Do you like Permanent Bases?

[pylraster]

I'd rather go with big feet than permanent bases. But as with most others here, removable bases are my preference.

[Viking Spawn]

Yeah, I like Colorata figures in general, but I don't much care for the fact that the figures themselves bear the pegs. If a figure has a hole in the foot, and the base has a peg, no problem, but the other way around makes it seem kinda pointless that they're separable at all.

Perhaps I've just been lucky but I've never experienced this with a Colorata figure. Perhaps because I only have the dromaeosaurs and pterosaurs?

Yup, those guys are just post-mounted. Here's a picture of the Carnotaurus that shows what I mean. It's a really nice figure, one of the few that captures how lanky an animal it was. But impossible to display without a base because of the peg feet.



The base itself, which allows only one orientation. I think the bases are actually pretty nice-looking, but if I wanted to actually play with these guys I would probably find it annoying that I can't stand it on its own.

This model would've been better had the company put the pegs on the base rather than the animal's feet.  Kinda like the old Kenner Star Wars action figures.

[Tyto_Theropod]

Generally no, because I'm by and large a collector of dinosaur toys and I feel it reduces their playability. I frankly prefer subtle clown feet and tripod poses as a way of balancing Theropods. I can see how well a permanent base can work with high-end products like Sideshow, though, because they're more like a statue.

[Victoria's Cantina]

I generally prefer bases only when they are necessary to the animal's ability to stand. If they have a base, then I prefer that they be removable.

[Jetoar]

I ever have made my figures without bases but some times, the bases are a good point for them and necessary with some figures, for example my Concavenator  .

[Halichoeres]

This model would've been better had the company put the pegs on the base rather than the animal's feet.  Kinda like the old Kenner Star Wars action figures.

I completely agree. That's also how Favorite does it, and I think it's the best compromise, short of furnishing toys with working muscles and tendons to dynamically stabilize the figure just like the real thing.

[laticauda]

This model would've been better had the company put the pegs on the base rather than the animal's feet.  Kinda like the old Kenner Star Wars action figures.

I completely agree. That's also how Favorite does it, and I think it's the best compromise, short of furnishing toys with working muscles and tendons to dynamically stabilize the figure just like the real thing.

Good point!  Pegged bases are a good way to go with out a doubt, but I think with some sort of counter weight system to mimic tendons, (and not worrying about being cost effective) might work.

[Kovu]

Something like this might work

If any of you collect Breyer horses, you might be familiar with the Huckleberry Bey mold? For those who don't, Breyer is a company that specializes in model horses. They have several lines in different scales, the largest of which is their Traditional Line (1:9 scale). The majority of their horses do not require bases because they have 4 points of contact from their hooves (some molds, like rearing horses, have 3, using their tails as a tripod. Horses in more active poses may also only have 3 hooves on the ground)

ex. Hidalgo on the Silver mold*


None of these horses require bases because they're stable enough. Horses in very active poses though, do require a base. These bases range in size depending on how much of the horse is attaching. For example, in several of their racer models, only one hoof is contacting the ground. This requires a relatively large base to support the horse. The horse is removable from the base, attaching via a peg molded onto their hoof. The issue with these molds isn't stability - once on the base they are incredibly stable - the issue is that the entire horse is being held up by a single leg. And let's be honest - horses, particularly race horses, have pretty skinny legs. Crazy strong legs, but skinny nonetheless.

ex. American Pharoah on the Ruffian mold


Others don't need such a big base, and I think this might be where Breyer horses and plastic bipedal dinosaurs are able to meet. A few Breyer molds involve horses that only have two points of contact - both of them hooves. These are models that are often caught in mid-trot or a movement specific to a certain sporting event (namely Dressage). What these models use to remain vertical is a small, clear plastic disk. There is a small hole in the base of the hoof and the disk has the peg attached to it, the opposite of what is done on the racing models. This pegged disk then fits into the grounded front hoof and the horse stands relative stable. Unlike the racing bases which are used to support the horse, these bases are just used to stabilize.

ex. Huckleberry Bey on the Huckleberry Bey mold
from: themodeltradingpost


Rubicon (Connoisseur Limited Edition) on the Salinero mold
from: eBay listing
note: I do not have a model on this mold, but the disk is the same as that used for the Huckleberry Bey mold.
These pictures show the base way better. The mold is of a horse performing the "passage", an extremely powerful
trot executed in dressage. This picture also shows that the mold can stand without the base, so it's not an
issue of required support, but rather stabilization.



I think that these small clear disks, or a form of them, could solve stability issues in bipedal dinosaur figures, without the need for a large, cumbersome base. Personally, my main complaint with them is their bulky appearance, but a clear disk is fairly inconspicuous, won't add that much to production costs and also allows for you to take them on and off the model. Just food for thought...

Note: I don't have my Breyer collection with me while I'm away at school, so I don't have pictures of them. These pictures I pulled from their website or amazon unless otherwise noted. Most of the models I posted here I don't own, but I do have another on the same mold, so I can vouch for their stability - namely Huckleberry Bey who uses the concept I think dinosaur models could benefit from. Breyer re-releases molds on a frequent basis in different color schemes or as different breeds.

[Tyto_Theropod]

This is a really good idea, Kovu! As I hope I conveyed in my comment, my objection is with permanent bases, but I think you mad ea really good point by throwing in this example. I have seem dinosaurs with detachable bases, i.e. the Theropods from the second series of Favourite soft models, and I really like the look of them. Nevertheless, I definitely think that the plastic disk idea would a be great solution, and it would negate the need for oversized feet, so it's all good. The manufacturers out there could definitely learn from Breyer's example - imagine how fantastic Rebor figures could be if they employed something similar? (Not that I'm dropping hints or anything, Rebor...)

[stargatedalek]

That looks nearly identical to the Playmobil flamingo base:


Something like a Figma base could work for very active poses, like flying pterosaurs or leaping dromaeosaurs:


But again, all of these are examples of removable bases anyway, so not entirely relevant to the topic at hand (although still sort of relevant).