Marvel Select Enlists a New Captain America Action Figure

Marvel Select and Disney Stores team up for another exclusive 7″ action figure, inspired by the star spangled Avenger’s modern comic book costume.

Over the past two years, Marvel Select has released a slew of really great 7″ action figures, both to specialty retailers and a sub-line of figures exclusive to Disney Stores.  The first exclusives of 2016 are starting to hit Disney’s shelves now, delivering a classic Black Panther and an all new modern(ish) Captain America, designed as a partner to Marvel Select’s paramilitary-style Winter Soldier (who’s getting re-released alongside his new allies).

Like that figure, this new Cap is sculpted with a realistic aesthetic and a uniform with plenty of combat-ready details, such as the web gear on our hero’s chest and his baggy fatigue pants and leather-like boot spats.  But this Cap doesn’t stray too far into realism, and the very nice sculpt still conveys his super-human musculature and proportions just underneath his costume.

Cap includes a very good range of motion, including a ball jointed neck, ball shoulders, hinged elbows and wrists, two swivels in the torso, double hinged hips and knees, thigh and shin swivels, and hinged ankles.  While the ab joint on my figure is restrictively tight (aggravated by the slightly too-short straps of the web gear, which cause Cap’s belt to hike up too high), the rest of the figure sports a really nice range of motion.

The paint work on this figure is a mixed bag.  He features a great color pallet, and there is a great, subtle weathering effect applied to much of the figure that lends to the realistic aesthetic of the design.  But the line work is really hit-or-miss, in a truly confusing way.  The smaller work, like the stars on Steve Rogers’ shoulders, are very well rendered, but the larger chest stars have been chipped or off center on each figure I have seen in person.  Many also seem to suffer from crooked forehead “As” and some slop around the eye holes of the mask, which is truly a shame because the intricate work on Steve’s eyes and face are very nice.

One thing that didn’t leave me at all conflicted were Cap’s accessories.  His shield is great, cast in a nice firm plastic which feels sturdy and prevents warping.  There is a matte finish on the weapon, which makes this version seem unique next to the many, glossier iterations we’ve seen with past toys.  The shield features two well-secured rubber straps which fit Steve’s forearm well enough to hold poses with minimal effort.

Even cooler though is the environmental display base packed with this figure.  A long-time staple of the Marvel Select series, the best of these display bases offer a mini-diorama that fits the character’s there perfectly, and Cap’s battle-worn half wall, complete with a Hydra insignia, sets the perfect backdrop for the hero to engage in his latest battle with his most notorious enemies.  The piece features a great sense of scale, standing about 8″ tall, and sports the same realistic sculpting and paint apps that make this Steve Rogers figure really come to life.

Marvel Select’s new Captain America is available now, alongside Black Panther and the reissued Winter Soldier.  All three are available at Disney Stores nationwide, as well as DisneyStore.com.  If your heart lies in the comic book roots of Cap and the other Marvel heroes, the wonderful figures being released by Marvel Select can most definitely enhance your collection with their unique scale, perfectly playable levels of articulation, and a focus on detail and realism not seen in many other comic book toys in this size.