How To Display Your Collection Like a PRO (As a Broke College Student)

At LONG last, here is the FINAL part to my 3-part video series discussing my massive Transformers collection. Part 1 and 2 dive into the figures in my collection, and this is the finale where I show you how to set up your own collection, on a budget, at your very own home/apartment. Because, ya know, we are just broke college students after all.

0:00 - Getting Ready
1:36 - Part 1 - Shelves & Lights
5:09 - Part 2 - Figure Orientation
9:31 - The Results
11:09 - Bonus Tips
12:55 - At The End of The Day

[papermelon]

Since a lot of people have asked, the black “risers” are just floating shelves from target. I really love how they blend into the black shelves, and they’re all the same height unlike packs of acrylic risers lol. 

Also, I wanna stay honest with you guys so you have the best info to build your display, so DO NOT use the battery puck lights I used in these videos. I used them for a couple years and deeply regret ever installing them. Stick with strip LED lights or wired pucks, it'll service you FAR better in the long run.

Most of the feedback/compliments here are awesomely positive! However I seem to be getting 2 main complaints In these comments, so before you post yours, read this:

1. “You don’t look broke to me, you have to be rich to have that collection.” - it's very simple, I’ve been collecting for *17 years*. Aka my entire conscious life. There’s absolutely nothing “rich” about it. It’s called patience and consistency. You collect something diligently for 15 years and I guarantee you’ll easily have as much as I do, if not way more. When I made this I was working a basic customer service job WHILE paying for my wife to go to school in a 2 bedroom apartment. Life was great, but I was as broke as they come lol.

2. “You’ll have dust everywhere! Just buy some shelves with glass doors”. - I'll be blunt, if you can afford any version of matching glass shelves with doors, you do not need to be watching this video (but you're still welcome to of course lol). if you’re low income like me and need to manage dust, simply minimize airflow in the room and buy an air purifier.

[Sunshine-wneg]

Great vid, in part 2could you help by explaining how I’m supposed to explain the room to my wife? Haha, just kidding, I’m always impressed how awesome she is to support you!

[acampbel]

As a Transformers collector myself I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate the amount of effor and the detailed explanation given in regards to how to properly exhibit one´s collection. The presentation
, recommendations, tips and examples given are top notch and perfectly apply to any kind of collection. I´ll be sharing this with my fellow collectors. Kudos!

[skullgame]

That robot-mode Unicron as the centerpiece is heart stopping. I can't even get over how good the shelf setup looks in that configuration. Also, it is obvious that you have thought long & hard about placement & grouping, which is something I think a lot of collections are missing. Stellar job, & as a "budget" setup it looks as good or better than many "high-end" setups.

[Kizzaru]

for me as a gunpla collector, i always divide them by their universe, but this is a great tutorial, having to much poses can really make em look chaotic

[murilodude]

I'm speechless by this collection. As a Transformers fan and a modest collector, I'm totally blown away.
This video really inspired me to try something with my Transformers. Thank you very much.

[GenesisGaming]

Glad this shows a Transformer collection, cause that's what a majority of mine is; among other things. Gives me an idea on how to display my Brachiosaurus figure, too, considering it's one of the larger items in my collection

[davidfescenmeyer]

To help cut down on the dust.
1. Purchase magnetic cabinet latches and attach them to the inside walls of the display case.
2. Purchase a clear acrylic panel from any hardware store and cut it to your desired size for the display case.
3. Attach the metal part of the magnetic latch to the acrylic panel and mount the panel on the display case. Job done 😀.

* For larger heavier acrylic panels add a bracket under the bottom edge of the acrylic panel and attached to the display case to help support the weight.

[dynorhino]

I've watched this video quite a few times over the past few months, and I've been fascinated on how these collection displays are put together.

I'm gonna be moving back into my house soon, so once I've gotten everything sorted out, I'm gonna try this for myself after i get all my figures back.

[TennoFox]

Gunpla builders know a lot of the pain with setting up our built kits for display. Between the different scales, designs, colors, custom colors and kitbashes, dynamic posing... yeah, there is just so much....

[jak_]

The black foam against the window is a great idea. Except when you live in a country that has really hot summers and have a sun facing window just makes the room too hot especially if it doesn't have great airflow to begin with. One way to try and mitigate heat with this setup is to put white foam on the back side since white bounces heat away and black absorbs heat.

[OaklynMediaLLC]

10:10 One other tip! Amazon makes LED diffusion tracks. It will make your LED lights look like one cohesive bar instead of a bunch of stuck on lights. This really cleaned up the look of my display shelf. Also watch a few tutorials on soldering! I went from ZERO experience to making things around the house cleanly in about 2 weeks. Really nice skill to have in your back pocket as a collector!

[aidenmb]

One of my main criteria for projects like this is to set up figures in ways where they're not impossible to get at. While you do want to use your space efficiently, I also like messing with my figures. That being said, amazing video. I'll need this once I grow out of my parents' house 😅

[leoalpha]

That display looks amazing and you certainly made the most out of the space you have. I just finished a long project of cataloging my entire Transformers collection and it inspired me to do something new with the way I've displayed them. I'll have to come back to this video once I've decided what I'm going to display and how I'm going to do it.

[joelman]

I love looking at what people display and collect. It just says a lot about a person. At least what they’re passionate about. It’s a delight when they display it nicely like this. I don’t know anything about transformers but I would be so impressed by walking into this room.

[thatkidwhodraws]

You've got a great sense of design and respectable frugality buddy, great job! It's also impressive how you broke down the process clearly enough for beginners while also painfully relatable to fellow collectors who are never done moving things around into that perfect display. Next step is get some art on those walls, I can see you coming up with some creative custom framing to compliment the setup. 🤘

[connorminihan]

This is awesome!!! I’ve been collecting and building different Gundam mode kits through the pandemic, and was just thinking about doing something like this when your video popped up on my feed! Thanks for sharing and for the tips!

[gaborlubiga]

I think it is pretty cool that you took the time and effort and made a video about it. It is very interesting for ppl on the budget. Thanks man!

[puzzlejinx]

'Sunlight kills collections' What if I collect plants? Checkmate buddy.

[shane]

That’s very creative how you put in all the shelving. I love seeing ideas like this! I have an almost complete vintage G.I. Joe collection and trying to display it all is a nightmare. Everyone who’s familiar with Joes know they came out with some massive vehicles so trying to find a space for those is always a challenge.