YMMV / Figma

• Americans Hate Tingle: Downplayed, but Figma is much less popular in the West than the East due to their more fragile nature, even by Japanese figure standards.
• Base-Breaking Character: A lot of the lineups are more controversial than others. Depending who you ask, they either loved it or hated it, there's almost no inbetween.
  • The biggest contender so far has to go with the Saberfaces variants (characters modeled after Altria Pendragon, the first Saber from the original Visual Novel), with them having more than five variants for Altria herself, and that's not including other Saberfaces and their variants, like Ruler Jeanne D'Arc and it's Alter, Saber of Red Mordred, Saber Nero, and recently Saber Okita and it's Alter form. Chances are in any Wonfes/Wonhobby, there will be at least one saberface release announced. Detractors take a snark at it and calling out Max Factory for pandering to the Fate/Grand Order playerbase and trying to milk them as hard as they could before the fad worn out, while defenders don't seem to mind about it because they're all very well-made and definitely worth the price, though both agreed they were oversaturated.
    • On the topic of Fate series, the bundling of Shinji Matou (himself a Base-Breaking Character in the source material) with Sakura Matou as a tie-in for the feature-length anime adaptation of Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel quickly became controversial among the Western fanbase, especially when you factor in the hefty 11,000 yen price tag. This, coupled with the lack of additional parts for Sakura (and the lack of Dark Sakura-related parts), quickly proven itself to be one of the most controversial releases.
  • Before Fate and their Saberfaces became a sensation due to Grand Order, figma based on Hatsune Miku also got a fair share of fans and haters, mostly due to oversaturation of Miku herself compared to other Vocaloid characters that probably need some love, and that's not including the Good Smile Racing variant that released once per year...
  • Swimsuit variants. Detractors really don't like the practice of selling the same headsculpt on a body variant that's probably less detailed than their regular variant because most of their sculpts consist of relatively simple limbs and flesh and the number of accessories they have compared to their regular variant, then put a higher price tag on it. Defenders argued that some of the content included exclusively for that variant is probably worth the purchase, like the Aqua pouting face mentioned below. Overlaps with It's the Same, Now It Sucks!.
  • Any Max Factory releases based on design with realistic features have their own detractors and defenders. Detractors absolutely bash it because they felt like Max Factory just printed their face detail on to the headsculpt like what they did with their animesque figures instead of carefully handpainting them, or like Figma Kazuma Kiryu were so underdetailed that they felt like Max Factory just gave up halfway through with the painting. Defenders argued that most of the shortcomings were only exposed by defective products, and the final product itself looks and feels solid due to their great quality assurance of their standard they kept for over a decade.
  • Figmas weren't best known for perfectly engineering a well sculpted muscular body as their bodysculpt will often limit already restrictive articulation the lineup has, which is the reason why Figmas with muscular body shape tends to be quite a shelfwarmer even among hardcore fans simply because of it, whether it be Bruce Lee, Billy Herrington, Leonidas, Masahiro Chono, Archetype Male, and so on. Certain releases trying to mend this issue like Inosuke Hashibira, but it opens up more problem as the more of the exposed joints looks even more unnatural.
  • figFIX releases in general. The idea of having a figure that's on-par with most large scale statues in quality while also having an affordable price like Figma releases in 2016-era sounds really baffling at first glance, since with that price you can get a Figma that's more functionable than any statues could do with threefold the price. Newcomers would also be alienated by the concept because a line of non-articulated figures among the moveable and articulated ones doesn't make any sense and it's only there for hardcore fans. Doesn't help the fact that Good Smile Company would eventually release POP UP Parade line, which is basically figFIX but separate from the line altogether while also basically cheaper (for import prices at least) and has wider library, further raising question whether the line is a worthy addition or a waste of plastic.
• Broken Base:
  • The pricing. Figma has always been consistent with adjusting their pricing to match the current inflation rate, but there's always a faction that's against their current pricing rate, considering that the amount of content inside the package is always the same (or even less) compared to what they used to offer in the past, with them decrying that they should add something more with that price point like extra faceplates. Defenders argue that because of the ever increasing inflation rate they had to adjust their pricing just to break even on a single purchase alone, citing that their quality control remains solid after a decade since their first product was released (except when it doesn't).
