There’s no doubt the Kotobukiya ArtFX figure is one of the best you can buy.  I reviewed it and was recently fortunate enough to pick up a 2nd one, extra cheap.  Mind you, it was cheap for a reason – the sale included nought but the figure itself.  No box.  No display stand.  No mini flashing disco strobe light to show it off… just the figure itself.

As the figure is highly dependent upon being set up on a stand – and none was present with this particular purchase, it raises a big question:  How can I display this wonderful iteration of the Alien to its maximum benefit and not have it fall over and risk breaking?  How..?

Fortunately, there’s a great and easy way to add a display stand to your figures – any of them, actually.  Providing they already have 1 or 2 peg holes provided for them on their soles, it’s super easy to get them standing independently and securely.  After all, there are 3 great enemies to any Collector:  Gravity, Children and/or a Disapproving Spouse.

Gravity we can address here.  The other stuff is beyond my control.  You’ll have to figure  out solutions to those issues yourself – I’m not qualified to do so.  Nonetheless, adding an improvised stand to your figure is simple and very easy.

This figure here is held upright and standing confidently due to nothing more complicated than a jar lid attached to it.  I was inspired by an idea from Yiğit Emin Kalaycıoğlu who introduced me to this technique sometime late last year and I’ve been wanting to try it out ever since. This Kotobukiya item is a perfect candidate.  I’ve got to say, I’m impressed with the result and it works extremely well.  The finish isn’t fantastic, but it is neat, serviceable, secure and substantially eliminates potential damage from falls. 

I count that as a win.

Here’s the underside of the ‘display stand’.  The figure itself is completely unmodified.  A pair of holes matching the locations of the figure’s peg holes are drilled through the metal jar lid.  A pair of short screws fasten the figure to the jar’s upper surface.

Initially I found the screws to be a little long – and I didn’t want to risk splitting the feet of the figure so I added a couple of spacers to make the connection secure.  The spacers themselves are made from material cut from an old DVD case.  Believe me, old DVD cases have so many uses other than those which they are intended.

So there you have it.  An improvised, low cost display stand that will securely hold your figures in place and reduce the risk of fall damage.  Unlike other post and clamp based stands that could be used, this one will allow a full 360 degrees of uninterrupted viewing of the figure and is made from easily found junk and scraps for the price of just a little effort.

Improvisation just doesn’t get any better than this.

-Windebieste.