When
Steve Rogers was gunned down and left the Marvel Universe without a Captain America, who would take up the shield and mantle to carry on Rogers' legacy as the new Sentinel of Liberty? Only one man could, who had the same training, combat experience, and could properly use the shield in battle, none other then Cap's former sidekick and war partner
Bucky Barnes. Thought originally dead during World War II at the same time when Steve Rogers fell in to the English Channel, but he too fell in the same waters only to be found by a Russian submarine barely alive and missing an arm and from there brainwashed and reconditioned as a cold-blooded assassin with a cybernetic arm used by the USSR under the codename Winter Soldier. After regaining his original memories of who he really was thanks to Rogers' use of a Cosmic Cube, now feeling remorse over the decades of assassinations he did under mind control, and wanting to do good for the world, he re-acquired Cap's shield and then learned that it was Steve's final wish to make sure the identity of Captain America was passed on to him by the then current Director of
S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark, Bucky become the new Star-Spangled Avenger.
Bucky Cap has an entirely brand new body mold that is sure to become the standard buck (ha-ha!) used for future characters that are physically fit but not overly buff, sporting 36 points of articulation which includes double jointed elbows and knees, a must have on any super articulated action figure if you ask me. Different from past Marvel Legends, instead of the ball shaped hip joints, now the hips are sculpted parts on the legs but now have a thigh cut for leg rotation articulation, not a fan the cut being through sculpted muscle, I think it should of been higher so not to be so noticeable. Love the additional wrist articulation, even if limited, but I wish they matched the color of the peg attaching the hands to the arms, the black stands out on the red gloves.
The metallic blue paint for his costume is pitch perfect, sitting nicely atop crisp bright red and white gloss stripes masterfully bringing to life
Alex Ross's simple but patriotic costume design. Hasbro's shield design is different from Toybiz', where as Toybiz' was mostly smooth with thin grooved-in lines between the stripes compared to Hasbro's design that has the star and red stripes raised with the silver stripe and blue circle indented lower, odd but still looks visually awesome attached to New Cap's arm or pegged into his back. Barnes is also armed with a handgun shaped like a
Desert Eagle and combat knife that is definitely a
Ka-Bar which both can be held in his hands or snugly secured away on his very detailed glued-on belt.
The good Captain comes packed with the right leg of
Arnim Zola the build-a-figure for Hasbro's Series of Return of Marvel Legends, fitting he's a villain Steve and Bucky have a history with. I do wish this figure had a variant with unmasked head like the
Marvel Select release, cause I would of love to seen Hasbro's take on James' face, and the separate neck piece I know they could do. I love this figure, he has to be one of my favorite Marvel Legends to come from Hasbro since they took over from Toybiz, fun to pose, looks amazing from every angel, a top-notch must have indeed.
