Mkm
Established Member
Finally moved into the new place and now that I've begun to unpack, I thought I'd start up a mini-thread
The Office Setup:
I've decided to go with an array of the ever popular Ikea Detolfs, sat atop 5 single unit 1x1 Expedits* in a corner arrangement.
Unfortunately, the corner they're going in has the router, etc. in it. I've set the single corner piece is set forward slightly, so I can slide it out to access the corner (it's mounted on pads) while the side pieces are up against the wall and will be screwed into place to aid stability and any untoward knocks.
I went with the Dioder LED strip lights, and after looking at several guides, had my mind all made up about how I was going to set them up, then I actually tried it out. I eventually learnt that for me, the best setup was to have them stuck horizontally, but inset slightly from the front edge. This gave me the lighting effect I liked best (without using another set of Dioders), while minimising the shadows. When it was stuck to the front edge, I found that 1/6th scale figures' heads can end up in the shade.
Cable wise, I ran them all along and down the back of the metal poles, using cable ties to secure them and keep them taut, before running them out via a couple of holes I drilled into the wooden base plate**. I'd seen the various posts about using cable tidy tubes, but I didn't have them to hand...anyhow I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, so I'm going to leave it be The only thing I will do is paint/use marker to black out the section of cable that's visible going from the base of the pole to the hole.
Conveniently, the switch for the Dioders is pretty much the same thickness as the feet of the Detolf, so it can fit nice and snug at the front there until such a time as I either plug in all the lights into a timer unit or find a nice (cheap?) motion sensor control unit.
Looking at it now, another possible mod would be to put some dark paint into the grooves the glass side and back panels rest in. Something for the future maybe...
Some details for those who might find it useful:
Dioder LED strip inset from front edge of wood top: 75mm
Dioder LED strip inset from front edge of glass: 45mm
Here's some blurry mobile pictures of the progress so far: (with some random figures thrown in there, no arranging yet!)
Max Factory's The Goddess Belldandy with Holy Bell, Medicom's RAH Eva Unit 2 (movie ver.) alongside her pilot, Kotobukiya's Asuka Langley Shikinami (also movie ver.), Hot Toys Agent Phil Coulson and the Mark VII Iron Man, and finally the Classic Predator. I hope to get some decent, less blurry shots once the rest of the Detolfs are setup
Mods to come:
Will update as I progress, got me some more unboxing to do! No prizes for spotting OSB's distinctive packaging!
Mike
*Note 1: I learnt recently that Ikea are discontinuing the Expedit range and replacing it with 'Kallux'. It looks similar, but the chunky external pieces are now a cm or two thinner. I personally prefer the chunkier look, so this is a bit of a bummer for me. Also, consistency!
**Note 2: If you're doing this, be sure to leave enough space for the Detolf's feet!
The Office Setup:
I've decided to go with an array of the ever popular Ikea Detolfs, sat atop 5 single unit 1x1 Expedits* in a corner arrangement.
Unfortunately, the corner they're going in has the router, etc. in it. I've set the single corner piece is set forward slightly, so I can slide it out to access the corner (it's mounted on pads) while the side pieces are up against the wall and will be screwed into place to aid stability and any untoward knocks.
I went with the Dioder LED strip lights, and after looking at several guides, had my mind all made up about how I was going to set them up, then I actually tried it out. I eventually learnt that for me, the best setup was to have them stuck horizontally, but inset slightly from the front edge. This gave me the lighting effect I liked best (without using another set of Dioders), while minimising the shadows. When it was stuck to the front edge, I found that 1/6th scale figures' heads can end up in the shade.
Cable wise, I ran them all along and down the back of the metal poles, using cable ties to secure them and keep them taut, before running them out via a couple of holes I drilled into the wooden base plate**. I'd seen the various posts about using cable tidy tubes, but I didn't have them to hand...anyhow I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, so I'm going to leave it be The only thing I will do is paint/use marker to black out the section of cable that's visible going from the base of the pole to the hole.
Conveniently, the switch for the Dioders is pretty much the same thickness as the feet of the Detolf, so it can fit nice and snug at the front there until such a time as I either plug in all the lights into a timer unit or find a nice (cheap?) motion sensor control unit.
Looking at it now, another possible mod would be to put some dark paint into the grooves the glass side and back panels rest in. Something for the future maybe...
Some details for those who might find it useful:
Dioder LED strip inset from front edge of wood top: 75mm
Dioder LED strip inset from front edge of glass: 45mm
Here's some blurry mobile pictures of the progress so far: (with some random figures thrown in there, no arranging yet!)
Max Factory's The Goddess Belldandy with Holy Bell, Medicom's RAH Eva Unit 2 (movie ver.) alongside her pilot, Kotobukiya's Asuka Langley Shikinami (also movie ver.), Hot Toys Agent Phil Coulson and the Mark VII Iron Man, and finally the Classic Predator. I hope to get some decent, less blurry shots once the rest of the Detolfs are setup
Mods to come:
- Taking the handy cardboard piece that came with the Detolfs and painting it with the matching wall paint to use as a masking back plate for the corner Detolf to help hide the router, etc. behind it.
- Maybe sticking in some insulation padding tape along the front edges to minimise dust ingress.
Will update as I progress, got me some more unboxing to do! No prizes for spotting OSB's distinctive packaging!
Mike
*Note 1: I learnt recently that Ikea are discontinuing the Expedit range and replacing it with 'Kallux'. It looks similar, but the chunky external pieces are now a cm or two thinner. I personally prefer the chunkier look, so this is a bit of a bummer for me. Also, consistency!
**Note 2: If you're doing this, be sure to leave enough space for the Detolf's feet!