When you first start collecting action figures, you're introduced into a huge new world full of different things to learn. One thing that's difficult to grasp at first are the different kinds of joints that action figures can have. Not only do you have to understand how many points of articulation the typical figure includes,  you also need to know how they work and what they do in order to properly pose and even play with your figures.

 

There are four types of joint that are the most common of all, and once you know what they look like and how they work, you'll be able to pose and play with all your new toys in a whole new way. If you don't get familiar with these articulation types, you might accidentally break your figures or weaken their joints unknowingly. So sit back and get to know the four most common types of articulation in the action figure hobby. 

The Swivel Joint (also called: Cut Joint, Pivot Joint)

This is by far the most common joint in the action figure hobby and the one that even the most basic figures will use to convey movement. A swivel joint is when any two pieces of the figure are connected and swivel in a basic spinning motion on a single plane. Typically a waist joint that allows the figure's torso to turn in a circle is a perfect example, or a wrist that does the same. You'll also see swivel joints at the neck, shoulder, and sometimes to break the calf or biceps in very articulated figures. This joint does not allow you do pose a figure in very dynamic ways on its own, but when combined with other joints can really open up your options.

 

How to emulate: Spin your wrist or turn your neck left and right

The Ball Joint

A ball joint is very familiar to most people because it's a simple ball and socket joint like humans themselves have at the hips or shoulders. It allows for two connecting pieces of plastic to have full ranges of motion in nearly 360 degrees across multiple planes. These are usually used on the neck to allow heads to convey a lot of personality, and sometimes at the torso or hips to open up even more dynamic posing options. Ball joints are friendly to kids because they allow you to pop pieces on and off with ease, and great for collectors because they're perfect for posing.  

How to emulate: Move your shoulder or neck all around in various directions

The Hinge Joint (also called: Pin Joint)

The hinge joint is exactly what you'd expect based on its name. It's a simple hinge often found at the knees or elbows of figures that allow two pieces of plastic to move in a perpendicular plane. Hinges are relatively basic joints that virtually every modern day figure will feature at least a few of. They are sometimes called pin joints because of the pin that will connect the two halves of the joint.

 How to emulate: Bend your knees or elbows or fingers

The Swivel-Hinge Joint

The swivel-hinge is exactly what its name implies: a combination of a swivel and hinge joint. Although this could be argued as the simple connection of two joints into a single articulation point, it's a common enough mechanism in modern figures that it deserves to be called out on its own. Many new action figure lines will use this joint to offer a full range of motion without using a ball joint. It often provides a more attractive look and can increase a figure's poseability too. It's usually found at the hips, wrists, shoulders, and ankles.

 How to emulate: Turn your head left and right, then up and down, but don't turn it diagonally

If you've discovered a point of articulation that doesn't fit into these archetypes perfectly, there's a good chance it's just a combination of the joints above put together in a creative way. It always helps to inspect your figures to make sense of all their joints and how they work!