Bases

[Scotaidh]

Ever since a child I used to move rather a lot - about every 3-5 years or so.  Naturally I'd take along all my built models - no need to re-build them if I already had 'em, right?  So many much toilet paper was used to lovingly cocoon my creations in (usually) vain hope they'd survive the move intact.  See, I used to build models with u/c down and prop blades intact.  Sadly, the repair work after each move was as annoying as it was extensive.  I eventually went wheels up and prop blades removed - can't see 'em when they're turning, right?  This led to hanging them from my ceilings.   

Now I have a basement with no ceiling, but with a display case and shelving, and my creations need support.  I've used the FlightPose stands, and like them, but I need to save a bit of $$ for my retirement, so that's not a long-term option. 
I've tried the cutting board method - mixed results.  They tend to be expensive, and I've had them split. 
I've used plastic coasters - those are good for small aircraft, not so much larger ones.
I've cobbled together wires dipped in silicone cement.

Problem is that I want to pose two aircraft together - my Whif next to the RW version, so the differences are more readily apparent.  None of the above methods, other than cutting boards, will work.

Then I had a brainwave - cigar boxes!  I live near a tobacconist's shop called The Humidor, and just as one enters the premises there is a taller-than-me stack of empty cigar-boxes, all for sale at reasonable prices (3$ - 10$).  Glue in a bit of scrap iron. drill two holes kitty-corner, insert tubing, then three wires dipped in silicone, and Voila! 

(I hope.)

So - what do you lot use for bases for in-flight aircraft, especially multiple aircraft 'flying' in close proximity?

[zenrat]

I rue the day they stopped putting stands on kits and jealously hoard those I manage to get my hands on from old kits.
Supermodel stands are my favourite because the have the company's logo moulded into them and it can also be a description of my work...
 

Other than that I have used offcuts of pine board with coat hanger or fencing wire inserted onto holes...

Sky Pirate's Flying Dinghy - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

...or a chunk of red gum with coat hanger wire supporting a 1/35 Huey.  This one required pre-planned modifications to the kit - tubes glued inside into which the wires slid.

[Steel Penguin]

old data CDs,  glue on some scrap plaster of paris bits and garden stones for weight, and brass rod for the vertical stand,  cover with cotton wool to resemble cloud and done.

[Joe C-P]

Wooden door sills/jams/thresholds/saddles, in varying widths and lengths, can be cut to length and include beveled edges where the subject name can be presented.

[perttime]

Scrap wood sounds like a good idea. Aren't cigar boxes pretty thin material? Pine board, as mentioned, would be more substantial and provide some thickness for attaching a support.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Last year I got some flat-pack furniture that had blocks of hard, dense foam as packing material.  I kept them thinking they may make good 1/72 stands.  So far I've used one with brass rod and Im happy with the result.  I got some thin wood strip to stain and glue around the base but haven't got around to that yet.

[NARSES2]

Aren't cigar boxes pretty thin material?

They are/were, mind you I haven't seen any for years (other than ones people have been using for years)

[Scotaidh]

What I've done with the box is to drill through the top.  The aircraft will each be supported by three wires glued/soldered together into a bundle.  The bottom end of the wire goes through the hole into the box.  I tapped the wire with a small hammer, once in, to mark the bottom of the box. 

Then I glued an old nut over the indentation.  Once that was dry, I filled the nut with more glue, shut the lid, and put the wires down through the top into the glue in the nut.  I waited a few days to let the glue dry

The tops of the three wires are bent outwards, with the ends bent up again.  The ends then get stobbed with silicone glue to make a soft padded end that's rubbery enough to not skid on the bottom of the model.

We'll see how it all shakes out. 

As to the boxes being lightweight, yes - they are.  To give them some heft I've got some old ironmongery to cement into the bottom - nuts, bolts, etc. that I've acquired over a long life of pack-rattery. 

 

[Rick Lowe]

I found some A4 picture frames at the Dump Shop a while ago. They have either metal or plastic frames and a hardboard insert, with a clear sheet overlay.
I can either make a stand to attach to the board and drill through to insert a wire - making sure there is something backing the hole - or replace it with something thicker.
I usually glue feet in the corners, either directly to the corner of the frame, or just inside it on the board.
(Ref the SOFIA base to see what I'm babbling about.)
(wish I'd gotten a few more, too...)

Other picture frames, in other sizes,  from Op Shops, work well too.

I have also built an angled plastic box for something that needed to be in flight, at a steep climb angle.
Weighted with old lead roofing nail heads - a bit tough to squash into the shapes I want, but they work well when I eventually pummel them into the desired shape.