get a glue gun and with just a drop glue them to a sheet of carboard that fits the box.
With apologies and due respect to the suggester,
Please, no!
I buy my troops painted, and have received thousands of figures by mail. Too often, I have received packages packed in that manner. Often, it is evident that the shipper took great care, particularly with the sellers who painted the troops themselves, to pack the box for shipment. Unfortunately, these shippers are apparently unaware of the physics of the modern mail and package shipments.
There are two significant problems. First, there is a high probability that the carrier will at some point subject the cargo to highly variable temperature extremes during transport. (This is the same issue that many pet owners have to be wary of when shipping a pet by air. They look for air carriers who guarantee shipment in an insulated, pressurized baggage compartment. Even then there are issues.) The temperature extremes can dramatically alter the chemical properties, and consequently the bond, of the adhesive. Second, the package may be subject to higher than anticipated torquing forces when handled by automatic cargo handling or sorting systems. The immediate effect is simple: loose figure sliding around in the box. The net result is tragic: bent or broken swords, muskets, plumes, arms, horse tails or legs; or paint rubbed down to bare metal at prominent points like elbows, shoulders, etc. I've seen them all.
The better solution is the individually wrapped figure. If you use bubble wrap, then the box doesn't need to be packed too tightly (although that helps!). If you use tissue paper, then make sure the box is sized just to hold the figures which need to be very tightly wrapped.
Rick
