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Review of Captain Action Iron Man & Wolverine action figures
Round 2
Date Published: 2013-01-13
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3
out of 4
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Introduction
The third wave of Captain Action costume sets is now out, after rolling over a few bumps in the road. The Wolverine
and Iron Man sets were originally scheduled to come out in a standard version, available at Toys R Us, as well as a deluxe
version, available online at a higher cost with more extras, including the BAF pieces to complete the Hawkeye set.
However, the deluxe sets were dropped, and replaced by these new basic sets. These will be available at Toys R Us AND online
shops, and they will include the Hawkeye pieces so you can finish up the suit.
There's also a new Captain Action base figure released with them, in case you missed out the first or second time around.
This one has fewer accessories, but comes in at a great price point - just $20 each.
While you probably know all about the good Captain, I did include a couple photos of him, as well as mentioning some of the
differences with previous releases. The main focus of this review is the two new costume sets, designed to be worn by the
Captain.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
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Packaging - ***1/2
These are collector friendly boxes that can be opened without damage. There are a couple unique plastic ties, but these can
be removed and replaced very easily.
The boxes are also appropriately sized, with very little waste, and they should store easily for the MIBers. The graphics
and style are reminiscent of the old boxes, with cool comic based artwork.
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Sculpting - Iron Man, CA ***1/2; Wolverine ***
The sculpting on Cap remains pretty much the same, but I have to reiterate that I really like the smirk. They put greater
detail into this modern day face and hair, but didn't go so far over board as to lose the feel of the original.
Wolverine has a rough hewn jawline, with the exaggerated comic book styling. The size of the mask is much improved, fitting
the head far better this time around.
Iron Man's mask is also much improved, and is sharply defined and edged. I'm particularly impressed with how well they hid
the seam between the front piece and back piece, making it look like one solid helmet.
Because of the underlying head, it is a bit rounder in shape than the actual traditional yellow and red helmet - you can
tell the difference right from the box art. But taking into the constraints of the medium here, they did a pretty good job
getting the right look.
These are slightly smaller than most modern day sixth scale figures, coming in just a bit over 11 1/2" tall in their mighty
boots.
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Paint - Iron Man ***1/2; Wolverine, CA ***
The paint work on the Iron Man mask and torso armor looks terrific - clean, consistent and with almost no slop. There's a
little bit of paint bleed into the mask eyes, but it's very, very minor.
The work on the Captain himself is good, especially with the eyes, lips and hair. This isn't a $200 figure, and isn't going
to have the kind of production paint ops of one. But what's here is fairly clean, and there's no silly lipstick or wonky
eyes.
I really like his sly look, with both eyes looking off slightly to his left. It works well with the sculpted smirk.
Wolverine has a bit of a gloppy look to the skin tone on the mask, but the rest of the work is very clean, particularly the
black and yellow on the mask.
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Articulation - CA ***
Since the Iron Man and Wolverine suits are just that - suits - there's no 'articulation' score. But it's worth talking about
the basic Cap, since that's who will be wearing the gear.
This is one of the areas where Round 2 really upped the ante when compared to the original version. While the 60's body was
excellent for the time, they've given him far more joints, and all of them useful. Check back with my
original review of the Captain to see a nude shot of the new body.
I did have one issue here that held him back from a higher score. As I worked with him, swapping outfits and shooting
photos, I noticed that the knees got progressively looser. Nekkid he couldn't even stand, but in the costumes he was still
alright, since the tall boots and tight uniform kept them from buckling. Still, they need to tighten up the body overall in
the future.
You could swap these onto a TrueType or other body, but go with something that's a) a little shorter than usual (these are
under 12" tall) and b) something on the more slender side. For example, one of the muscular TrueTypes would be much too big
to work.
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Accessories - ***
While the Iron Man and Wolverine sets don't have any other character specific accessories (other than the suit pieces
themselves), they do have the extra Hawkeye pieces. Iron Man comes with the very cool Hawkeye mask, and Wolverine comes
with the arm and wrist bands. That finishes up the Hawkeye build-a-figure started last year.
The basic Captain Action doesn't have as many accessories as the deluxe set, but he does have the critical pieces - the
hat, gun and belt. I really like the belt closure here, unlike the other two belts, but more on that in the next category.
