Display case for models

I bought mine from walmart. They are better homes and gardens brand. Simple to construct and look really nice. About 6 feet tall with glass shelves and a light mounted in the top thats hidden from view. Nice solid wood and glass door. $99 each. I love em and keep all my models in there and dust em maybe once every other year. No display case will stop 100% of dust unless its vacuum sealed or something, but they do drastically reduce the dust tho to where it is not noticeable.

We are fortunate enough to have a Michael's craft store in the area and they carry a wide variety of display cases. Very often, they will put them on sale at 40-50 percent off the regular price. To sweeten the deal, they will occassionally accept the store's 50 percent off coupon while the item is on sale, allowing you to purchase a nice display case at roughly 25 percent of the normal asking price. I have a very nice case, originally intended to display a regulation sized football helmet, crafted of wood and glass with a mirrored back waiting in storage for a future project. I think it set me back $12 altogether.

I wish I had a perfect solution for you because that would mean I have a perfect solution for myself!

In my area I've found there is lots of competition for used store display cases.

"Baseball" card shops. Consignment stores. Flea markets, etc.

The "curio" cabinets at furniture stores also tend to be high dollar.

No Ikea anywhere near me.

 Even building your own can be expensive, especially if you use the tempered glass instead of the window glass replacement. It takes a really special skill to cut glass. It doesn't take long before broken useless glass panes drives the cost up to what you would pay for a curio cabinet.

 An imperfect solution for me has been to buy a sheet of plexiglass and cover the front of a bookcase/cabinet. I do finish it off by using strips of wood to hide where the plexiglass is attached to the front of the bookcase. This does keep dust and unwanted hands off your models.

I tried looking at a few "going out of business" sales, but found the stores were asking for big bucks for some mighty beat-up display cases.  But keep trying, you may luck out!

Thank you, Tojo72,

All great ideas. Especially the old store fixtures. I would really love to get my hands on an old jewelry display case or 2. The tall, skinny type with glass on all sides and glass shelves would be perfect for displaying models. I'll keep looking.

Maybe IKEA,I also picked up a couple of cheap curios at a local thrift type store,also try ebay or craigs list for old curios or store fixtures for sale.