Ahhh, the Action Base. Such a humble, yet indispensible little Gunpla accessory. Whether you want something to prop up your model during a middair pose, or you need something to prop up a broken model, it is always a smart call to have an Action Base or two lying around.
As a fan of 1/144th scale models, my usual go-to is the Action Base 2.
The AB2 is simple and (mostly) reliable, but it has its problems. This is what drove me to look into the other types of Action Bases, to see if they were worth “upgrading” to. If you factor in price, size, features, and availability, there was only one logical choice - the Action Base 5:
Like most modern Gunpla products, the packaging has lots of English text, and in this case it tells us exactly what makes the Action Base 5 unique:
- “The base arm doesn’t interfere with the kit’s legs”
- “Firmly supports ground contact”
- “By dividing the base arm, two models can be displayed”
Those are all useful features, but that’s not even all it can do. Let’s take a look.
Bigger Size
The baseplate on the Action Base 2 is far too narrow. Given a sufficiently large model kit, it will struggle to stand with both of its feet firmly planted on the base.
The baseplate on the Action Base 5 is supposed to be larger, but let’s see what the size difference really is:
It is certainly wider, but surprisingly it isn’t quite as long. The big question, though, is whether it is wide enough. If you look at the packaging, you can see that the 1/144th scale version of the Unicorn Gundam just barely fits:
Granted, the Unicorn is a very large model - most 1/144th scale kits should fit more comfortably. But let’s put some to the test, just to be sure.
(Note - I cranked up the brightness on some of these photos to the point where colors are distorted. I did this on purpose, so that you can more easily see the Action Base(s))
First up is the Tryon-3. Here it is on an Action Base 2:
The Tryon isn’t quite dead center in this photo, but even if it was, both feet would spill over the edge of the base. Let’s swap in the Action Base 5 and see if it fares better:
Now it fits with room to spare, so much so that it can even pull off a wide stance (which actually looks really cool):
Next up we have the Dijeh, with its wide and chunky feet. On the Action Base 2:
And on the Action Base 5:
The Dijeh looks cramped on the former, but has plenty of space on the latter.
I know what you may be thinking -
Why does it matter how wide the platform is when it’s secured to a control arm? Normally the model is attached to a control arm, so it doesn’t matter whether the feet even touch the ground.
It has to do with aesthetics. A model that is too large for its platform looks like a model that is struggling to keep itself from falling over. It doesn’t look quite as powerful. Look back again at that photo of the Tryon-3 in the wide stance - it looks immensely better and more natural than any of the other pics.
Control Arm
Let’s begin by looking at the arm on the Action Base 2:
This is an impressive design that fits a lot of functionality into a compact package. It has three points of articulation, and adjustable height:
Unfortunately, this design is both too stable and not stable enough. Both points of articulation at the tip are built around metal screws, so they offer lots of resistance. That’s good for stability, though it does make them tough to adjust.
Lower down, however, is a different story. The control arm uses two very simple locking mechanisms that easily give way under the weight of a model.
And one to keep it at your desired height:
Neither one works very well. Given a model that is large and heavy enough, both of them can give way.
Meanwhile, the Action Base 5 uses a very different setup. Its control arm is larger and more stable, but not necessarily more intricate:
As you can see, it too has three points of articulation. However, the locking mechanisms are quite different.
and the top and bottom hinges each have a locking mechanism to keep them in place. Meanwhile the middle hinge can be secured with one of these three bridge pieces …
… and each bridge piece can be positioned along any of the teeth:
This gives you a lot of flexibility in regards to the position and angle of the control arm.
Plugs and Fasteners
Not every model mounts to an Action Base in the same way, which is why the Bases themselves come with a variety of pegs and clips that should work with any model made in the last twenty years or so.
However, the Action Base 5 comes with a few additional connectors that I’ve never seen before. My favorite is this pincer-style mount:
This one is useful for any model where the anatomy makes it difficult or impossible to add an attach point between the legs.
The base comes with this “peg on an extension arm”:
This is what you use to keep the arm from getting in the way of the legs.
We also get this thing here, which according to the instructions is meant for mounting weapons: