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Non-affiliated, Non-lengthy, Non-articles about Transformers

Thursday 3 April 2014

Display Evolution


Or de-evolution? I used to live at home and so my room was decorated from top to bottom with Transformers. Oh the joys of disposable income and no significant rental responsibilities. When I moved out I could - like most - only afford to rent modest accommodation where TFs were not the priority, and my displays reflected that. I'd sold loads too by that stage. The picture above is of my very old G1 loose collection from around 2000. I'm going to recall the progress/decline of my collection display over the last few years.

First display 2009


Display June 2011

Between early 2009 when I moved out and March 2011, I was no longer actively collecting Transformers but I finally had the chance to buy a Detolf display cabinet from IKEA. I could finally put a few choice reissue exclusives, Movie figures, TF Animated, Masterpiece and later Joustra Diaclones and G1 figures on permanent display. In a studio flat of one main room, the Detolf acted as quite the eye-catcher with all the white walls and furniture, especially when you consider the bright and colourful nature of Joustra Diaclone packaging and the reissue exclusives.

September 2011
September 2011 with added Battle Convoy and MLP

In March 2011 I started collecting again (the details can be found HERE), picking up where I left off with vintage variants and Diaclone of all varieties. Adding new Joustra and other Diaclones, Ceji variants etc meant the display moved away from modern figures from shows/films I enjoyed to a more vintage display, more packaging and less loose figures. 

December 2012

2012 and another small one bedroom flat this time with no shielding from windows, so enter the home-made black denim Detolf cover courtesy of my aunt. My wife had already agreed to let me have a second Detolf, but uneven floors and limited space meant that it just wasn't a possibility. You can see my display had nearly completely moved away from loose figures, the only ones you can see in that display were missing styrofoam inserts so couldn't be displayed in their packaging. Lots more Joustra Diaclone, more Finnish Diaclone (including a vintage Black Tracks), virtually no G1, absolutely no Animated, Alternators, Masterpiece, Binaltech, Movie or reissues in the display now, just vintage pre-Transformers and an MB Sunstreaker "Sunswipe", that was in reality a Joustra Diaclone Countach.

February 2013

Another new year, another new apartment, this time 2 bedrooms! OK the second bedroom is my daughter's playroom and there are even MORE windows in this place but at least we finally had good floors and space for a second cabinet. I immediately dug out all the remaining Diaclone toys I had been keeping in storage for the better part of a decade and they sat together in what is probably the display arrangement I have been most proud of in all of my collecting life.

April 2014 - present day

That brings us to today. Tonight, to be precise. Much Diaclone has gone (not the Joustra or Finns), G1 variants have gone and been replaced by the Spanish KO minibots I've featured recently, Masterpiece has been embraced over the last 12 months and Transformers GT arrived and earned itself a shelf. As did vintage Macross (the reissues are currently atop the wedding cabinet). 

1/55 reissue Valkyries

Why have I not shown the top of the cabinets? Because that's where the empty Masterpiece and reissue Macross boxes are stacked up to the ceiling, very unattractive and regrettable. The denim cover barely stretches across two cabinets, so I use my Joustra Diaclone canvas to block out the daylight that trickles through the window on the left.

Soon this will be my daughter's actual bedroom, and the living room doesn't have any hiding place from the six windows that are drenched in sunlight all summer. The bedroom isn't appropriate for them, so goodness only knows what the future holds for my display. There's definitely a feeling that it had peaked around this time last year, and now the deconstruction may have to commence. Hopefully not!

Oh to have a third...

All the best
Maz











10 comments:

  1. I suddenly feel blessed to live in a 5 bedroom home where I have the space to call my own for toys, games and such.

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    1. Haha, deservedly so :)

      All the best
      Maz

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  2. I used to have the same problem about three houses ago, only one place to display, and it was right next to the kitchen, I'm glad i didn't have much of a g1 collection at the time, since a lot of the figures i had then had to be scrubbed when i moved lol

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    1. Yeah man I am constantly worried about damp and sunlight. The Matsu Jetfire is still in bubble wrap in its box, inside the shipping box, inside a cupboard.

      Some display!

      All the best
      Maz

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    2. Hey - long time lurker of your writing - very much enjoy it. Have you considered using a UV film or similar on your detolf cases? It's fairly easy to come by on ebay, and its a similar process to tinting car windows - a little tricky at first, but fairly easy once you get the hang of it. Also I find a few well hidden silica gel packs around the display (again you can buy a truck load on ebay for a small amount or just steal them from your wifes shoe boxes) keeps moisture under control.

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    3. Hi Adam, thanks so much for taking the time to reply and for your kind words. So just some UV film I apply on all 4 sides of the Detolf, completely tint-free? That sounds like a good idea, genuinely.

      Also great shout on the silica packs, I already use those in my comic storage, so that's a fantastic idea! Thank you so much.

      All the best
      Maz

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  3. Great display! I must say i am a big fan of your articles :)

    I see your cover cloth is dark, please take into consideration that if sunlight falls on it, it will heat up your display. Heat is, next to sunlight and some type of air quality i dont think you have to worry about, another factor that can cause yellowing...so be careful with that as well.

    Greetings.
    Valerian

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    1. Hi Valerian, thanks so much for the kind words and advice! I think because in general the UK is not a particularly warm place, and the display is never bathed in sunlight where it is anyway, the black denim cover will not create dangerous temperatures. Also it doesn't cover all sides of the display, just the front. The glass sides of the cabinets are not covered. Interesting comment though, I genuinely never thought of the effect of the black on the ambient temp inside the cabinet.

      All the best
      Maz

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  4. Heya Maz your collection and personal taste is amazing, just wanted to say I appreciate your hard work and determination in contributing to the community. I regularly read your articles and I become less ignorant and more wiser each day haha. What cases do you use for the Diaclone mini bots, also have you considered cases for the wave 1 +2 vehicles? look forward to hearing back from you, cheers

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, it really does make it worthwhile. For the Ceji Joustra Diaclone carded figures I've used Star Cases, made specifically for Star Wars figures and while they're pretty good and very very light, I don't think they're as practically useful for these carded figures as say clear AFA-style perspex cases where the bottom slides out.

      I have totally considered getting cases for the Wave 1 and 2 cars, and frankly the fact that I haven't is just pure negligent behaviour haha, too busy spending on new toys instead of spending on better preserving the ones I have :)

      All the best
      Maz

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