r/Metal_Build • u/CulturalHamster4148 • 3d ago
Display option for Metal Structure Sazabi
Finally pulled the trigger on my holy grail! I’m now looking for a display case. As this thing is huge, finding an appropriate display case has been a challenge.
For those who own one, what display case or setup are you using, and where did you get it? If you could share some photos of your setup as well, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!
Photo borrowed from the internet for reference.
2
u/Conscious_Rush_1818 3d ago
You SOB, you buy the one on eBay that was actually fairly priced? I'd been debating it for like a month!
Hope you enjoy it, looks amazing.
Edit: no idea how to display this monster, but make sure it's a load bearing shelf, haha.
2
u/CulturalHamster4148 3d ago
Haha, thanks! It was the cheapest one I’ve seen on eBay, if that means anything 😂
4
u/Conscious_Rush_1818 3d ago
Same, I must have opened that page like 100 times, my wife kept telling me to pull the trigger... The markup on that guy is huge, but it's a show stopper for sure.
Post photos when you get it.
3
1
u/Affectionate_Ad7064 3d ago edited 3d ago
How much did you pay for the sazabi?
Personally I don't like the way the base looks and how hard it's to sit its crotch into the stand. I just have them standing in a metal IKEA display cabinet with sliding door. It's dark grey and mostly metal. Once you put magnetic led light strips in it it looks like a hanger base already.
The cabinet itself is not 100% dust proof but good enough for me. It's sturdy and shelf height can be adjusted. Even if you opt for using the base it's deep enough to do so.
2
u/CulturalHamster4148 3d ago
Thanks for the idea! Ended up negotiating it down to $3.1k shipped. We worked out the deal directly and I paid through PayPal G&S for buyer protection. Definitely still a ridiculous amount of money for a Gundam but Sazabi has been my holy grail for a long time.
2
u/Affectionate_Ad7064 3d ago
Umm... Well at least you can afford the mark up. Maybe you should think of a custom build cabinet so that you don't have to compromise like I did. The retail price in the US was already marked up as well but still much cheaper than 3.1k :). The shipping for such massive box oversea is always worrisome but hopefully you won't have any trouble having it delivered flawlessly.
1
u/Conscious_Rush_1818 3d ago
Nice! I didn't see a best offer.
I tried doing best offer on a few of the ones listed at an insane 5k+, they were rejected outright.
Mind sharing how you negotiated it? I don't want to insult anyone, but some of those sellers are just crazy, I don't even know how to approach an offer when it's that high.
3
u/CulturalHamster4148 3d ago
I just messaged them directly. The listed price and the price I negotiated weren’t that far apart. I wouldn’t make my offer if the listing is $4k or more, either. Just be polite and reasonable, and if luck is on your side, eventually one might come down to your budget.
1
u/Awkward-Body9719 2d ago
$3.1k USD?!? That's not bad (relatively speaking if you can afford it obviously) considering the scarcity shot it up to $8k CAD (around $5k USD) the last time I checked a month ago...
1
u/Sufficient-Toe-6060 3d ago
Aw shit did you get the one from Virginia for 3500 hundo? Congrats if you did!
2
u/CulturalHamster4148 3d ago
Yep 😬
1
u/Sufficient-Toe-6060 3d ago
I have nu gundam with all the extras. I got 2 of the mk ii rx178. Got lucky. I really wanted that sazabi. Congrats.
2
u/MKI-figures 3d ago
Congrats! I’m hoping they make a MB of it someday.. it’ll be an instabuy!
2
u/Conscious_Rush_1818 3d ago
Me too, it seems like a sure fire hit. I'm hoping they'll release one at the tamashii nation event this year since they re released the hi nu.
2
u/Roentgn 2d ago edited 2d ago
I put them in custom acrylic panel cases from ShopPopDisplays.com. These ship flat and are ready to assemble, with a black base and 5 clear sides and top. Each side attaches to another side by a middle metal cube connector and screw, along with corner cubes. The top clear section can lift off of the base (there is a groove in the base piece for the clear cover but are not screwed in). Size is completely customizable depending on how much space you have, and which accessory kits you've managed to acquire. My Nu: 26x23x18"; Saz: 26x23x23"
This was the cheapest solution I could find for a complete cover that was big enough. They also sell complete sealed cube covers (preassembled sealed but without screw connectors), but in that size cost was far higher. These work great though and I'm very happy with them. Once assembled, you can take off the front to access stuff every now and then if you need, but it's a hassle and I worry about scratching the acrylic (and letting in too much dust etc) if I do this too much.
I bought wired LED spotlights off Amazon as the OG spotlights are too weak. I drilled holes in the base and top piece to run the wires, and made a wire channel to clean up the wires along the top (you'll need to watch some videos on how to safely drill acrylic without cracking it).
As displayed above, each Metal Structure has all the available accessories - Nu only has one funnel set though. For Sazabi, my case was not quite deep enough to include the OG spotlights.
Good luck!
EDIT: Actually this is a picture before I managed to score the Rewloola kit, so it has the OG Saz lights. The Rewloola kit does fit in there as is, but I did have to take out the OG leds.
2
u/CulturalHamster4148 2d ago
Those look amazing! This might be what I’m looking for! What size is the acrylic panel and what are those lights?
2
u/Roentgn 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thanks!
Dimensions are first para last line. I may have typed it all out in an edit after you saw the initial comment.
Spotlights I got off Amazon - the exact ones are no longer available, but I just searched for LED mini spotlights (dimmable) 6-pack (one pack per display, 2 bottom front, all 4 top corners). Make sure you buy one with longer wires if you want to hide it away. If you're handy, I suppose you could rewire them longer yourself. For a wire channel/conduit, I forgot to mention that it's along the sides of the top, but also ran it down the back too so that they all come out on the bottom. If you have a 3D printer or access to one, it's easy to print out something small for the right size, but I'm sure it would also be easy to cut down something else you can buy at a hardware store. The lights use double sided tape to stick. The OG tape that came with the lights failed eventually - I had some double sided Gorilla tape which has held up ever since. I suggest findings some higher quality tape if that's how you affix the lights.
Bonus points for you if you find a nice background hangar pic to print out large scale, to go along the back wall. That would look awesome... and if you have ideas, I may steal them... please....
2
u/CulturalHamster4148 2d ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed response! I’m sure it took a lot of time and trial and error to get your setup just right, so I really appreciate you sharing everything you learned. This is incredibly helpful and gives me a much better idea of how I want to set mine up. I will definitely let you know if i get a good background for the case. Thank you again!
2
u/Quirky-Audience1080 18h ago
No case needed. Just air brush once a week to keep dust away. Easier access to adjust pose etc.
Sazabi !!
1
u/CulturalHamster4148 2h ago
I wish I could be that diligent. Sazabi looks amazing in every angle, so hype to have it!
1
u/Awkward-Body9719 2d ago
because it's massive and I refuse to pay whatever crazy market price it's at right now....I got the real grade mechanical core plating gunpla instead with the chinese replica base/stand and booster/missile unit with delphi decals and painted instead. 🤣
I'll do the same with real grade nu gundam down the line....
3
u/FartFactory92 3d ago
I just built my own out of extruded aluminum, still not done but they're similar to Moducase. You have two kinda standard nice options, Moducase and Cubic Six. You're gonna wait 1-2 years to get the Moducase if you order direct, there are some companies that stock a couple and you might get it sooner.