Hi there!
Nicely justified paragraph there, by the by. Its so easy on the eyes.
Was it dust that got to your mini that was displayed in the elements?
Or was there some significant 'photonic damage' (that is, did light melt the shazbot out of it?)
A light blast of compressed air can clean most of the dust off, with a cutip/aircompressor for the stubborn stuff.
As for the photonic/heat damage... little can be done once you leave your mini in direct sunlight for too long. I've lost a luke jedi knight and a lando to the dash of the Ford... whats worse is it can fuse/melt to your dashboard, sorta like chewing gum... bad if its the company car.
There's loads of options for display and storage, for sure!
As a writer by trade (I've got loads of hats these days, don't we all?), I apologize for the novel that follows.
Anything we can do to minimize search time is great though: ever tried looking in retail and homemaking stores for a miniature zen garden rake, by itself? (that's a long story, broke the Missus at the time's zen garden rake, and ultimately wound up making a custom one).
What image did you envisage - what picture did you have in mind? Any pictures of the kind of setup you could share to show us what you're shooting for would be handy to help visualise things
A creative solution Ive seen in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand hobby stores,
was to just use that clear apec 5 hard plastic packaging
(the same kind many curtain rod packs, cables, and xmas lights come in, for example.).
They then stack them as high and as wide as they need to: over there though, you can sublet retailspace in specialty stores, so each little cube is a different 'company': neat huh?
I recommend that harder type of plastic, because its abundant and less brittle than a takeaway container. Some Russian and European Companies sell flat packed cases such as those, though supply problems in the foreseeable future might make them hard to come by...
As it's clear and hardwearing, all you do is then cut slots for a shelf lattice and t them up; super glue (araldyte) works real nice, there are a few fusing plastic glues you can use which will leave a completely clear finish, but araldyte was chosen for its bond strength, heat tolerance properties, and so the display case doesn't become a noxious smelling deathtrap for the nose!
You have to factor in the weight of the minis when you design the lattice, otherwise the box will sag... learned that one the hard way.
This is a real cheap solution: with parts and glue, you're looking at $4 for the finished box, around $20 for the build materials (scissors, quality glue, clear plastic of the adequate grade, pencils). You can use the build materials to make loads of other stuff though.
The next step-up in terms of cost and finish, is acrylic cases;
this is also a potentially cost-effective solution, anywhere from ~$3-30.
acrylic cases come in all forms, and mostly are sewing kit applications or food containers.
For display purposes, you're really after the 'crystal grade finish' (marketting crap for clear plastic),
and so might be more looking for stuff from crafts stores/interior decorating. These can come in hard plastic through to softer plastics.
In the case of fishing tackle kits and sewing kits, sometimes there are readymade partitions for displaying all ready to go!
From my experience, you want the cases that are 'crystal finish' - they're hard wearing and look nicer, and are a little easier to clean.
There are niche variants of acrylic display cases too: Upperdeck/Topps and UltraPro used to make large-ish deck protectors and clear cases that way, with partitions in the middle.
In Japan, you can get 'gashapon display plinths' for your collectibles. They're abundant, Hobbylink Japan is a great place to browse for ideas in that regard.
The next step beyond, is acrylic "retail grade" display case.
These are the retail grade, often freestanding and rotating display plinths. They come in various sizes, from a 1 foot model all the way up to 6-7 ft (for your sunglasses type stands and what have you). I use these to display my gemstone/interesting rocks and tektites; lets all the light in and gives it that store-esque shine (an interesting tangent, I feel part of buyers remorse comes from the fact that your home setup doesn't look like the product does in the store or at the museum... so that causes at some layer a cognitive dissonance)
You can get motorized rotating display stands also. These can be very expensive... but they look great!
The ultimate step, in terms of display quality and security,
are quality made display cabinets. Usually a cabinet maker will make these; store fittings were generally made by a cabinet maker.
Cabinet makers can make you a nice MDF and acrylic display box also, but you'd have to sit down and design it just right with them for your application. I've seen nice hardwood display cabinets, but frankly, for the application of displaying miniatures and gemstones, a transparent acrylic or glass display case is much nicer. I feel hardwood cases are suited for things like firearms, porcelain and glass wares, nicknacks and paper-y things, less so for things you want to see from all sides, or which require light.
You can pick these industrial-grade fittings up flatpacked from hardware suppliers and from places like Ikea,
or you can get ready made ones at second-hand stores/outlets (2nd hand office furniture places can have these for around $1-500 or so).
My cabinets were mostly from secondhand, and I picked them up dirt cheap.
Some units come with internal lighting options, fluorescent bulb or LED (just beware the heat damage these light sources can cause to your minis). Some contain rotating plinths, which are neat.
This category also includes the museum grade applications: for museum grade applications, you're looking at fine cabinet making and finishing, so a shop fitter/cabinet maker may charge a great deal more simply due to the level of precision required.
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As for the storage applications; for getting your minis to and from the battlefield in style,
there are many options!
Being an old GW fan, those style cases just can't be beat: a foam mesh stores the contents, wrapped up in a hard wearing shell
and solid carry handles. Makes you look like you're in the business, that you're a tough customer, and plays into that whole gamesmanship thing (psychological warfare is just part of the metagame, right? psssh...
)
I used to use a lego container that had a carry handle and weird opening partition; inside, I could fit 2 foam trays. It was quite the way to carry a small army, because the container resembled the Separatist logo!
You can also use clear fishing containers or sewing kits (lady gamers are awesome for their insights! They've shared many hints and tips over the years: for example, I had no idea about ATC's Artist Trading Cards, which can be mixed media and come in all sorts of cool patterns, from all over the world!):
Many at a tournament level use PLANO fishing tackle kits to transport their minis 'covertly' --- everyone will think you're going fishing, or knitting/crafting, or that your day job is a teacher/lawyer (with those handy trundle storage cubes) and then BOOM, suddenly minis. I used to use these, you can keep all the stat cards in a nice compartment... but now I use those kits for electrical parts holders and as tool box/es. You can also use these to organise your bits boxes.
Later, my family gave me one of the best gifts ever - the Mechwarrior display/foam carry pack!
Fond memories flood back from my faroff days of GM/DM'ing ($8 an hour for DM'ing, it was definitely for love, not the money haha) , and the convenience of being able to have it all in that one square box! That thing is AWESOME!
In more recent times; I use custom made clear acrylic variants that a cabinet maker/local carpenter made from offcut acrylic
- he was bored and wanted to recycle, I had extra cashola laying about (ah! those were the days...) and BOOM! done!
You're looking at ~$90USD per GW40K sized clear acrylic box: that roughly included the foam (light gray foam) and the clear handles. I believe that the clear sturdy hinges were extra, but I think a beer or two covered that...
It hinges awesome though, and is tough stuff - as tough or tougher than GW40K's cases!
That about covers it, at least the way I see it.
Good luck,
You'll have to be sure to share with use whatever solution you end up going with