Hot Toys “Dynamic Stands” are horrible…

[Xeno Junkie]

Hey all! I was just wondering if anyone else dislikes the “dynamic” base stands as much as I do.

The small plastic block that the post clips into is barely held onto the base except for those four tiny prongs and the figure clip itself doesn’t stay in a position mounted to the side of the post no matter how tight the clamp is closed with that screw.

Overall they just have a very unstable feel to me. I’d like them much more if they actually clipped INTO the base the same as the crotch grabber to give them a more stable feel.

What’s everyone else’s opinion on them?

 

[MyenShi]

**** dynamic stands.

Hate for them is pretty universal on this forum.

 

[Xeno Junkie]

**** dynamic stands.

Hate for them is pretty universal on this forum.

Oh really? Good to know I’m not alone. I’m just getting back into the game after being out for a few years. These weren’t around last I bought some HotToys figures.

Such a terrible design…

 

[MyenShi]

Oh really? Good to know I’m not alone. I’m just getting back into the game after being out for a few years. These weren’t around last I bought some HotToys figures.

Such a terrible design…

Welcome back. Some things are better, many things are the same, and a few things are worse.

Yeah it wouldn’t be as much of an issue if they also included a standard non-dynamic support for the stands. They don’t do it to cut costs but only having the dynamic support is very frustrating.

They’re also not particularly stable when used with the repurposed regular bases instead of the larger base style they were once exclusive to. They should be weighted for stability but, again, costs.

The clamp was also not designed with soft plastic, pleather, vinyl, and rubber in mind so it can damage them if left around the figure for long periods.

I usually recommend people buy alternate stands with standard supports just to replace the dynamic pole. Some people use different stands altogether or custom ones. I’ve spent a lot on a stockpile of stands personally. More than I should have to for these figures.

Stands remain a week point for many Hot Toys figures. I harp frequently about the inconsistency in stand styles within lines, especially for Star Wars. Some figures meant to be displayed together don’t have the same types of stands.

There’s also the frequent reuse of certain types of stands that is unwelcome and sometimes illogical. Biggest culprit is the sand base with the two footprints often repainted and reused for many Star Wars figures. They even used it for IG-11 who doesn’t have humanoid feet.

 

[Xeno Junkie]

Welcome back. Some things are better, many things are the same, and a few things are worse.

Yeah it wouldn’t be as much of an issue if they also included a standard non-dynamic support for the stands. They don’t do it to cut costs but only having the dynamic support is very frustrating.

They’re also not particularly stable when used with the repurposed regular bases instead of the larger base style they were once exclusive to. They should be weighted for stability but, again, costs.

The clamp was also not designed with soft plastic, pleather, vinyl, and rubber in mind so it can damage them if left around the figure for long periods.

I usually recommend people buy alternate stands with standard supports just to replace the dynamic pole. Some people use different stands altogether or custom ones. I’ve spent a lot on a stockpile of stands personally. More than I should have to for these figures.

Stands remain a week point for many Hot Toys figures. I harp frequently about the inconsistency in stand styles within lines, especially for Star Wars. Some figures meant to be displayed together don’t have the same types of stands.

There’s also the frequent reuse of certain types of stands that is unwelcome and sometimes illogical. Biggest culprit is the sand base with the two footprints often repainted and reused for many Star Wars figures. They even used it for IG-11 who doesn’t have humanoid feet.

View attachment 589734

OMG I don’t believe they put human feet on his base! That’s a clear indication of a suit at HotToys just sayin, “Just use that one…” when they put it together.

You bring up a lot of good points. The only thing that would frustrate me if I bought a different stand for certain characters would be that it would be missing the name plate that HotToys tends to put on the front.

These dynamic stands are such a pain though. I posed up my Stealth Suit Spiderman and this was really a pain in the rear end to pull off, as simple as it looks.

 

[MyenShi]

OMG I don’t believe they put human feet on his base! That’s a clear indication of a suit at HotToys just sayin, “Just use that one…” when they put it together.

You bring up a lot of good points. The only thing that would frustrate me if I bought a different stand for certain characters would be that it would be missing the name plate that HotToys tends to put on the front.

