Review III: Captain America: The First Avenger 12-inch Figure by Hot Toys

First we checked out the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine box packaging and contents (posted earlier HERE)

Then there was Hot Toys Captain America in full gear, with his shield and weapons (as seen in the previous post) as seen in the 2011 "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie

NOW here are some action poses of 12-inch Captain America by Hot Toys :) The first picture is of Captain America throwing his shield! Besides the pair of fists that comes with the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Captain America 12-inch superhero figure, seven (7) more interchangeable gloved palms are included: One (1) pair of palms for holding shield, One (1) pair of palms for wielding shield, One (1) right palm for holding gun, One (1) pair of relaxed palms.

I remembered watching Captain America cartoon on television when I was much younger and the theme song still rings in my head :) It goes like this - When Captain America throws his mighty shield, All those who chose to oppose his shield must yield. If he’s led to a fight and a duel is due, Then the red and white and the blue’ll come through, When Captain America throws his mighty shield.

Do note that the transparent figure stand DOES NOT come with the Hot Toys Captain America 12-inch collectible figure. The figure stand included is a black version with name plate and movie logo. The particular stand I'm using for posing Cap is from Medicom Toys. IMHO The transparent stand looks better and is less obvious when putting the figures in their poses.

According to wikipedia, Chris Evans said he declined the part of Steve Rogers / Captain America three times before signing a six-picture deal with Marvel, explaining that, "At the time, I remember telling a buddy of mine, 'If the movie bombs, I'm f**ked. If the movie hits, I'm f**ked! I was just scared. I realized my whole decision-making process was fear-based, and you never want to make a decision out of fear. I can't believe I was almost too chicken to play Captain America".

He ultimately agreed to the role, saying, "I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now, and it's a fun character.... I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He's a great guy. Even if it [were] just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. So it wasn't necessarily about the comic itself."

Regarding the extent of the character's abilities Evans remarked, "He would crush the Olympics. Any Olympic sport he's gonna dominate. He can jump higher, run faster, lift stronger weight, but he can be injured. He could roll an ankle and be out for the season. He's not perfect, he's not untouchable."

Chris Evans had previously worked with Marvel as the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) in the Fantastic Four film series so now that he is Captain America and will soon be seen as a part of The Avengers, it would seem unlikely that The Avengers will ever meet the Fantastic Four since Steve Rogers cannot be Johnny Storm anymore.

Hot Toys has endeavored to stay true to the film and be as movie-accurate as possible in producing this 1/6 scale Captain America12-inch limited edition collectible figure as seen in the "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie.

Captain America's costume consist of: One (1) blue and grayish-white jacket with embossed pattern as well as stars in chest and arms, One (1) pair of gray and red suspenders, One (1) pair of blue pants, One (1) brown leather-like belt with pouches and pistol holster and One (1) pair of brown boots.

Relating Captain America's costume to a soldier's gear was a big step in making Cap look like he was there with the troops as well, fighting alongside them as a symbol for all things American in the 1940s.

In keeping closely to the iconic Marvel Comics superhero figure's costume, the stripes on his torso were changed into straps that would hold down his shoulder armor and also hold the weight of his shield when he wore it on his back. They didn't want the outfit / suit to look costume-y but functional.

Captain America might be wearing blue, white and red in the film but he still looked the part of a soldier with fabric clothes and gear as seen in WWII, albeit a little more high tech, thanks to Howard Stark (played by Dominic Cooper), the father of Tony Stark / Iron Man. You need some high tech gear if you are going to go up against Red Skull and HYDRA.

The Hot Toys 1/6 scale shield that 12-inch Captain America wields is made of plastic but electroplated to make it look like shiny metal as if made from Vibranium which is supposedly indestructible. It really looks nice and is the first thing you notice when you see this figure. Only minor issue I have is the shield's size. I wish it could have been slightly bigger.

In the film, Captain America's shield, which serves as both a defensive tool and a weapon, consisted of four types: metal, fiberglass, rubber, and CG. Prop master Barry Gibbs specified that, "We had the 'hero shield,' which was made of aluminum, for our beauty shots [and] close-up work. We then created a lighter shield that was aluminum-faced with a fiberglass back, for use on a daily basis... And then we had a stunt shield made of polyurethane, which is sort of a synthetic rubber... and we made an ultrasoft one we put on [Evans'] back, so that if there were an accident, it wouldn't hurt him."

So there you have it - Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Series MMS156 1/6th scale Captain America Limited Edition 12-inch Collectible Figurine out of the box and striking up some poses :) We probably can expect the modern version Captain America superhero figure when the Avengers movie comes out next year! Can't wait for that.