I’ve been trying to take a more Quality over Quantity approach to collecting in 2023. The nice thing about reallocating your collecting dollars is being able to go back and complete some team lineups. The first Avengers movie never really got the Marvel Legends treatment it deserved. There was a Walmart exclusive line from 2011 that hasn’t aged well and the few times we’ve revisited that film in recent years haven’t been what I was looking for. Fortunately, I was able to snag a couple holiday deals on some S.H. Figuarts figures to round out my Avengers roster.
Avengers: Endgame Captain America Cap vs Cap Edition
That is America’s Ass. While not technically from the first Avengers movie, this gets the job done thanks to Endgame’s time travel shenanigans. Cap’s gear in the first movie was not his finest moment. I know what they were going for, but without the wings jutting out on the side of his head, it looks weird. I also recognize the absurdity of a man having wings on the side of his head, so it’s a no-win situation. Figuarts has done a nice job of translating this into figure form. You can get Cap in some great poses. The joints take some getting used to, but hold really well. In addition to the masked head, you get two unmasked heads. Early Figuarts MCU releases had head sculpts that were a bit too stylized for my taste. These heads are vastly improved and do a solid job of capturing Chris Evans’ likeness.
Captain America comes loaded out with a ton of accessories. He has more hands than I ever thought one figure could use. A nice addition is a hand holding his compass that in the movie had a small picture of Peggy Carter inside. The picture itself isn’t present, but the compass is effective. Cap also comes packed with his shield, naturally, but Figuarts have taken it to the next level by adding in a nice ricochet or bounce effect. The effect is two separate pieces and the impact effect can be used on its own to provide multiple display options. This is a great figure if you’re in the market for this version of Captain America. I highly recommend.
Avengers Nick Fury
It’s surprising that there haven’t been more Marvel Legends Sam Jackson figures. Yes, we got the de-aged Nick Fury with the Captain Marvel wave, but John Shaft with a patch is sorely in need of a rerelease. I’m all too happy to give my money to Figuarts in this case. When the figure isn’t flashy, it’s important to get the details right and that’s where Figuarts excels. Fury’s earpiece is a great example of this. It doesn’t need to be there, but the fact they took the time to add that in needs to be appreciated. The look of the leather and the texture on the sweater elevate the presentation as well. In terms of accessories, it’s minimal in comparison to the Captain America figure, but when it comes to a Sam Jackson figure, you don’t need much aside from the man himself. You get a decent assortment of hands as well as a gun and an alternate head. The alternate head is the biggest disappointment as the only difference is a slight side eye glance. No open mouth yelling “Say what again!” No sly grin wondering “What’s in your wallet?” Just a slight side eye. Emphasis on EYE because one of them is covered with a patch.
If you missed out on any of the previous Sam Jackson Nick Fury Marvel Legends, this is a great figure to pick up. I doubt that Hasbro will revisit this version of the character when the Fury-centric Secret Invasion series is set to hit Disney Plus later this year. The next Legends Fury we’ll get will more than likely be a grizzled old vet looking to protect the Earth from intergalactic invaders. If you need the one that says bad mother f…. this is the figure for you.
