CUSTOM MUPPET FIGURE COLLECTION DISPLAY CASE

Hey everyone, thought I would share some pics of the NEW Muppet figure display case I built for my new place!! Now that I have MOST of the figures I want and need, I feel confident enough to make a case. Plus, it needed to be wide enough for the thratre and future box seats/Pit. Although it is not done by any means, it looks pretty cool:) It still needs glass panel doors for each shelf, lighting on top level,  Muppet show opening arches on the second level, and possibly a cool shell for the whole thing.I have also included some cool pics of the figures up CLOSE!!! Please enjoy the pics and behind the scenes commentary.

I had to do the whole thing in my apartment. Not too much room, but it was free space!!

Of course I drew up a plan first and made a supply list and went to my local home building store. I think I bought about $175.00 CAD in supplies all together. (Including paint)

I decided to use 1/2 inch MDF pressed wood because it is smooth and inexpensive

Measuring is super important!! Also, Gluing everything with wood glue is like cementing it all together around the screws. Essential!

This was a hard job to do alone, so if you are going to try this, ask a friend to help..

I started with the actual wall and shelves. I had the guy at the building store cut ALL my wood pieces for me..saved me so much time!! (And dust)

I used tape to hold it in place after I glued it. easier to drill and screw this way with no helper.

The backing was made from 1/8 inch skin ply. This was also glued! this is what holds the shelf straight so be sure to secure well!!

Here is the shelf standing up, but it needs legs. You can see i measured out the shelf position on the side so I was pinning the shelves in at the right place.

Long piece of black duct tape on the back to hold the two panels together.  I also nailed it into the back of the shelves themselves. (See the lines)

The legs were made from 2X2's all screwed together. I did this with a chop saw and drill.

I added square trim to the underside of the shelves for strength.

The shelf is done, besides the electric access holes I will drill in later.

Here is the cabinet with paint and all the figures/playsets inside!! Looks cool!! Shelf is around 5 feet by 5 feet!!

Lots of room for cool vignettes with all the characters.

And of course a very prominent eye level position for my custom made Muppet Theatre!! Looks like Statler and Waldorf are in rehearsal with Rowlf for their vaudeville number!!

In the future I will be adding a box seat section here and a band pit in the front. for now...penguin stage hands

This is where the opening arches will be, sort of like a display shelf in the shelf. See the diagram below:

Pardon the repeats, its just to show where figures would be. Hopefully I can light this and have a color changing backdrop....easy enough....gulp!

But for now its a good place to set up scenes!!

Really like all the steppin out figures!!

Cool close-up of reporter Kermit!!

Thats all for now!! Hope you enjoyed the pics and commentary.

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS FOUNTAIN SCULPTURE UPGRADE!!

Hey there everyone. Just wanted to show you a little upgrade I did to one of my Nightmare Before Christmas sculptures. I really wanted to do the green slimey fountain liquid for the longest time, but I was not sure how to do it. I finally decided to use colored hot glue and it turned out great! Please enjoy the pics and behind the scenes commentary.

Here is the sculpture before adding slime

First I got a full pack of Hot Glue gun sticks and put it in a non stick pot at about 7 heat

I created the flow of slime on a glue stick by dripping it on. starting at the bottom.

Popsicle sticks are the best way to do it. disposable and sturdy.

Keep adding till you are happy with it. A wet finger can be used to shape it while its still hot.

Then I let the flow dry.

Looks like slimer from ghost busters was here.

I added green watercolor paint to the mix...just a bit at a time.This is very hot and very dangerous so be careful if you try this. No it does NOT stick to the pot permanently. be sure to always stir it, and if it starts to smoke, remove from element momentarily.

Then I glued it in....

Then I added a more translucent mix on top of that and filled the bottom by dumping right from the pot...very difficult.

Here is the bottom filled

I like the bubbles so i did not worry about popping them.

close up of slime. This can also be done to create a fake electric candle prop.

Finished Product

Thanks again for checking this out, hope you enjoyed the process:)