Packaging - ****
While these appear to be simple cardback/bubble packages, they are so much more than that.

First, there's plenty of personalization on each cardback. No generic cardback with a sticker here - you even get a very cool artwork version of the figure right on the front.

Second, they are completely collector friendly. The bubble wraps around the card, making it simple to pop out. The dual interior tray has a couple pieces of tape, but that's it.

And third and last, the bubble is vac-formed into a specific shape for each character. For Red Skull and Cap, it looks like his old school shield. For Thor and Loki, it looks like the head of the hammer. How cool is that!

Sculpting - ****
With some of these characters - most notably Red Skull - Hot Toys is challenged with making something serious look cute. Hard to believe how well they succeeded.

I will say that Red Skull is still a bit creepy - but his design sort of makes that impossible to avoid. Kids will know he's a bad guy without any background on the character, which is what makes it such a classic look.

The detailing on the bodies is where they really shine on this set, especially with the Iron Man, Red Skull and Loki. Small textures are included, as are buttons, buckles and insignia. Considering the small (less than 3") scale, it's very impressive.

While the Red Skull head is creepy, the Thor head is the most heroic. They've even included some stranding in the beard!

While most of the facial details are painted, they still put in a ton of work on every one of these figures. When it was possible to sculpt instead of paint, they did - look at the insignia on the top half of Tony's uniform, for an example, or the exterior of his briefcase. The amount of small detail work through out really is quite impressive.

These fit in perfectly with the other Cosbaby lines of course, but the scale also works with some Kidrobot lines, as well as some other larger block figures.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is solid, although not quite as nice as we've seen with their sixth scale figures. Of course, there realism is paramount - here, it's not.

The skin tones are good, but there is a little gloppiness or dirt in the paint. Facial details - eyebrows, mustaches, mouths, eyes - are fairly clean and even, but I'm not quite sure I'm feeling the catch lights. I would like to see what they eyes looked like without them...

Similar to the sculpt, the paint work really shines on the bodies, where very small details like buttons, snaps, mechanics, and symbols are done with precision.

I really like the metallic red on Iron Man, although it is a *little* mottled. In person it's not bad though, and with the small size much harder to notice. The silver doesn't have that issue, and of course, the silver/red color combo is great.

Articulation - ***
These little guys have pretty standard articulation for the type of figure.

There's a ball jointed neck, as well as ball jointed shoulders and hips. The wrists, ankles and waist are all cut joints. Like other figures in this style, you can take most of the various parts off and swap them around if you'd like.

I found the hips to be a tad loose on a couple of them, but it was a fairly minor issue. These aren't superposable by any means, but they can take on standard poses and the ball jointed neck allows the head to add some personality to even a basic stance.

Accessories - Thor, Loki, Cap, Tony **1/2; Red Skull, Iron Man Bupkis
One area where these fall a little short for me is in the Accessories category. Red Skull and Iron Man come with zip, while the other four only have one item each.

For Loki, that's his cool staff. The sculpt is great, and it does fit in either hand. Take a little care though, since it's a hard plastic and can snap with too much pressure. I found that sliding it into the hand  from the end works better than pushing it in from the front.

Thor has his hammer of course, and it's mighty small. I thought the handle could have been just a smidge longer and thicker. And no, that's not what she said.

Tony has his case that on screen became the MKV suit. It also can fit in either hand, and has a fairly complex red metallic paint job.

Finally, there's Cap. He has to have his shield, and he does. It can pop on his arm, and looks good in place.

When you open them up, you'll notice a small sheet of paper in a plastic baggie behind each figure. Don't get excited - it's just the warning message reminding you that these can cause a choking hazard for smaller children.

Fun Factor - ***
These are perfect for younger kids that love the characters, assuming they've seen some version of them. While the movies are generally PG-13, I'd say that the content is suitable for just about anyone, and a lot of smaller children will also have seen these characters in other cartoons.

Value - ***
In general, you should be able to find these four under $10 each, depending on the retailer. Considering the quality, I'd say that's a slightly better than average value on the current market.

Things to Watch Out For -
I noticed that a couple of the necks, especially Red Skull's, were stuck pretty tight by paint. Before you start twisting them, rock them back and forth a bit to loosen them up. The rocking motion didn't feel like it was putting too much dangerous pressure on the joint and freed things up nicely, but twisting right away might damage it.

Overall - ***1/2
I've always liked the Cosbaby series, but it's one that has to hit a license I like for me to bite. It's also a style that I think works best when it conflicts with the nature of the license. That means I like it's use here where they are interpreting adult characters better than a line like Toy Story, where they are already cute to begin with.

We're going to see a lot of merchandise for the Avengers this year, and much of the best will come from Hot Toys. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the movie delivers on all the hype and anticipation.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Thor, Loki, Cap, Tony **1/2; Red Skull, Iron Man Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
Doesn't look like any of my sponsors are carrying these, but you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Cosbaby reviews include:

- I checked out the super cute POTC4 set late last year. I also checked out one of their early sets, Batman.

- Jeff Parker has helped out with guest reviews of the Toy Story versions, Disney versions, Iron Man 2, Up, Mars Attacks, Iron Man, and Edward Scissorhands.

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