I've been griping about the 25A figures over at GoodToGo, but this thread here seems to be more fertile ground for the subject...

See, I've been outta the loop for a while, so I only recently got my hands on the 25th Anniversary figures. And may I say "argh"? I have several gripes:

1. Ratcheting joints
On larger figures, ratcheting joints are very useful (if not vital) to stability and maintaining poses. But on 1/18-scale figures, I really see no need for them. At such a small scale, the ratcheting joints mostly restrict pose options. Grr. Plus, they present real obstacles when it comes to painting. In my opinion, this is the biggest problem with the 25th figures. Sheesh!

2. Hip articulation
I know this is being revised in the later figures, but... I mean... Man, I have no idea why Hasbro tried this in the first place. To go to all the trouble of making the new figs super-articulated, and then obstruct the hips so the figs can't fit in vehicles? That's strange. It almost seems like every new GI Joe figure line is required by law to have a poseability issue that is overcome later on in the line. Swivel-arm grip, no O-ring T-crotch figures, and now funky hips. WTF?

3. Soft plastic
I think that the use of softer plastic is a great thing for *certain parts* of action figures -- especially the hands and the smaller, more more fragile parts -- but is it really necessary to make the figures entirely out of soft plastic? Several of my figures are bowlegged or otherwise warped. Darnitall.

4. Torso joint placement
I gotta admit, the inclusion of a universal joint at the junction of the rib cage and abdomen is useful... But it's not as useful, IMO, as a joint at the waist/belt line. The waist is just a more natural place for a joint, isn't it? And on the 25th figures, the joint is at a very odd place; it makes the torso seem, well, oddly shaped. Instead of having the joint follow the bottom of the rib cage, it seems to follow the bottom of the pecs. A someone said, the effect is a look of man-boobs. Ugh.

5. Backpack holes & pegs
And then there's the backpack holes thing. Some have them, some don't, and none of the back holes are compatible with oldskool backpacks. Curses!

6. Scale
I was annoyed as heck when the new Microman figures got a bit larger, but the absolute awesomeness of the figures eventually won me over. There were almost no other flaws in the new line, and whatever flaws there are, they are lesser than the flaws in previous lines. In the case of the 25A Joes, the new scale just seems obnoxious. It makes compatibility with older vehicles even more of a problem, too. Gawd!

7. Elbow range
On a lot of the figures, the elbows have a really limited range of motion. Why did Hasbro think this was a good idea? Why?!?

GOOD THINGS
Alright, I've complained a lot. But still, the new figs do have a lot going for them. They have fabulous detail in the sculpting. Mmm-mmm good! Double-jointed knees, wrist joints, ankle joints... these are all wonderful. Also, I'm personally fine with there being no O-Ring, as that was always the first piece of a figure to fail (except sometimes for a thumb). The new figs still have a T-bar inside the pelvis, but the loss of the O-Ring really doesn't bother me. Well, except for the fact that it makes the figures harder to customize and less compatible with the previous toy lines. I gotta say, though, some of the accessories have been really keen.

I guess I'm kinda spoiled by Microman figures. But all in all, the 2nd-generation Joe figures (like Spytroops and such) are probably my favorite *kind* of Joe figures ever.

Grebo!