Gundam Stands and Action Bases: Which One Fits Your Kit?

The stand most builders use is Bandai’s Action Base: a display base with an adjustable arm that holds a kit in a mid-air pose. Match the base to your kit’s scale. Wikipedia notes Action Bases have been made for 1/144, 1/100 and SD kits and fit most models through an adapter or peg; weight is the main limit.

Bandai’s Action Base page lists the current range, including Action Base 7 and Action Base 8 in clear plastic, an Action Base 7 option box and weapon display bases. Wikipedia counts eight Action Base variations since 2006.

How an Action Base holds a kit

An Action Base has three parts: a flat base, a jointed arm, and an adapter that fits the model. Wikipedia explains that the adapter or a peg on the bottom of most models connects to the arm, and that some recent kits have a dedicated attachment point for a stand.

Wikipedia says that, apart from weight, there is no strict rule about which base a kit uses as long as it fits the adapter or peg. Always check the product listing for the scale a base supports.

Action Base display stands

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Posing on a stand

Bandai’s posing tips apply on or off a stand: keep the chin down, the shoulders level, the body in a slight S curve, the arms a little bent and the toes turned out. For action poses, Bandai suggests keeping the overall balance in mind and using weapons to add movement.

On a stand:

1. Attach the adapter first, then set the arm angle.
2. Keep weight centered over the base, with heavy weapons close to the body.
3. Tighten the joints of the arm so the kit does not droop.

Other display pieces from Bandai

Bandai’s Action Base page lists more than stands for the model itself:

• Weapon display bases, such as the Weapon Display Base 01, to show weapons beside the kit rather than in its hands.
• An Action Base 7 and option box set in white, which pairs a base with storage.
• Clear bases with sticker sets, such as an Action Base 7 with a series-themed sticker set, to decorate the base.
• Limited bases in series colors, sold at Gundam Base stores.

A weapon base is a good way to show off extra weapons and hands that a pose cannot use, and it keeps small parts from getting lost.

Clear or colored?

Clear bases, such as the Action Base 7 and Action Base 8 in clear plastic on Bandai’s list, nearly disappear in photos and on a shelf. Colored bases match a series or a display theme. The choice is about looks; both hold a kit the same way.

Stand, case or diorama?

Airfix describes three ways to display a finished model: on a stand, on a wall bracket, or in a diorama. For Gunpla:

• A stand gives mid-air poses and makes kits easier to photograph.
• A display case keeps dust off a shelf of kits.
• A diorama sets the kit in a scene. It takes the most work and, as Airfix puts it, makes for the best pictures.

Finishing a kit before it goes on a stand

A stand shows off a clean build, so finish the kit first: sand the nubs, panel line and add a top coat. For other tools worth owning, see Gunpla tools, and for how big each kit is, Gunpla scales explained.