FOLDIO Portable Light Box Review

[fishnjeeps]

I thought I'd share a review on the FOLDIO Lightbox I picked up on kickstarter. I originally bought this for taking pictures of my chainmaile jewelry to post on etsy, However I find it will work work equally well for most miniatures. The kickstarter price was $45 for everything, Their website has more information on price: http://orangemonkie.com/foldio/

 

There was 2 different options for this on kickstarter, one came with 1 led strip and 7 different background colors. The background colors were Black, White, Grey, Green, Yellow, Blue, And Pink Option 2 came with 2 LED strips and only 4 backgrounds black, white, grey, and green. 

 

The led lights work off of a 9volt battery. Each strip needs its own battery. I'd reccomment rechargeable 9v if you use it a lot to save money.

 

 

Here are some pics of the FOLDIO and how easy it is to setup and use.

 

The FOLDIO in its carry bag and the backgrounds 

 

The 4 colors of the backgrounds. These are similar to the foam sheets you can buy at most craft stores. This will also give me a size reference for making my own custom backgrounds to fit.

 

This is the 9v LED strip. They have adhesive backing on the to mount to the FOLDIO. Mine came with 2 of these.

 

 

Right so here's how easy this thing is to setup. It has magnets in it to hold it together and to keep it folded. so just unfold it (yu can see the LED strip that is mounted)

 

Slide the background you want under the slots like so:

 

Attach both sides like so:

 

And there you go!

 

For reference, here it is with only 1 led strip

 

And with both led strips. This is the setup I used in my show off thread

 

Here is a couple pics taken using FOLDIO. I used my LG Intuition Cell Phone on portrait mode.

 

 

There a a couple downsides in my opinion and I'll mention them here. 

 

Firstly the FOLDIO was only designed for one LED strip. Mine came with 2 thanks to the suggestions of the backers. However there is no mounting spot for the 2nd LED to mount. I would have liked to see a spot on the bottom added to hold the 2nd strip. My solution will be to find a thin steel L channel to mount the strip to the bottom as there is a set of magnets there that normally hold the foldio closed when folded. Simple, cheap, and would have been nice if it came with.

 

Secondly is the size. While this will work for most single miniatures, Dioramas or even vehicles will not fit well. I would say anything larger than the pathfinder dragon might not fit. The company eluded to the possibility of making a larger version in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Overall I feel I got my moneys worth from this. My complaints are not deal breakers at all but only minor inconveinences. 

 

 

 

 

Edited to present updated and incorrect information...

Edited April 22, 2014 by fishnjeeps

[fanguad]

I received one of these as well, and am also happy with it.  I got the same 2-LED strip version.

 

Couple of notes:

The 1 LED version does come with black/white/gray/green, along with blue, yellow and pink.  (early on, they proposed bright primary colors, but the backers told them that they preferred gray and black)

You can fit the backgrounds in the bag if you fold them in half.  In fact, you can keep the background inside the FOLDIO while doing so.

The magnets are strong enough to hold your 9v batteries.  I mounted both of my LED strips on the top, and the cords are just long enough to reach the magnets.

[fishnjeeps]

Good to know about folding the backgrounds. I was concerned with a permanent crease if I folded them. And i must have misunderstood option 1 as far as colors.

[Grimreaper71]

No picture of mini inside?

[fishnjeeps]

Sorry Grimm, I added a couple pics or Reaper mini's taken using this. I'll get a size comparison pic after work today.

[ub3r_n3rd]

I'm really kicking myself for not backing this one now. I've been seeing some really good pics being taken using it. Hopefully they have it available for purchase at retail soon. My home-made one is falling apart.