  • The lineups themselves. Detractors finds the usual lineups to be boring and formulaic, especially the ones released by Max Factory, citing that they would only release something that's currently steaming hot this season and once it's no longer hugely popular, they would bail and never produce any releases based on that work again unless they're on a high demand (with few exceptions like the Fate series, but that's more divisive). Defenders were perfectly content that the characters they like got a figma release, and won't argue much against it.
  • Pre-order bonuses. Are they alright because it encourages potential buyers to pre-order from the headstart? Or a derided piece of cashgrab that screws potential buyers and retailers considering the thin pre-order window they provide?
  • Clothing based releases; i.e. Figmas that came prepackaged with clothing piece that's either an accessory or a costume altogether, best seen in Figma Sayaka Miki for the former and various Figma Styles and the newly announced releases based off Kaguya-sama: Love Is War for the latter. Were they a great addition to the mix? Detractors argued that clothing in Figmas betrays their own baseline concept of what Figma should be, citing that they're cheapening their production value by simply sculpting a base head and faceplate and generic body sculpt and turn it into discount fashion dolls like Dollfie Dream and Smart Doll, not to mention the many reports that the clothing may leave difficult-but-removable stains as early as being unboxed. Defenders argued that clothing encourages customization through part-swapping and allowing the figure to wear different attire than just simply stuck with their base body sculpt, which is the reason why the Figma Styles line exists in the first place and why they're so popular among fashion designers or illustrators who wants a cheap but reliable figure for their reference.
  • Even more so than special pre-order exclusives; Limited regular releases, especially if it's based on a fan favorite character. Unlike regular releases and event exclusive releases, they only manufacture a modest amount in a batch set, and only one household can order one item at a time. You'll soon find out that everyone will hoard every single unit they can get their hands on. Detractors hated it because like the pre-order exclusives above, the pre-order window is limited and you can wait for a pre-order window to finally up only for it to ran out few hours later, greatly limiting their accessibilities.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Releases that weren't as well advertised compared to others were generally well received among the fanbase, especially since the producers put a good effort on engineering their design into a working figure without botching them too much like the below examples, and the gap between each releases tends to be distant toward each other often increases it's appeal. One such example is the Falslander, a series of original illustrations by neco, which portrays fantasy archetype characters in a modernized Techwear gear and armaments^note currently only two characters were announced and one of them were just open for pre-order.
  • Figma Styles. While there are division among the fans and detractors of them, ranging from the clothing on packaging, the clothing quality, or the constant delays they suffers through the 2021 timespan, the figure itself is pretty good and is easily splashable in any custom builds, as they can be immediately headswapped from the get go without customization unlike Figma Archetype. The most famous one would be Chiaki and Makoto, the former for her backless sweater and the latter for the middle finger hand part for her Sukeban outfit release.
  • Figma Super Sonico Swimsuit version, both normal and tanned version (especially the normal version), is probably one of the very few swimsuit release that's actually well liked among the fanbase for simply being the most curvaceous and voluptuous even among any release prior. It's the one release that's been hunted down by collectors and customizer because of one of very few swimsuit variants during its release that's worthy for headswaps. Even after Figma Styles swimsuit releases starts entering the shelves, Sonico swimsuits is still more sought after and the price for a used copy can go up to 10.000 Yen in several listings.
  • Thanks to its memetic appeal in the mid 2000's internet onward, Figma Billy Herrington slowly gains a significant following upon release and probably one of the go-to examples where people would be introduced of what Figma is, aside many variants of Miku and Saberfaces. Many fans paid their tribute with the figure after his untimely passing.
• Friendly Fandoms: Has one with its sister product Nendoroid.
  • Generally speaking, fandoms of licenses that got a great Figma release often sees a bond with each other, especially if Max Factory released more characters from said fandom, even if the other side of the Figma Fandom detest them for their oversaturation in their library. Fandoms like Vocaloid, Fate, Overwatch, Love Live!, are the ones that are closer to Figma fandoms from the other ones, to name a few.
