Thursday, March 17, 2022

Marvel Legends Captain America 2-pack review

Captain America has been here and there since the beginning of Marvel Legends, and especially ever since he made his debut in the MCU in 2011. Like, it's guaranteed that Captain America would get a new figure in any movie that's associated with him, or on a special occasion that celebrates a Marvel-related milestone. So while it's no surprise that we'd get a figure of him right after a previous version, it was unexpected that the Sam Wilson version of Captain Falcon would receive a figure very soon within the timeframe that The Falcon & Winter Soldier came out, remember when that got hyped up before people talked about What If before people talked about Loki before people talked about-you know the rest. So anyways, let's take a look at a re-release 2-pack consisting of the last time Steve Rogers was Captain America and the first time Sam Wilson took the mantle.


Here we have Captain America, which is a re-release of the Endgame Thanos BAF wave released a while back, which appears to be a cleaner version of the Worthy Cap figure put out in Walmart. It is also Mjolnir-less, which sucks because as much as I didn't like Endgame, that was a pretty solid event for the movie. I also have to comment on the way the suit looks, which is a step up from the Captain America suits we got from 2012 to Civil War. I like the classic war-inspired helmet combined with the modern suit details and the militaristic feel that gives him a tactical appearance. I think previous Captain America figures were a little too skinny, which is pretty parallel with the body frame that Chris Evans has, but this one feels a little more appropriate for the in-universe character. As far as paint apps are concerned, the white, red, and silver are applied on well, as are the other details like the straps on his torso. I don't like how the skin is painted on the hands, both because of the lack of proper alignment or the skin color being a little too pink compared to the skin color of his head.


Speaking of, the head sculpt looks very nicely done, being a step up from previous figures by using the face-scan technology to make the toy look like Chris Evans in the flesh, and the use of the eye paint apps and the subtle paint used for the lips helps that, too. Thankfully, the details of the chin guard are painted on smoothly, and the A, as well as the wings on the helmet, are aligned properly. Captain America's articulation is the same as before, with the head looking left and right on the ball joint as well as up and down on the neck hinge. The shoulders can move front and back and in and out. There is a bicep swivel, and there are double-jointed elbows; both hands can swivel, but one hinges up and down as intended for the now-missing Mjolnir accessory while the other does traditionally hinge in and out. The torso has an ab crunch and the waist can swivel. The hips can move front and back, in and out; there are thighs swivel, there are double-jointed knees, lower leg rotation, the feet hinge front and back as well as pivot. His shield can slide over any of his arms, and it is denoted as his by the fact that the silver ring has no extra lining. His alternate civilian head can be swapped, which looks quite a lot like Chris Evans while also resembling a bit of Rick Astley and maybe Chris Hansen.


For a comparison with a previous Captain America, which is the Civil War 3-pack version that came with an equally battle-damaged Iron Man and a newly made Spider-Man. I think I like the proportions, shield, and suit detailing of the Endgame Cap figure far more than I do the 2016 figure, which makes even more sense with the older figure having loose hip joints in terms of the structure not being sturdy. I do like that he has both clenched fists, though. The actor likeness especially rings true for the new figure better resembling Chris Evans, while the older one looked more like a mix between a US Navy commander and John Cena.


And now we have Sam Wilson, once known as The Falcon and teammate of Captain America and then the Winter Soldier, now donning the shield and a new outfit that meshes his and the iconography of Captain America. I'll be honest and say that some parts of the suit looks fine while other parts of the suit look a little incoherent with the color placement. It's not bad the more you look at it, but it can be a little distracting. Thankfully, the suit details are nicely sculpted and/or painted while the sculpt itself has a different body frame that fits Sam Wilson's. I think the silver used for the forearm guards, gloves, and boots help add a bit of durability to the suit that helps him with any combat needs compared to the other parts of the suit, though the hands aren't really ready for combat so far.


Head sculpt is very nicely done, with the eyes of the face still being visible underneath the ruby red visor. The mask, while a little reminiscent of Frozone, does capture the elements of Cap and Falc combined into a single character design, and the hair he has in addition to his beard generally look good together. His articulation is the same with Endgame Cap and just about a handful of Marvel Legends with the right hands being the only difference. Oh, and he can have either splayed-open hands or fists. His shield is different from Cap's in terms of the additional sculpted details that Cap's lacks.


The backpiece can attach to the hold in-between his shoulders so you can display the retracted wings, which are part of a BAF wave that consisted of figures from WandaVision, The Falcon & Winter Soldier, and Loki. It would be cool for people to get those wings if they never got the Disney+ wave, but then again, they may not want to make those releases irrelevant too soon, especially with the case of Cap already being a release that co-existed with a new Thor. The Sam Wilson head looks like Anthony Mackie when he isn't being a prick IRL, which does say something.


And that sums up the Captain America 2-pack. Honestly, this set is nothing that exciting if you already own the figures from the single releases since they came with the BAF parts in addition to other figures that bigger MCU fans would get a kick out of. I'm not as much of a big MCU fan as much as I used to be, even though I do want to see the good shows and movies win to spite Warner Bros, but I do kind of like the Endgame Cap suit as well as the character Sam Wilson became in TF&WS, so this set was a solid enough purchase as someone that didn't get either release. In fact, I don't think I got to see any updated Endgame or Disney+ Marvel shows at my local Walmart since all I saw were a few from Shang-Chi, and at least one sighting of the No Way Home stuff, and a crapton of Eternals Legends warming pegs to this day. I do wish they had a few more accessories, or at least give Cap another pair of hands that aren't a sign that he used to come with Mjolnir.


Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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