Hey there, thanks for checking out Dan's ToyBox. I know the Infinity Saga figures were released a couple of months ago but with everything else going on, I'm just getting to my reviews of those I picked up. Admittedly, I missed out on the Stealth Suit Captain America from way back in the Winter Soldier wave. With that in mind, I decided to grab this version. I know it's a repaint, but thankfully, Hasbro updated the head sculpts to the photo-real versions. I'm also reasonably certain the masked head is the same as the Worthy Cap version. Either way, it's nice to have the stealth suit in hand and I'm fairly pleased with it.
In the movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Captain America, portrayed by Chris Evans, dons a stealth suit that serves a crucial role in the film's narrative. The suit makes its first appearance during a mission where Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, embark on a covert operation. The stealth suit is designed to enhance stealth and infiltration capabilities, allowing Captain America to operate discreetly and avoid detection. The suit differs from Captain America's traditional red, white, and blue costume. Instead, it features a sleek, dark blue design with a muted star emblem on the chest. The color scheme and streamlined appearance contribute to its effectiveness in stealth missions, where blending into the shadows and maintaining a low profile are essential.
Accessories 4/10
The inclusion of both a masked and an unmasked head sculpt is a thoughtful touch, allowing collectors to choose between the iconic helmeted look or Steve Rogers' determined face. The standout accessory is the stealth-painted shield, replicating the memorable scenes from "The Winter Soldier" movie. The shield is well-detailed with accurate paint applications, providing a striking visual appeal. Unfortunately, the big difference between this and the previous release, outside of the photo-real head sculpts is the lack of alternate hands. The original version came with a saluting hand and a finger pointing hand. Sadly, this one only comes with a pair of fists. I really can't think of any reason why extra hands were left out. The lack of versatility lowers the score considerably.
Appearance 8.5/10
The figure's appearance is a testament to Hasbro's commitment to capturing intricate details. The sculpt of the costume is faithful to the movie design, showcasing the stealth suit's subtle textures and fine detailing. The paint applications are clean, with the matte finish on the suit effectively conveying the stealthy aesthetic. The facial sculpts, both masked and unmasked, exhibit a high level of likeness to the character, enhancing the overall visual appeal of the figure. After looking at pictures of the previous release and comparing them to this, it does appear that the paint on this suit is actually darker. The previous version's details tend to "pop" more, but this, having a muted look helps convey the stealth design much better. I also appreciate the brown wash detail in his hair. The blonde is a bit too bright, but the wash helps give it depth and tones the yellow down somewhat. At first, I was upset over what I thought was a scuff to the paint on his left shoulder. Then, after examining it more closely I realized that is actually the design. That's also when I noticed the "Rogers" printed on the shoulder as well. I have to admit, I'm impressed. This is a level of detail I'm not generally used to seeing from Hasbro. They did a really nice job on this figure.
Articulation 7.5/10
Marvel Legends engineering continues to be a conundrum to me. We see Hasbro absolutely crush articulation with the G.I. Joe and Power Ranger lines, but with Star Wars and Marvel, it's almost an afterthought. I would expect that all of their toylines would consistency in terms of engineering. I think that my biggest issues are the stiff joints that seem to be plaguing Legends lately. When I got this figure out of the box, he took a hot water dip because his shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles were all very tight. I've continued to work them, to loosen them up, but the ankles and shoulders continue to have issues. Starting at the top though, let's go through everything. Both head sculpts sit on a ball hinge, which allows for decent up and down looking. There are no issues turning side to side, but there is no tilt at all. The shoulders will rotate a full 360 degrees and can raise out to a nice T pose. There are no butterfly joints on this buck, so you'll have no forward/backward rotation. The bicep swivels work fine, and this Cap has the old double-jointed elbows, with pins. They do bend in fairly well though. Both fists can hinge and swivel. Cap only has an upper diaphragm hinge, which allows for better than average forward crunch. Unfortunately, bending him backward looks terrible. The sculpt does NOT continue up, underneath the hinge, so you're left with a pregnant looking flat plane. The waist does have a swivel, but there is no lower abdomen joint to aid in crunching poses. The hips on this figure are absolutely terrible. I wasn't able to get him to do a split much past 30 degrees as the pivot point isn't set properly at the hip joint. He will kick forward to almost parallel with the table surface. The upper thigh cuts are fine, and the double-jointed knees bend in good enough, but the design of his calves' limits how far the knees will bend. There is a boot cut for swivel, and the ankles do have decent pivot, and hinge motion. They are just very tight, requiring continually movement to loosen them.
Affordability 7/10
Considering the the attention to detail in sculpt and paint applications, this is a very good-looking figure at the normal retail price of $25.99. I had to chuckle a bit because I saw it listed on eBay for $84 and I'm trying to figure out why anybody would pay that much when they can order it from BBTS at regular retail. Unfortunately, the minimal accessories, no matter how nice they are, don't justify the pricing. I know I sound like a broken record, but I just can't understand how Hasbro can load one figure with a bunch of accessories and charge regular retail, but then minimally pack a different figure and charge the same price. Fingers crossed that 2024 brings forth some sort of understandable pricing structure from Hasbro.
Regardless of my personal feelings about the figure (I do rather like it) I try to be as objective as possible. My goal is always to try to give you the best, possible objective looks at a figure I can, so that you can decide if it's one you want to own. With that in mind, though I am glad to have a Stealth Suit Cap, with the photo real head sculpts, the disappointing lack of accessories and the problems with articulation do reduce the overall grade. The Hasbro Marvel Legends Infinity Saga Stealth Suit Captain America earns:
7 out of 10 ToyBoxes
The biggest redeeming factor, honestly, is just how nice this figure looks. While I may be disappointed with the dismal accessories, this is still a really nice display piece for any MCU collection. Thanks for stopping by Dan's ToyBox and, as always, until next time... GEEK OUT!!!