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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week
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Review of Captain America (Stealth S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit) and Steve Rogers
The Winter Soldier action figures

Hot Toys
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3.25 out of 4

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Introduction

Hot Toys is really hitting the Marvel license hard these days, and with a bevy of Age of Ultron figures coming this year, that situation won't change any time soon.

One of the best superhero movies in 2014 was Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Hot Toys released a number of figures based on the costumes and characters, and the latest is a two pack of Cap in a specific suit, with an 'alter ego' version of Steve Rogers, wearing street clothes.

There was only one way to get Steve - as a two pack. While that's rough for those that only wanted him, the price point of $340 made it a lot more attractive.

This pair is just now shipping internationally, and U.S. distributors should be getting them very soon.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Packaging - ***
This is one of those two packs that comes in a single, double wide box, rather than two individual packages.

The package is attractive, and completely collector friendly of course. Everything is neatly and safely packed within a triple layer of plastic trays, and there's nothing about this arrangement that causes issues or problems.

But it's not the most exciting box we've seen them produce, and even the interior card art is fairly pedestrian.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Sculpting - Steve ***1/2; Cap ***
Both head sculpts are very life-like, with nice skin texturing and some great work on the helmet for Cap. The textured patterns are done well, and the proportions are excellent. No bobble heads here!

I like Cap a little better than Steve, at least when it comes to getting the better Chris Evans likeness. I think that's because of the chin strap - the unmasked Rogers head has a bit too much Jay Leno jaw going on. Evans certainly has a strong jawline, but something around the chin just seems off to me. The strap tucks all that up and in, making the Cap head look a little more accurate.

That's not to say the Rogers head is bad - no way. Compare it to this photo and you'll see what I mean. They've really captured his stoic look, and it works quite well with the Cap outfit too. Let's face it, that's a big reason a lot of people bought this set - to put the Steve head on the Cap body. Thankfully, the end result looks terrific.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Paint - Steve ****; Cap ***
You want life-like? You want realistic? You know you've come to the right place. Scoring Hot Toys in this category simply isn't fair anymore.

But that doesn't mean they are always without flaw. We've seen instances of weird skin tones, and incorrect colors entirely.

Steve doesn't have issues, however. He's another fine example of a realistic portrait painted up beautifully. Skin, lips, eyes, hair line - all done just right.  He is a little more tan than I think he should be, but it's a very minor quibble.

Cap has a couple issues, but they aren't with the realism of the work on the portrait. Again, skin, eyes, lips - all spot on.

Cap's first  issue probably only relates to specific figures, as is often the case with quality miss-steps. Mine has a weird damaged spot on the top of the helmet, where it looks like the paint was touched while it was still wet. It's obvious even in person, and is in a very distracting place. Clearly this isn't something you'll see on every figure, but a more general quality issue can become a problem if small issues like this are allowed to blossom.

Cap has a second weird paint issue, this time involving the chin strap and the leather straps on the suit.

The straps on the suit are a very dark brown, actually darker than in the film. The strap on the chin is a very light brown, lighter than in the film. Of course, in the movie they matched, and that's really the issue here - they don't match. This makes the chin strap look fake and plastic-y, out of place on a Hot Toys figure.

The work on the accessories is great, especially the various hands. The skin tone matches the face and neck, and the gloves are clean and sharp.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Articulation - Steve ****; Cap **1/2
Here's where we see a major difference between these two figures.

The Steve Rogers takes advantage of the underlying TrueType body, with all its articulation and superior design. Everything from the double ball neck to the ball ankles works cleanly, with almost no restriction.  Arm and leg poses can be extreme and dynamic, and the flow is natural and life-like. He stands great on his own, and the joints are tight enough to work with the heavy shield.

Cap isn't able to pull off the same contortions. From the waist down, he's quite good - the legs can take deep poses, and the feet can remain flat on the ground thanks to a two piece design for the boots. But the suit is so stiff, thick and tight on the upper body that it's almost a statue. You can get very little movement out of the shoulders, elbows, and torso articulation, and while he can hold the shield just fine, he won't be able to hold it very high.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Accessories - ***
If you were wishing for extra hands, then your wishes have come true - in spades.

