Is there a good resource for home/office display cases? I need a 14 x 10 (approx) clear case in plastic or glass. The ones I’ve seen on the web arent cheap, so I was hoping someone might know of an alternate idea. I can cut and build a base.
I buy displayment cases at Hobby Lobby. Of course with 40% off coupon that happens every other week or so. Maybe this is what you are looking for? Only $19.99 before the coupon.
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/model-display-case-581314/
You can find those at Michael’s too.
There was an article in FSM years ago about making your own. I will try and dig it out.
If you could, that would be a big help. I went to Michaels today and their cases were too small and kinda pricey. I probably need a length of wood with a channel cut in it the width of clear glass. I’m also trying to figure out how to subtly adapt a Maisto motion-activated light set ($10 ebay for their diecast car case).
Not to steal Bish’s thunder, but I scanned the article years ago so I wouldn’t leave fingerprints on the original issue. Enjoy!
Very nice article. Thanks for the post.
The following comments are from my own personal hands-on experience. YMMV
One of the most difficult steps (as in “easier said than done”) is scoring the acrylic sheets. If the scoring is not done properly when you try to break it along the score line small chunks will break off and/or or a cracks will appear making that piece usless.
The one step the article unfortunately barely mentions is the assembly of the case (tops, sides, etc).
If the edges are not straight and true it simply will not stay together. I would also suggest some kind of a “jig” (like some kind of a box) that you can use to align and hold the pieces while they dry. The sides of this jig need to be perfectly perpendicular.
On my first attempt I got “ONE” useful case out of a $60 sheet of acrylic.
If you have experience cutting glass you shouldn’t have any problems.
Steal away Tom, i wouldn’t have been able to scan it until the weekend.
mitsdude makes a good point - sometimes we think we can make it cheaper than we can buy it … until we add up the cost of all the do-overs [bnghead]
Might I suggest IMEX model cases? I think they make one close to what you need, and they are relatively inexpensive.
I had considered making my own as the ones you buy come in standard sizes. i wanted cases to fit my dio’s not the other way round. But i never bothered in the end.
IF you want to walk on the wild side, consider a dome.
I bought an 8×8 dome from the Ronell Clock Company of Oregon for $23 plus $2 for the walnut base. There was no way I could’ve made that base. That is to say, I could’ve turned it on my lathe. No huhu. But I could not have done it for a crummy $2! BTW, Ronnell was first rate.
Hmmm, one of those could be used to represent the force field around onr of the WOW saucers! [:D]
I use plexiglass for a lot of things and it has been my notice that it’s not really all that expensive to just got to a glass store and buy it in large pieces cut to the dimensions you require.
And if you have ever had to actually work with the stuff (I have) you would know it’s much better to let someone else do the cutting 
Last time I needed some I was able to get 1/8 inch stuff 2x3 foot in size for about 30-35 bucks. And that’s a lot of plexiglass if all you wanted was a small plexiglass cover too.
Let the other guy cut it and just settle for gluing it together at home is my suggestion.
And more realistic than the Tom Cruise movie. Truly awful. [+o(]
Re glass: The stuff is pretty easy to score and separate. I’m actually more concerned about how to make a decent frame. Tablesaw to route grooves in wood strips? Harder than it seems, esp w/o a saw. [:P]
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It was. That’s how George Pal’s merry band of magicians achieved the SFX. They photographed the domes against a black background then superimposed them over the Martian war machines.
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That’s why I bought mine. And yeah, the dome cost more than the original kit. So did a lot of stuff involved in this WIP. (Shhhh!)
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There is no #3. It has been redacted for security.
I have FOUR versions (not counting the sequels and the ripoffs, e.g., Independence Day) of WOTW on DVD; the “Great Books” TV production is my favorite for accuracy to the source material. But I do not have and WOULD NOT have a copy of that Tom Cruise [dinkywongo].
I suspect you meant Plexiglas®, not real glass. I’ve done quite a bit of stained glass work. Plexiglas® is much more forgiving of the thousand natural shocks a case is heir to…
As far as the grooves… well, technically, if one follows Doug Geiger’s plan, there aren’t any. One has an inset stack of stock, oak over plywood, then conceals the edge of the plywood with ¼-round molding. (There are many prettier molding treatments than simple ¼-round. Infinite possibilities.)
If one wants to skip the plywood, cut rabbits on four sides of the plank then finish the same way. Only if one wants to work in 100% solid stock is some kind of routing necessary. I’ve lost count of the number of grooves and pseudo-grooves I’ve cut with uncounted router-ish implements. (Yeah, I’m a wood butcher as well as a plastic butcher.)