Of Displays and Disappointment

My first ever project, so be kind 🙂 Apologies for the multiple posts and update to this one. I had to invoke many machine spirits and some vulgar words. Pray this is the last time I post the first post again. 

I wanted a display case for some of my assorted miniatures, a small collection. Wicked Brick wanted £25.80 extra to send me a very overpriced, officially licensed 40K display case that cost £59.99. All the way from England to Northern Ireland, when they next produce a batch. Supposedly a superhuman effort. Over an Acrylic Box. The Delivery was considered as “Domestic – Channel Islands at £25.80”. The aforementioned Islands are most definitely still just off the coast of France.

Driven mad by the idea of paying this exorbitant fee, I emailed Support, hoping for a quick reassurance…

…and an explanation other than that they could “confirm this is the correct pricing as per our shipping provider’s policy”.

Annoyed, I looked through the usual suspects for a replacement display option and found some very cheap but just as good as, dust and cat hair-preventing, ‘clear’ acrylic boxes from Temu (Two Portrait) and its competitor AliExpress(One Landscape). In total for the 3 I have, I can’t have paid more than £18 total, I’m almost certain, they are from several continents away, and although their composition was flimsy at best, they were at least despairingly cheaper and freely delivered with speed from a vast distance away.

I could not resist. I intend to make up for their lack of backdrop, slightly yellow hint (just the Temu), and structural weakness by adding some 3D printed backdrop terrain. An endeavour to display my motley crew of plastic better ( mostly my sons of the Lion). A chance to get some more experience on a newly acquired vintage FDM printer (Ender 3 S1 Pro) and some action painting some display terrain.

Needless to say, Wicked Brick did not receive my custom, and honestly, after seeing these and getting over the gleam of the officially licensed single backdrop supplied and their potentially superior build, I’m pretty happy to go for quantity over quality, so much more space to display in these than one of their opening tier displays and at nowhere near the cost.

(On TEMU and AliExpress. I don’t support either platform; I’m sure the low prices have dubious consequences, generally mean low quality, and their upsides usually just low cost. I would be sure to avoid both of their apps and definitely don’t give them your main email address, as it’s going to be spam city. But so far, everything I have ordered has been delivered, if somewhat slowly and usually deemed shoddy on arrival.)