Before I begin, I must state that I received this mannequin free of charge (except for shipping, of course) in exchange for this review.

ARMATURE NINE is basically a custom-made series of poseable figures made for artists, which can supposedly mimic virtually any pose that is humanly possible. An exaggeration perhaps, but not by much. I ordered the smaller 6-inch "Rider" version, as opposed to the 12" "Ranger" version because I wanted to save on precious desk space. The fact is, almost all the reviews I've seen online are for the 12" Ranger, not the 6" Rider. I honestly could not FIND anything on the Rider. So if anyone's looking to buy it, hopefully this will give you some insight into what you can expect.

More information can be found HERE: https://armaturenine.com/collections/1-12-armature



I hadn't used a mannequin as an artist's aid in years, so in a way, this was sort of a nostalgic experience that I was looking forward to. So my expectations were rather high. I've used quite a few mannequins in my learning years, and this is easily the most poseable figure I've seen. But, it's not without its flaws.

Most notably, the figure had very loose joints, especially at the hips. Loose joints on an A9 are a fixable problem with a little bit of liquid crazy glue and a special rubbing procedure, but honestly, I should not have to perform maintenance on it right out of the box. I ended up using this "glue tightening" technique on almost every joint on the arms and legs, and even the neck and spine. To the creator's credit, I DID succeed in tightening the joints, making the poses much more secure, so it's no longer an issue. But again, it's not something I should have had to do after just a couple of days.

The joints are made of 3D-printed wood composite, which is basically liquid plastic mixed with wood dust for a wood-like texture, and then 3D-printed. This material really does feel like actual wood, and it's quite a bit more durable, since actual wooden limbs of this size would almost certainly end up breaking or splintering.

The fingers have only two "bones" instead of 3, and the thumb was completely loose. Another joint I had to tighten. But once I did, it seemed capable of forming a fist. Because each finger was barely half a centimeter long, I felt like I had to treat it like spun glass. But then, I'm notoriously "careful" with my stuff, almost to a fault. I can't help but wonder though... Could this "armature" construction method be applied to a life-sized "Hand Mannequin?" It's a solid design.

Due to the tiny size of this figure, I sometimes found it difficult to operate effectively, as my giant hands at times seemed ill-suited for working with such a tiny figure. Thankfully, the magnets placed in the feet and hands made posing the figure a lot easier, since I didn't have to think so much about keeping the figure upright. And this is good, because half of human movement is inherently off-balance. It's how we walk, through a series of controlled falls on our feet. So magnets are really the only way these sort of poses can be replicated on a mannequin. THe figure comes with a small metal disc-shaped stand, which these magnets can cling to, as shown in the above photo. If it weren't for those magnets, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed using this, as it would have suffered from the same problems as most mannequins. It was nice to be able to pose a figure without relying on a "posing claw."

For the life of me, I simply couldn't get the props (in this case, a 2-handed sword) to actually STAY in the figure's hands. I'm guessing the props were spray-painted with a metallic paint, because they almost seemed to stick to the magnets in the hands. But the effect was not strong enough to actually stay put. Also, the "blade" of the prop kept fraying until it could no longer even stay on the hilt. This is the one aspect of the figure that I can describe as outright negative.

The back of the figure also features a 1/4" screw hole, which is meant for flexible camera arms and tripods. A9 used to sell them, not anymore. I eventually managed to find one for a decent price on ebay, from a Hong Kong seller. So if you're willing to wait a month or so, getting a tripod/extension arm is not too difficult.

It's also worth noting that while this model is significantly less expensive than the 12-inch "Ranger" version, the price difference might be worth it for the larger one. I don't have a Ranger model, so I can't say for sure, but being able to work on a larger scale may allow for more accuracy and precision, at least with the limbs and torso.


In conclusion, while this may seem like a harsh review, I honestly think it's a good product. Even at a fraction of the size, I still believe the Rider to be a mannequin of a much higher quality than the standard mannequins you'd see at a typical art supply store. It is by far and away the best one I've used.

But as any serious art student should know, a new toy doesn't magically make you a better artist, any more than reading a fitness magazine makes you healthier. A mannequin is best used as an AID, not as a crutch, and nothing can replace practice when it comes to improvement.

Another thing to note is that the maker of A9 updates his blog rather frequently, and he's always working to improve on his product, so I hope that this review will give him the information needed to do so!

Great product, man. :)


FINAL SCORE:

7.5/10 - Flawed, but brilliant.

(Also, deepest apologies to A9 in the delay for getting this review out. Circumstances beyond my control delayed me.)