The "Is Articulation Over-rated" and new TRU True Heroes thread got me thinking about something.
My only issue with Chap Mei figures, and the new $6 offerings from Hasbro, is the lack of arm/leg articulation. I'd be happy to give up the torso articulation, as thinking about it, I never really use it for any poses in my displays. So I guess if a toy company were to ask me, "How can we cut articulation to make expenses and not lose you as a customer?" I'd say get rid of the torso articulation and have the torso be two halves, with a T-bar for the legs, instead of four pieces, plus connectors and T-bar. I could maybe give up wrist articulation, too, but not the rest of the arm. Legs with hip and knee articulation are fine, but I really do like the ankle articulation. I don't like T-crotches at all, though, so that's a no-sell. I've butchered a couple Chap Mei figures to add articulated arms and legs, and those are really nice sculpts once you get past the arms and legs. They do some nice torsos.
So I guess the short answer for me would be cut torso articulation, then ankle, then wrist, in that order. If you could bend a company's ear and get them to save your preferred articulation points, what other points would you sacrifice?

Ankles, and the torso articulation you mentioned. Hell, I'd be happy with going back to an O-Ring format for that matter.

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Yea, if I had to pick, I'd ditch those dang rocker ankles. Hate those anyway. And I haven't found I've missed the torso joint on Black Widow or Loki, the only Marvel figures I've got that had those changes.

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I don't need double knees or double elbows. I don't really need ankle articulation. The torso joint can be a swivel waist or just move the torso joint to the waist, but there needs some sort of movement there. I don't have to have ball jointed hands, but swivel hands is something I think that's needed.

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agreed!

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Mid thigh swivel, rocker ankles, mid torso articulation.

While I enjoy the double knee articulation on dynamic characters, it's far from being a necessity, specially with the soft rubbery plastic they're using these days. It makes the legs all warped. The Retaliation Cobra trooper doesn't have it and it's a pretty awesome and fun figure.

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While I'd always have certain super-articulated figures in the line (ninjas, etc.), like a lot of collectors here, I'd probably ditch:

-Rocker ankles
-Double Knees
-Torso (I agree with replacing it with waist articulation)
-Thigh swivel


Especially on 3.75" figures, these are overkill-- impractical and redundant, a lot of the time. I'm an articulation fan, for sure, but some stuff is just a little too poseable, and they just end up being loose/floppy, with unnecessary cut lines... and more places for paint rub when customizing

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I also agree 100% with this post

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Axe the torso joint and I'm thrilled. The others are rarities, but yes, rocker ankles are annoying unless you are Snake Eyes.

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I'm going to add the ankle articulation bit for Eels or underwater figures and ninja's but ditch it for the rest....

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All good thoughts, guys. The more I read, the more I agree with the ankles. I still don't see any real need for torso articulation, though. It would suck for compatibility in customizing, but the "articulation as needed" approach, with a bare minimum set, would probably work for the best. However, I can also see complaints about articulation on various figures, and nobody agreeing on it. For example, most people thought 25th Roadblock was pretty decent (at least at the time), but I wished he had the swivel thigh like Scarlet or Baroness so he could do the classic little green army man heavy gunner pose (which I can't find a pic of now, but I remember having his leg twisted some).

I bought the Ultimate Thor in the Avengers line and I don't really miss the torso articulation.

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i think rethinking articulation would be key in improving modern figures,

a ball joint between the abdomen and crotch would go a long to improving modern figures, and would most likely be easier and cheaper to do than the current torso joint, i mean common you crack a modern figure open (literally) and the joint is overly complicated. It is a nasa space pen, when a soviet pencil would do. Same with the modern elbow.

but really looking at things objectively with a little tiny bit of common sense added to the mix I see the big companies missteps and misfires being a much larger waste of resources and funding than articulation on a toy line.

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Heh, yeah, but those aren't what they point to when they talk about the cost of figures.

I think a ball joint at the waist would be a mistake. Those ball joints get floppy all the time, and I don't know that for longer lasting toys, that that would be the best alternative.

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