Made to Measure Display Cases for Model Cars — 1/18 to 1/87

Display case, display cabinet or dust protection for model cars – what fits when?

A model car display case from our workshop is a transparent protective cover made of PMMA acrylic glass (commonly called Plexiglas) that is placed precisely over your model – or a display cabinet with compartments in which an entire collection stands side by side, free of dust.

Model cars are particularly sensitive to dust: whatever settles in the radiator grille, the spoked wheels, the air intakes and the open cockpit can hardly be removed completely with a brush or compressed air – and etched parts, aerials and windscreen wipers break all too easily in the attempt. A closed display case solves the problem once and for good.

There are two routes to choose from: single piece or collection. A special model – the 1/18 rarity, the signed racing car, the large 1/8 construction kit – gets its own made to measure display case, ideally with a reflective (mirror) acrylic base that reveals the chassis and the exhaust system. As the collection grows, a ready-made display cabinet with many compartments is usually the more economical and clearer solution: our standard cabinets have been matched to the common scales for years.

The two can be combined: many customers put the collection into compartment cabinets on the wall and single out two or three favourite models under an individual display case on the sideboard.

Which model cars benefit most from a display case

Six typical cases from practice – from the single show piece to the collector wall.

1/18 – the show piece

Minichamps, AUTOart, Norev or GT Spirit in 1/18 are eye-catchers and investments at the same time. A made to measure single display case with a reflective base also shows the chassis and the underbody.

1/43 – the collection that has grown

In 1/43 dozens of models come together quickly. A compartment cabinet brings 18 vehicles onto the wall at a glance – each one protected from dust behind the hooked-in front panel.

Slot cars 1/24 & 1/32

Slot-car cabinets have sloping compartment floors (12,5°) and slots for the guide blade – the cars stand securely and you look down into the cockpit.

Trucks & buses in 1/87

Herpa and Wiking trucks are long and flat. The truck cabinet with 70 cm wide compartments takes whole articulated lorries without them hiding one another.

Motorsport & Formula 1

Formula 1 models with wings and aerials need room above them. On an acrylic staircase the cars stand in tiers – each one stays visible, all under one display case.

Large construction kits 1/12 & 1/8

Pocher, DeAgostini or Amalgam models quickly reach 40 to 60 cm in length. For these we make display cases in special sizes – on request with a flush or reflective base.

Ready-made model car and slot-car cabinets – available to order now

Proven standard sizes from our own production, each with a back panel in transparent, black or reflective acrylic. All cabinets can be set up or hung on the wall; the front panel is simply hooked in.

See all model car display cabinets →

How to configure your model car display case in 3 minutes

The online configurator guides you step by step – no data sheet, no queries needed.

Material: always 4 mm – there is nothing to choose

Our transparent acrylic glass is always 4 mm thick – whether it is a 1/43 display case or an 1/8 large model. Only a back panel in black or reflective acrylic is 3 mm thick. So you do not decide on the material thickness, only on the base and the back panel.

Several models: cabinet, rack or staircase instead of individual cases

From about three vehicles onwards a compartment cabinet is almost always worthwhile – per model it costs considerably less than individual display cases and works better as a collector wall. If the models are to stand visibly one behind the other, an acrylic display staircase tiers each row upwards towards the back – and a made to measure display case goes over it.

Very large models: oversize and special dimensions

In the standard configurator at most one of the three dimensions may exceed 50 cm. For wide diorama set-ups with several vehicles or for very large 1/8 models, use the oversize acrylic display case; for very long, flat set-ups (a race track scene, for example) there is the two-part split display case. Shipping to delivery addresses in Germany only. Oversize items carry an automatic shipping surcharge.

Material and quality

We work exclusively with high-grade PMMA acrylic glass of industrial quality – crystal clear, lightfast and in the lasting Sora quality.

Lightfastness and UV behaviour

The acrylic glass we use does not yellow and does not become brittle even after years in direct sunlight. Important: the acrylic glass itself is UV-stable, but it offers no UV protection for the collectable on display. Paintwork, decals and rubber tyres on model cars fade in direct sunlight – which is why the display case does not belong right next to a south-facing window.

What you should know after delivery

Don’t be alarmed: the protective film

When your parcel arrives, the acrylic parts will probably look blue, green, white or even scratched. That is the protective film covering every part on both sides to prevent scratches during production and shipping (reflective elements are filmed on the front only).

Simply lift the film at one corner with your fingernail – acrylic cannot be scratched by a fingernail. Underneath, crystal-clear, flawless acrylic glass comes to light.

Real customer photos from our customers’ collections

No renderings: this is how Sora customers really protect their model cars. A selection from the photos that customers send us after delivery.

All photos were provided to us by Sora customers and are published with their consent.