Both figures have a whopping 4 sets of extra hands, including the ones they are wearing. There's fists and relaxed poses, there's gripping in different ways, all designed for the maximum use in poses and with the accessories. In addition, the Cap has one more hand for pointing at whomever he's about to whip.

The hands swap easily enough, but don't fall off with a slight touch. They've included extra posts for both figures, just in case.

Each figure has one additional extra, somewhat specific to their character. Cap has the 'handcuff', which is nicely painted and has an articulated closure so it's easy to put on and remove. Steve has the extra mask, perfect for certain poses (like the first photo of the review, where the Steve Rogers head is on the Cap body).

Each figure also has what amounts to their own shield.  There's a bright, shiny clean version to go with Cap, and a beat up, battle damaged version to go with Steve. Of course, you can actually use either with either, and there's an included clip to make it easy to attach one of them to the back of Cap.

Both figures have a display stand, although neither really require it. I know some folks like them for consistency, and for ensuring they remain upright on high shelves.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Outfit - Steve ***1/2; Cap **1/2
I've already mentioned outfit issues as part of the Articulation section, but that carries over here as well.

Cap is wearing his Stealth S.T.R.I.K.E. Suit, and I love the boots. They are two piece, an upper and a foot, which allows the ankles to have a terrific range of movement.

However, the upper body of the costume is very, very thick and stiff. The quality of the stitching is still great, but the stiff, rough feel of the material hurts your overall impression of the outfit.

It also doesn't help that there's some minor inaccuracies with the outfit, based on the on screen look. It's not major, but the cumulative effect hurts.

Steve doesn't have those problems. He's wearing his worn jeans, lightweight jacket, and white t-shirt. A terrific boot sculpt and leather belt finishes off the look. They even added a little padding around the middle to smooth out the look of the shirt. It might be a simple costume, but it's well done and very effective.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Fun Factor - ***
While Cap isn't the most poseable, the average collector will still have a good time finding that perfect look for the pair. And while these aren't traditional toys, they can certainly withstand normal handling and even basic play.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Value - ***
At a price point of $340 for the pair, you're paying $170 each. That's full retail, and I'm betting you can do a little better than that at some retailers. Considering the average price for any single release from Hot Toys these days is $220 - $240, that's a decent deal.

Some of this is offset by the basic nature of the accessories and costume issues, but if we could get all our figures for under $200, the collecting life would certainly be better.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. There's some of the usual warnings within the instructions, but this pair is pretty sturdy overall.

The instructions also have a very good suggestion for getting the shield in place on the arms. Place one of the detached gripping hands on the smaller belt on the back of the shield, then insert the arm through the other, larger loop and push the hand into the wrist.

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Overall - Steve ***1/2; Cap ***
I don't know about you, but the driving force for me to get this set was to have an unmasked Cap in his latest uniform. Now that I have it, I'm not completely sure I'm going to go that route.

I really like the Rogers figure, and there's something to be said about alter ego looks. Mixing him in with Bruce Banner and Agent Coulson is going to look good on the shelf, and add another non-combat outfit to the display.

It also helps that the masked Cap looks damn good as well. While I'm disappointed that the upper body had very little posability (and there are some accuracy issues with the outfit), the overall impression is solid. This guy fits in great with the rest of the modern Avengers, where he'd be more likely to be wearing the mask.

Decisions, decisions - it's nice to see that Hot Toys produced a pair of figures that are both good enough to create the conundrum for me. Now if we can get a few more figures at a sub $200 price point...I'd be happy to pony up for more two packs if that's what it takes.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Cap ****; Steve ***1/2
Paint - Steve ****; Cap ***
Articulation - Steve ****; Cap **1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - Steve ***1/2; Cap ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***
Overall - Cap ***; Steve ***1/2

Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has them for just $330.

- Sideshow Collectibles has the pair for $340.

- has it for $340.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
If you're looking for other figures to go with these guy, check out the Winter Soldier, Red Skull, Black Widow (I'll be checking out her latest version next week as well), Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Hulk, or Bruce Banner. There's about a million Iron Men choices, but I'd suggest the die cast MK42 that I'll be reviewing soon as well.

Hot Toys has also done a fair share of Captain America versions, but this is still one of my favorites.

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Hot Toys Captain America/Steve Rogers two pack action figures

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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