“DUDE! YOU’RE CAPTAIN AMERICA!” He says as he gets out of a van stoned to hell. Wait, wrong movie. That’s the one with Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, although Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic movie plays dangerously close to a Rogen and Rudd stereotype at times.
Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts Ant-Man is the latest release from the Captain America Civil War Series, and it turned out a thousand times better than expected. The original prototype looked like it had some seriously wide hips, something that the production figure does not have. This figure is well-designed, well-engineered, and is a lot of fun. So much fun that in our house we have a “find Ant-Man” game going on where we move him around someplace in the house in some kind of pose. We now come home, try to find him, and then move him somewhere new.
I love Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man. He’s turned it into a great character, one with a bit of depth that is interesting to watch develop on screen. Accompanied with the comic featuring Scott Lang, Ant-Man is a regular read on my digital comics.
Ant-Man is an all-new sculpt from Bandai, and the figure looks great out of the box. The sculpt is Ant-Man; however, Bandai’s engineering can make the figures look more mechanical and less organic. It’s not a terrible look, and it does give S.H. Figuarts a distinct aesthetic, one that I like. As much as I love Marvel Legends, the S.H. Figuarts Marvel figures are a lot fun and really push the limits of what can be done when messing with design and engineering.
The figure is packed with enough articulation to allow for any pose. Well, almost any pose, but he can definitely do some posing. The joints are all solid, though my figure has some tight thigh swivels. Any time I experience some tight S.H. Figuarts joints, I just zap with them some over-the-counter silicone spray or some WD-40. The figure does feature the classic S.H. Figuarts hinged crotch, allowing more movement in the hips and thighs.
For the price this figure does not come with a lot of accessories, just a mini statue Ant-Man and extra hands. The mini statue Ant-Man is small, and if you sneeze, you might lose it in the carpet. If you’ve got an N Gauge railroad set, the figure might fit in with your track layout — yes, tiny. The extra hands are “mime” hands with splayed open fingers, and, as mentioned, they allow for some awesome poses in “Fin Ant-Man.” But the lack of multiple sets of hands, other accessories, or bases is really disappointing. I’d love to have a Paul Rudd head to go on the Ant-Man body. Maybe Bandai is waiting to release that one as a Tamashii Web Exclusive.
I’m loving Ant-Man. He’s a ton of fun and looks great with the other S.H. Figuarts figures released so far. Although between Cap, Iron Man, and Ant-Man, I’m wanting a new Thor (head) and a new Hulk (head). Black Widow and Black Panther are coming out this fall, and if you are collecting Bandai’s Marvel Characters, then Ant-Man is perfect. If you aren’t, Ant-Man is still a good character to have for your Marvel Legends collection.
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Hey thanks so much for the info. I was trying to decide mostly for captain. Just both looked great and since it’s expensive can only have 1.
If you mean the MCU figures, I’d say go for Figuarts. Figma and Figuarts both look great but most of the time Figuarts is better in terms of headsculpt and playability if you consider superhero characters. Figuarts Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America look better than the Figma ones IMHO. (Figma’s usually better with anime or female characters, but they’ve been upping their game lately).
The only exception to that rule is the Hulk. Figma really nailed that sculpt better than the Figuarts version. And I’m only going by the already released Figma and figuarts figures. No telling if future Figma releases will match Figuarts.
So this ant man looks great. Is this brand better than figma? I was looking at the cap and Both look excellent but can only afford one. Any recommendations?
Argh, this is one of those I’d LOVE to have but have to pass up figures.
I just wish Figuarts weren’t so pricey. They’re definitely worth every dollar (I started collecting Kamen Rider Figuarts back when the line started out), but if you plan to collect the whole set of Avengers, it’s…a reminder that I need to get a better job at the very least. 🙁