Welcome! It sounds like you are looking for a set up similar to what I do, so here are some notes...

I have 8 total detolfs (4 for transformers). i like the grouping of 4x4 as a nice grid. Some people use small furiture pieces by Ikea (can't remember their names. Besta?) to raise their detolfs off the ground and give some extra storage/display under them. I might do that in the future - the lowest shelves can get hidden.

I use risers a lot. I swear by these Apex Acrylic Risers by Small Joes. They fit Detolf squares perfectly. There are others on ebay and Amazon that are similarly sized to fit detolf dimensions, but watch for the depth of each shelf. As the number of steps increases, the shelves tend to be shallower, and figures might not fit. I also use various square and rectangle risers to raise up individual figures... There are a lot of options on ebay, Amazon and company websites. Just search for acrylic, display, riser, etc. and you'll find lots of options. I'd always go with clear plastic/acrylic - it will help the light move around the shelves. A word of caution, IMHO, I wouldn't recommend spice racks or other kitchen cabinet risers; they are usually cheap plastic, which really cheapens the look you are investing in with the detolfs and lighting.

There are many lighting options - you really only want LED (no heat, won't fade figures). Some things to consider right away are

1. Color and color warmth - Do you want all white or color LEDs? White LEDs will come in different degrees of warmth (measured in Lumens) I prefer white to color and like very "cold" white that looks like a museum display. Warm white looks too yellow and weak for me.
2. LED light construction - Do you want individual "pucks" that go at the top or on individual shelves, or "strips?" Pucks have an advantage of that they can be individually battery powered, but I prefer strips - they give you more light, and since the light comes from a wider breadth, don't create shadows or harsh spotlights on individual figures.
   
3. If you go for strips, the cheapest option is to buy a strip of LEDs, cut the strips to length and then run wires between those strips. I've tried it and had issues with connections not being stable/flickering, so I use premade sets of strips. That's more expensive, but less of a hassle. Ikea has light strips for Detolfs, but doesn't offer cold white anymore, so I now use These LED Strip kits by The Luke Light. I've ordered three times from him over the years and never had any problems.

I've attached some photos for reference, feel free to leave other questions or PM me...

 

Putting this here for future reference if anyone finds it useful.
Here's the Powerpoint toy arrangement planner I made for myself as I was considering various shelf options, to simulate / visualise how the toys might be arranged and whether everything would fit. You can download a copy of the file and use it however you will.

Toy Arrangement Planner.pptx

 

I have a total of 7 solid wood shelves in my room. I don't fool around with compressed wood, plywood, particle board, or any of that IKEA garbage. Just real wood for me. It will last forever if you keep it dry. All that fake stuff falls apart and bows far too easily. 4 of my shelves I picked up at Goodwill for just a couple/few bucks each, and 3 of them I custom built according to the size of my wall. I made them exactly how big I wanted them. I dressed them up with images I found online and had printed on thick card stock. I used double sided tape to adhere them. I custom built my Pit of Judgement out of wood and the forementioned cardstock. For lighting, I used some E.L. wire and a battery operated LED light base. I still need to get some more E.L. wire. Probably in red or orange or maybe purple. Nothing overly complicated or expensive.

 

Oh yeah, and for risers I simple use a small scrap piece of wood covered in printed on cardstock that matches the setting. Simple.

 

Has anyone ever posed masterpieces in bot mode with the corresponding G1 in alt mode? Trying to come up with ideas other than they all just stand there but not sure if this would work.

 

Check here. Around the 4:30 mark.

 

Awesome. Thanks, I may try it now.

 

What's everyone's preferred color of display case / bookshelf (e.g Black, White, Wood grain, etc.)?


Right now I'm working with black Besta units from Ikea and they work just fine but part of me is thinking of switching to white after seeing so many people on here post nice pictures of white cases.

I think the white helps make the figures pop out more on the shelf . . . But then again, I like the black because it's a more neutral backdrop and doesn't show as much empty space if you don't cram a bunch of figures in.

Curious what your guy's opinions are.

 

I like white. Its easier to see what's in the shelves when you don't have lights.

 

I only use real wood shelves. Some are stained, and some not. Doesn't really matter, because most are covered with Transformers themed printed card stock.

 

Been having a rough time searching for a bookshelf to fit my needs. I want one between 30-50 inches wide and something 70 ish inches tall, but man I have spent months searching and nothing. My best results are either thousands of dollars or multimedia cases that aren’t very deep. Poodoo.

 

You could modify a cube display like I did.

Though it would not be as tall as you want it. Guess you could stack them.

The 3x4 kallax was $90 at the time before ikea raised their prices. The backing was $15, lights were $46.

Here it is with some Joes.

 

Hmm. It doesn’t necessarily need to be 70. I’ve honestly thought about putting the shelf on top of a dresser or something. That way all of my figures are higher up and more level with me if I’m standing or sitting in a chair. Plus having another dresser or something would give me more storage space for other things.

That doesn’t look bad. Not sure I want lights but I like it. Cheers!

 

I put mine on cinder blocks. Adds 8-16 inches. This one is at 8, because I plan on putting another smaller cube display on top of it and 16inches makes it too tall for that.

 

Has anyone here put two Billy or two other bookcases in front of each other, as close together as possible, to double the width on each shelf for a display? I was thinking of ways to get my Transformers in a more contained section of my collection and that idea came to mind. If that works, I could possibly even put the shelves at slightly different levels to create a riser type setup out of just the initial shelves alone.

 

I think what people do when they are looking for the depth you want is use ikea pax wardrobes.

PAX Wardrobe frame, black-brown, 393/8x227/8x927/8" - IKEA

Though your idea of using the 2nd billy as risers is intriguing.

 

I do like the width on that Pax but I like the height and easy augmentation the Billy has. I've only found a few posts on Google that lighty touch on putting bookshelves together by searching "putting two bookshelves back to back". It seems possible as long as the two shelves are attached by a few plates and screws but I'll see what I feel about the idea when I get Billy shelves.

 

Thoughts on the Ikea Lack shelves? I'd provide a link, but this is my first post. I'm eyeing the 43in and the 72in. Can't decide if I want to put CHUG or MP/3P them yet. Plan to have a row of shelves go from one side of the room to the other with little to no gaps. I need about 9.8ft of floating shelves. I'll take any tips or better recommendations for sure.

 

If I had the place for it and I knew exactly how everything was going to be displayed (Mostly finished collection) I would probably use something similar to the lack shelves.

My only concern is their lack of depth 10 inches. I like to be able to showcase scale by having figure positioned behind each other with varying sizes. My mp shelves are 24 inches deep, my chug are 15. But if your going to display in a line like many do they should be fine.

 

Did you end up going with these? I’m currently looking at Moducase and really got questions.