A vertical comb drive assembly may include a rotor assembly. The rotor assembly may include a comb anchor to attach the rotor assembly to a base, a comb rotor attached to the comb anchor, and a movable element attached to the comb rotor. The vertical comb drive assembly may include a stator assembly. The stator assembly may include a plate anchor to attach the stator assembly to the base, a plate, wherein the plate forms a comb stator, and a plate hinge to connect the plate to the plate anchor. The plate hinge and the plate may be configured for moving the plate from a first position where the comb rotor and the comb stator are both in a first plane to a second position where the comb rotor is in the first plane and the comb stator is in a second plane.