Peg stand
Peg stands are the go-to option if your figures have peg slots. Flip your action figure upside down to see if there is a circular opening on the bottom of either foot. If there is, you can use a peg stand! Swing by a game shop or buy a peg stand online. All you need to do is slide the opening on the foot over the raised peg and your character will stand up. These pegs only come in a few sizes. You can measure the opening to see which kind of peg you need. The common options are ⁄32 inch (0.24 cm), ⁄8 inch (0.32 cm), ⁄1000 inch (0.32 cm), and ⁄1000 inch (0.36 cm). You can always look on the back of a stand’s packaging or online to see if a popular action figure brand is compatible.
Waist stand
These are great if you want to display your figure in a unique pose. Waist stands are small platforms with an adjustable circular bracket that rests 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) or so above the base. Simply set your figure’s waist inside of the bracket to keep the figure from moving around. Unlike a peg stand, this allows you to adjust the pose without worrying about the figure’s feet staying perfectly flat on the base. You do need to make sure that the bracket fits your figure, so try to buy these in person or look online to see if your figure’s brand is compatible. These stands will only work if your action figure has a traditional human shape. If you’ve got a really bulky Hulk figure or a Funko Pop figurine, a waist stand probably won’t work.
Flight stand
Flight stands are great if you want a figure to stay airborne. These stands either have small hooks or prongs at top. To set a figure on top, look at the junction where the legs meet the hips. There’s usually a small gap in there where those sections meet. Slide the top of the stand in this junction to balance your figure up. You may need to toy around with these stands to find that sweet spot where your figure is perfectly balanced. If you want Spiderman to look like he’s swinging between buildings or give Batman a pose like he’s leaping into action, this is really the best way to go. You can build your own flight stand by drilling a small hole in a block of wood and sticking a wood skewer in it. Spray paint it whatever color you’d like and then try to balance the figure on top of the skewer.
Poster tack
Sticky poster tack is great if you don’t want to hide the stand. Tear off a pea-sized chunk of poster tack. Press it against the underside of your figure’s foot and flatten it with the pad of your finger. Then, press their foot down where you want them to stand. This keeps your figure from falling over, and you won’t have any pesky stands sticking out in the background. You can buy poster tack at any art supply, craft, or office supply store. If you’re displaying your figures on anything other than glass, the poster tack may leave some kind of sticky residue behind. This may not be a big deal to you, but if you like rearranging your displays, this can get kind of frustrating. You can put poster tack under both of your figure’s feet if you want some extra sticking power. One piece is normally enough if you aren’t using a unique pose, though.
Fishing line
Grab some fishing line to suspend your action figure in mid-air. Wrap the fishing line around your figure’s waist and tie it off tight. Cut the other end of the line and either hang it from a suction cup, utility hook, or thumbtack. This is a great way to suspend figures in mid-air from the underside of a bookshelf or display case. You can even hang it from the ceiling if you have a game room or display area that’s really crowded for space. It’s not a good idea to do this with any figures that are expensive or hold sentimental value to you. The fishing line may slide off of the hook or suction cup, and your knot may come undone over time.
Multipurpose wire
This is a great way to make cheap, custom stands. Buy some multipurpose wire, and grab wire cutters and pliers. Wrap the working end of the wire around the ankle of your figure 2-3 times so that it’s tight. Then, clip off 3–6 inches (7.6–15.2 cm) of extra wire from the spool depending on the height of your figurine. Adjust the wire by hand or use your pliers to bend the wire into a flat sequence of loops behind the figure. Stand your figure up and make some minor adjustments so that the wire stand rests flat. You can buy multipurpose wire from any home improvement store. It’s typically made of galvanized steel. If there is a peg hole on the back of your figure, you can bend the wire to fit into that hole to make a custom vertical stand. Keep in mind that the wire rubbing against your figure’s ankle may leave some marks behind. This may be a better option if your figurine is especially lightweight and it doesn’t require a ton of support to stand up.
Insulation foam
If you love painting custom stands, this is the way to go. Cut out a chunk of pink insulation foam in a rectangle or circle with a utility knife. From there, trim or cut the foam base to give it the texture of grass, rock, or whatever pattern you’d like. You can use balled-up aluminum foil or sandpaper to create weathered tiles or torn-up battlegrounds. Then, paint the stand with acrylic paint! You can stand the figure up by pushing a peg into the foam, or cut out openings that match the shape of your figure’s feet to keep it from falling over. You can also just put another stand on top of it!
Magnets and washers
Tiny magnets and washers make great, subtle stands. Pick up some tiny disc-shaped magnets (refrigerator pegs are great) and glue them to the feet of any action figures you want to stand up. If you can find smaller magnets, you can slide them inside of the pegs at the bottom of your figure’s feet. Then, grab some tiny metal washers and snap them to the magnets. The washer keeps your action figure from falling over when you stand it up. You can pick up washers from any hardware or home improvement store.
Acrylic display case
Individual display cases are perfect if you have a prized figure to display. Many of them have enough space for a stand, but you may not need one. If you stand your action figure up inside of the case on its feet, the acrylic walls will keep it from totally toppling over and knocking into any other figures you have displayed nearby. An acrylic case will also protect your figure if it’s especially valuable or important to you. Some cases even come with built-in LED lighting if you really want your figure to stand out on the shelf.
Wall
You can always lean a figure against the wall if it’s on a shelf. This may not be the most ideal solution of all time, but the figure won’t stand out on a packed display shelf. If you’ve got a big collection and there are 1-2 figurines that are really giving you a headache because they keep falling over, put them in the back row on the shelf and position them so that they’re resting against the wall. The heavier the action figure is, the more likely they’ll be to stay put. You can adjust the figure’s pose to make them look like they’re leaning against the wall on purpose!
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