Get inspired and make your own dream collectibles shelf

Collecting figurines (or collectibles) has become an ever-growing passion from East to West. Figurine collectors have access to an almost infinite amount of new products, ranging from characters from Pop-culture, sports, movies, comics, anime, video games, cartoons, to designer toys. There really is something for every taste and preference!

It is amazing how passion for these products unites people of different ages and cultures. Those who have been to a Comicon at least once in their life can tell how different in age can be those who attend these events. They engage in different activities: from wandering about from stand to stand and joyfully spending all their piggy-bank-savings on their favorite items and gadgets, to showing in their favorite heroes’ clothes and engaging in fun activities with other visitors and cosplayers, who sometimes come from far away (even from abroad) to join in and share their passions with other like-minded people and essentially become children again and have a lot of fun for at least one day.

Piece of advice: If you have never experienced one of these events, then you should really do that whenever you have the chance. Bring your best friend(s) and have fun!

Figurines Are (Not) for Children

Although you might have heard this sentence at least once in your life, whoever said that clearly doesn’t know what they are talking about, and probably their inner child left them a long time ago when they replaced fun with more “adult” and boring stuff… Yeah, but still, they are likely good folks, don’t judge them. They would probably like to be like you and have more fun, deep inside.

Although it might seem like there is a very thin line between figurines and toys, we can provide you with some points to explain why figurines are not for kids:

They are often very fragile, (you are supposed to pose and showcase them… If you gave one to a kid it wouldn’t last an hour)
They often contain very small parts (not very suitable for kids)
Usually, the subjects represented range from teen movies/comics to more adult productions.
They can be pretty expensive, compared with common toys. Their details are often very accurate, and are partially or fully hand-painted (of course, it all depends on their price).
They often are produced in relatively limited quantities.

How to show your collectibles

If you are actively engaged in social media you might have come across a lot of ideas about how to be creative and arrange your collectibles.

A very common and effective way includes the use of shelves or bookcases.

Some others love the classic glass showcases, which is a particularly good choice especially for big and detailed figurines that would not be given justice if placed on a shelf because they deserve to be admired from 360°.

Some people use transparent hanging resin shelves for small figures and collectibles (these items are usually used in nail salons to showcase their nail polishes to clients, but I admit that this figure-oriented approach is very clever and effective).

Then we have single-figure shelves for those who love creating special hanging compositions (they usually come in hexagonal shapes or squared wall cubes).

Of course, there are no limits to the imagination. Sometimes collectibles get their best when combined with other related items and gadgets.

How to enhance a composition

If you want to give your composition an extra touch or enhance a specific piece of your collection, you need to take advantage of your creativity: You can recreate a scene from a certain movie or series; you can use led chains or small highlights to enlighten the scene; you can also arrange your collection by color, disregarding if the pieces are from different movies or series which, for those who collect a lot of figures, can be a very fun and creative way of arranging their collectibles.

Another cool idea could be the use of a diorama as a backdrop for your figurine(s). Essentially, a diorama is, in its easiest form, the reconstruction of a particular scenario. Some figures come in boxes that show a particular backdrop, and if you usually leave your figurines in the box, that is a cool plus. But, if you are an out-of-the-box collector, you might want to give your collectibles a little backdrops as well.

Then, why not try a PaperScene?

You might find that this is a cool and original way to decorate your shelves, plus a PaperScene takes up little space and is perfect for hosting 1-2 figurines (12 cm, max).