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Outfit - ***
Both of these outfits would have scored another half star if not for one consistent issue.
The Captain's outfit is one we've already seen, but I think they've improved the tailoring. The arms seem a bit longer,
reaching all the way to the hands in most poses, and the overall fit is more natural.
He also has the big boots, belt and hat. While the boots are a bit over sized, I think the look works for him, and the hat
is actually an excellent fit. His belt has a post/hole closure that works great, and stays in place.
The Iron Man costume includes the helmet and torso armor, both of which are two piece, a front and back. These snap
together almost seamlessly, and I didn't have any fear of breakage or damage when putting them on or taking them off.
The torso armor did pop loose under the arms occasionally while I was working with him, but it snaps back together
tightly. I'm very happy that they went with the hard plastic helmet, rather than a rubber version.
He also has his rubbery boots, gloved hands, and red belt. The boots and hands fit on easily enough, but it's the belt that
really bugs me.
The buckle has a small strap that is supposed to fit inside the buckle. It doesn't do it particularly well, nor does it
stay in place once you manage to close it.
Iron Man's final costume piece is the underlying body suit. It's made of the stretchy Lycra arms and legs, with a shiny
pleathery torso. The entire thing is a tight fit over the wide hips and shoulders, but both materials stretch enough to make
it. Once on, it looks great, and is very well tailored.
Pretty much the same can be said for Wolverine's costume. There is the mask (this one is a rubbery mask, not the two piece
hard plastic style of Iron Man) that includes the lower face sculpt. Unlike some of the first wave masks, I think they've
done a much better job getting the scale within reason. They are still a little over sized, since this is a guy with a
normal sized head wearing a helmet or mask, but neither one of these suffers from the bobble headed look of earlier costumes
like Captain America.
Wolverine's suit is the older style of course, sans sleeves. Both suits close in back with Velcro, rather than snaps, and
it holds fairly well.
Wolverine's boots and hands swap on easily enough, but his belt has the same annoying problem as Iron Man's. The silly,
tiny strap just doesn't stay in place inside the buckle, making it a bit frustrating.
While I don't mind the over sized nature of the boots on all three, it is a bit annoying that they can't stay flat on the
ground in stances. It's not something you really expect at this price point, but it's worth pointing out.
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Fun Factor - ***1/2
Any kitbasher will tell you how much fun you can have putting together a new character from parts. Captain Action was the
first to recognize this, and they created a competitive advantage with Marx and Hasbro during the 60's using this concept.
It's still as much fun today as it was back then, particularly if you're six years old.
Sadly, too many parents will buy those un-articulated
lumps of crap Hasbro is producing for the Star Wars and Hasbro lines right now, when they could spend another five
bucks or so and get a great action figure like Captain Action.
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Value - ***
You can't get much for $20 these days, and certainly less in the sixth scale arena. Better yet, shop around and you may find
these for closer to $15 each, and that's a steal.
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Things to Watch Out For -
When you mix a Lycra type material and Velcro, you really have to be careful. The Velcro can snag on the suits, and even
cause runs in the material if you're not careful.
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Overall - Iron Man ***1/2; Wolverine, CA ***
These are clearly a nostalgia based toy, like the retro Mego figures or over sized Star Wars figures. If you never played
with these as a kid, or have no real interest in actual toys (rather than figures made to be collectibles first), then these
aren't for you. You'll have as much us for them as a fish has for a bicycle.
But for the adult collector that remembers the originals fondly, these releases are great. They can pick up costumes for a
pittance, and actually display them (or better yet, give them to their kids to play with) without fear of damaging some
ridiculously expensive vintage version.
Personally, I think the key to doing a new release of a retro figure is improving on the basics while remaining true to the
concept. While the sculpting, articulation, and overall costume quality has improved, they have kept these fun and remained
consistent with the overall old school idea, right down to their selection of the classic superhero costume designs.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***/2
Sculpting - Iron Man, CA ***1/2; Wolverine ***
Paint - Iron Man ***1/2; Wolverine, CA ***
Articulation - CA ***
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - Iron Man ***1/2; Wolverine, CA ***
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
-
has the two suits for just $16 each.
- Entertainment
Earth has them for $20 each, including this wave 3 CA.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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