These dynamic stands are such a pain though. I posed up my Stealth Suit Spiderman and this was really a pain in the rear end to pull off, as simple as it looks.

View attachment 589759

Yeah a large number of Star Wars stands use that base. It’s pretty bad. It’s been hard for everything from sand to snow to salt to mud to dirt to forest floors.

It’s harder to swap out the supports for those types of stands unfortunately. Easier on the hexagonal or rectangular ones. For those you can just swap the support to a non-dynamic one so the base and nameplate remain the same.

I would not leave the clamp around a figure like Captain Marvel since it might dent the suit over time. Some people wrap it in foam and electrical tape or put the clamp around a leg.

 

[Xeno Junkie]

Yeah a large number of Star Wars stands use that base. It’s pretty bad. It’s been hard for everything from sand to snow to salt to mud to dirt to forest floors.

It’s harder to swap out the supports for those types of stands unfortunately. Easier on the hexagonal or rectangular ones. For those you can just swap the support to a non-dynamic one so the base and nameplate remain the same.

I would not leave the clamp around a figure like Captain Marvel since it might dent the suit over time. Some people wrap it in foam and electrical tape or put the clamp around a leg.

That’s a great point about Captain Marvel potentially getting dented. I’ll have to reconsider some cushion between the clamp and her suit. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[MyenShi]

That’s a great point about Captain Marvel potentially getting dented. I’ll have to reconsider some cushion between the clamp and her suit. Thanks for the heads up.

No worries. Yeah, anything with pleather I wouldn’t use the clamp at all on. You could use them with synthetic suits like Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and other superheroes but with precautions.

They need to go back to the drawing board with these stands. It’s inexcusable to take all these shortcuts when the figure prices are what they are now.

 

[Brett Banner]

Absolutely despise the clamps for regular figures, and more so if it’s not even adjustable to be able to move it low enough for the figure to be in a normal standing position. I will still use them for many of my Iron Man figures as they help with the extra weight and I’ve not had any issues with paint rub or scratches from them so far, but on regular figures you are pretty much guaranteed damage unless it is only grabbing around normal fabric material. I really don’t understand why Hot Toys insists on using them almost as their standard now, no way they can be cheaper than normal crotch grabbers.

 

[IANR]

With all the 3d printers out there i am amazed no one is selling larger stronger clamps for the existing poles with a couple of colletts so one size fits all poles. with a threaded tightener like a caliper has so you can get a good grip without crushing.

 

[noheddardstark]

I don't mind them if I'm specifically going for a flying pose. But if you just want a figure to stand, they're awful. And sometimes a flying pose doesn't even work because accessories like Mando's jetpack just won't fit with a flying stand. At least not very well.

 

[Dash]

HATE THEM.

 

[rocbolt]

Work alright for me, but I chucked the bases and went to magnets years ago

 

[Xeno Junkie]

Work alright for me, but I chucked the bases and went to magnets years ago

Wow that’s a great idea! Do you have them on a completely metal shelf or just a strip of metal across the shelf?

 

[rocbolt]

Wow that’s a great idea! Do you have them on a completely metal shelf or just a strip of metal across the shelf?

Its a couple pieces of galvanized sheet steel, painted black on top of the bookshelf. Sort of precut thing you can get at the hardware store. The only annoying thing is the thread on the dynamic arms is M8 x 1.0 (fine pitch), which is uncommon in hardware stores but you can source couplers that will take that thread on ebay usually.

Magnets are these
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MM-B-48

 

[vaanrose]

Stands remain a week point for many Hot Toys figures. I harp frequently about the inconsistency in stand styles within lines, especially for Star Wars. Some figures meant to be displayed together don’t have the same types of stands.

I wind up not using any stands because there's no consistent style to them.

It's a bit of a rock and a hard place. I'm not exactly itching for them to spend more money on stands if that gets passed on to me when I won't even be using them because they're completely random in shape and design. And even if Hot Toys settles on one design they'll use for every figure, that doesn't retroactively change all the previous ones, or have any effect on the rest of the industry.