I bought some of the BrickFortress articulated short legs in each of the available colours and here's my review broken down into nine criteria.
1. Functionality 9/10
The BrickFortress legs are as articulated as standard LEGO minifig legs. You can seat the minifigs on studs as each leg has a hole in the back. When standing, the minifigs with the articulated short legs are fractionally taller than minifigs with LEGO's short legs, but the additional height is less than adding a backpack (such as
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=92590 ) or similar neck part. The joints of the BrickFortress legs are a tiny bit stiffer than those of standard LEGO legs.
2. Compatibility 8/10
The BrickFortress legs slot into LEGO torsos perfectly. They come in five colours: black, dark blue, light grey, reddish brown and tan. The shininess of the ABS used matches LEGO's exactly. And the colours are identical to LEGO's legs except for the dark blue. The shade of blue of the articulated legs is ever so slightly lighter than the official dark blue. But I could only see the difference in strong light and I have exceptional colour acuity. You wouldn't notice the difference unless you were looking for it.
3. Material 9/10
The articulated short legs seem to be made of the same ABS that LEGO uses for its non-Chinese elements. There is no problem with translucency; the BrickFortress legs are completely opaque.
4. Manufacture 9/10
The BrickFortress legs are made to the same high standard as official legs. The marks where the legs are separated from the sprue are slightly more pronounced than on official parts, but nothing that can't easily be tidied up with an X-acto knife or scalpel. The BrickFortress legs are all identical to each other in their manufacture, i.e. they are consistently high quality.
5. Variety 6/10
The BrickFortress legs are currently only available in five colours and no printing. It would be great if they came in dark brown and in green at least. If they were printed with pockets and others with armour (in addition to coming unprinted), that would be even better.
6. Usefulness 10/10
If you use short legs for jawas, hobbits, dwarves or kids, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want articulated legs rather than static ones. I don't easily give a perfect score, but BrickFortress deserves top marks for usefulness.
7. Originality 10/10
Although AFOLs have been modding articulated short legs from standard LEGO legs for a while, I'm not aware that anyone has actually moulded short, folding legs before. Another perfect score for BrickFortress.
8. Service 8/10
The BrickFortress site is clear and easy to navigate. Buying is straightforward. Although a volume discount is available, you only get it if all the legs are the same colour, which was a bit frustrating. The parts were protected in padded envelopes and delivered quickly internationally. I found the company friendly and communicative.
9. Value 9/10
Considering the time and effort that must have gone into designing and perfecting these legs, the $1.15 price is reasonable. They used to be more, but I think $1 to $1.15 is about right. International shipping, though fast, was a bit expensive.
Overall, I was very impressed with these legs. I would have preferred if they came in more colours. Still, BrickFortress has made a great start with the current range. Unless you're a purest or on an extremely tight budget, do yourself a favour and get some of these legs. You'll wonder why we ever settled for static short legs.
