elbows but no knees is still a step up from some previous villain figures

It looks like that's the case for every villain in the line so far; standard articulation but no knees. Tronics, Blaze and now Drilltron all have this in common.

Hasbro action figures for children normally do not come with knee joints. This was one of my worries when they acquired Power Rangers. All of their main line action figures do not have knee joints, just check out the Avengers: Endgame action figures.

Hasbro likes to draw a clear cut line between children, and collectors. You want articulation? Go purchase the Lightning Collection!

I keep trying to bring this problem up, but people just shut me down stating they are meant for children. Sigh...

It's a valid argument though. Kids don't care about articulation. They care about playability and action features.

Blaze and the Tronic have knees, but they don't have full hip articulation. Their legs only go forwards and backwards. So Drilltron might have less articulation than the other bad guys who already have less articulation than the Rangers.