Review of Captain America - The Avengers action figure
Walmart exclusive

Introduction

My favorite summer movie so far? That's so easy - the Avengers of course! I've seen others I've enjoyed, but none quite as much as the first installment of the Marvel super team.

We haven't seen great toys yet, however. We know Hot Toys will be hitting the high end hard, but not everyone can afford the prices they'll charge. There's got to be something better than the $10 itty bitty figures...

There is. Sadly, it's a Walmart exclusive, and a Walmart exclusive that's hard to find unless you get lucky. They have a set of six figures based on the film, done in 6" scale and a similar style to Marvel Legends. You won't find them at every Walmart though, or even most. I have 4 Walmarts within *reasonable* driving distance, and only one got any in. So far, I've found only Iron Man and the subject of tonight's review, Captain America. There's also a Loki, Thor, Hulk and Hawkeye out there someplace.

Expect to pay around $16 each for these if you get lucky and find them at the store. If not, you'll end up paying higher after market prices on ebay or at the local comic shop.

Packaging - ***
The package declares the exclusivity, but there's very little character personalization on the front. On the back, there's some text that's more specific, but you know how much I love it when they go the extra mile on the front.

It's not collector friendly, of course, but I wasn't really expecting that with a mass market card back/bubble package.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Solid sculpting, although the design might not be everyone's cup of tea. This is based on the new movie of course, right down to the stripes on the shoulders and lighter colored inner arms.

I'm not remembering a belt from the flick, but that may just be old age. Overall, there's plenty of detail, especially in the cool suit texture.

I wish there was a little more detail work in the face - the lips are almost non-existent, and I'm not really seeing Evans in there - but as a Avengers movie Cap, he's a nice option.

Paint - ***
While most of the paint work is fairly clean, there's enough slop to pull the score down slightly.

Most of this slop is around the sliver areas, especially on the cowl. The edges of the A and wings are pretty bad, but even the star symbol on the chest has a pretty weak edge.

Fortunately, the eyes are clean and very straight, and the red and blue sections of the costume are well done.

Articulation - ***1/2
As we've come to expect from Hasbro in their 6" superheroes, there's plenty of articulation. Some better, some worse, but lots of it either way.

The ball jointed neck is not as great this time - very little tilt action, but it does turn just fine. That's a bit of a disappointment for me, as it's a joint that I think is critical to great poses.

On the flip side, the hips are much better than usual. I'm not a huge fan of Hasbro's ball jointed hips - I much prefer the type of hinge joint that Mattel uses. That being said, this time around the balls work quite well.

Part of the reason for that is the very, very cool rocker feet. Even in the deepest stances, the rocker movement allows the feet to stay flat on the floor. That makes the ball hips, pin ankles and double pin knees work even better.

There's double pin elbows too, pin wrists, and a good torso joint, but no waist articulation. That's a bit surprising, but not a show stopper for most poses since the torso turns well.

Accessories - **1/2

There's only one real accessory - his shield. It's a nice shield, but Cap really needs some guns.

With his shield, there's always a common problem. He wears it on his arm, and on his back. How do you make the straps long enough for both? A lot of figures go with two sets, one lone and one short, but this time Hasbro decided to make the straps adjustable. It works well enough, but you'll want to take a little care to avoid tearing them from the back of the shield.

There is another accessory - his display stand. It's a series of gear-like sections with the logo and pegs for the feet. This stand will line up with the others, making a circular display, much like when they were standing in the street during the big confrontation.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
A couple of guns would have upped this guy to the full four stars, but he's a damn fun action figure even without.

Value - **1/2
I'm not sure I'm thrilled with $16 a pop for these, especially with so few accessories. But the exclusivity drives the price up, Walmart or not. Considering that most 6 - 7" figures are around $15 or so, I suppose I can go with an average score here.

Things to Watch Out For -
While the plastic seemed a little softer than usual, I didn't feel like any of the joints were at risk.

Overall - ***1/2
I wish I had the whole set - I'd probably be that much happier with Cap if I had a Thor and a Hulk for him to stand alongside. Still, this is a very good version, assuming you like the new costume. At 6", he fits in nicely with the other Marvel Legends, as well as the new Mattel Movie Masters.  Too bad the whole set is just too damn hard to find as a Walmart exclusive.

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

Where to Buy 
These are a Walmart exclusive, so that's where you'll need to hang out unless you want to go the ebay route.

Related Links -
Other Captain America reviews include the Round 2 Captain Action set, the excellent Hot Toys version, the DST version based on the first film, the figures by Hasbro, this look at him and the giant sized Skrull, this Marvel Universe version, a guest review of the Sideshow PF, a guest review of the old school 9" Hasbro version, and a guest review of the Marvel Legends version.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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