  • Even the detractors of the book/show admits that releases based on Kirito and his friends are very well-done quality figurine, resulting in both fans and detractors of Sword Art Online liking various version of releases based on Kirito himself.
• Fandom Rivalry: Figma has quite a lot of competitors in their years of service.
  • Back in the heydays, Figma had quite a rivalry with Revoltech, specifically the Fraulein line that's solely focused on feminine figures meant to rival Figma, as they were one of the more popular feminine moveable action figures at that time. This has faded away since Revoltech never released more figures in the Fraulein line, with them focusing on more experimental but widely successful Yamaguchi lines. The rivalry ignites once again when AY releases the figure based on Deku, Bakugo, All Might, and Shoto that's seemingly superior compared to what Max Factory had released prior, thanks to the stylized sculpt and more expanded articulation compared to Figma's animation accuracy that fits the superhero theme much better.
  • Figma fandom finds itself clashing again with the fandom of Tamashii Nations' S.H.Figuarts moveable action figure lines. Figma fandom claims that Figma has better sculpt quality and articulation and has some many notable lineups from popular anime or Japanese works, while SHF fandom claims that their figures are more rigid and safer to pose, having larger lineups more than just Japanese works/licenses, while not being afraid to take risks when introducing new lineups from more expensive licenses like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Kingdom Hearts, plus having a stronger consumer base in the west. This faded over time as the two brands didn't overlap too much... until the 2020s when both began tackling the same properties (Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man being the biggest instances).
  • Even later, Figma fandom finds itself clashing again with Medicom Toys' MAFEX. The reason is pretty similar with their rivalry with SHF, though the reasoning from Figma fandom is quite different; accusing Medicom of sacrificing their solidity and quality assurance for superior engineering that doesn't work well, while MAFEX fans point the finger at Figma for not really evolving their engineering at all.
  • Even Figma themselves aren't safe from the rivalry from their own sister series, GSC's own Nendoroid. However, because of being distributed by the same company, the fandoms are getting along easier and most discussions are a lot more civil in comparison to others.
  • Because of many lineup releases from varying franchises, the Figma fandom finds rivalry among themselves, especially when it's from rivaling franchises like Love Live! and The Idolmaster where both argue which one did justice better than the rest.
    • This also applies to the franchise that Figma unintentionally make the figure worse than intended, with them claiming the producer did a disservice with the character in question. Best exemplified with Figma Kazuma Kiryu (face paint looks rushed, doesn't include a bike as an accessory), Figma Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami (paint was too glossy, effect parts included were rather small), and Figma Sekiro (some sloppy painting and other issues).
    • ...Or how about fans of teased releases that never received any working prototype like Figma Demi-fiend^* later he got an unpainted prototype and Phosphorlyte against fans of annual releases like the Fate Series or Racing Miku fans? Or against the fans of unexpected releases like Ange and Lana or Sophia F. Shirring in the Unexpected Character section below? There's basically no end of which faction strikes which, and that's as far as we know about it.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Considering both the characters from Hidamari Sketch and Puella Magi Madoka Magica are drawn by Ume Aoki, you can mix-and-match the parts and turn the schoolgirls in Yamabuki High School into Magical Girls. In other words, you have effectively turned Hidamari Sketch into Chidamari Sketch quite literally.
  • This◊ Urban Legend of Zelda image that spreads on the internet (especially 4chan /a/ and /toy/ board), which is totally fabricated by the way, includes Ochako Uraraka in the roster proper. Fast forward years later, Uraraka herself got announced for a release in mid-2020 and was released in the following year, and for real this time.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!:
  • As listed in the Broken Base entry above, while quality assurance of each Figma figure is mostly on point, many still feel dissatisfied by their stagnant amount of content and quality, especially when newer figures' prices are higher than the older ones despite the relatively similar amount of content in each release, assuming that older ones remain on the shelves.
  • While releases based on Kirito are almost always well-received for quality, the release based on Ordinal Scale is widely contested even by fans for just being the original Aincrad Kirito with an additional really ugly-looking sword from the finale, instead of the uniform he used in the entirety of the movie, something that the Nendoroid did right. Others argue that it's a way to update the engineering of the past Kirito model and reissue the long discontinued Aincrad version of Kirito that others may not be able to get during that figure's shelf timespan.
