Ikea plays a big part in my Lego hobby. I use a whole range of their products to store and organize my collection. The thing about Ikea is that they have such a large and constantly shifting product mix that there are often hidden gems in the catalog. The other day I stumbled across this lighted display case and decided to give it a try.

The box is deceptively heavy, filled with thick pieces of polycarbonate and the lighted base. As with all of Ikea’s lamps, the cord plugs into an adapter that then plugs into the wall socket. I don’t like this arrangement, as it makes the plug stick out from the wall quite a distance and gets in the way.

The sides snap into the base to form a sturdy cube. Ikea describes it as being a 9x9x9 cube, but it is actually a smidge large than that on the outside. The inside dimensions are 8.75×8.75×8.25. It certainly isn’t going to hold anything big (a standard baseplate would not fit), but it is a nice size for displaying small to medium models.

Of course, the whole thing lights up too. There are LEDs under the translucent bottom around the edges. It lights up pretty nicely even in the daylight.

In a dark room, however, it really comes out. The under-lighting gives models an interesting cast. This would be great for monsters and such, but probably lousy for anything with a solid base to it.

All in all, an interesting little display case. At $30, they aren’t cheap, but they are solid enough for kids rooms and just classy enough for adults.

Keep building and enjoy!