I have a long-standing fondness for the nine-inch TOS Playmates figures. I own 24 of them but, since moving to a smaller Star Trek room last year, I could only display 14. They ran along one row on top of my bookshelves, with the rest piled out of sight behind. Here is the before shot.

One day, I realized that my high ceiling gave me a fair bit of airspace so, like big cities around the world, I maximized my available real estate by building up. 

I built a shelf on legs that sits behind the front row of figures. That may not seem like a big deal: “So…you discovered shelving?” No, but I was inventive in finding more space for a shelf. And it was cheap.

I bought a six foot fence board for $10.21 and an eight foot length of 2×2 for $3.88. I trimmed about six inches off the board, to fit the shelf between my stereo speakers. I chopped the 2×2 into 11-inch legs because the boxes are 12 inches tall, so this would raise the second row to a good viewing height. Wood glue I already owned did the rest. 

Total cost, after tax: $15.92. 

The new display shows off a large number of figures but still looks neat and organized.

(Did you spot the one Art Asylum figure? It’s over on the right, top row. That Kirk is a placeholder; I’ll swap it out once I pick up one of the 12 TOS nine-inch figures I do not own. And then, when I buy another after that? No idea.)

Lots of collectors are challenged for space, and I am a big believer in displaying as much of your stuff as possible. So, look up by the ceiling and over doorways. Buy a cabinet that suits your items. Consider putting some items behind others — but don’t overdo that: it is easy to slide into a cluttered look.

I even perched my signed Trials and Tribble-ations Dax figure on top of the speaker around one corner. Again, maximizing space. Now if only I could come up with such an easy solution for the bridge set I want but have no room for.

That’s a problem for another day. This morning, when I walked into my Star Trek room to review this post, my eyes went first to my new display. It made me happy.