  • The Swimsuit Variant mostly receives a rather lukewarm reception by the fanbase, namely because of the entire premise being character heads put on a formulaic body mold with differing bust size in a varying swimsuit with some of their respective accessories, then put a higher price tag for it. This is especially insulting after the release of "Figma Styles Swimsuit Emily", which further proven the theory by having roughly the same body mold of most swimsuit releases (that isn't Super Sonico). The problem lies with the fact that most of the swimsuit molds doesn't put as much detail as their regular variant (for example, compare Avenger Jeanne Alter with her Berserker Summer Jeanne variant from Grand Order, or the Trio Konosuba girls and their Swimsuit Variant) and generally didn't yield as much accessories as their normal variant (The accessories for Swimsuit Jeanne Alter is nowhere as abundant or large than her original Avenger counterpart for example).
  • The articulation, even among Figma fans, has become a point of contention. Namely in that Figma rarely innovates in terms of engineering unless they overengineer a figure for whatever reason. This has caused some people to become disillusioned with the line.
• Memetic Loser:
  • Many video-game based releases (and their fans) with the exception of the Fate-related releases were often dogged as the punching bag of the community due to their constant quality hiccups (Figma Solid Snake and Sekiro), barebones content (Figma Kazuma Kiryu and Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami), and constant delays (Figma Hunter and Demi-Fiend, the latter doesn't receive any working prototype until late in 2021).
  • To a lesser extent, releases based on The iDOLM@STER is also this compared to other idol franchises like Love Live and all of it's variants, as far as the number or releases goes^note As for now, Im@s based releases includes all 9 members of both μ's and Aqours, with all 5 members of Liella announced in the works, and that's not including the figFIX releases if you count on that. Meanwhile Im@s receives only 3 for 765pro, 6 retail release for 346pro, 4 Wonfes exclusive release for Cinderella Girls, and nothing else. Many would take a jab at them for being "the forgotten child of Max Factory" after several releases tie-in with the original Cinderella Girls mobile game and the anime launch trying to build the hype, the interest of making another release based on the franchise immediately died down. The fact that the franchise being barred by a large language barrier on top of the lukewarm reception of THE iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls anime doesn't help the case.
  • Figma Lancer Cu Chulainn 2.0 is treated as one for his distinction of being "the release with the longest gap between announcement and release" for being delayed near-indefinitely for 3 years before eventually greenlit by the producer. Fans would occasionally jab at his suffering in the quality control process for longer than almost everyone before his eventual release.
  • Figma Swimsuit Makoto, at least compared to her sister product Chiaki, who while also receives delays she would eventually released along with her Backless Sweater variant and fans immediately emptied the shelves of her, also receives the same treatment for being constantly delayed several times to the point being listed as TBD as of recently, with rumors stating that she could've been delayed all the way to 2023.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Madoka Titus^Explanation Putting Gundam Titus's mechanical arms and legs onto Madoka's magical girl torso.
  • Putting the screaming Aqua face plate on any other figmas were quite a popular practice among modelers just because of how hilarious she looks. To a lesser extent, putting the pouting face from her swimsuit variant to other figmas were also commonplace because of how cute she looks with it.
  • The horrendous Figma Sekiro defect face has become a meme around /toy/ as a mockery of Max Factory's generally hit-and-miss quality assurance and being inept at painting realistic faces.
• Pandering to the Base: Most producers would usually pump out releases based on what's the flavor of the current season, before dropping it off once it no longer bears interest unless a demand of reissue appears, like figma Rem and Ram or Matoi Ryuko and Satsuki Kiryuin. However, there's always releases based on works that's seemingly consistent in and out getting more announced releases throughout the decade and it's not going to stop even when the fandom simultaneously forgets about it, like Fate Series and Hatsune Miku variants.
• Scrappy Mechanic:
  • The older style hinge-joint hands that precedes the newer hinged ball-joint hand they used on the newer Figma greatly limits its articulation and pops off rather easily. It's also hard to repair and replace, unlike the hinged ball-joint parts that even had an extra included for each purchase as a replacement if one breaks.
