Once you hit a certain age, you find yourself with enough knickknacks to call a “collection.” The problem, generally, is that these odds and ends are usually scattered about with little thought to how they’re displayed. Usually, they’re on bookshelves in the open air where they can accumulate dust and grime.
Myself, I have a far-ranging collection of late 80s/early 90s Transformers toys but their display is…lacking. Some are on hanging shelves, others are in IKEA bookcases, still others are scattered around on repurposed nightstands and reclaimed bookshelves. It’s a mess and it does a poor job of highlighting the time and money I’ve sunk into the hobby of finding and restoring these toys.
That’s why I was thrilled when Nanoleaf told me they’d collaborated with design studio Fantaqi to create EXPO Smart LED Display Cases.
What Is It?
The Nanoleaf x Fantaqi EXPO Smart LED Display Case is an ABS resin case with white sides, a transparent window in the back (they’re working on making colored inserts available) and a clear, magnetic door. It’s lined with Nanoleaf smart LEDs, letting you customize your lighting to millions of colors, create scenes, sync with music and more.
The EXPO Smart LED Display Case comes in starter packs of 4-12, with individual cases available singly. Each starter pack comes with one hub case (which has the touch controls for your entire display) and 3-11 cases.They use a small connector to link up and share power and programming, allowing you to create a display that’s unique to your needs. They’re stackable, modular, and provide full-coverage museum-quality lighting.
Each case is just big enough to display a pair of sneakers…or in my case a whole bunch of Transformers.
Is It Easy to Set Up?
The EXPO cases come flat packed and ready to assemble. Once you get the hang of it, it only takes a minute or two to press the pieces together. The resultant case is surprisingly sturdy. It was only when I placed an extremely heavy piece (the reissue of Diaclone Gran Dion…weighing in at over 15 lbs.) that I saw a bit of bend at the top of the case. Unless you’re putting something very heavy directly on the top panel, you shouldn’t see any bending at all.
But for the majority of uses, these cases clip together easily and hold a ton of stuff! The connectors are a bit fragile, so you’ll need to be careful when sliding them together, but it’s very easy to make towers and blocks of cases in exactly the arrangement you’d like, up to 300 cases! The only caveat is that you’ll need additional power supplies if you’re going that big. What’s nice is that you can plug the power supply into any of the display cases, not just the hub.
Once plugged in and powered on, you’ll use the Nanoleaf app and the convenient QR code in the hub case (the one with the touch controls). Once connected, you’ll see your layout reflected in the app and you can apply whatever schedules, colors, or lighting schemes you like!
Is It Worth It?
Let’s get this out of the way—the EXPO Smart LED Display Case starter sets are expensive. A starter kit of 4 is $299. A starter kit of 12 is $800! That’s a lot of money to spend on display hardware that could be spent on acquiring more collection items.
That said, they immediately elevate your collection. It’s the difference between…well…having a bunch of toys on a bookshelf and having them in a case with controlled lighting. Not only do they look better, they’re better protected from accumulating dust and grime. My wife, who would prefer to not look at my piles of toys at all complimented the new cases the first time she saw them. That kind of broad appeal is an enormous win.
Plus it’s got nuanced touches that really enhance the experience. The magnets in the door give you satisfyingly tactile feedback when you close the case, plus there’s a very subtle lighting effect both when you open and close the case. I also really appreciate the on-case touch display, in case I don’t feel like messing with the app.
And if you don’t want to go nuanced and instead have disco-display lighting turning your collectibles into a rave? You can do that too. What’s fun is that the Nanoleaf lighting lets you freshen up your display without having to rearrange or move anything.
I’ve sunk more money than I’d like to admit into this hobby and I felt instantly justified when I plugged in the EXPO cases and loaded them up with pieces from my collection. Transformers Micromasters that I’d been considering selling off because they weren’t really thrilling me anymore took on a whole new life now that I had space to arrange them and lighting to show them off.
If you go in on the EXPO cases, make sure you check out the Fantaqi site. They have various size figure stands available that fit exactly. They’re especially handy if you have a large amount of small figures that you’d like to display. I know I’ve got some vertical space I’d like to be able to use for my Micromasters!
Find out more and buy your own EXPO Smart LED Display Cases on the Nanoleaf website.
