But join me after the jump and I'll tell you a bit about him as we go...
Even the box is better than the others! Far brighter and clearer and really making the most out of the iconic red, white and blue. This packaging makes me want to eat a hotdog with a bald eagle while weeping in front of an American flag...
I found the Captain America costume to be a little bit goofy in the film but I think the Hot Toys sculptors have taken some positive liberties to refine his proportions and make him a little bit heroic. Compared to the above photo of Chris Evans I also think they've given him more of a rugged jawline, but you can be the judge of that yourself when you see the figure photos below. I'm worried that if I stare at Chris Evans' mug any longer he might turn me.
The outer box is a slip case that conceals the figure inside. Although it's a window box you won't be able to see much due to the layers of plastic concealing him. He was easier to access at the end of World War II when he was encased in ice.
But this gives you a rough idea of what's included here...
As you can see he has a lot of alternative hands as well as a separate unmasked head sculpt and a fabric hood which I'll explain later. But underneath all this is a second tray which contains the greatest pair of accessories ever made. For reals!
I don't even know what these shields are made out of? Probably vibranium or adamantium or unobtainium. But they are super shiny and impressive. So much so that you can see me reflected in some of the photos. I'll state the obvious and say there's a battle-damaged version and a clean version. I haven't posed him with the battle damaged version as they are a bit of a hassle to change over. So feast your eyes on it in the above photo while you can! And the big crazy space gun in the top left corner is a piece of Chitauri weaponry from the third act battle. It's a nice touch, and we'll get more Chitauri weapons when Black Widow is released in the next few weeks.
So here's the basic figure as he appears straight out of the box...
As always he's packed with an instruction sheet warning you not to touch him in certain places, or twist him in certain places or to try to take his clothes off. I have friends who will be sorely disappointed by all of these things.
And here's a close up of the masked head to show off his finely painted pores. Yes. It is somebody's job to paint Chris Evans' pores. And he/she is damn good at the job. Promotion please!
Equally impressive from this angle. And this is a good opportunity to see all sorts of costume details that you may have missed in the movie. Like what's with those fancy earphones? What is he listening to in there? Probably Sam the American Eagle singing America the Beautiful. While eating a hamburger.
But as impressive as all this is, the real treat is the alternate unmasked head. This is where we get to see an eerily life-like grimacing Chris Evans. Seriously, it's spooky how good this is...
The fabric hood I mentioned before clips to the neck of his costume. Not entirely sure what it's intended to represent. It's obviously not part of his helmet, but does he wear it underneath like a stormtrooper to keep his hair from flopping in his eyes and messing up his shield throws? Nobody knows. It's a little ungainly to be honest, too big to wrinkle like real cloth would. I am turning this review into Project Runway. Honestly, I could talk all night about doll's clothes.
And here he is holding that Chitauri gun...
Interesting thing here... to hold the gun you have to remove his hand completely and plug his severed wrist directly into the socket. Those Chitauri marksmen sure are dedicated to their craft! It's all too much effort for me to display him like that. I'm sure if I perserved I could raise his arm up higher so the barrel was pointing out but the joints are a little tight because of the restrictive costume. But hey, we gave it a shot. Briefly.
But nobody is going to be able to go past the shield...
Once again though it does take some manoeuvring to get it on. There are two straps, one that wraps around his forearm and one that goes on his wrist. You actually have to take his hand off, slip the strap over his forearm, put the other strap in his fist and then peg his hand back on. It's fiddly and a little bit difficult which is why once it was on I left it there. Because I am a baby.
It's a shame in a way that the Chris Evans head sculpt is so good, because it makes more sense to me to display him in full costume/mask. So all that hard work is going back in the box for now (sorry pore person!). But this is still pretty great...
He's got a pointing hand too. For posing on "I want you" posters. "I want you to buy more merchandise" posters.
That shield really is super shiny. I definitely cameo in this picture...
And a few more basic poses to get a feel for him...
Subtle weight shift works well...
And here he is with the other guys released so far...
And as I said, Black Widow is next in line, hopefully by the end of the year, otherwise early next year. We're getting there slowly. All my favourite characters are still to come.
That said though, Cap turned out far better than I would have expected. Really impressed with him, especially seeing as how he's not a character I initially planned to get hold off. You've exceeded all expectations, Hot Toys. Let me take you and your pore painter out for a drink!
Now, of course, we heartily recommend our dear friends at Sideshow Collectibles for all things Hot Toys. They have Captain America on backorder so if you're keen you really don't want to hesitate to put your name on the list. You can do that here: Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series Captain America Sixth Scale Figure - The AvengersHot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series Captain America Sixth Scale Figure - The Avengers Wow. That's a crazy long link! And get in early for future Avengers releases too because they sell out pretty fast. I'm not even pretending!
More soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment