I almost fell out of my chair when Hasbro revealed the Captain America Marvel Legends Civil War wave and someone asked why Nick Fury was a white guy. “You know you’re old when…”, right? But while white Nick Fury may not be the most recognizable iteration of the character anymore (to my astonishment), the new Marvel Legends Nick Fury figure is still in high demand and selling for well over MSRP. But should you want multiples of this figure to army-build…? Hmm…

The Right:

Though we just scored an updated 6″ Marvel Legends Nick Fury Samuel L. Jackson figure in a Toys R Us exclusive Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. three-pack last year (which also came with killer Agent Coulson and Maria Hill six inch figures), there are still plenty of fans out there who have been pining away for a new classic Nick Fury action figure (and by classic, I mean “from that time before Nick went loco and blew the Watcher’s brains out).

And what better place for a comic-based Nick Fury action figure than this year’s Marvel Legends Captain America lineup, right?

Ordinarily there might be some grumbles about getting another classic Marvel Legends 6″ Nick Fury figure when he’s been done pretty perfectly before, but Hasbro has included a feature that I think has won over most potential critics: two alternate heads for this figure!

That’s right, Nick Fury comes with not one, but two totally different alternate heads.

The more jaw-dropping of the heads is unquestionably that of Dirk Anger, Warren Ellis’ satirical primary antagonist of Nextwave. This head looks positively deranged, and I love it. The body here isn’t quite right for Dirk, but the head is awesome and full of personality.

And for the army-builders out there, there’s a generic SHIELD Agent head. The SHIELD Commando helmet looks like something we’ve seen in the comics on hundreds of occasions, and I also prefer this well-sculpted head to the default one.

The articulation on the 2016 Marvel Legends Nick Fury figure is terrific. While he only has an upper torso ab crunch and not a swivel waist as well (Nuke and Black Panther have both), the articulation scheme is otherwise pretty complete: ankle rockers, double-jointed knees and elbows, swivel biceps/thighs/boots… the works.

(UPDATE: It turns out Nick Fury does have a swivel waist, but it’s restricted by the belts on his waist. In addition, mine seems to be totally stuck, and as this is the cheap plastic that can tear if you apply too much force, it’s gonna stay stuck.)

ML Nick Fury’s head is especially articulated, with a wide range-of-motion that lets him fully look up, down, and all around. As far as head and neck articulation goes, this is some of the best we’ve seen in the line this year.

Nick’s basic sculpt is complemented by several holsters and belts, all of which are well-done. There’s a dark wash on the white accessories that make the details pop, and the holster on his right leg holds Nick’s sole gun–a pistol–securely.

The printed-on SHIELD logos on each of the figure’s shoulders also came out pristine, and are definitely a highlight of the costume from a visual perspective.

For the most part, this six inch action figure looks exceptional, whether it be as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Commando, Dirk Anger or the head of SHIELD himself.

The Wrong:

While the Marvel Legends 2016 Nick Fury figure is excellent in design, the actual production of the figure has some issues that frustrate me.

By far the biggest annoyance I have with this figure is that it’s made of the super cheap-feeling rubbery plastic that collectors have come to loathe. Nick’s legs are totally loosely-goosey, and all of his limbs feel immensely rubbery and unstable.

Nick’s default head was also majorly loose right out of the package–so much so that he’s almost a better bobblehead than all my Marvel POP Vinyls!

In addition, I thought the Nick Fury head sculpt was easily the weakest of the three heads (unfortunately). Nick not being able to smoke his trademark stogie isn’t a surmountable problem, but the soft-looking, almost youthful face sculpt should have been.

Nick simply doesn’t look old and grizzled as he should, and as a result I much prefer the more compelling SHIELD Commando and Dirk Anger heads.

Also, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that not only does the Nick Fury Marvel Legends figure only get one tiny pistol, but it has zero paints apps on it.

With the multiple accessories and great paint deco on other figures in this assortment (such as Nuke), it feels like Nick Fury got really shafted in the weapons department, which is a shame since the Commando head definitely looks like it could use a more powerful gun than a mere pistol.

Overall: What I’d anticipated being the second-best figure in this Captain America Civil War Wave 2 set has turned out to actually be one of the weakest. While I love the Dirk Anger and SHIELD Commando heads for the Marvel Legends Nick Fury figure, I’m disappointed in the likeness of main head. The rubbery plastic used for the majority of the figure, the loose joints and unpainted gun are also real disappointments.

This figure has an outstanding articulation scheme and looks excellent, but the figure’s issues prevent it from being one of Hasbro’s best. I’m on-board for a couple more of these figures because I really want a Dirk Anger and a couple SHIELD Commandos, but I’m definitely not as enthusiastic about this 6″ Nick Fury figure as I’d anticipated being.

GRADE: B