Is it possible to build a sturdy poster frame with LEGO?

[Henchmen4Hire]

I've been looking for a way to display my trading cards and thought maybe I could use Technic beams to build a frame to hang. The idea is to glue card sleeves to a piece of display board, place a thin sheet of clear rigid plastic over it, and sandwich that between the Technic pieces. Then I could give the border a veneer of tiles or plates to decorate it somehow.

I think using LEGO would also give me the advantage of making custom funky shapes, maybe I could even make the frame modular so I can add/remove sections on a whim.

For example, this is for Pokemon cards, so I could maybe make a "small" Magnemite shaped frame for a few cards. For a larger frame (about a meter wide), I could use the plates as veneer over the beams and maybe brickbuild shapes onto them, like pokemon silhouettes, badges, etc.

Do you think this is possible? Too expensive maybe? If I would be better off just using a prebuilt poster frame, please feel free to message me suggestions.

[Henchmen4Hire]

My first attempt at a single-card frame.

Card shown is in scale, Pokemon cards are just under 8x11 studs. I added 1 stud to each dimension to get about half a stud of clearance all around the card; This allows for a card sleeve.

The red layer shows where the card, foam backing, and plastic top sheet rest. It's only 1 plate thick but it's plenty.

LEGO Pokemon Card Frame by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

LEGO Pokemon Card Frame by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

Edited May 29, 2019 by Henchmen4Hire

[Mylenium]

Nice stuff, but yeah, that's gonna cost yo an arm and a leg, especially since half-width Technic beams are a lot less common and thus relatively more expensive than their full width brethren.

Mylenium

[Lordofdragonss]

The top of magnemite head should have been a flat tile as well :)
That card holder looks great though!
EDIT:
What's that hollow piece on side magnets?

Edited May 29, 2019 by Lordofdragonss

[Henchmen4Hire]

20 hours ago, Mylenium said:

Nice stuff, but yeah, that's gonna cost yo an arm and a leg, especially since half-width Technic beams are a lot less common and thus relatively more expensive than their full width brethren.

Mylenium

Thanks for the heads up about prices. Most likely, I think I would switch to the thicker beams if I were to make the large frame. Though I think it might still be cheaper to buy a shadow box or poster frame prebuilt at that size haha

20 hours ago, Lordofdragonss said:

The top of magnemite head should have been a flat tile as well :)
That card holder looks great though!
EDIT:
What's that hollow piece on side magnets?

The 2 big wedges are raised so the slopes blend better.

If you mean the screw on top, I like it better this way, it's like a fat bolt head instead of a screw lol

I'll check what the pieces are in the morning, probably under plate modified or wedge

EDIT:
It's a modified plate, 1x2, "steam engine cylinder, flat surfaces"

Edited May 30, 2019 by Henchmen4Hire

[Henchmen4Hire]

Here's a rough draft of a larger one. Gauging the size, possible details, etc. And apparently 8x11 plates exist, yay.

LEGO Pokemon Card Frame (Large) by Henchmen4Hire, on Flickr

[splatman]

Those 8x11 plates have not been manufactured since probably 1963. Also, they are only available in Light Gray.

[Henchmen4Hire]

I'll just have to time travel then