I’ve said that the Captain America movie line didn’t look as if it was faring well in terms of sell through, and things don’t seem to have improved in the month or so since I wrote my Heroic Age Captain America review. I’m hoping that once the movie hits cinemas on July 22nd (maybe the 20th here in the Philippines since we open movies on Wednesdays) interest in the figures will spike. With three waves out there and the future of Marvel toys in the balance, the brand really needs some help getting going.
Why am I so interested in this line’s success even thought there are so many reported quality control issues with it? Well, aside from the issue about paint, there’s actually very little wrong with the figures themselves. Design, articulation, and construction of the figures are all decent and Hasbro has also done well on accessorizing them. I’d hate for them to get the wrong idea and revert to fielding second rate junk like we saw in the first year or two of Marvel Universe, or flooding the market with yet more Iron Men, Spider-Men or Wolverines.
In light of that, I’m taking a look at the seminal figure in the Captain America movie line, Super Combat Captain America.
The figure may be called “Super Combat Captain America”, but really it’s just the 3.75” plastic rendering of the Chris Evans character in the movie. A comparison between the figure in the plastic bubble and the character portrait on the front of the card will tell you that. The back of the card has all the requisite data about our favorite super soldier, some “also available” shots, and a clean, if rather boring product photo.
This being a period movie, this version of Cap is more like the World War II Captain America that we saw at the SDCC last year than any of the modern versions. Instead of tights, Steve Rogers is sporting pants bloused into heavy boots and what looks to be body armor. As a result, he looks more padded than buff, which is… different. I like it, but your mileage may vary.
The bubble shows off his accessories nicely, with his pistol, his helmet and his INDESTRUCTIBLE COMBAT SHIELD displayed near his head.
First off, I love that we get another Captain America with a removable helmet. The fit isn’t as tight as I’d like (means it’s too easy for me to lose it), but the fact that they bothered to detail his head under it with the wings is just awesome. I’m not sure about the likeness to Evans, but this is 3.75” scale, so there’s not a lot of canvas to work with. Besides, I’ve never been a fan of movie likenesses on toys. There’s always a tendency for them to come out looking completely lifeless. I’ve got to admit that this figure has a little of that blah look going on.
Like most of the Captain America figures, this one suffers from paint issues, and they’re most noticeable in the face area. There is lots of slop where the flesh tones go outside their designated areas and some areas where the brown under coat shows through. The lines between the red and white stripes and the star on his chest are also problem zones. You’re also going to want to make sure you check that “A” on his head. There were many examples that had misaligned letters.
I love the brown color of the leather parts of his costume, though. I wish they’d colored the gray straps on his uniform the same rich shade.
The shield is a thing of beauty. The shield from the Heavy Artillery Captain America (the one that looks like the Captain America from the comics) is nothing compared to this. The thing has got painted straps that WORK, and a silver interior! It's smaller than the one from the Heavy Artillery version, but damned if I care.
Sadly, there's no way for him to sling it on his back like the other Cap figures since the peg that allows it to be plugged into his back is gone.
He's also got that handgun included, and a working holster. But wait! There's more! There's also a strap that goes over the gun's grip to hold it in place. There's no button to hold it down, but the plastic holds its shape well so there's really no need for one.
The gun itself fits in his hand fine, but it is a little on the large size and there are no paint applications to speak of. It's just a boring, translucent gray.
The articulation is less than what we got with the SDCC Captain America, but then that one didn't have to contend with the restrictions of a Marvel movie figure. Since the toy has to mirror the celluloid image, you get a Captain America who looks much chunkier than you'd normally see in a super hero book. The joint work is pretty good, though there's not as much range. I do wish they'd make stands standard with their figures though. It's hard to get these guys to stand when they've got limited ankle movement.
Compared to other Marvel figures, he's still a little on the short side, but next to the other movie line figures, it's all good. I kind of wish I'd gotten one of those 5" Hulks while they were available so I'd have a more complete line up.
Though the figure didn't wow me as much as the SDCC one did, I feel this is a solid effort by Hasbro and worth the Php 500.00 (about $11.00 US) I shelled out for it. I say get it while he's available, because once the movie hits, this one's going to be targeted by many a collector and kid.
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