As he leads the Mezco charge into their Marvel One:12 Collective line, Captain America picks up his second release just before Thanksgiving. Let’s take a look at how he stacks up to his exclusive predecessor.
Captain America made an interesting departure from the standard Mezco packaging this summer with his very pretty, albeit somewhat unnecessary, cookie tin, so this version returns us to the regular boxes we’re used to seeing, which relieved some of those shipping costs.
I’ve heard some criticisms about Cap’s box being a little plain, but I dig it. It still has the slipcover, but this one isn’t transparent. The magnetic flap now wraps around the side of the box as well, but otherwise, this is about the standard fare. There’s been a few shots of the smaller box for Daredevil, which might be a welcome change.
Now, as far as figures go, Cap is very much akin to the SDCC version. Which means he has the same pros and the same major con — dose boots.
As I mentioned in the SDCC Cap review, the ankle joints are not the greatest. It is possible to work them and “rehab” them to get some range, but it’s still not where they should be.
Rather than just whine about them in another review, I decided to test out some alternatives. Sure, having to mod expensive figures is kinda obnoxious, but where everything else hits the right notes for me, and Legends figures get pretty cheap on Amazon these days, what the hell. I did the same for SDCC Cap (talked about it on the forums a little), but it’s very easy and reversible, should you want to swap out his boots. For the standard, I just used the Ultimate Cap’s boots, with a little bit of dremeling: I made a slight cone inside and drilled new peg holes. Then just heated them up and popped them on. The height is very close, maybe just slightly taller.
But the enjoyment of the figure is much improved. And it looks like the following figures have corrected this, so hopefully this is just a Cap thing and I won’t have to do this again.
Anyway, the shared gloves and boots are joined by a new uniform with completely different materials. This one is less stretchy and more uniform-y, with looser pants.
The chainmail is also a new design, and he’s got a mock collar. The color is very similar to the PX Batman’s, which makes it hard for me to choose which I like better. And, of course, there’s a new masked head, with slightly sculpted wings on the sides. This one is very cinematic, and while it still looks like the same guy under either mask, it makes this one a very good stand-in for a movie Cap.
This also means the same accessories: three extra sets of hands, a Steve head, two grenades, a fighting knife, a baggy, and one of those display stands I keep in the box. Ditto for the articulation, which, for the most part, is fantastic. One minor change that is a major plus for me, though — the harness in leather colors looks much, much cooler than the original’s blue. If you need specifics, I go into more detail on the initial review here.
There is one upgrade over the SDCC figure that might be a bit of a downgrade for me: the shield. Standard Cap’s is done in this really sharp metallic paint. It looks excellent.
But when you drop it, and you will, it chips easily. So I might give him one of my many extra Cap shields instead and save the damage, even though I do like the magnet gimmick. Or I might give him the SDCC’s — that’s why he’s using a Legends shield in some of these pics.
So let’s say you’re less of a sucker than me and you want a Cap, but can do just fine with one. Which should you go for?
Well, unless the darker blue is a make-or-break, I would say the standard version is definitely the best bang for your buck. Other than the boots and shield business, this is easily one of the best Caps to come out in a decade of great Cap figures, in either version. But with the same accessories at a nearly $30 cheaper price, this is the Cap to head up your Mezco Marvels — and help you afford some of his friends to join him.
