In the spring of 2024, I bought a pack of Goodsmile’s Simple Stands. They came highly recommended by multiple online sources, and I figured they’d be worth giving a go after having some issues with Bandai’s Action Bases.
Having used them for a few months now, I can tell you that they are, in fact, pretty useful, but they have some weaknesses. The simplest way to describe it is that they’re much less finicky than Action Bases, but they’re also much less configurable and articulated.
Eventually this got me wondering what a Bandai-esque take on the Simple Stand would look like. And as it turns out, I don’t actually have to wonder, because they actually did it:
About the Action Base (6 and ) 7 (and 8)
In 2022, Bandai came out with the Action Base 6:
As far as I can tell the Action Base 6 is mainly intended to be used with some of Bandai’s new(ish) product lines, such as FigureRise
As well as 30 Minute Sisters:
In other words, it is mainly intended for use with models of human(ish) people, the kind that just so happen to look like the figures that Goodsmile sells (and which the Simple Stand is ostensibly designed for).
That being said, the AB6 doesn’t seem to be particularly geared towards mecha. There are promotional shots showing it in use with 30 Minute Missions models, so we know they’re compatible:
But according to my research, the base isn’t large enough or sturdy enough to hold up most mecha models during action poses. That’s where the Action Base 7 comes into play. It came out in 2024, and is basically a beefier, sturdier AB6 intended for use with most 1⁄144 scale mecha models.
And in the same year, they also released the Action Base 8, which is an even bigger one meant for 1⁄100 scale models:
Now, I’m not saying that Bandai made these new Bases in response to Goodsmile’s products, or because sales of the Simple Stand were cutting into sales of Action Bases. But I’m not not saying it either.
When you look at them all together, and see that they all look exactly the same as the Simple Stand (clear plastic, an articulated control arm, etc):
And furthermore, when we consider that they look very little like previous Action Bases (which have gears and locking mechanisms and all sorts of extra bits and bobbles):
Then it’s kind of hard to chalk up this new design to sheer coincidence.
But really, who cares if it’s a ripoff? What matters is whether or not it does the job better, and that’s what I’m here to find out.
Mirror Finish
Both the Action Base 6 and 7 come in two different versions. The original, cheaper version comes with a rectangular base plate made out of frosted clear plastic, which in my opinion looks far uglier than the crystal clear plastic that the Simple Stand is made of. The other, slightly more expensive version, comes with a reflective, mirror-like sticker that goes atop the base plate. The ad copy claims that this allows you to see your models from “different angles”, which may or may not actually be useful depending on the model in question:
Problems with the Simple Stand
Before we get to testing the new Action Base, we should talk a bit about the Simple Stand.
In general, I do think the Simple Stand can be pretty useful with Gunpla. It’s simple design makes it much easier to use than a traditional Action Base - no more fiddling around with gears and locking them into place - and because it uses screws in its joints, it can support a lot of weight.
And from a purely aesthetic standpoint, the Simple Stand is so much less obstructive. It’s crystal clear plastic and thin silhouette makes it nearly invisible in the lightbox.
Having said that, the Simple Stand does have some drawbacks. The most obvious one is that it has only one kind of mounting peg - the peg-shaped kind that most 1⁄144 scale Gunpla happen to use.
But not all High Grades are compatible with the peg mount - in fact, I just built one that isn’t.
I don’t run into these unorthodox Gunpla all the time, but when I do it’s a pain in the butt to have to whip out and assemble a different base just for using in a photo shoot.
The other problem with the Simple Stand is that the mounting peg has limited articulation. It can move forward and backward:
But it can’t move side to side. This makes it difficult to do certain action poses (for example flying or leaping poses). If you need your model to lean to one side or another, you have to pivot the model along the peg like so:
This mostly works, but now the control arm is in between the legs, and depending on the pose and the shape of the legs, it can get in the way.
