Marvel Legends 2012 Fantomex, Captain America (bucky cap) Figure Review

Didn't series 1 of Marvel Legends just hit stores? Yes and series 2 is already here. It's a good year for ML fans and here I cover two of the more anticipated figures in the Arnim Zola wave Fantomex and Captain America. This version of Cap is where his sidekick Bucky takes the mantle after Steve dies. Fantomex is a techno-organic being with 3 brains that can create illusions and spits out a symbiotic flying saucer.

Fantomex's sculpt shares the same body as the 2-pack Forge/Wolverine. His head and coat (movie Nick Fury) are removable but his belt isn't. Neither is Cap's so Hasbro may be moving away from cast-off gear. His sculpt is a detailed athletic one, the coat looks great and it's the same as Movie Fury's. Tho he has no rocker ankles you can still get him into some nice wide-stance poses due to his coat supporting him from the back. Everything is double-jointed and has great range.

Paint for Fantomex is sharp and clean with 0 slop. He's primarily cast in black and white plastic with no shading but there are sections with those colors painted. You can't even tell it's so nicely done. His accessories are two nicely detailed silver pistols with extended clips. They store perfectly in his holsters and fit great in his hands, able to wield them in any direction. What's also nice is that when you take off his coat his arms still match the body so you can display him both ways.

Cap is a brand new sculpt and a REALLY nice one at that. He has both the Marvel Legends style articulation but borrows the new diagonal hinge ankles and cut-thigh from Marvel Universe. From his stern expression, textured boots, and muscled body, it's all new. He comes with a removable knife, pistol, and shield the same as Steve Rodger's but cast in a darker red I believe. It pegs to his back and clips to his wrist nicely.

Paint for Cap is equally nice tho lacking the airbrushed shading of the first series. The metallic paint on the chest perfectly matches the metallic cast plastic of the head and shoulders. The star is centered and probably the first time I've seen a pec-cleft that deep without missing paint. Everything from the waist down is black plastic. The shield colors are nice and clean, as is the knife handle.

Articulation for Cap is amazing. Hinged wrists return, as mentioned the diagonal ankle that works so much better than a separate inner tilt, and the thigh cuts that get rid of the ball-hips but provide the same movement. Add an ab crunch with great range of movement and Bucky-Cap here could very well be the new standard in ML articulation. His head can look nearly straight up as well.

Each figure in this series comes with a mini pamphlet about Arnim Zola's backstory and trust me, you'll probably need them. I thought I was a diehard Marvel junkie but know next to nothing about this guy. Fantomex comes with and arm and Cap comes with a leg. The packaging is done in the same cool style as the first series and I'm digging it. There's 3 different variants in this line, Spidy, Dark Wolvie (Dakken) and Madame Hydra/Masque. But also a variant torso for Zola that displays the Red Skull.

So what's the verdict? Well if you're a Marvel Legends collector you're probably already hunting these down. I'll review the rest when I find them but if these two are any indication, Hasbro is doing this line proud. Pick them up at our sponsors Past Generation Toys or Big Bad Toy Store so you don't have to hunt for them. I wonder if series 3 is right around the corner too?