A Hot Toys figure I never really considered getting was the 2012 Avengers Captain America from the Endgame line. It looked nicer, but I didn't put much thought into it because I figured at most, it would be a quick cash grab, just reusing parts from the first release that, as far as I know, didn't exactly sell that well.
Between looking at some photos that showed highlighted some of the cosmetic differences, and luckily having access to that elusive Western New York State market, I ended up buying one for a good price, though sadly it's not Hong Kong good price.
But then again we have the room to display them, so I guess that's a plus.
So in terms of content, the 2012 version of Captain America is actually pretty straight forward:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 1 x Helmeted Sculpt
- 1 x Shield
- 1 x Sceptre
- 1 x Carrying Case
- 7 x Gripping/Posing Hands
- 1x Base/Stand
Pretty much everything from the segment where the team revisits the Battle of New York, with the exception of a second figure for Antman to admire the ass on.
Because this version of Cap didn't have the strap on the back to mount the shield, no hook comes with this figure so you'll pretty much be holding it all the time if you choose to display it.
So originally I had thought that the new version was simply the original Avengers figure but with a new head. Turns out I was very much wrong about that, as this is a complete top to bottom glowup. Heads aside, the uniform and the underlying body itself are new. The body makes sense, as the base Captain America body changed ever since Civil War. It is taller than original body, and while I can't comment on its proportion, suit and all, I can say that the newer body actually has ankles and uses a two part boot.
With regards to the uniform itself, first off you'll notice the colour change. I don't mind it, but some aren't too happy that the colour was lightened from the original one and the movie itself. Material used for the new outfit is the stiffer nylon fabric rather than the much softer material used on the older version, which is more prone to fraying and generally being damaged by friction. The hoodie part is not longer there, though it didn't feature into the on screen versions anyway. Boots are two part as mentioned above. Tailoring, overall, is much tighter to the body. Overall, the uniform is, unsurprisingly, not exactly easy to manipulate and while it looks good, you're really not going to be doing much posing with it, especially the legs. The two part boots, however, will assist with at least giving the figure a more natural looking standing pose.
Here's the two heads , with the newer one on top. The new one clearly resembles Chris Evans more, though I'd by lying if I said I didn't miss the facial detailing on the first sculpt. What's interesting to note is the difference in hairstyles, with the more recent Steve Rogers sporting a more modern hairstyle, whereas in the original Avengers he was still sporting that 1940s hair cut. It's probably why the Cap from that era stuck with wearing the helmet, as it was one less thing to edit out.
Here's the helmeted sculpt for the new figure. I was too lazy to get the old one out, but just take my word for it - the newer one looks more accurate to Evan's face, thought detail wise the old one still holds up.
The first shields made by Hot Toys have all pretty much suffered the same fate as mine, flaking paint and all. Overall though, the actual finish on the shield has changed, being more matte as opposed to the glossy finish of yesteryear. The straps have also changed over the years, most importantly being the clips that secure the strap to the shield. The newer one snap in place, as oppose to the older ones which have no give and are prone to breaking.
With regards to the scepter, I'm not entirely certain if it's a brand new one (as they did do another Avengers Loki), or if they reused the one from the first Loki release, but it looks nice. Carrying case is nicely detailed, though the black part seems a tad too big. The foam on the inside is a nice touch and is cut correctly.
So we've covered Articulation - it's basically not great, as always. Paint Application wise, beautiful work as always, with the greatest examples of this being the work on the face and the scepter. As with most of the live action stuff, it's usually not the quantity but rather the quality of the paint applications.
Build Quality is funny. No, nothing is falling apart, and it's not like the QC on the case was bad or anything. In this case, it's the uniform. Specifically, it looks like I got the uniform that was sewn by the child labourers who were given shots of vodka to numb their pain.
It's hard to say whether or not this is one of those FOMO pieces. It's not like the figure is hard to find, and it's one that sees discounts on a regular basis. Of course, that can be said for many of Hot Toys figures these days, though it seems most of the heavy turnover is on their Endgame figures.
But, from a product perspective the traditional strong suits of Hot Toys are present - authentic looking outfits, relevant accessories, and a recognizable sculpt (in this case, above average as I recognize it IS a Chris Evans piece). So ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you want this version of Cap on your shelves.
I say if you're a Cap fan, and can get one for a good price, you won't regret allocating the necessary space to get it into your stash.
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