Articulation, articulation, articulation. Companies like Dragon set the bar when they released figures capable of sitting in various yoga positions as well as the ability to scratch their own backs .... that's my marker to cool articulation. :-). Others are following with Mattel releasing Max Steel, featuring double hinged knee and elbow joints. 21st Century recently joined the fray with their Super Soldier who appears to have range of movement comparable to that of a real life gymnast. That's great and all if you're a 12" collector, but what about those of us that favor the smaller 9" scale? Do we get the shaft because we're 3" shorter?

Below is my quick and crude remedy to increase the articulation and range of movement for FC type1 figures.

The first thing I did was approach the aesthetic issue. FC bodies are very nice, but the thing that has always bothered me was their lack of quad muscles (thigh) and hourglass waist. I quickly corrected this by adding Magic Sculpt (gray) to the designated areas. These additions, in no way affect the range of motion, but vastly improve the aesthetics of the figure IMO. You can also see that I modified the shoulder and elbow joints.

FC elbows are limited to 90 degree movement and even less with cloths on (right picture). With a bit of dremelling and Magic Sculpt addition, I was able to increase the range of motion to 135 degrees (left picture). I also altered the shoulder joints. This served two purposes. First, it gives the body a more dynamic/ realistic look with a contour biceps. Second, and more important, it vastly improves the range of motion available to the joint. From the top picture, you can kinda see that my modifications allow the figures to rest their arms to the side, something FC bodies can't do. It also increases rotational range allowing the figure to fold his arms across his body (see bottom picture).

Side note: if you're making these modifications, I also recommend filing in the joint holes with Magic Sculpts.

I've already talked about the knee joint in my Nightwing article and if you want to read more, go here.

My final lithmus to articulation is the ability to scratch one's own back :-).

Obviously, I still have a way to go until I can compete with the likes of 21st Century or Dragon, but these quick and simple remedies can vastly improve the play value of your FC figures. In the near future, I'll write an article about adding ball neck joint and mid-biceps joints. Until then, have fun with your customizing and if the chance presents itself, experiment and learn new techniques. �