Ideas for holding figures

[slusher]

Guys I started building some figures, and wanted some ideas for holding them. Got some great idea on parts now need ideas on figures since MS took a lot of use of my right arm and hand"..

Edited August 29 by slusher
Corrected title..

[stitchdup]

if they are mounted on bases one of these could work. they hold the base with elastic bands. i'm going to fit crocodile clips to mine for doing wheels, tyres and small parts. its from citadel and can be found in fantasy war gaming shops

 

[rattle can man]

If they are small figures, drill a hole in the bottom of the figure/ someplace that won't be seen and temporarily glue a length of wire in the hole to use as a handle. There are also alligator clips on the end of sticks/ skewers. Then you can poke them into a cardboard box or foam to let them dry. There are also third hands or circuit board holders

[Bainford]

There are a number of vises available that are great for holding awkward shaped items. These Dspaie vices are nice, but there are cheaper ones around

[DJMar]

My old fallback - Blu Tack/Silly Putty/museum putty on top of a spray bomb. The putty holds well, is easy to reposition and easy to remove when you're done. It's adaptable to different sizes of figures, too (adjust the amount of putty and size of can). Also, while not free, it's really cheap.

Disclaimer: pre painted figure, but you get the idea.

[Belugawrx]

I've always drilled a hole in the bottom of the figures foot and mounted the figure to the top of an empty paint jar.

You can glue the wire to the figure, but just bend the wire inside the lid, for easy removal when you're done.

[Fat Brian]

I put a little piece of plastic on the bottom I could grab with an alligator clip. You might could grab it with one of those things used to hold wires for soldering that sits on the desk.

[rattle can man]

I did forget about blue tac/ poster tac. that works good for light weight figures and parts.

 

[sidcharles]

https://www.planetfigure.com/forums/tools-accessories-tips-of-the-trade.201/

proprietary or custom fabricated; sky's the limit

[Big Messer]

I use double sided foam mounting tape from the dollar store. Comes in a roll of pre-cut squares and has great holding power.

[slusher]

13 hours ago, DJMar said:

My old fallback - Blu Tack/Silly Putty/museum putty on top of a spray bomb. The putty holds well, is easy to reposition and easy to remove when you're done. It's adaptable to different sizes of figures, too (adjust the amount of putty and size of can). Also, while not free, it's really cheap.

Disclaimer: pre painted figure, but you get the idea.

Where do you get the tak putty?

[slusher]

13 hours ago, Bainford said:

There are a number of vises available that are great for holding awkward shaped items. These Dspaie vices are nice, but there are cheaper ones around

I check these out on Amazon little pricey but a great idea thanks!   I saved one pictured above..

[johnyrotten]

9 minutes ago, slusher said:

check these out on Amazon little pricey but a great idea thanks!   I saved one pictured above..

These types are pretty cheap. Second one is on Walmart. I've seen the first one on Amazon, the image is a 3d print

[sidcharles]

 

 

[rattle can man]

Look in the hardware section for picture- hangers. usually near the other non wall damaging options.  Big box stores, hardware stores, etc. usually carry it. The nice thing about it is you can re-use multiple times. I keep mine sealed in a sealable plastic bag or container.

[slusher]

Thanks guys!

[slusher]

8 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

These types are pretty cheap. Second one is on Walmart. I've seen the first one on Amazon, the image is a 3d print

Do you have a link for the one at Walmart?

[R. Thorne]

I have been considering one like this.  I am sure there are differing qualities and limitations to this type, but, perhaps another tool in the arsenal.

Edited August 30 by R. Thorne

[DJMar]

15 hours ago, slusher said:

Where do you get the tak putty?

Blu-Tack and the like can be found at Office Depot or Staples, or in the office supply sections of pretty much any big box store (Target, Walmart, etc.). The last time I bought a package of The Museum Putty was on Amazon, but Home Depot and Loew's also sell it. That's what I'm currently using. You will also see this type of putty referred to as "Quake Hold". 

Edited August 31 by DJMar

[peteski]

When I paint very small figures (1:160 scale) I just drill into the foot/leg and glue in a small diameter brass wire to pin them to some surface with a hole also drilled into it.

I can't use any of the soft putty solutions because the foot area of those figures is too small and they would deflect as I was painting them.  Putty should work with larger figures but they could still deflect a bit while they are getting painted. It seems like maybe painting the top and bottom half of the figure separately might also be something to consider?  Paint it up to the belt line while holding it by upper body, wait for the paint to dry, then paint the top half while holding the bottom.

Edited September 2 by peteski

[slusher]

On 8/30/2025 at 5:38 AM, johnyrotten said:

These types are pretty cheap. Second one is on Walmart. I've seen the first one on Amazon, the image is a 3d print

Need a link to the second holder please…

[johnyrotten]

Just now, slusher said:

Need a link to the second holder please…

I  had sent you a p.m. sorry Carl

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Display-Stand-Action-Figures-Height-Adjustable-3D-Printed-Holder-Base-Dummy-T13-Versatile-Angles-Accessories-Easy-Stop-Motion-Showcase/17421802444?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=102633091&adid=2222222222817421802444_102633091_14069003552_202077872&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-319455734609&wl5=9004634&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5469174572&wl11=online&wl12=17421802444_102633091&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=202077872&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwsrFBhD6ARIsAPnUFD0vgZNnsCrWahuSeTH-XXsVG9-keL2mCH_E4a34CYJPuQKV9P3a7pQaAhsxEALw_wcB

[sidcharles]

On 8/30/2025 at 5:28 PM, R. Thorne said:

I have been considering one like this.  I am sure there are differing qualities and limitations to this type, but, perhaps another tool in the arsenal.

 

the consideration to ponder:

it's convenient to have 360 degree access to your figure = yes.

but with this type of holder, how do you set it down?  [ok; drill a hole in the bench. got it.]

and then there's the whole breathing thing. any type of intense "in the zone" detail work requires us to control our breathing AND usually brace our working hand with the other. or fingers/ fingers.

if you are tied up with a hand held vise, it lends to the complexity of task.

i have one of the vises you showed, but have it sans handle mounted on a 4" square of plywood and use it as a passive work holder.

on the other hand (! ! ! ) it may work perfectly for some straight from the box.

Edited September 2 by sidcharles

[rattle can man]

If you use the wire trick, the wire can be inserted into a block ok floral foam/ scrap Styrofoam for a holder.

[Bainford]

2 hours ago, sidcharles said:

the consideration to ponder:

it's convenient to have 360 degree access to your figure = yes.

but with this type of holder, how do you set it down?  [ok; drill a hole in the bench. got it.]

and then there's the whole breathing thing. any type of intense "in the zone" detail work requires us to control our breathing AND usually brace our working hand with the other. or fingers/ fingers.

if you are tied up with a hand held vise, it lends to the complexity of task.

i have one of the vises you showed, but have it sans handle mounted on a 4" square of plywood and use it as a passive work holder.

on the other hand (! ! ! ) it may work perfectly for some straight from the box.

Like most aspects of the hobby, there is no one-and-done solution. A hand vise is simply one of the numerous tools available for working on small parts and sub-assemblies. Many of the tools will be application specific. My hand vise is one of my most valuable tools, used constantly when scratch building small parts. I couldn't build without it. Some work may require an assembly or figure to be held stationary while fine details are performed with both hands, other times a small parts needs to be held securely by hand (in a hand vise) while you file and carve away at it.

As for setting it down, I simply... set it down.