Aha, how acute of you !
You know, this is actually an interesting point… Maybe I’ll expand slightly, here.

Many painters use a cork stopper or an old paint pot to prop up their miniature when they paint… I wanted something that was slightly heavier than most minis, because I like having something heavy in my hand to counter its weight.

It’s also a feeling I’m used to… I don’t quite know where it comes from, but it’s probably that when you’ve painted lead (let alone metal) for a long time, the weightlessness of plastic and resin can seem disconcerting, at least at first.

I simply like the weight.

As for what I use exactly, it’s an old film pot filled with counter beads… You know, multipurpose colored glass flattish counters for CCG and the like.

I also know of a painter who uses sand to fill an old Rackham or Tamiya paint pot. And, yes, you might as well select the pot you prefer among the ones you own…

I think the new Citadel ones aren’t as high as I need, nor are most paint pots in general (though Tamiya’s big pots look like they do the trick), but that depends on how you hold your miniature, on what you like, and on what you get used to…

As for what holds the mini, I don’t recommend simple blue or yellow tack, as it’s not strong enough for bigger minis… I use “permanent” double faced tape (which isn’t so permanent after all in my experience). The advantage is it’s also flat and doesn’t need kneading.

Many painters pin their minis to a scenic (or more simple) base, but paint the base separately. When that is the case, they simply use the length of wire or the remnants of the metal bar protruding from the mini’s feet (to be pinned). They drill a hole in their cork or in the paint pot’s lid, and often reinforce that with tack if the wire protruding isn’t long enough to warrant stability.

Simply sticking the bit of wire in cork is quite enough, when the excess wire is as long as the mini itself and it’s correctly pinned !

One last thing… Don’t bother buying an expensive “miniature holder” with a vise and a handle : It’s a hassle to use, as you have to grip the mini’s base by turning a screw… It sometimes harms the part of the mini you’re gripping, because the vise is hard metal and you have to screw it a bit hard so the mini doesn’t budge… And, worst of all, you can’t put the thing down straight on your table like a paint-pot, so you can’t take breaks… Unless you have a holder for your holder, that is !

Citadel used to sell one. I don’t know if they still do. Worst accessory I ever bought !

That said, whatever you use, this is very idiosyncrasic and personal… Paint how you like to paint !

BoW Romain