I won't pretend to know how you guys handle your GI Joe figures, but I tend to take care of mine. As a kid, I wasn't overly mean to them. I didn't throw them or crush them. I did submerge them in water and played with them enough that the joints got loose and the paint apps were worn off easily. But I never twisted them up so hard the o-ring would snap, y'know?

So there's been a lot of worry over the figures themselves. That people feel the figures will break when played with. I don't know about you guys, but I've been playing with them a bit and once you break the seal on the joints, they seem pretty durable. Now, we're adults so I can only assume you wouldn't play with them as hard as a 7 yr old. Or an m-80 minded 12 year old! I've been playing with Firefly and Beach Head and v2 Snake Eyes quite a bit and they have yet to 'break'. I've barely even loosened Beach Head and Firefly up.

Personally, I think they are durable enough. They won't fall apart like Microman figures. For us fotographers, they should hold up well enough.