First post of the year! This one is a simple post about the history of Square-Enix's Play Arts Kai action figure display stands. Why I made this kind of post? Because it's interesting.
I will only discuss about the display stands from Play Arts Kai because SQEX have some fail moments and questionable decisions when designing and making the display stands for their action figures. The classic Play Arts oval display stands are better, in my opinion, than the earlier PAK stands.
VER. 1 (2009 - 2011)
This is the first version of a Play Arts Kai display stand. These came with the Resident Evil 5 and Final Fantasy XIII PAK figures, specifically Volume 1. The features of this translucent display stand are the ratcheted arm and multiple-holed base. I don't have any figures from this volume, but according to the owners and other reviewers, this display stand is awful. The ratcheted joints of the arm can't hold the action figure and the stand is flimsy and wobbly. So it got discontinued and FFXIII PAK Volume 2 doesn't have this stand included. This is a design fail for SQEX for trying to do something different... a simple display stand design is good enough, not this flimsy stand.
Square-Enix didn't include any display stands in the smaller and some large scale PAK figures. I think this display stand is the reason why.
VER. 2 (2013 - 2017)
Play Arts Kai figures released in 2013 have a new display stand. I think this second version debuted in Metal Gear Solid PAK series, specifically in Liquid Snake, the 4th PAK MGS action figure. This one is much better than the first version but it still has that SQEX's "trying-to-do-something-different" vibe in it.
As you can see this display stand came in separate parts on a runner and needs assembly. "What were they thinking!?" is my question when I see this sealed on a blister packaging inside the figure's box. Tearing this out from the packaging will drastically lessen the re-sell value of the action figure. And why the requirement of assembling this stand?
This hexagonal display stand is translucent and the plastic is much better and got that embossed PAK logo.
SQEX is kind enough to include this tool in the display stand's runner. This assembles the stand and adjusts the tightness of its locknuts and screws. You'll get a lot of these if you use this kind of PAK display stand for displaying your PAK figures.
This is what version 2 display stand looks like when assembled.
It got a two-part display arm. The first part is connected to base and have a hexagon-shaped peg, while the second part have hexagon-shaped holes that can be connected to the first part. You can swivel the first part and you can adjust the height and angle of the stand by pegging iany of the holes of the second part.
It got two different sized clamps: one is bigger while the other is smaller. To connect one of these to the rest of the stand you need the third part of the stand that have the pegged hinged joint.
All of these require assembly and it's a big hassle. But the good thing is that it can hold the larger and heavier PAK action figures better than the first version. By the way, this display stand gets yellowish as it gets older and/or got exposed in natural light.
This display stand got discontinued in 2020 and the last batch of PAK action figures that have this version 2 stand is Cloud ver.1 and Barret ver.1 from Final Fantasy VII Remake released in 2017.
METAL DISPLAY STAND (SQUARE-ENIX MERCH SHOP)
If you follow the news about everything related to Play Arts Kai, you'll probably seen a lot of these metal display stands in the conventions. Where SQEX display their action figures and some prototypes.
A lot of people seem to want these metal display stands so SQEX decided to sell them in their online shop. This one is obviously pricey but it looks good and reminds me of the old oval display stand of the classic Play Arts figures. This one have an height-adjustable single arm and got a wire clamp with soft translucent plastic on the clamp's tips.
To be honest, this metal display stand looks really good and sturdy. It gives that "premium boost" on your PAK action figures. The only downside of this stand is that you're limited to normal or heroic stance. Dynamic poses are almost impossible to do on this stand. I honestly wanted to have a lot of these but I have a lot of PAK figures, I will go bankrupt!
I also think that this stand is discontinued, not sure...
VER. 3 (2020 - PRESENT)
Now here we are in the present. After some hiatus and prioritizing Bring Arts figures, SQEX's Play Arts Kai action figures starting from Cloud ver. 2 from Final Fantasy VII Remake to the latest figure have a new version of their display stand . This new stand is leagues better than the previous two versions and very simple in design but adopted some ideas from its older versions. It seems that they came to their senses and made these newer stands.
Anyway, this display stand is based on the display stands found in the smaller scale Bring Arts figures but bigger to accommodate the size of the larger PAK figures. It got the same hole placements on the base. The stand have a jointed arm and a bigger and smaller clamps. And all of these are already assembled and all you need is attach these to the base and you're done. No need to do some model-kit-like assembly and you don't have to pry open this from a second packaging.
To me it reminds me of the first version because of the multiple-holed base and the big and small clamps reminds me of the second version. And the arm is based on the Bring Arts stands (and some like figma). This stand can hold even the heaviest Play Arts Kai action figure. If the display arm got loose you can tighten the joints that have locknuts and screws.
This is why the display stands of the Play Arts Kai action figures are interesting because it started on a failure then it evolved to a better one but with some annoying flaws then it evolved again and this time it's even better, it's almost perfect. That's about it about my post remembering the history of an action figure stand.
Cheers and Happy Collecting!
Some helpful Play Arts Kai collecting posts:
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