Stikfas are unique toys. They are technically model kits that build action figures, but they are very different from traditional American model kits, and even the Japanese Gundam kits. They come in boxes in the shape of trapezoidal prisms. Inside the box, a small reclosable bag contains the parts trees, a few postcards, and a sticker sheet.
Stikfas parts are simple ball-and-socket joints; everything snaps together, and no glue is required (unless you are reckless in assembling them). The foot snaps onto the ankle, which snaps onto the thigh, and so on. The basic body structure of a Stikfas has a head, a two-piece body (chest and hip), three-piece arms (upper and lower arms, and a hand), and three-piece legs (thigh, ankle, foot).
The resulting action figure resembles a robot. The figure is fairly tough and extraordinarily poseable - there are very few poses they cannot assume.
Two of the postcards included are just that: postcards, which you could put a stamp on and send to your friends, or perhaps put on your wall. One of the postcards is actually the instructions for the kit - this postcard shows the angles at which you should snap the parts together. Though you can snap them together however you wish, following the card decreases the likelihood that you will break the parts.
Each kit also includes a sticker sheet. Using these stickers, you can create all kinds of characters. Each kind of kit has a different sticker sheet.
Stikfas were designed by a guy from Singapore named Ban Y. J. Not long after their initial creation, Stikfas Private Ltd. and Hasbro allied, and now Hasbro manufactures the toys. Later on, Toys "R" Us decided to stock Stikfas in their stores, and now they can be found among the other action figures.
There are a few different models of the basic figure: the Alpha Male, the stockier Omega Male, the Delta Boy, and the huge Mechana robot. There are also several kinds of Action Figure Kit (AFK). The Military, Samurai, Firefighter, and K-9 Officer are all Alpha Males; the Knight is an Omega Male; the Extreme is a Delta Boy, and the Mechana is its own AFK. Each AFK comes with quite a few detailed accessories suiting its particular theme. For instance, the Knight comes with swords and other weapons; the Extreme comes with a skateboard, surfboard, etc. The Knight also comes with a stallion, and the K-9 Officer naturally comes with a dog.
Due out in June 2003 is the Beta Female Dragon Rider AFK, which includes a dragon, and in September 2003 the Alpha Male G2 Warrior Monk ships to stores. The Warrior Monk is a redesigned Alpha Male who is even more poseable.