A look at the Lego Star Wars minifigures from 2010.

Star Wars in Lego: 2010

My Lego Star Wars minifigures will soon have a bright and shiny new home. šŸ” I received the new frames and Iā€™m quite pleased surprisingly. They came from sfdisplay, a third-party seller on Amazon, with a price tag of $104.10. The seller also offers it on Etsy for $94.99 but the $18 shipping rate is slightly higher than the $15.89 shipping rate quoted on Amazon. Ultimately, I decided to make the purchase through Amazon because of the protection afforded by the A-z guarantee.

Here are the finer details should you need more help on deciding whether to purchase from Amazon or Etsy. The seller shipped the order the next morning and everything was well-packaged with no missing parts or hardware. Of the eight frames ordered, only one had scratches to the acrylic cover. We opted to skip the hassle of returning it since the scratches were on the bottom left and weā€™ll end up hanging it closer to the floor anyway.

The dimensions of the frame are 37 1/2ā€ in width, 19 1/2ā€ in height and 2 1/2ā€ in depth. Itā€™s constructed from real wood and available in four finishes: black, cherry, oak and walnut. Should you decide on a wood finish, the cost per frame would be $103.84 or $103.99 for the walnut option. Each frame comfortably fits 174 minifigures but you can squeeze a few more in if you space the little guys a stud apart. Please also note that these frames donā€™t include any Lego base plates so youā€™ll need to buy them separately or hunt through your Lego stash. Each row accommodates a plate thatā€™s four studs deep so the standard 3×4 minifigure plate will fit nicely. Youā€™ll need 29 minifigure plates per row for a total of 174 to fill the entire frame.

Because I plan to frame droids and creatures, Iā€™m adding full base plates that are four studs deep and 115 wide to each of the frameā€™s six rows. This will allow more flexibility in the display as the single row of four studs on the minifigure plate is too restrictive and wonā€™t work for me. So, in addition to the cost of the frame, my pick-a-brick order will add another $40.32. On the bright side, I ordered in time for double VIP points and I qualified for the Lego beach tote. ā¤ļø Anyhoo, each frame will roughly cost $160.31 but this doesnā€™t include sales tax as this sum varies from region to region. Yup, itā€™s super expensive. šŸ˜—

Now hereā€™s a bit of information for the IKEA RIBBA frames for comparison. Each frame is constructed from MDF and costs $14.99. It measures 20 1/2ā€ in height and width and 1 3/4ā€ in depth. It doesnā€™t include shelves so youā€™ll need to build them. Each typically fits eight rows that are three studs deep and 60 studs wide. The cost of the pick-a-brick order is $65.35 and the frame fits about 112 minifigures.

There are quite a few extras that need to be purchased to hang the RIBBA frames. Youā€™ll need a large sheet of paper to block out the MDF backer board, sturdy hanging clips and picture frame wire. IKEA includes a metal hook thatā€™s glued to the backer board for its hanging method but, given how hefty the frames become when filled, I highly, HIGHLY recommend buying your own hanging clips and wire for safety reasons. I havenā€™t found sufficient clips that grip the 1/16ā€ backer board tightly so be aware of this hairy problem. The price tag of the IKEA option comes to $80.34 but this excludes sales tax and the cost of the miscellaneous items.

Phew, thatā€™s lot of information to convey but thereā€™s just one more thing to note. Thereā€™s a downside to both framing options. Neither feature glass but the new frame includes an acrylic cover that purportedly blocks out 98% of UV. I canā€™t attest to this yet so weā€™ll have to wait and see. The white portions of your minifigures will yellow in the IKEA frame if itā€™s kept in sunlight so remember to hang it in shadier rooms.

Hereā€™s a quick summation of my talking points:

Amazon / Etsy Frame

Cost: $103.84-104.10 (or $94.99 on Etsy)
Shipping: $15.89 (or $18 on Etsy)
Lego Cost: $40.32 or free if you have the parts
Minifigures: 174

IKEA Frame

Cost: $14.99
Shipping: $9 or free if thereā€™s a store nearby
Lego Cost: $65.35 or free if you have the parts
Extras: Paper, hanging clips and wire (‹ $20)
Minifigures: 112

There you have it and thatā€™s all she wrote. šŸ˜Ž

Lego Star Wars Sets:

Rebel Trooper Battle Pack (8083)
Snowtrooper Battle Pack (8084)
Freeco Speeder (8085)
Droid Tri-Fighter (8086)
TIE Defender (8087)
ARC-170 Starfighter (8088)
Hoth Wampa Cave (8089)
Republic Swamp Speeder (8091)
Lukeā€™s Landspeeder (8092)
Plo Koonā€™s Jedi Starfighter (8093)
General Grievousā€™ Starfighter (8095)
Emperor Palpatineā€™s Shuttle (8096)
Slave I (8097)
Clone Turbo Tank (8098)
Cad Baneā€™s Speeder (8128)
AT-AT Walker (8129)
Imperial Shuttle (10212)

Lego Star Wars Polybags:

Stormtrooper (2853590)
Boba Fett (2853835)

Lego Magnet Sets:

Star Wars (852844)
Star Wars (853037)

Lego Watch Sets:

Darth Vader (9001765)
Darth Maul (9001932)