EDIT: maybe this should've gone in the "Hey Hasbro" section or something, sorry. >.<
Okay, as every collector everywhere has complained by now, Hasbro has never, ever liked articulating legs. It's obvious; the priority for ball joints is the head, then the shoulders, then the ankles (mysteriously), then the knees (which almost never get it, and only do so at the price of ankle articulation usually- although that's okay). Ball joints are never on hips; there is exactly one Star Wars figure in this scale that has them, VOTC Luke. One figure in 11 years.
I have no idea what's up with this. Legs need to move almost as much as arms, and knees especially are extremely important for the playability, so a figure can run and sit and such. Why would anyone want a boot swivel or even ball-jointed ankles when there could be knees? I can understand Hasbro wanting to use less ball joints because of cost prices, but why would they ever, much less repeatedly, put them on the ankles instead of the knees?
Anyway, I've been thinking abou this for an idea, and the review for Garindan brought it to mind again; remember the Commtech line? It was like "wow, knees that... MOVE!! amazing!" Star Wars figures never had ball joints then, so hinged knees were an amazingly cool thing. Looking at Commtech Han now, I have to admit his knees are still better than most new figures on the shelves.
So is ball joints are so expensive, why not adopt Commtech-style knees- at least have a hinge, so figures can kneel and sit? If the commtech style is expensive, surely they could come up with some new kind of hinge or at least incorporate some kind of angle cut a la the debateably sucky POTJ Rebel Fleet Trooper- it beats nothing. Or maybe even GI-joe style knee hinges.
I could stand to see wrists go or an old peg-mounted swivelling head instead of a ball head, if it meant there was some kind of knee joint. For that matter, if it's all about saving plastic, I think everyone would much rather have some knee joints on their figures instead of a stupid little hologram figure, right?
Hasbro is obviously stubborn, and all about money, and soforth and so on. But I think it could be beneficial if people started really stressing this point- even compromise, lamer knee joints, not neccesarily ball joints, would be good. Something so they don't have to constantly stand in one position. It's not 1995 anymore, and no competing toy company stiffs knee joints- look at those ugly The Corps figures, cheap ugly crud, yet guess what? Their knees move!
Sorry if this is a bit of a tirade, I don't hate all figures without knee-joints or something, but it really bothers me to see Hasbro continuing to do this. I'm sure a lot of people agree, it's lame and disappointing, and as visible in the current figures, it's a constant flaw infesting the entire line. All that seperates most new figures legs from POTF2 or even vintage figures is the sculpt quality. That's it, and that's sad.
Anyway, just my thoughts. *shrugs*
