TrumpeterShowcase for 1/700 Black Base Ships

I bought this case to display a ship model. There are very limited options for display cases in this size and this case was inexpensive. However there is a problem with it. Only two pieces of plastic...what could go wrong? The case arrived undamaged (despite warnings from other buyers who’s did not). But when I went to open it to mount my model, I found that it would not open. There are small plastic tabs at either end. Typically the tabs are pressed inwards or outwards to release them from the slots they are in. In this case however, either the slot is too tight or the tabs too stiff to release them. After carefully pushing and prying...and ultimately getting assistance so that I had four hands to work with... the tab on one side broke, damaging the case. With one side free we then worked the other side gently in every direction but simply could not get it to release. Just image if you were trying to re-open this after putting a model inside! I packed the case back up and returned it to Amazon as defective. Amazon, as usual was great about it and shipped a replacement immediately. No surprise... the replacement was exactly like the original case...impossible to open. But this time I was wiser. I took a small grinder and cut away the tab material below the case bottom releasing the lid. Most of the tab remains and effectively holds the lid squarely in place. Of course the lid would fall off if turned upside down... but you’re probably never going to turn it upside down once you have a model in it. Ultimately, the case works for my needs when other options are too expensive. Just be prepared to do a little modification to get it open.

Finally- A decent display case from China. This Trumpeter case is not all wavy and blury like the Greenlight and Illumibox garbage. True optical grade plexi/acrylic would have received 5 stars.I do see the problem others have mentioned about the top latch 'pins'. They are a rather stupid idea at any rate. One has to invert the display case to open it, so the displayed item would need to be attached to the base. Dumb idea, Trumpeter, take note. Grind off the latch tabs and forget about them. I have tried MANY poly cases and MOST are pure Chinese garbage (This was the first one that was of decent quality/clarity). If you need very high clarity/quality you will have to spend 3-5 times this much for a custom optical grade acrylic case and just forget about polystyrene injection molded cases entirely. I have ordered two more Trumpeter cases in other sizes to see if I just got lucky with this one. The bottom line: Quite suitable for sets/art dept. but not quite good enough for 'hero' product/props. It is just right for home display in both price and quality.

After contacting Amazon by phone I was able to get a refund without being forced to pay shipping to return it to China which was what the seller originally required me to do when I wanted to return it.

As some have reviewed the case I received was only very slight scratched (or perhaps molding defect, it's only on one side) in one spot upon opening from new sealed package (see pic). My only concern is that it is in a place that may be a stress riser for cracking in the future. Also as others have stated it can be difficult to release the case "clamps" without feeling like you will break them. Otherwise, the case itself is good enough quality, and sufficient size for my need. It's not a perfect case by any means, but it works for my 1:700 Trumpeter Iowa class BB (still applying finishing touches :D ), and I have been struggling to find an adequate closed case for it for some time. 4 stars overall.

I don't have any fancy tools and it was hard to open the case without destroying it. I heated up a buck knife and carefully chipped away the tab on one side. That worked to get it open. Overall, I would recommend this case. It is very nice if you could get it open.

Extremely disappointed in this product arrived broken in two cornerscaveat emptor!!

These are are great cases for 1/16 scale Dragsters and this arrived on time and undamaged, Thank you seller.

It's not a glass case with a fancy wooden base - but this works fine. The plastic is crisply molded, and it's just what I wanted.

A good display case. Well packaged so no cracks. Arrived on time. But thank goodness I had read the other reviews (thanks guys) as the side clips were too big to release the cover as expected. So rather than resort to frustrated violence, my solution was to use a modelling knife to gently cut off a small portion of the inner side of each clip underneath the base. No damage done and the base still attached to the cover properly.

prodotto in plastica, bello e funzionale