Know Your Joints!

Just earlier I found this interesting image from 2chan’s mokeiura board. It’s a comparison between the joints used by four of the competing Japanese articulated figure lines in what I like to call the ‘articulated figure war‘. These lines all use a universal joint system for their figures: MaxFactory’s Figma, Kaiyodo’s Revoltech, Yujin’s SRDXD and Bandai’s Q-Joy.

(Top right) Figma joint, (From lower left) Revoltech Joint, SRDXD Joint and Q-Joy Joint

So for those who are interested in collecting any of them, I’ve written a brief article describing the differences between the joint systems used by these four particular lines, because they might seem too similar and confusing for some people.

MaxFactory’s Figma: MaxFactory’s Figma line is a newcomer on the ‘articulated figure war’, but so far it’s making a strong impression to collectors with it’s figure lineup consisting of popular characters and MaxFactory’s reputation for quality. It’s joint’s design features connector pegs that are on the upper side of each half’s side. Due to this positioning, the joint can bend on a bigger arc on one side than the other which allows for a more natural articulation range. It also explains the depressions on the Figma figures’ main articulation points, which somehow detracts from appearance of the sculpt.

An image showing how the Figma joints are utilized in MaxFactory’s Figma female base body

MaxFactory’s Figma Yuki Nagato (Play-Asia)

The connector peg has a ring-like crevice around it for it to be able to lock between parts. Having a single crevice might loosen it’s hold due to stress from separating parts, but since Figma doesn’t seem to have a locking mechanism similar to Revoltech’s, it might not be necessary.

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Kaiyodo’s Revoltech: The forerunner in the ‘articulated figure war’, Kaiyodo’s Revoltech joint has been the most tried and tested among the competition. There are also different kinds of Revoltech joints, the regular one, a smaller one (usually used for neck joints), and a ‘double’ Revoltech joint (such as the one used in Saber’s skirt).

 

The Revoltech Joint System

Kaiyodo’s Revoltech No.032 Evangelion Unit 01 (Movie Ver.) (Play-Asia)

On the Revoltech joints, the connector peg is on the center of each half, and a ratchet-like locking tab is implemented on the center of the joint itself so it stays locked in a position when posed. Due to this design, the joint can bend to a considerably huge arc on both sides, although on most cases the figure’s sculpt itself determines how far the joint bends. The connector peg has small dimples for it to be able to connect to parts, however stress from separating the joints from the parts to get better poses due to the locking mechanism can loosen it’s hold over time. So far Kaiyodo has been successful with their Revoltech line, leading to spin-offs such as Revoltech Fraulien and Assemble Borgs.

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Yujin’s SRDXD: Another newcomer to the ‘articulated figure war’ is Yujin, expanding on their SRDX line with their own articulated figure series, SRDXD (Super Realfigure DX Doll). The joints’ design is unique in which the joint isnt separated by halves (unlike the first two) and employs a design more in common with the traditional ‘hinge’ joint. Due to this design, only one side of the joint is capable of bending while the other side is only usable for rotating. Because of this, it can’t bend as much as Figma, Revoltech or Q-Joy’s joints.

The joint used in Yujin’s SRDXD figures (from top image)

Yujin’s SRDXD Gradriel (Play-Asia)

The connector pegs have three ridges, which makes for a more secure connection between parts. There are 3 sizes of the joint available for different articulation points.

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Bandai’s Q-Joy: Bandai’s entry into the ‘articulated figure war’ is their Q-Joy line of figures. Unlike the rest of the competition, Bandai’s strategy for releasing these figures is by selling them as sets and in blind boxes, just like shokugan/candy figures/trading figures.

The joint used by Bandai in their Q-Joy figure line (from top image)

Bandai’s Q-Joy Haruhi Suzumiya Nekomimi Ver. (Play-Asia)

It’s joint utilizes a design similar to the ball joints introduced by Toybiz/Hasbro’s Marvel Legends. It also has three ridges along the peg to assure a tight connection between parts. Aside from these joints, it also has connectors that features a peg and a ‘c’-shaped clasp for joints which require hinge-type articulation such as hands. The figures’ design also resembles ball-jointed dolls, however in my opinion the articulation points on the figures are badly placed and it detracts from the figure’s sculpt, especially the shoulders, hips and neck.

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Due to the sudden surge of these Japanese articulated figure lines, I bet most are confused on which one you’d like to collect. I know the characters represented in the figures themselves play a bigger role in a collector’s decision. But from my experience in collecting articulated figures, the poseability also plays a huge factor. I hope that this article will help collectors decide which Japanese articulated figures they’d like to collect in the future.