this may seem dumb but i see in pics that many of you guys mount your figures on litle sticks attached to the feet

how do you do this



and
http://www.tankbuilder.net/howto/MUD/howto.htm
^^ whats PVA glue?

I drill a hole in the bottom of the foot with a pin-vice and glue a wire into it. Then I tape that wire to a bamboo skewer. On my current project I cut the skewer down after taping the wire to make holding the figures easier. I also have a scrap of 2x4 I drilled some holes into to hold the figs for photography and when they're drying.

When done, remove the tape and use the wire to pin the figure to the base.

http://fichtenfoo.com/02GiantRobots/02b-JGSDFType74-figs.htm

PVA glue is white glue, or what's commonly referred to as Elmer's glue.