These stands are quite cool, but I also like the environment-type stands. Having missed the later Saga '03 and '04 figures and other collections, these and my ROTS stands are the first in my collection, and I really enjoy having them.
The gray plastic is a pretty good color, as if you aren't displaying your figures in some kind of diorama it doesn't really stick out too much and looks pretty decent. For collector-type shelf display they'd work great, as well. Personally though, I wish the UGH stands were a little more prevelent instead of reserved to hoarded collector's items- the vacuum-metalized silver is very cool-looking.
Overall I'd say environment-floor type stands are cooler, but these are very welcome too. I wish I could buy a dozen nameless ones (or better yet, some with character names but no specifications- imagine just a bunch of stands with things like "Obi Wan Kenobi" and "Lando Calrissian" printed on them) for my old figures, actually...
The hologram figures, however, are beginning to strike me as rubbish. They aren't garbage really, but they're boring and serve no real purpose- they seem kinda cheesy. And they really contradict their own supposed purpose; wielding weapons and being in quasi-action poses makes them useless for any kind of play as hologram communications- and the base doesn't really help that either- but the lack of paint or even solid color makes them kind of dull as figurines as well.
But I have to agree with Jesse James on a certain level, more articulation or a lower price would be a lot better than either of these items. Especially the hologram figures... shame you can't melt them down and mold new ball joints with the plastic