Mini-4wd Display Case

There was recently a discussion on the FB group Tamiya mini 4wd UK about available display cases for Mini-4wd cars.  Having recalled seeing some on AliExpress and a lot of searching I managed to find the one I remembered.  As it looked reasonably good I decided to bite the bullet and buy one to see how good they are, what assembly is like and how well they display the cars.  There are various sizes available, but I decided to go for the one that can display up to 6 cars, each in its own section with a hinged door on the front to allow you to display or remove them with ease.  The 'kit' turned up today and I set to assembly, this was a bit of a guessing game as there were no instructions supplied at all.  In the pack (several layers of bubble wrap with outer thick plastic) you got the following;

• 1 x Back plate
• 2 x Side panels
• 7 x Shelves (bearing in mind one forms the top of the case)
• 6 x hinged doors
• 4 x Acrylic screws and a miniature screwdriver

All of the Acrylic sheet components were shipped with protective plastic in place to prevent scratches etc...

Anyway, I set about assembly.  To start I used a pair of surgical type gloves to prevent putting finger prints and other marks on the plastic panels.  This is the assembly order I used;

1. I started by peeling off the inner surface of the rear panel and the edge of the outer side where there are a couple of tabs that plug into sockets on the side pieces.
2. I then got one side panel and again removed the inner side protective plastic and plugged the rear panel tabs into the relevant sockets on the side panel.  Notes: this only goes one way round the edge that will face to the front has a number of small circular holes to take the tab on the doors.  Also at this point DO NOT affix the opposite side panel.
3. Then taking each 'shelf' in turn I removed the protective plastic on both sides.  You will then find a tab with a 'hook' on it that fits into the slots on the side panel lift the opposite end slightly to ensure the hook goes through the relevant slot on the side panel first then move it into position so the full tab goes through the slot.  You will also find a slot on the rear panel that takes the tab that runs along the rear of the shelf.  Repeat this step for all 7 shelves.
4. Take the second side and remove the inner protective sheet as per the other one ensuring you peel off the correct side so the outer one is still in place.  Angling the rear of the side panel away from the rear panel slightly ensure the 'hooks' on the 7 shelves are in place in the slots on the side panel.  Once all lined up straighten up the side panel and ensure that the tabs on the rear panel fit through the slots on the rear edge of the side panel.
5. Carefully apply a little pressure on the two sides and the shelves to ensure they are all fully seated into their partner slots on the other panels.  You will find where the tabs from the rear panel fit into the slots on the rear of the side panels there is a small gap.  It is into these gaps that you fit the acrylic screws into, screw them in fully, but don't force them too tightly in case you shatter the screws.
6. Next is to add the front panel doors, to do this I stripped the protective sheets from each door in turn (both sides), hooked the tab into the hole on one side panel, then eased the other tab into the socket on the other side panel, pulling the side panel slightly to allow this.  Repeat for all 6 doors.
7. All that remains now is to remove the protective outer plastic from the side and rear panels.   Even with the best level of care you will likely get a few hairs or some dust on the acrylic as removing the protective sheets will cause static (now I've seen the picture expanded I can see a few).  This can be removed with the judicial use of a microfibre cloth.

To show you how it looks I've uploaded a picture below.  However here are a few observations and opinions on the display case.

• + There is no glue required, everything is laser cut and precise so it fits together well and stays put together.  I'm not convinced you could put heavy things on top of it, but its a display case and as such shouldn't have anything resting on it should it?
• + The panels are a good thickness so should resist deforming and remain assembled nicely.  The doors open fairly easily and have a little lip that fits into a small indentation on the shelf that keeps them closed.
• + The screws hold the rear and side panels in such a way that they combined with the hooks on the shelves keeps everything in place nicely as they are also made of acrylic they are not obtrusive as you don't see them unless you look for them.
• + Size is appropriate for a modified Mini-4wd car and the ones I tried fitted nicely and they look nice inside the case due to the crystal clear acrylic used.
• - There is a small hold in the door which is used effectively as a handle to open the door, this will allow dust etc... into the case, I may see if I can find some acrylic 'knobs' which I can affix to seal the hole and make opening the doors easier.
• - While big enough for Mini-4wd racers it is too small to accommodate the 'real world' models such as the Toyota land cruiser and probably the monster trucks.  Not a disaster but bear this in mind if you intend to display any of those.  I also need to get my  Dyipne Jeepney will fit as that is quite a tall model for a racer.

Anyway, that's my mini-review, the only thing left to tell you is the price was just a few pence over £20 including delivery from AliExpress which works out at just over £3 per car.  Not too bad for the level of protection and the ability to display your collection nicely.