Disclaimer: I’m a Mafex Action Figure Whore

That’s right, give me a Mafex action figure and I’ll do things. Nasty things. I mean, I might scrub your toilet or pull hair out of your shower drain. Maybe even wash those dishes that have been piling up in your sink for a month.

That IS what you thought I meant by “nasty things,” right?

The point is, I really dig Mafex action figures. And nowhere are they more diggable than under the lights and in front of the lens.

In this blog post, I’m gonna tell you why.

Mafex Aesthetic

Mafex action figures are pretty. They’re sooo pretty. The joints are as seamless as can be without being that creepy rubbery skin that makes action figures look TOO real. And makes your skin crawl.

Then there’s the actual look of the figures themselves. They all look like they jumpred straight off the comic book page or the silver screen. There are sacrifices made here. There’s no “Give them a good enough version and we’ll make them buy a slightly better version later” going on with these figures. All I can see when I look at them is pure perfection.

Just check ou the DC Comics Photo Gallery or the Marvel Comics Photo Gallery to see what I mean. And if ya don’t feel like that much clicking, take a gander at these wonderful toys:

Mafex Articulation

Mafex action figures can move. And it’s not just one figure out of 20 … the Mafex articulation is standard across the board. Which I suppose is what standard means.

I’m not going to get into the mechanics of how they work from an engineering standpoint … I don’t know joint names that well. But I can you what I’ve noticed about how well they can call move.

The heads move up and down and all around on the necks. The necks do the same thing on the torso. There are butterly joints at the shoulders AND the shoulders move up and down. The chest and waist joints spin all over the place … thus eliminating that oh-so-fugly figure-split-in-half look. There’s bicep swivel on all the figures. There’s great elbow articulation on all the figures (the ladies don’t have as much range) and the wrists move every which way you want them to. There are drop-down hips, which give the legs more of a bend, double knees and ankle joints for daaayys!

Yeah, if you want ultra-articulted action figures, pick up some Mafex.

Mafex Accessories

When it comes to toy photography, accessories are a must. You need tons of hands and heads to give your action figures all kinds of personality. And, if I’m being honest, the vast majority of companies just don’t load us up with that much in the accessory department.

But Mafex does. Mafex usually gives us two or more heads and all kinds of hands. It’s almost ludicrous. And I love it. Then, they also throw in any and all weapons that are critical to the action figures in question … unless you’re owned by Warner Bros., because NO GUNS FOR YOU!

Other Toy Photography Contenders

Mezco Toyz

I have to admit, it’d be awfully naive of me to heap glowing praise on Mafex without acknowledging some pretty wicked competitors. And the first one that comes to mind, is Mezco Toyz.

Now, Mezco’s an expensive line. If you don’t factor in shipping, the action figures themselves are quite a bit more expensive than Mafex. And I have a problem with their business model, which I know colors my perception of the company. Also, I’ve been waiting forever to get any preorders from them, so I can’t speak to their quality. What I know for sure, simply because of cloth goods, is that they won’t articulate as well as Mafex figures.

But for now, let’s pretend to forget all that while I talk about the one thing no company even comes close to touching Mezco on: accessories.

Take a peek at the above picture of Bishop, whom I chose specifically because he’s a cheaper Mezco figure. Now look at all those head, hand, weapon and blast effect accessories. It’s insane! I’ll never buy a super-posable character from Mezco, but characters like Bishop, Ghost Rider, Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four? Well, if I even get any of those preorders, I’ll let ya know if I decide to keep going with the line.

S H Figuarts

S H Figuarts is another company I get action figures from. Specifically, I get Star Wars action figures from them. They have great articulation and come with perfect accessories for the characters the figures represent. Based solely on the fact I collect these things and dig ’em, I had to put them down as contenders. But thus far, in my experience, there’s no such thing as a perfect S H Figuarts action figure.

The Mandalorian, whom I really dig in spite of its flaws, needed a custom neck peg from John Walker Customs. And his spear and rifle are such pains to work with, I just run with the fact he no longer has them in the Disney Plus show. Boba Feet’s pretty great, except for the cross eye. And the Luke Skywalker’s a phenomenol Return of the Jedi Luke (minus the weirdly-wired Jedi robe), but he’s supposed to be based on the look he had at the end of season two of The Mandalorian.

Still, they do look awfully pretty under the lights.

Related: Star Wars Photo Gallery

Conclusion

Yup. I’m definitely a Mafex whore. What can I say? The articulaton’s top-notch. The aesthetic’s top-notch. And the accessaries are everything need to be. These are complete action figures that look great and move oh-so-smoothly.

Yeah, there are contenders. And yeah, I really dig the ones I’ve picked up. But for my cash, no other line does, or can do, what Mafex figures can do under the lighs and in front of the lens.

But enough about what I think. Comment below and let me know if you dig Mafex just as much as I do. And if not, which action figure lines do you think work perfectly for toy photography? Because hey, my wallet hasn’t killed me yeet and I may wanna check ’em out.

But no matter what, I’m only cleaning your toilet for Mafex aciton figures.

Have fun, and happy snapping!

-Photo Dave