This post was originally published on Spicy Board Games. Some edits have been made for organizational clarity.

There are a handful of physical tools that helped my painting process.  One of my favorite tools is an item I picked up from my Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS), a Citadel Painting Handle. Several of my minis come in one piece (like my BattleTech ‘Mechs), or I assemble them prior to painting.  The handle holds them well, even when turned upside down to reach some harder to reach spots.

Ultimately, it gets the job done.  I still revert to cork/pinning for sub-assemblies or models that require a higher level of detail, but the Citadel handle works well for a majority of my models, ‘Mechs especially.

Pros:

1.       Holds round, hex, and oval bases without any discernable issues, even when upside down.

2.       Comfortable to hold (though I have small hands, so YMMV!)

3.       Fairly inexpensive.

Cons:

1.       The handle I have is a bit too small to handle anything 40mm and above.  While most of my minis fall under that, bigger armies (such as Warhammer figures) might do better with the XL version.

2.       It would have been nice to have a rotating topper.  As it stands, there’s the occasional fumbling with the model to take it out to readjust it to reach an angle juuuuust out of reach in the current position.

3.       Not great for sub-assembly and tiny parts, unless you tack them to a base.  Pinning to a cork still works best for my sub-assemblies, as the handle doesn’t hold a cork well.