crazy community we have here will help you get through it the way it helped me.

As for the tread itself, sometimes you have to talk through all of these different ideas and options to find a solution, and sometimes you have to do it to realize that there just isn’t a solution that fits right now.  In the meantime, I think there’s been a lot of value as well as interesting thoughts and ideas in the discussion for all of us.

Xavion2004 wrote:

skywalkersaga wrote:
Thanks. I really appreciate all the advice and suggestions. I feel a little foolish for even having made this thread, because I'm not even sure what answers I was looking for at the time. As some people here already know, I've been extremely anxiety-ridden over my dog (whose health is in severe decline) and I looked back and can see a lot of that anxiety coming through in my initial post. I think I suddenly felt a need to finish setting up the display room because everything in my life is spiraling and beyond my control, so I desperately wanted to focus on something I *could* control, if that makes sense. But as you can see, it didn't really help my anxiety much at all.

I’m so sorry to hear that.  We had to put one of our cats down in January after an eighteen month battle with feline fibrosarcoma, an especially nasty form of skin cancer that is for all intents and purposes impervious to surgery and endocrinology.

I’ve experienced my fair share of loss in life, but it was by far the most painful thing I’ve been though.  Her quality of life didn’t start slipping until the end, so we were fortunate to have another good year+ with her after she was diagnosed.  I’m just now starting to feel somewhat “normal” again, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her, and I doubt that will ever change.

It’s also part of the reason I’m here as well.  I bought the 1/12 TBL Vampirella the first week in February, and I think I desperately needed something “new” to collect to help keep me distracted.   I’ve been on an insane buying spree the last few months, but it has helped me through this, so as long as it’s coming out of discretionary money and I’m not incurring debt or cutting corners somewhere else, I could care less.

So I completely understand what you’re going though, and hopefully this crazy hobby and this crazy community we have here will help you get through it the way it helped me.

As for the tread itself, sometimes you have to talk through all of these different ideas and options to find a solution, and sometimes you have to do it to realize that there just isn’t a solution that fits right now.  In the meantime, I think there’s been a lot of value as well as interesting thoughts and ideas in the discussion for all of us.

Thank you for the kind words, Xavion2004. And I'm so terribly sorry you have just experienced such a loss -- my heart goes out to you.  'The most painful thing I've been through'....I can relate to this so much. My sweet girl is thankfully still with us, but she started declining last year (late summer/early fall 2020), and usually the prognosis for what she has is only about six months to a year or so, at most. And indeed, she is fading faster every day. We've done a ton of therapuetic work with her and she still has quality of life for the time being, but it's becoming harder to know what to expect from day to day. The sick feeling in my stomach just never goes away as I simultaneously try to live every moment with her to the fullest, and yet also dread those moments ending.

There really aren't words to convey the very specific pain of losing a fur-child. It's something so deeply personal because only you and those closest to you really know and love them in that particular way.

I'm glad you have been able to find a distraction (however expensive, lol). I've been trying to throw myself back into customising to give me some kind of concrete goals to focus on. Sometimes it helps.

Sorry for your loss Xavion2004. I too have experienced similar heart wrenching pet loss--it's been ten years, to the day, since my last pet died (or was put down, to be specific), and we've yet to get another. Such was my grief it took years to truly get over, but I don't think I can go through that again... The only comfort is the many happy memories we have and thankfully the tons of pics we took of our beloved "kids." Also, I know how it is to dive into something to deal with the grief/heartbreak, as I was heavily into RC flying and bought way more kits than I could build and ended up selling much of it when it was all over. I also tried to make a "comeback" out of hockey "retirement" which ended up severely injuring my hip that required surgery. I'd say binge buying figures is much safer!

Sky, you know how I feel...