  • Generally speaking; plenty of primary joints such as shoulder or pelvis joints were carefully molded inside the thick plastic cast that's going to hold them together. If one of it breaks, then it basically spells doom as there's almost no way for it to be pulled off manually without drilling the joint in and pulling it by force. Even if you have a replacement part of it, it's going to be a huge pain to replace.
  • There a lot of accessories that's can only held by a specific hand through friction, like smartphones. Both the item and the hand are very small and easy to lose. Pray your eyes are keen to see them in blind sight, or else you'll lose it forever by accident.
  • While clothing in Figma is nothing new, and is one of the uncommon ways to customize your figma, the clothing that used on the Figma Styles are not in the best quality and prepackaged figures will usually leave a stain on the figure that's cumbersome to clean without tools.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Part of the reason why pre-existing Figmas get 2.0 versions is for producers to update that older release with their newer engineering and re-releasing it. However, there are some updated releases that lack something from their first version, like the alternative hair piece and blushing faceplate for Figma Mika Jougasaki that's added in the WonFes 2013 exclusive release, but was never included in the updated Cinderella Project version afterwards, forcing anyone to hunt down for one and cannibalize from it. Though usually secondhand figures (even mint ones) were pretty cheap from the current Figma standard considering the large past demand and distribution.
  • Clothing in Figma in general, especially if it entirely covers a basic bodysculpt. Detractors don't like the fact that the producers cheapen it by simply creating a basic bodysculpt and cover it with the appropriate clothing while only marginally lowering the price point, arguing that they should be much cheaper from the usual price point like how the Styles line did, and considering the fact that the clothing itself may leave stains on the figure as early as being unboxed for the first time...
  • There are a subset of fans that were disappointed that some figures were severely nerfed in certain assets, most notably the bust size of the released figure compared to the source material. Notable examples were the figma Darkness and her swimsuit counterpart that was going to be released next WonFes, or to a lesser extent, Figma Mari Ohara. The later announced Figma Mona Megistus also received the same treatment, with similar reception.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Several figma releases came with extra accessories, but there are some releases that could have something more, especially if it's iconic to the character. While most of these were rectified in the DX Edition releases, they're quickly emptied out of the shelves and its regular versions are barebones in comparison.
  • Figma Kazuma Kiryu, based on his 5th game appearance, has the basics; a cigarette piece, a golden gun, and a Staminan Spark. However they could have added a bicycle (or at least a piece of it) as an extra accessory, considering it's one of his most iconic weapons in the franchise; the fact that Max Factory aren't unfamiliar with large and detailed accessories as with most of the Black★Rock Shooter releases makes it a wasted opportunity.
  • Figma Link based on his Link Between Worlds incarnation only comes with two faceplates (including the one on the figure) and the sword and board set, but they could have added a boomerang and/or the bomb onto it. The release based on Twilight Princess gave him more accessories that does appear in the game, but only on the DX edition release.
  • Figma Female Corrin could have an extra Draconic piece like when she activates her Dragon Fang skill, considering that the Nendoroid actually has one.
  • Figma Izuku Midoriya lacks any effect parts whatsoever, something that figma Bakugo Katsuki got.
• Unintentional Uncanny Valley:
  • Despite being touted with excellent facial sculpting and paint, certain figures with realistic facial features can be seen as this, especially since they have a hard time replicating realistic facial features like wrinkles and advanced facial shapes. Examples like Bruce Lee and Indiana Jones can be seen as passable, but others like Brave Yoshihiko and Goro Majima may look off to some.
    • Before Figma Sekiro below, the finalized Figma Solid Snake from the 2nd game was deemed by the fanbase as hideous and ugly out of all releases (and not defective) thanks to the sloppy painting application on his face and generally using the same principle on what Max Factory did with their figma in more realistic sculpt in some places. Because of how ugly he looks compared to the painted prototypes and display images, several potential buyers were alienated immediately. There are attempts to repaint the faceplate to look much better than the finalized product.
