Display cases (or should I say boxes)

Look thru the newspaper, or browse garage sales for used aquariums.
You can then use clear plexiglass for the lids.

Your case can also be lit with aquarium lamps, but test the case with a thermometer to check how hot it gets with the lights on.
Dont want to melt your kit.

got any 1/2" or 3/4" plywood ?
cut you the size that suits you and what you want to display........
get yourself some wood trim molding.........take your pick, especially if you're near Lowe's or Home Depot (Go Tony)..............'
attach the molding along the base of desired plywood thickness and determinate size flush along the bottom of the wood piece...........
now's the tough part........where i was in Dallas there was a company that made custom acrylic / lexan tops to go on my homemade bases.........
company was called Contemporary Designs in Grand Praire.............
gave 'em the 3 ID dimensions and in less than 10 working days i had a display case.........the base of which you can make into what ever melts your butter.........a dio..........tarmac..............field........etc....etc........
hope this helps and i do realize you might not be near any where that makes acrylic or lexan tops to fit your ID's...........but, maybe this'll give ya head start on something that DOES suit ya...........
best 'o luck Aviator...........

You can still hang them and put them in a clear enclosure to keep dust off. You can do this any one of a number of ways, but I'll give you 2 easy ways to start your head rolling - okay 3

1.) In a plastics shop or online look for (2) .04 thk or thinner clear (styrene or acetate) hemispheres just a bit bigger in diam than your AC. rigg 1/2 to hang from ceiling and your AC - then glue or clip on bottom half.
2) build a clear plastic diamond and hang like above
3) For desk top - go to http://www.rollmdels.com and look up the imex cases. they are cheap and come in a variety of sizes

Aviator your LHS should have display cases of various sizes for sale.
Tamiya makes them also but I never seen the locally at any LHS here in Vancouver, Canada.

Thanks for your help. I plan to put alot of work into my Wildcat, so I want to protect it. With all the resin and PE I'll be using (I hope it turns out OK) I'll want to be able to admire it without having to dust it.

how do you hang it from the ceiling?

Well, for 1/72 fighters I used something clear like fishing line. I cut a piece (length is kind of arbitrary) and tie the ends together so it is a big loop. Then place the loop under the wings. After that, I bring the ends of the loop over the wings. Now the plane is hanging by the fuselage.


That's just a big rubber band, the fishing line doesn't show up.

Under the wings...

and now brought over the wings. I then wrap the end around a thumb tack (or the like) and stick it in the ceiling.

This is one of my older models that doesn't get much attention, that's why its so dusty.
I just kind of made this up and I like it. It allows you to position the plane in different ways. You can have it climbing, going into a dive, or banking to the left or right. But now that I am getting into 1/48, I'm not sure how I'm going to hang them. With the 1/72 I have never had one fall down, but the 1/48 probably will require more than just a tack.

This is how I've done it, but I'd love to see how others do it.

I buy premade boxes at my LHS. They are manufactured by Imex (I think that is how it is spelled) and they come in a variety of sizes to suit 1/48 aircraft, 1/35 armor, etc. They are completely made of clear plastic so there is no big metal or wood frame to obsure viewing. They are also stackable. I get the ones with the clear bases. Whenever i finish a kit, i buy a box and in goes the kit. Never have to worry about dust. Check their website to see what they look like. Here is the link:

http://www.imex-model.com/displaycases1new.htm

Jim

my LHS has some of them but they over price waaaaaaay too much.

I know, sometimes I think I could make something for less than what it costs to buy the pre-made kind. Even though you could custom build your own, it would be a lot easier just to buy one. But I'd rather spend the money on the model

I don't know. I guess if I find one that I like and is not overpriced, maybe I'll buy it.