Diecast and Model Car Display Cases: Custom Cabinets From the Factory
A diecast collector judges a case by three things in the first ten seconds: dust on the roof, sag in the middle of the shelf, and whether the paint reads as the colour it was sold as. Get any of those wrong and the cabinet is furniture, not a display.
We build model car display cases and diecast cabinets in our own factory, sized around 1:18, 1:24 and 1:64 collections and the wall space a dealer or museum actually has.
Shelf span decides everything
A 1:18 model weighs roughly 1.5 to 2 kg, and collectors put eight to twelve on one shelf. That load is what breaks cheap cabinets: 18 mm board on a 1,200 mm span will bow within a year.
Span. Keep unsupported span at or below 900 mm for 8 mm glass or 10 mm acrylic, and add a centre mullion above that.
Depth. 1:18 models on a plinth need 200 to 240 mm of depth; 1:64 rows need 120 mm with a stepped riser so the back row stays visible.
Dust sealing is the difference between a cabinet and a case
Doors matter more than panels. Sliding doors leave a gap at the top and bottom that pulls dust across the shelf; hinged doors with a magnetic gasket and a 3 mm overlap stay clean for months. For high-value pieces, specify a sealed gasket and a silica compartment in the base.
Lighting without hot spots
LED at 4000K along the front edge of each shelf lights the models and hides the strips from the viewer. A mirrored back doubles the apparent depth but doubles reflections too, so keep the mirror to the rear panel only and never put a downlight directly above a gloss roof.
Three formats that cover most buyers
Wall case. 600 to 1,200 mm wide, four to six shelves, hinged glass door, lockable. The default for dealers and museums.
Island cabinet. Double-sided, 1,800 mm long, for shop floors where buyers walk around.
Counter unit. 900 mm high with a sloped glazed top, for the till area and for graded or boxed pieces.
What to send for an accurate quotation
Tell us the scales you display, roughly how many models per shelf, the wall or floor footprint, whether the case needs to be lockable and lit, and the delivery city and country. With those five, a factory can propose module sizes instead of guessing.
Send a sketch or a photo of the space and we will return a free 3D design and a quotation. We manufacture in our own factory and ship DDP, so the approved price includes delivery and duties to your door.
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