Let's get the star-spangled man with a plan into the spotlight with Cap himself. This guy is a repaint of the 2016 Red Onslaught wave version of the character, dubbed Wolf Cap thanks to the alternate werewolf head. This release has a brighter shade of blue and a textured pattern that was absent in the original version. I think these colors work well for him since they'd differentiate him from someone like Spider-Man. The figure is actually using the body mold first used in the 2015 Ultron BAF-wave Grim Reaper, which sucks in the context that an A-list Avenger like Cap is relegated to having to reuse a lesser-known villain's body mold without any remolding as he instead relies on paint applications for the costume detail. At the very least, the boots, gloves, and head are distinguishably Captain America.
Speaking of his head, the sculpt is the same as it was on the original Wolf Cap, with some finding it to be too wide on him and others finding it appropriate for his larger stature. It's not a bad look, though the Ultimate Cap figure from around 2013 did get its head reused in this mold's Secret Wars version on the 2016 Abomination wave...it looked pinheaded compared to the current head we have here. Cap's articulation is of the norm, with a ball-jointed head and a neck hinge, shoulders that move front and back very well yet hinge in and out with a bit of limitation, bicep swivels, double-jointed elbows, wrist swivels and hinges, ab crunch that clicks at 3 points, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, double bends at the knees, boot swivels, and feet that hinge up and down as well as pivot side to side. His iconic shield, which thankfully has some subtle sculpt work compared to the Wolf Cap release, can be clipped on either arm with its C-joint clip for a traditional look.
Alternatively, his shield can either be placed on an alternate hand where he uses a whoosh effect for his iconic shield throw, on his open grip hands for a different method of holding it (maybe pre-sling?), or it can be pegged on his back for storage, which Cap commonly did when he's not in battle. The shield-throwing hand originally came with the Secret War version with the hand colored in blue, while the Wolf Cap release came with shield straps meant to go on his torso when the shield was on his back but they sucked at staying in.
Up next, we have Falcon! This guy isn't the 1:1 comic accurate design many fans would hope from the 70s, nor was he ever made as a pre-Legends ToyBiz figure, but he's still pretty good. This is a repaint of the Joe Fixit-wave version of the character, and it uses the Sunfire mold we last saw on this site in the form of the retro Fantastic Four wave Firelord. As a more recent Legends figure, Falcon aims to homage not the green and orange look (which is fine by me), nor does it aim to be like the same design as it was since Captain America #144. While the JF version is based on the look he had in Captain America & The Falcon: Disassembled, this look is based on his appearance from Captain America #170. Also, good luck looking up comic history because of the MCU dick-riding done by the internet this past decade. The suit details are represented as paint apps, though some are better applied than others, especially where the surface area of the musculature is concerned. One thing I should mention is that the arms are pinless to accommodate the new slits for the wings on the arms, though the legs still have the same pins. And he has a hole in his back to give him his flight stand.
His head sculpt is luckily better done than the suit's details, and I like the stoic look on this mask compared to, say, the way it looked on the 2015 Hawkeye figure from the AllFather BAF wave. He looks just as determined as Captain America, and with a smaller head that fits this leaner body frame. His articulation is the same as Cap's, though with slightly better range given said leaner body, and his arms have butterfly joints to help him pose with his wings better. Said wings come as slightly translucent in reference to the Wakandian upgrade he received along with his suit, which can slot into the arms and allow elbow articulation to remain unaffected. That being said, WHERE THE FUCK IS REDWING?!
Comparing these releases to the Red Onslaught-wave Cap and Joe Fixit-wave Falcon, the original version of Cap had slightly darker colors, a shield without raised details, alternate saluting and pointing hands, a werewolf head, no chest deco, the cape for Onslaught, and the useless chest straps. Falcon's design feels plain, with the white only being visible from the pecs up while the arms and the rest of the suit are almost all red, though the gauntlets are gold while the hands are red. Still, no Redwing, though he does have Joe's left arm.
Seeing Cap and Falcon together kind of showcases how far back I haven't seen the Retro line of figures for a good while apart from Spider-Man back in the late 2010s. Much like that Spidey, the accessories were limited, and the approach in being retro-accurate varied. Captain America seems more faithful than Spidey, though I know that the 80th Anniversary Cap (based on Alex Ross), as well as the Legends 20th Anniversary Cap (based on ToyBiz), are much better offerings than this version of Mr. USA. Falcon does have a few more benefits thanks to his wings and alternate hands, though I do wish he still had a Falcon that can perch on his shoulder if you gave it a clear part that pegged in the back. If you get them both at cheap prices (especially since the other Caps are harder to obtain in the aftermarket), then you'll be pretty content.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for both
No comments:
Post a Comment