Building a Display: The Base
Today, I want to consider the base. Some companies, like DC Direct, seem to hand these out like candy, whether they're needed or not, while others will release figures that can barely stand and assume you'll toss them into a toy chest or something.
But a well used base can do more than just help a figure stand: it can be used to take full advantage of the figure's articulation when posing. If you get creative and toss in a few extra pieces, you can turn something ordinary into something spectacular.
A little while ago, I reviewed a pair of Playmate's Terminators: the T-700 and the T-RIP. No, wait. Stop the presses. I played nice during the review, but I know the difference between a Resistance Infiltration Prototype and a T-800. And this is clearly the endo-skeleton of a T-800 (even if Playmates didn't get the face right).
So, for the rest of this article, I'm calling the T-800 a T-800.
At any rate, I bought and reviewed these recently, and they did okay. Not great, mind you, but okay. Well, we're going to make them better. A lot better, in fact. And we're going to do it without cutting, sculpting, or painting a thing.
How will we do this? Simple: by adding accessories. And we're going to start with bases. For this, I'm taking a couple of DC Direct bases I've got laying around.
But a well used base can do more than just help a figure stand: it can be used to take full advantage of the figure's articulation when posing. If you get creative and toss in a few extra pieces, you can turn something ordinary into something spectacular.
A little while ago, I reviewed a pair of Playmate's Terminators: the T-700 and the T-RIP. No, wait. Stop the presses. I played nice during the review, but I know the difference between a Resistance Infiltration Prototype and a T-800. And this is clearly the endo-skeleton of a T-800 (even if Playmates didn't get the face right).
So, for the rest of this article, I'm calling the T-800 a T-800.
At any rate, I bought and reviewed these recently, and they did okay. Not great, mind you, but okay. Well, we're going to make them better. A lot better, in fact. And we're going to do it without cutting, sculpting, or painting a thing.
How will we do this? Simple: by adding accessories. And we're going to start with bases. For this, I'm taking a couple of DC Direct bases I've got laying around.
|
The vast majority of action figures produced these days in almost any scale have peg holes in their feet to attach to a base. It really makes no difference whether the toys come with a base of not: my guess is the factories producing these don't want to speculate on whether these are going to later be packed as part of a playset. At a glance, it looks like the Terminators might be an exception. Their robotic feet are elaborately sculpted, but there's no hole. Or is there? Look at those slits in the center of their feet. Guess what happens when you push a standard peg in one? Fits like a glove. In fact, they work better than most DC Direct figures I use with these bases. Go figure. |
 |
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can put them in place and try a pose. Oh, and at the same time, we're going to borrow the metal pipe that came with the T-800, and we'll shove that through one of the holes in the chest of the T-700. Just because I feel like it.
 |
 |
Already, there's a huge improvement. Having one foot locked in place allows the other to lean forward, just touching at the toes, as if the Terminators are lunging forward. In addition, impaling the T-700 adds in an element of action. Oh, and in case you're worried: there's plenty of space around his shoulder to do this without damaging him.
But there's no reason to stop here. Remember those Lemax Spooky Town skulls I reviewed a year ago? Lets add some to the T-700. And, while we're at it, lets throw in the rocky mound that came with Terra. Instead of a simple toy, we've built up a miniature diorama of a post-apocalyptic wasteland and the wounded metallic monster roaming it for prey.
But there's no reason to stop here. Remember those Lemax Spooky Town skulls I reviewed a year ago? Lets add some to the T-700. And, while we're at it, lets throw in the rocky mound that came with Terra. Instead of a simple toy, we've built up a miniature diorama of a post-apocalyptic wasteland and the wounded metallic monster roaming it for prey.
 |
 |
As for the T-800, lets give him one of those concrete... things... that came with the Forces of Valor toys I got last year. I'll also throw in a piece of armor that looks like twisted metal (I have no idea where this originated) and some panels from Weapon-X. Now we've got a scene from the battle in the remnants of one of Skynet's falling facilities.
 |
 |
These still aren't on par with some of the sculpted bases you sometimes get from NECA, but it certainly closes the gap. Unfortunately, the T-800 can't keep those Weapon-X parts (Wolverine needs them back), but the setup is still cool without them.
There's no reason we need to stop here. Either of these could be outfitted with their weapons or any other guns we've got sitting around. We could sculpt, paint, or construct more elaborate bases. These are things I had lying around: imagine what could be done with five dollars worth of stuff at RadioShack....
But that defeats the point. This isn't meant to get into customizing or really even kitbashing (though, technically, the term could probably apply here). This is maybe five minutes of work to transform a couple mass-market figures, found for three bucks each at Walmart, into something that could pass for collectibles.
Want more articles? You'll find them here.
There's no reason we need to stop here. Either of these could be outfitted with their weapons or any other guns we've got sitting around. We could sculpt, paint, or construct more elaborate bases. These are things I had lying around: imagine what could be done with five dollars worth of stuff at RadioShack....
But that defeats the point. This isn't meant to get into customizing or really even kitbashing (though, technically, the term could probably apply here). This is maybe five minutes of work to transform a couple mass-market figures, found for three bucks each at Walmart, into something that could pass for collectibles.
Want more articles? You'll find them here.
