Good bye toothpicks! What do you use to hold figures?

I stick them in a glob of femo clay, that works pretty well, except, sometimes it gets stuck to the boots

Well, I'm a month late chiming in on this, but I'll go ahead anyway. In my experience, pinning a foot with a length of  guitar string or piano wire works for 1/35 or similar scale plastic figures. When getting into smaller plastic figures, you may find it easier to temporarily glue them to a disposable base, like a square of poster board, that you can remove with a sharp knife when you're finished.

For 25mm, 28mm, and 30mm metal figures, I super glue them to the end of a 1.5-inch cube block of wood. It allows me plenty of access to all of the small, inconvenient places and allows me to put the figure down without worrying that it's going to tip over. The bases that come with many of these figures work for handling during painting too. For 54mm figs, I use a larger piece of wood and typically leave off the base (since they are usually a job unto themselves to finish properly) until the very end of the build. After the figure is done, it takes almost no effort to snap it away from the wood and clean up the attachment points.

With really large figures, like dragons or 1/6 scale resin models, I typically forgo attaching them to anything and just paint them like I'd paint any other model: Handle as little as possible, but do what needs to be done. Latex gloves help in these cases.

By the way, nice job on those figs! I'd like to see a pic of the completed models.

TK

--

Hans von Hammer

I'll ditto the dressmaker's pins.. They can stay in permanently and be used to mount the figures into the base..

I picked up a box of 500 at Hobby Lobby for a couple-three bucks...

Buy them?!  Oh, no, no, no, no!  That's not frugal.  I save them when I get new shirts. 7-8 straight pins, along with a couple of good pieces of clear plastic (used to keep the collars in shape in the package), the tissue paper, and some cardboard.

Went to a music store but they didn't have music wires. 

Why on Earth would you go to a music store?

Hobby Lobby (One-stop diorama shop) carries piano wire..

I'll ditto the dressmaker's pins.. They can stay in permanently and be used to mount the figures into the base..

I picked up a box of 500 at Hobby Lobby for a couple-three bucks...

Thanks guys for great responses!  I am going to try them all when I have the chance. 

Went to a music store but they didn't have music wires.  They don't sell piano sets.  But they were nice enough to give me several used guitar strings I can use for the antennas. 

Something funny happened last weekend... one of my neighbors was having a yard sale.  I bought a box filled with cocktail sticks... they are stronger than toothpicks I tested and thin enough for the figures.  I think they were made of bamboo or stronger wood.  More than 1,000 sticks just for a buck... this is something I will try too. 

I super glue the bottom of their foot to a random piece of sprue,when i'm done,the sprue just breaks off easily.

Use anything which works for you.  I have developed a fondness for paper lollipop sticks available at Wal-Mart and other places.  These come in different sizes.  Roll an X-acto knife across them to cut them to length.  Drill a hole slightly smaller in diameter than the stick for mounting.  Your figure will stay snug until you pull out the stick.

You can get several uses out of them.

Most of the figures I paint have bases attached, eg, old Staddens or Lasset, Imrie-Risley, so I hold them by the base.  Even for figures that don't have an attached base, I've been holding them in fingers, or with a spring-loaded clothespin.

I'm working on a set of CMK WWII US truck crewman now, and my old custom just wouldn't work.  I'm using a similar method to the others.  These figures are too small, and I also need to stick them into a foam base in a diorama.  So I drilled holes in one leg on each figure, and inserted a piece of a straight pin, cut to an appropriate length.  Then I stuck them in a piece of styrofoam, when I primed them, and to hold them while I worked each one, and for the ones I was working on, I held with the pin clamped into a clothespin.

Hey Andy,

I use dress makers pins in conjunction with different size wooden sticks (from large cocktail toothpicks to dowels). When the figure is complete, pull him out, plant him on the base, and recycle the holder. Super easy, super cheap:

The wire clothes hangers I now get from the dry cleaners are smaller in diameter than they once were. They are about the same or maybe a smaller diameter than a toothpick.

I think a wire coat hanger would be too thick.

What about cutting up a wire coat hanger?

Griffin

" I like this because when I am done with the figures I can cut the wire shorter and attach it to the base if I ever make one"

You can do this with paper-clips as well, that's how I used to pin Warhammer 40K figs. when I played.

I just use a wire-cutter to snip the length I require.

Paper clips are vastly inferior to pin your figures---bend them more than twice anyplace and they snap---also you can't really get a straight section long enough to drill up through the boot & leg [past the knee which is recommended ] & also act as a handle or place in a wooden block with any security.

The music wire almost can't be bent. Sections can be used again & again without being damaged

Also a drop of C/A to  hold the casting much more reliably and later, the bond can always be broken with a twist when desired.

" I like this because when I am done with the figures I can cut the wire shorter and attach it to the base if I ever make one"

You can do this with paper-clips as well, that's how I used to pin Warhammer 40K figs. when I played.

I just use a wire-cutter to snip the length I require.

Thanks guys!  You have given me great ideas! 

Griffin- I never thought about using paper clips... I did thought about using nails!  Thanks!

Adam- Thank you!   I assume I can buy those at local music store here, correct?  I like this because when I am done with the figures I can cut the wire shorter and attach it to the base if I ever make one. LOL  Also it gives me another reason to stop by music store to buy some guitar strings to be used as antennas for the armors. 

Pawel- Excellent suggestion... that would work great for smaller parts especially guns and tools.  I will give that a shot too. Thanks!

Kermit- I have tried that but being a strong man I can lift 500 lbs with my [inky finger only I couldn't keep the figures on the putty.  But it worked well for smaller parts. LOL  Appreciate you taking your time... thanks!

Oh boy, I am feeling buzzed now after drinking four virtual beer.  Thank y'all! 

Well usually i stick the figure on a lump of putty.... not as sturdy as the options mentioned above but it works for me. I just wait with painting the boots while i still need them sticking in the putty.

Richard

Adam! Good to see you around! Well, your solution is pretty much bulletproof. I'd recommend cutting a piece of sprue and glueing this to the figure to be painted. The joint would be in a place that doesn't need to be painted right away. Sole of a shoe is one good example, my other favourite is on the belt, in a place that will later be covered with a pouch, or some other piece of equipment. To glue a sprue to the belt, it's best to file it a little, so the thickness of the holder matches the width of the belt. Alternatively you could hot-stretch a piece of sprue and get a nice taper, that would fit the hole you already drilled. Such taper, with a little fitting could hold quite well without glue at all. Anyhow, I just glue the holder to the figure, without drilling at all, and then after I'm done I just snap it off. It then regularily comes off at the glue joint and leaves a small unpainted spot that can be either touched up or covered up. Hope it helps - good luck with your project Andy, have a nice day

Paweł

Andy!

Yes toothpicks break --

You should be using MUSIC WIRE--

Hardened steel---cut with a cut-off disk in your Dremel

Here -->   http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/search.cgi

or   http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A310355011&page=1

-also   "Drill Stock"---or even drill bits themselves---though these can snap as well---usually work

I like .032 - .040 size best for 1/35th figures

{OH & I like the figures!! Lookin great--I'll be watching for your update---]

Cheers bro

I unfold a section of a paperclip and insert that (with a dab of white glue) into a pre-drilled hole.

The metal is stronger and would probably bend, not break, and the un-curled part of the clip makes for a decent "handle."