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Marvel Minimates Wave 12 - Captain America and Nick Fury
Like wave 13, wave 12 has concentrated on a specific and recent comic book run, Brian Michael Bendis's New Avengers. Here we have a pack containing the superhero icon himself, Captain America, and Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Once again, many thanks to Dave at Yikes Comics for sending this set for review.
Packaging
As mentioned in previous reviews of waves 12 and 13, the packaging now has a blue background instead of the purple of the previous few waves.
The back of the packaging is new and shows off all the figures in waves 12 and 13.
The Figures
Captain America
The first Minimate in the set is the fourth Captain America to grace the Marvel Minimates line. The original was released way back in wave 5, and there was also a battle-damaged exclusive released in summer 2005, and this summer he was packaged with the Ultimate Avengers DVD. Those were all based on his classic appearance, whilst this figure is a more modern look.
I have to admit, I really don't like the facial expression. Previously Captain America had a determined look to him but here he is smiling. Open mouths are quite hard to get right on Minimates and I don't think this one looks good. The mask is reused from the original figure and has more detail on it than before, with a bigger "A" on the forehead. Removing the mask reveals the blue eyes and blonde eyebrows of Steve Rogers. The eyebrows are strangely curved this time around, and coupled with the lighter blue eyes and the silly smile, makes him look quite effeminate.
One of the highlights of the original Captain America was the fantastic all-round paint job. This new Cap improves on it in some ways, but is worse in others. There is more detail here than on the original, with the chain-mail effect on the top of the chest block being much more pronounced. It is lovely, intricate work. It goes around the tops of the arms too, which is a big improvement over the original as it makes a real impact visually. The red and white stripes on the bottom of the torso are detailed more realistically than the straight lines of the original, with more suggestion of muscle behind it. Sadly the pattern is not continued around the sides, which is a real shame, especially as the belt goes all the way around. The colour of the costume is a lighter blue than the original, and it works well.
This version of Captain America has his shield and corresponding arm loop to peg it on to, but doesn't come with the regular hand that two of the other Cap's did. The shield is again a lighter blue than the original, with excellent paint apps and no bleeding between colours. Still one of the best ever Minimate accessories.
Overall, this figure improves on the excellent original in many ways, but there are one or two issues which lower the score. Still well worth picking up.
MMC Score - 7 out of 10
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Nick Fury
The first Minimate in this set is Nick Fury, one of Marvel's best known supporting characters, whose position at S.H.I.E.L.D. makes him a direct liaison with the hero population.
Nick Fury's head is detailed in a very similar way to the Patch Wolverine in wave 8/9. It's got a lot of bold detailing, with the patch and his grizzled features picked out with thick lines. Nick Fury's expression is suitably grumpy. The hairpiece is yet another reuse of Mr Fantastic's hair - obviously this is the new flavour of the month after Juggernaut's hairpiece. It has some grey streaks in it around the temples.
The outfit is done in a nice and simple "comic book" fashion. The contrast between the dark blue and the white is well done and the few paint apps are clear with no smudging or bleed. The chest block has a holster painted on but the straps do not go around the sides or back. The belt is reused from Blade, which means he has a hole on the side which doesn't do anything on this figure.
Nick Fury is one of the few Minimates in waves 12 and 13 to get accessories. Of course, they are all reuses, but it's still nice to have some when the rest are sorely lacking. He has Assault Punisher's rifle and his knife and sheath (on backwards as it's on Nick Fury's left leg rather than the right for Assault Punisher).
Overall, this is a solid representation of a key Marvel character.
MMC Score - 7 out of 10
More pictures
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