Classification of POA (Points of Articulation)

We have had some debate recently on how I classify points of articulation on an Action Figure.

There are essentially two schools of thoughts out there. The first counts each range of movement, and this results in a higher POA count and is often used by the manufacturers (NECA and Hasbro as examples) to make statements like "with 32 points of articulation". For example a ball jointed shoulder that moves out ot side and to front is classed as 2 points.

Here at the Mephitsu Archives we will use the simpler second method where we count the places on the body where there is a joint. That means no matter how many ways a joint moves, it still counts as one point. We feel this method is easier to understand and compare between ranges. An example of a 16 point POA figure can be seen below.

All reviews at the Mephitsu Archives will use this type of POA count, but we will always then expand on the range of movement each joint gives.