I have to imagine that neither of these problems are going to register for the vast majority of builders, but it’d still be nice to not have to worry about them. And lo, the Action Base 7 seemingly fixes both of them. So let’s dive in and see what it’s all about.
Parts and Assembly
Sadly I didn’t take a photo of the runners; the most interesting thing of note is that the two mirror stickers come with a plastic film on top to keep them from scratching, as well as two tinier stickers you can use to peel that film off and/or remove dust. It reminded me a bit of applying a screen protector to a phone.
In regards to assembly, there’s lots to talk about. Right off the bat, we have to make a decision to make:
The kit comes with what are essentially two types of “base peg”, and you have to commit to one of them during assembly. The only way to swap between them is to take the whole control arm apart, and as we are going to see, that’s a huge pain in the butt.
Anyway, why do we have to choose between the two? It basically comes down to this: do you want the base peg to be mounted vertically (ie for use with Gunpla), or do you want it mounted horizontally (ie to plug into the back of of a 30 Minute Sister or similar model)?
It was an easy choice for me, as I only ever build Gunpla, but if you also like building mecha girls and the like, suddenly the AB7 is a lot less flexible and adaptable than it otherwise could be.
Now let’s move on to the actual assembly. Unlike the Simple Stand, the AB7 has no screws, which seems like it could be a problem. How then, exactly, is the Action Base 7 supposed to support the weight of a Gunpla?
Answer - by building the control arm out of multiple layers of extremely thick plastic, with joints that are engineered to be extremely tight so as to offer sufficient resistance:
This isn’t the assmebled control arm. Rarther, it’s a photo of one section of the control arm before it’s been folded into itself like so:
A word of warning: there is a small notch inside one part of the control arm, which allows it to get a bit of extra range when bending inward:
If you don’t fasten the right parts in the right order and orientation, you won’t have that notch, and you’ll have to take the whole thing apart and reassemble it. Ask me how I know!
And this is when I learned that the joints are so incredibly stiff so as to make disassembly extremely difficult. I’ll never take these things apart if I can help it.
For the final step of the assembly, we add this little guy to the base peg:
This is what allows us to mount every single Action Base connector and adapter imaginable, and thus makes it compatible with a wide variety of model kits.
How Does it Feel?
Tight. Extremely tight. You can feel the torque that’s generated in each and every single joint on this Action Base.
In theory, this means that the Base should be good and sturdy for a long long time, and won’t have any problems holding up any 1⁄144 scale model. But it also seems like that much torque could cause some of the joints to break.
In fact, I know could, because it happened:
It may not be obvious in this photo, but this connector is now permanently super glued to the base after it broke apart. It still technically works, albeit without the ability to move side to side. But damn, I didn’t even get a chance to use it for real before it broke. Not a good start at all!
How does it Work?
As we’ve established, the AB7 can tilt side to side, and it lets you swap out connectors and adapters as needed.
But beyond that, it works exactly the same as the Simple Stand.
It even has the exact same maximum angle of bend:
Bandai really did just ape the damn thing.
(The only other observation of note is that the base plate of the Simple Stand is a little longer, which may prove to be useful for certain poses)
How’s the Mirrored Surface?
I took all of my photos of the Gaza C using the AB7, and at no point did I stop to look at how it appeared reflected off the mirrored surface. So that gives you an idea of just how little I care about that.
However, looking back at this photo, I now see how the color of the backdrop is reflected in the mirrored surface, which is somewhat aesthetically pleasing:
Difference in Price
This is what it all comes down to. For roughly the price of two Action Base 7’s, you can buy a pack of three Simple Stands (at least if you’re going for the mirrored finish; if you go with the plain AB7’s, they’re a couple bucks cheaper than the Simple Stands, though you’re still getting just two of them).
For most people’s use cases, the Simple Stand is a better value that’s going to do 80-90% of what you need. For everyone else, the Action Base 7 is certainly an option, and while it works just fine, it also doesn’t feel like any sort of upgrade either.