Welcome.

I too am newish and only sporadically visit but what I do see here is frequently interesting.

I'm okay with ball-and-socket joints as long as they're sturdy. Problem is, that's not always the case, but is that more a manufacturing than a design problem? I feel like often the more complex designs of contemporary Transformers are let down by manufacturing standards.

It seems like my TFs that have survived thirty-something years will last the rest of my life now, but I'm not sure the same will be true of the ones I've gotten this decade. I still proudly tell some (mostly non-collecting) friends that I have Transformers with the stamp 'Made In Japan' on them.

Worst case of flimsy ball-and-sockets for me is that live-action Scalpel (creepy Decepticon medic microscope). Most of the sockets have crumbled around the balls. Doesn't stop him being creepy, though.