[Shin Densetsu]

Power Rangers Super Legends Zords-Inconsistent articulation was a huge downfall for these figures as most of the time, if there was an elbow hinge on one arm, there was none on the other, and this applied to other joints too. Not only is that disappointing, it's also just WEIRD. There was much hype for this line as it featured what we thought would be the 1st ever fully poseable MMPR Megazord. Yet...DENIED

Ronin Warriors(the line made by Takara and brought over by Playmates in the mid 90's, *NOT to be confused with the awesome upcoming Armor Plus figures by Tamashii*)-The spring loaded gimmicks didn't really add much play value to these figures, it made the figures bulky and hindered articulation badly. The sculpts weren't that accurate, sometimes the weapons weren't either. Overall these figures didn't have much play value aside from removable armor. To be honest the main reason these were popular were because of the show, and the fact that up until now, were the ONLY figures based on that anime.

Mattel Comic Batman line-This line had much promise, being sculpted by the 4H around the same time they were releasing the fan-favorite 2002 MOTU line. A lack of full articulation(a weird mix of swivel wrists, t crotch, pin knees, neck swivel, and ball shoulders), a wide variety of Batman figures that weren't that well received, and the 1st fully articulated Batman only available overseas and was only released at the end of the line. The line ended up dying at retail, with some of the figures repainted for the DCSH line not too long afterwards. DCSH was somewhat disappointing too but all has been rectified with the DCUC line; except for the constant horrible distribution woes that have plagued Mattel since the 2002 MOTU line.

Toynami Macross 1/100 VF-1-The articulation on these figures is great, it's fun to pose in battroid mode, and you do get a lot of parts for the price, however it requires too many parts to swap for the sake of using the display stand in any mode, and the build quality could have been much better. I have many cracked joints and you can definitely tell that the figures could have been much more durable. Some of the modes are not very stable as they rely on joint tension to stay in position, yet some of the joints are prone to looseness. For example the my wave 1 VF-1A Max Custom will not stay in gerwalk mode on the stand because the swing bars are far too loose. It had much potential, it is a very affordable line but other than that it's a case of lost potential.

Hasbro Marvel Legends-The durability and quality control was much better in this line than in Toy Biz, however the loss of more intricate detail in the sculpts, less paint apps, and most importantly a noticeable and significant lack of points of articulation) effectively killed the line in the eyes of many fans. It's to the point now where we only get 2 packs and exclusives at that. Some of the figures were great, some even superior to previous Toy Biz versions but only some and they are not the majority. When Hasbro got the Marvel license, we thought that we would be getting the same level of detail and articulation as with the Toy Biz releases, but with much better durability control. Well we only got the latter. It is starting to look up as the recent releases in the 2 packs are good, and more and more newer figures have had more articulation in addition to good silhouettes, however the line has yet to reach the greatness as it did under Toy Biz's hands.

DC Infinite Heroes-A severe lack of articulation compared to comparable and rival lines in the same scale effectively killed off interest for many fans in this line. Some fans just see this as a line of cheap DC figures and leave it at that. More strides towards higher articulation have been made, starting with the Best Buy exclusive Green Lantern packed with the First Flight DVD, and in a few days with the Target exclusive Public Enemies multipacks. Yet the figures remain smaller than they should in the eyes of collectors and ultimately could have been much better.

Playmates Star Trek and Terminator(2009)-I bring both of these lines up because A/they aren't selling, B/both are disappointing, and C/they are made from the same company and based on recent summer flicks. Playmates had very popular Star Trek figures back in the 90's and it is clear that the movie line can't reclaim the glory of those days. The Terminator line lead collectors to believe that we could have Terminators in the venerable 3-3/4" scale, unfortunately what we got were vehicles that were far too small, and figures that were simply not up to par. The simplified sculpts, lack of more articulation, even with figures in bigger scales, lead collectors to conclude that Playmates is still stuck in the past, and I have to agree. These figures might have been great 10 years ago, but now? No.

Transformers Armada-Micromasters were popular, RID and Beast Wars brought continued the full articulation started in the tail end of G2 and Armada featured not only new mini Transformers but a revitalized Prime and Megatron for the new generation. Recipe for success right? WRONG! While the minicons were cool, this line all across the board was a step down from the full articulation we had enjoyed for years. In fact, I, and many collectors didn't mind the designs at all, I actually liked the uncombined Armada Prime design from the show, but the toy? Not so much. Megatron's cartoon design? AWESOME. The toy? No. He can't even move his hips! Hell even Hot Shot couldn't move his shoulders forward. Was the addition of minicon gimmick integration worth the cost of losing vital points of articulation? Not in my eyes. The line sold well to kids which is always good but for TF fans, aside from Unicron there isn't much collector's appeal in this line. To this day I'd love to see a leader class Armada Prime and ultra class Armada Megatron redone in a way that we collectors would love; fully articulation with more detailed sculpt. I have no doubt that Hasbro designer Aaron Archer and co could pull this off, but whether the corporate guys will let them is another story.

Transformers Energon-More combining figures yet this line featured some figures that still lacked full articulation. The gestalts were disappointing(aside from the Combaticons), and honestly I don't think anyone liked getting 2 of each limb to complete their gestalts. Even so, the team members were better separate than combined, which typically doesn't happen. Prime seemed like an incomplete design and his base body suffered just for the sake of combining.

I know this thread is about lines but I feel like bringing the following figure up:

Transformers Universe/Classics 2.0 Galvatron-The figure is more complicated than it should be and is disappointingly small compared to other figures in the line. All this is due to the fact that the original design was for a triple changer ultra size class figure. This is a figure of lost potential and a somber sign of what could have been.

X-Men Origins Wolverine-Sure we got a line of figures revolving around Wolverine, that WASN'T a line where his presence wouldn't be welcome(like those times he invaded other Marvel lines). Full articulation, the venerable 3-3/4" scale, and complementing Marvel Universe in a way right? No. The plastic feels cheaper(though durable), and looks cheaper than that used on the Marvel Universe figures. The figures seem overpriced and ultimately could have been much better. I think it was a great idea to offer both movie and comic based figures, something that this line shares with Star Wars and something G.I. Joe fans all wanted for the Rise of Cobra line(which is all movie figures with very little comic/animation designs).