Model Stand

Victory Productions

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With its separate wooden parts, bag of hardware and a single page of instructions, Victory Productions' Model Stand looked suspiciously like self-assembly furniture. Fortunately, there was not an Allen key to be seen, and the instructions were in plain, simple English.

Victory Productions  comprises a 23.5cm x 22cm base and eight additional pieces for the individual mounts (these pieces are supplied in compressed particleboard); screws, washers and wing nuts.

Assembly was dead easy. A Phillips head screwdriver is the only tool required. Construction took no longer than 10 minutes from opening the bag to adjusting the mounts for a specific model.

Once assembled, the Model Stand features four vertical posts, each equipped with a separate mount in the shape of an inverted bell. The posts are adjustable for width along a straight rail, while the tilt and height of the mounts can be adjusted by loosening of a wing nut. The mounts are topped by a strip of red felt to prevent scratching of plastic or damage to paint on the mounted model. The mounts also have a slight hook under each side which permit a rubber band to be slung from one side of the mount, across the top of a model's fuselage or wing, and hooked back onto the other side of the mount.

The instructions suggest that the Stand will fit most 1/48 scale models and larger 1/72 scale kits, but it will be appropriate for some 1/32 scale fighter aircraft too.

The Model Stand is tailored very nicely to a number of modeling requirements.

The most obvious role is a stand for your models during construction. The model may either simply rest on the felt pads or be strapped securely to the mounts with rubber bands. That way, the model can be moved around or suspended at angles that would otherwise be difficult to access (eg, the model suspended upside down for access to undercarriage etc). The other advantage in this mode is that you do not have to handle the model to change is position, minimizing the risk of glue marks and oily residue on your in-progress masterpiece.

The stand can also be used as an alignment jig to set the correct dihedral on a model aircraft.

Finally, the Model Stand will be ideal for securely transporting completed models. Rubber bands will hold the model firmly in place on the four mounts, and the kit can travel in safety (make sure the stand is immobilized while being transported though!)

I checked the carrying capacity of the Model Stand with my almost-complete 1/32 scale Hasegawa Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6. I wanted to make sure that the mounts for the wings were outboard of the dropped flaps. This big kit fitted comfortably on the stand, and showed no signs of movement once the rubber bands were slipped over the wings and the fuselage.

Victory Productions' Model Stand will be a helpful accessory for working on a model while minimizing handling, as an alignment jig and as a transport medium. However, I get the feeling that it is one of those tools that will find more roles for itself in my workshop as time goes by.

Recommended.

Rreview Text and all Images Copyright © 2003 by Brett Green
This Page Created on 05 March, 2003
Last updated 24 August, 2003

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