Had my eye on one of these for a while after seeing a couple of reviews but today, at FigureWorld, I had a chance to see one in the flesh.

At first I wasn't sure as it is quite tall but once I picked it up, I realised how good it felt in the hand and had to have one.

What you get in the superb packaging is a set of laser cut wooden parts and a bag of nuts, bolts and springs.



After about ten to fifteen minutes following the clear instructions, the clamp is assembled with no problems. It even comes with three self adhesive 'feet' that are quite grippy so it will not rock or slide about.



The little 32mm figure looks a bit lost mounted in the clamp but it does feel right. The sprung loaded clamping head is big enough to hold just about any figure or bust firmly. The only thing I may do is to line the jaws with some tough, thin rubber to protect the wood from indentations from the wire ore brass rod that I like to mount the figure on for painting but this is a personal thing. I have no reason to think the jaws would suffer with use and there is no need to over tighten them.

The nice thing about the clamp is that when loosened off to remove a figure, the springs give enough pressure to keep hold of the figure so it shouldn't drop out, nicely thought out.



Stood on the bench, the clamp is stable and surprisingly comfortable in the hand and is a quality item.

As a foot note, I have to comment on the packaging. This came in a strong black card box with a thick layer of black 'felt' covered foam. I defy any figure painter not to find a use for this quality packaging. What a welcome surprise in these days of throw away plastic packaging.

Looks good,
What is the price?

Gells

Graham, I have to agree with you it is a practical quality product, I have used one for some time now with resin and metal figures. The only problem with Sphere is trying to pass their stand at shows without buying as they have a great range of well made stuff, that is always useful.
Dennis

They are £15 Gells, and worth it.

It is indeed a treasure trove of stuff that, when you see it, you wonder how you can live without it

I've had one of these for a while, and Graham is right, in saying that its deceptively comfortable whilst holding it mid-way, both on and off the bench!

Mark

First off, thank you for posting the review. I have been eyeing this on Ebay. Is this clamp big enough to handle a 120 mm scale figure? It looks useful. I am a bit of a gadget nut but if it can't handle my scale it's not the gadget for me.
Gerald

Gerald.

The clamp itself is fairly tall, However, what's more its manufactured using MDF! so it is very light in weight .. I think a 120mm piece would be its limit. It would be more suited to 120mm sub assembly. However it can be adapted by fixing extra weights to the base as a precaution, to accommodate a full 120mm figure.

Regards,

Mark

I don't have a resin or metal 120mm but here it is holding a Tamiya plastic 120mm on a fairly heavy base, please don't look at the figure it was one of the first I ever did and it is rubbish.

However, I did find that the stand had to be tilted quite a way before it went off balance but I do accept that all the weight in this figure is in the base. I certainly don't think it would be a problem with a resin figure as the base of the clamp is wide and sturdy.

You have me on that one as I am not sure what relative size a 200mm bust is or what it weighs. However, my Canon G10 weighs 410g and is 150mm wide, 80 mm high and 50mm deep!

Hi Guys, great looking item. Stupid question probably (i'm good at them) whats the contact details for sphere to see the range and possibly order items. Cheers
John

Nap, as always I always err on the side of caution! with my clumsy mitt's I have to. This would cope well with a 200mm Bust! .. I have just checked it with my Bonapartes Cuirassier! Although a double pin (left and Right, rather than central), maybe be more of a safe option, ..well for me at least !

Regards,

Mark

Good heavens! ..we will have Grahams Arse on this clamp next!

Mark

They have a website showing the products but the store is on ebay at http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Sphere-Hobby-Products

Jon who is Sphere is on PlanetFigure though, search for JonP to find him

Good as this clamp is, that would be a bottom bust too far...........

I looked at these at Figureworld too. I was interested in using it for busts......apparently there are shorter heights available, which would lower the centre of gravity, thus making it harder to fall over? Jon Page had a work in process on display mounted on the 'short'version. The short legs are included with the original?

Ian

I saw the short version which Jon said he used for transporting WIPs in his boxes. He did say that he could supply the short stand parts if I wanted. Not sure how it would be for holding though but, as you say Ian, it may be an alternative for the larger suff.

Where do I get it from? The link to the website would be helpful