SidB's Collection Thread

[SidB]

Yes, they look great close up, not at all like biscuits!

Good use of the plants and rocks etc too to make realistic mini landscapes.

All this talk of biscuits is making me hungry!

[SidB]

Continuing our tour, we are now leaving the living area and have reached the hallway to the back of the condo. Another large bookshelf, like a sentry, stands at the entrance. Atop are two Brachiosaurs/Giraffatitans, marking the start of my 1/35 and smaller portion of the Safari and Carnegie Safari figures. The unique IKEA shelving at the junction of the upper walls and ceiling of the hall can be seen. This provides, very unobtrusively, a considerable amount of display space. These shelves have undergone considerable changes - for instance, they used to house my collection of Battats, but these have now been relegated to two storage boxes. Never thought that I'd see the day!

[Paleo Flo]

A very unique display-style. Congratulations!

[SidB]

A very unique display-style. Congratulations!

Thank you. It's also good exercise for the flexibility of my neck!

[ceratopsian]

Dusting must be a performance!  Seriously though, it's an excellent use of space.  It helps that you have plain walls - my hall wallpaper is highly patterned.

[SidB]

Dusting must be a performance!  Seriously though, it's an excellent use of space.  It helps that you have plain walls - my hall wallpaper is highly patterned.

You're right about the walls, @ceratopsian , the plain expanse ("Dapper Tan") makes a good non-competitive backdrop. Also, by some quirk of the airflow, I don't get much dust up there.

[ceratopsian]

That's a super-lucky quirk!

[Concavenator]

Certainly one of the most unique collection displays I've seen over here, considering the vegetation and the architecture. Phenomenal collection too.

How often do you usually dust your collection ("the dark side of collecting for us who don't display our collection in a cabinet")?

[SidB]

Certainly one of the most unique collection displays I've seen over here, considering the vegetation and the architecture. Phenomenal collection too.

How often do you usually dust your collection ("the dark side of collecting for us who don't display our collection in a cabinet")?

Thank you, @Concavenator , for your kind words, though it no doubt has 'curb appeal' for many people. Unlike Athena, who emerged fully grown from the head of Zeus, this set-up has developed slowly and piece-meal over the years, as bits and pieces became available, by design or chance.
And to your question regarding how often I dust the collection collectively- the answer is NEVER! Why? First, we have very little dust in our condominium. Secondly, I frequently handle the individual figures, and in the process make sure that I carefully wipe each one off as I engage with it , making sure that my fingers are as free as possible from skin oil. Eventually each one gets the requisite attention. But I seldom find any substantial accumulation of dust - a great asset for sure.

[Halichoeres]

The ceiling level shelves really are a nice use of space. I have a hallway that can't comfortably accommodate furniture, but could take a shelf like that along one side. I'll be entertaining the idea at any rate!

[SidB]

The ceiling level shelves really are a nice use of space. I have a hallway that can't comfortably accommodate furniture, but could take a shelf like that along one side. I'll be entertaining the idea at any rate!

Go for it, @Halichoeres !

[SidB]

Lets move now into the hallway itself and check out the Wild safari and Carnegie Safari collections, perched comfortable above the movement of people and objects on the move below. We start our tour with the east wall, proceeding from the bookshelf with the classic Carnegie and later Wild Safari Brachiosaurs, seen previously, that marked the transition from living room to hallway:

[Paleo Flo]

Lego Duplo stands! Not bad pal
Great idea. I guess you like my favorite dinosaur - Iguanodon - also a lot
Which one is the Iggy next to the safari one?

[SidB]

Lego Duplo stands! Not bad pal
Great idea. I guess you like my favorite dinosaur - Iguanodon - also a lot
Which one is the Iggy next to the safari one?

That, @Paleo Flo , is the latest and last repaint and sculpt refresh of the Carnegie Safari Iguanodon. A real classic from the early years (1992) of the Carnegie Collection, but slightly revamped in 2010. Check out D @Dinoguy2 's site for more info.

[Paleo Flo]

Thanks a Lot for the information. I will have a look

[SidB]

Continuing the walk down the hallway, at its far end we turn briefly towards the bay at the junction with the back rooms, where the Ikea shelves sit above the doorways themselves, following the contours until we reach the west wall  parallel to the east one which we've just seen.

The Safari's continue, most of which are in the 1/35-1/40 range, though a number of 1/25 and 1/45 figures have been included where the scale differential doesn't really seem to make a whole lot of trouble for me. This means that pieces like the fine Wild Safari Dinocheirus are included as a subadult at the small end, and the great Doug Watson ceratopsids, typically 1/25-1/30, at the larger end, because they are so small in actual life anyways. I don't include oversize theropods, such as the wonderful Carnotaurus', because these would conflict too severely with the large number of 1/35-1/40 theropod figures. Just my taste.

[SidB]

Finally, to complete the hallway tour, we'll now proceed to the west side, moving back to the entrance. The whole exhibit has a very different look from a year ago, when this was the focus of my Battat collections, housed there for almost five years. I kind of miss them (put away in storage), but it was time for a change. One great advantage of the present arrangement is that the Safaris are constantly in production, capable of growth and surprises, but the Battats seemed doomed to remain frozen in time. I'll set them up for a display later this year, at some point, time allowing.




















This shelf collection excludes my oversized Safaris and Carnegie safaris, from 1/10 or greater to the 1/25 theropods, which are currently napping in storage, dreaming their dreams of days past that come no more.

[Halichoeres]

Is there a lip on this shelf? It sort of looks like it, but hard to be sure it isn't just because the photos are taken from below. Would be a nice safety feature, since even sturdy PVC can fracture if it falls 2.5 meters.

[SidB]

Is there a lip on this shelf? It sort of looks like it, but hard to be sure it isn't just because the photos are taken from below. Would be a nice safety feature, since even sturdy PVC can fracture if it falls 2.5 meters.

Yes, @Halichoeres , there most certainly is a lip. And yes, there's quite a fall to the floor. I've noticed that a gradual displacement of some of the figures occurs because of the gentle vibrations caused by foot traffic and doors opening and closing, so I make sure to support vulnerable pieces, generally theropods, with PNSO-like supports or by proping them again the back wall, so falls are almost non- existant. At some point I'll likely replace the lego tiers with transparent plastic ones, though from the ground level perspective these are pretty much hidden.

[Paleo Flo]

JUst awesome. Great display idea, as I said before.

The Carnegie Iguanodon is still avaiable at Urzeitshop. I will have to think about getting it...for my obvious passion for the genus Iguanodon