    • The biggest offender of this by far is Figma Sekiro. Some people received defects that meant a much lighter gradient than the rest of the figure, revealing that the face detail was seemingly copy pasted over like a waterslide decal rather than being traditionally painted like the rest of the figure. Even non-defect copies still have the face detail being copy-pasted on the face sculpt rather than being painted like other figure lines, which further alienated the fanbase with how realistic figures were handled. This was made by Max Factory instead of Freeing, mind you. The latter is more experienced with realistic faces than Max Factory themselves.
    • This issue rises because most of Figma faces were not traditionally painted, rather (most of) the face details were printed or carefully put together like a sticker or waterslide decal which is the reason why the face look seamlessly handpainted like it was came straight from their animation draft. This works well on animesque releases like most of what Max Factory released, but it's going to be awful on more realistic headsculpt, like Figma Sekiro mentioned below.
• Unexpected Character: Most releases by Max Factory (and Good Smile Company to an extent) tend to follow the current seasonal subculture that gained massive traction on both sides of the Pacific, whether it'll be an anime or video game or something, and their fans really anticipated figma releases based on said subculture that gained traction at that point before it slowly loses its gigantic jump and become a niche appeal to their fans once again, thus Max Factory would cease production of said character's release once it's all over. However, some announced releases have caught the fandom off guard usually due to lack of interest or the subculture itself being locked entirely in Japan and consequently left out, leaving those releases to become unexpected. Whether they welcomed it or not is up to debate.
  • The ones that shook the world the most this year is Figma Ange and Lana, who were original characters based on "Plastic Angels", an illustration book about model kits that's not even available outside Japan. Fans liked it because they're rarely receiving proper Ms. Fanservice figures until more recently, while detractors think it's a waste of roster, citing that it's one of those announced releases that's already receiving painted prototypes and singlehandedly withhelding more anticipated releases like Demi-Fiend and Phosphoryte that don't get a working prototype whatsoever.
  • Other examples were Sophia F. Shirring, another original character originating from a doujinshi "BUNNY SUIT PLANNING", which is even more obscure than Plastic Angels. The debate is even more heated as the display prototype looks so high-effort (even better than Ange and Lana above) considering how well sculpted the body and the great amount of accessories it brings to the table, no matter if it's because the defenders argued that the amount of features it gives you for that price tag is worth it, or because of the detractors citing the same argument as Ange and Lana above.
  • Earlier on, the idea of Figma based on Virtual Youtubers other than Kizuna Ai and Kaguya Luna were unheard of, until the announcement of Figma and Nendoroids based on the hololive Vtubers managed to took their fandom by surprise. It's thanks to cooperation between Good Smile Company and Max Factory and Cover Corp. Though there are detractors, the fanbases are generally more welcoming compared to the examples above considering their already gigantic mass appeal in the first place.
  • On the more positive side, a Figma release based on Yoh Asakura based on the 2021 anime adaptation was announced shortly at the start of the month, without foreshadowing beforehand (unlike the two other examples above, at the very least they're teased and announced on a livestream). Shaman King was a popular manga back in the day, but the manga started showing its holes here and there after the hiatus, with the fanbase giving less attention to whatever they going to add later. Unlike the other two however, Yoh was already established as a likable character for the most part, giving himself a position in the roster's lineup.
• Win Back the Crowd:
  • The announcement of releases based on Hololive Generation 3 characters was met with high praise and anticipation from their fanbase and subsequently give the fanbase faith in Max Factory once again, with the painted prototype of Usada Pekora shows a strong promise for the fans.
  • While it's still another release based on the divisive Fate Series, the 2.0 variant of Figma Rider received a lot of praise, especially since an updated variant of her that was long anticipated after many other characters got updated releases. Also, Rider Medusa herself was one of the few characters that the fanbase genuinely liked, and it's a nice change after being fatigued with another Saberface release.
  • Perhaps the biggest one yet of the decade; The announcement of Figma Doomslayer was met with a thunderous applause by the community and significantly gave Figma a larger niche audience. It does help that the painting and the detailing is nice and dapper; being done by Good Smile Company instead of Max Factory does help wonders.