There is no single opening method for every LEGO minifigure display case. The phrase can describe a LEGO-branded compartment case, a Room Copenhagen product or an independently made acrylic enclosure. Identify the product and its intended access door before pulling on a panel.
This guide uses official product descriptions to help identify the opening. Those descriptions do not document every clasp’s release direction or hand position. Where the mechanism is unclear, obtain the exact operating instruction rather than forcing the case.
Find the product number first
Check the packaging, purchase record and any label on the case. Record the brand, number, capacity and version. Capacity or colour alone is not enough to identify a mechanism, and a similar-looking newer version may have different details.
For example, LEGO’s official page for 5005375, Minifigure Display Case 16, identifies a transparent clasp door and separate compartments. The intended access is a door; that description is not an instruction to prise the enclosure apart.
Match the description to the case in front of you
| Documented example | What the source establishes |
|---|---|
| LEGO 5005375 | A transparent clasp door and 16 compartments. |
| LEGO 5006151 | An 8-minifigure case with doors for access. |
| Room Copenhagen 4065 / 4066 | 8- and 16-position products with transparent doors and figure baseplates. |
| Independent acrylic enclosure | Access must be checked against that product’s own construction and instructions. |
Use the official 5006151 description or Room Copenhagen’s 8-position and 16-position pages to confirm your model. Do not treat one product number as an automatic equivalent of another.
Prepare for access without disturbing the structure
Use the product in its stable, intended position and clear the area in front of the opening. Keep loose accessories from falling when the door moves. If the case is wall-mounted or part of a stack, follow its instructions for access and support; do not pull against the installation to make a door release.
Locate the intended clasp or access feature on the matching product. Use its operating instructions. Do not insert a screwdriver between clear edges, assume that a rear fixing is a door release or remove structural screws to solve a routine opening problem.
If the clasp does not release
Stop before the panel bends or the frame shifts. Look for an accessory obstructing the door, damage around the clasp or a mismatch between the instruction and the actual version. Do not change the release direction by trial and force.
Contact the seller or manufacturer with the product number, a photograph of the whole case and a close view of the door edge. Ask for the release method for that exact version. For a LEGO-branded product, use LEGO customer service; for a CubeBuff order, use our contact page.
Opening is different from dismantling
Opening should use the intended access feature. Dismantling separates structural parts and needs confirmation that the case is designed to come apart. Use the separate display case disassembly guide only for that task.
When choosing a replacement display, consider the opening as well as capacity. Our minifigure case selection guide explains the layout questions. A case that is easy to view should also give you a documented way to reach the figures.
Sources and editorial method
Sources reviewed 15 October 2026. This article uses published documentation and original explanatory diagrams. It does not report a hands-on product test.
