In today's McFarlane Toys Halo 3 review, yo brought up the number of joints the figure has, and how the number McToys is promising is misleading.
McFarlane's website (and even the back of the packaging) say the Spartans have 18 points of articulation, but yo says they have 38. How can we possibly have a 20-joint discrepancy on a 5" figure? It's all about semantics.
See, McFarlane claims the figure has 18 points of articulation; and they're not wrong. They're just counting points, not joints. Take a look:
| 01: neck | 01: head balljoint 02: neck balljoint |
| 02: right shoulder | 03: torso swivel 04: shoulder hinge 05: bicep swivel |
| 03: left shoulder | 06: torso swivel 07: shoulder hinge 08: bicep swivel |
| 04: right elbow | 09: bicep swivel 10: elbow hinge 11: forearm swivel |
| 05: left elbow | 12: bicep swivel 13: elbow hinge 14: forearm swivel |
| 06: right wrist | 15: wrist balljoint |
| 07: left wrist | 16: wrist balljoint |
| 08: torso | 17: torso balljoint 18: torso hinge |
| 09: right hip | 19: hip swivel |
| 10: left hip | 20: hip swivel |
| 11: right thigh | 21: hip hinge 22: thigh swivel |
| 12: left thigh | 23: hip hinge 24: thigh swivel |
| 13: right knee | 25: thigh swivel 26: knee hinge |
| 14: left knee | 27: thigh swivel 28: knee hinge |
| 15: right ankle | 29: shin swivel 30: ankle hinge 31: foot swivel |
| 16: left ankle | 32: shin swivel 33: ankle hinge 34: foot swivel |
| 17: right toes | 35: mid-foot hinge 36: toe swivel |
| 18: left toes | 37: mid-foot hinge 38: toe swivel |
So, as you see,by only listing 18 points of articulation, McFarlane is really underselling this figure. Yes, you can claim that the shoulder (for instance) is a single "point" on the body, but there are three cooperating joints on the toy that make that shoulder move. This is a stunning accomplishment on a figure that stands just 5 1/8" tall, and should really be celebrated. Thanks for coming through, McToys, and keep up the good work.
