I feel sort of bad about how hard I was ragging on the Iron Skull figure yesterday, so today’s review is going to cover a new iteration of a classic character that I think worked out much, much better for Hasbro. He’s not even available in most stores yet, but he’s still selling for below MSRP and free shipping online. Even so, the Marvel Legends Secret War Captain America is a surprisingly fantastic new 6″ Captain America figure…

The Right:

With Steve Rogers now being one of the most popular and recognizable superheroes in the world–and this toy line being called Captain America Legends–it stands to reason that we collectors are going to have to deal with at least one version of Cap himself in every series.

But while this could get very old and very boring fast, Hasbro has actually put some very exciting spins on what could have been some very plain Captain America toys this year!

Earlier this year we got Marvel Legends Cap-Wolf (which was all kinds of fun), and now, here comes… Secret War Captain America! (Note the lack of an ‘s’ on “War”.)

I’ll admit that Brian Michael Bendis’ “Secret War” limited series isn’t one of my all-time favorites (in fact, I believe I’ve only read it once, over a decade ago), but that doesn’t mean that this Captain America Secret War costume isn’t rockin’!

We’ve become so accustomed to minor tweaks to Cap’s classic and movie costumes that the 6″ Marvel Legends Secret War Captain America figure feels totally fresh visually compared to pretty much any other Cap action figure of the past few years.

This figure doesn’t necessarily have more paint deco on it than your standard Cap, but the way it’s laid out on the toy is different enough to really be striking.

The ever-so-slightly shiny blue paint of this figure look fantastic with the subtle red lining on Cap’s boots, glove and mask.

Although it’s an add-on to the underlying body, not only is the Secret War Captain America belt nice and tight (and I believe a new mold), but it also has some really eye-grabbing paint deco on it. The metal-looking belt is the most impressively-painted part of the whole figure!

Of course, Hasbro isn’t banking on collectors buying this figure just for a truly obscure costume–they’ve packed in an incredibly awesome accessory as the real lure! For the first time ever, a Captain America Marvel Legends 6″ figure comes with a shield-throwing effects piece!

Yes, now Cap can “swoosh” has shield at evil-doers, leaving a streak of translucent red plastic in his shield’s wake. I was concerned that this effect shield might disappoint, but now that I’ve had time to play with it, I totally love it.

The shield throwing effect is actually attached to an open-handed interchangeable hand and cannot be removed from the hand, so no worries about it falling off or trying to cram it into Cap’s grip.

While I initially worried that the accessory would be too heavy and Secret War Cap wouldn’t be able to hold it up, that’s not the case at all–thus far I’ve been able to pose Cap without the shield effects piece drooping at all (although eventual joint loosening has be to be a concern).

And don’t worry–you don’t have to use the swoosh effects piece. The standard “hold or clip-on” shield can be attached or detached to the effect piece at will, and the shield can be worn on either of Cap’s arms or his back just like usual.

Articulation-wise, this figure is also the total package with every single point of articulation that I look for on a Marvel Legends figure: double-jointed elbows and knees; swivel waist, thighs, boots and biceps; ball-hinge head with a great range of motion; hinged ankles with ankle rockers; ball-jointed hips; ball-hinge shoulders and wrists… Everything I want is here and works well.

The Wrong:

There’s very little for me to complain about with this figure, but if I had to choose one thing to nitpick, it would be the hands.

Cap gets two default grasping hands (for grasping what, I do not know) and his throwing effect hand–and that’s it! No fists to brawl with or even a saluting hand for this Captain America action figure…? Craziness!

Also, while case ratios never count against a figure’s actual grade, my mind is still boggled that Hasbro thought it made sense to double-pack an obscure Captain America with very limited kid appeal instead of doubling up at the movie Scarlet Witch Marvel Legends figure that seemingly everyone wants. Alas.

Overall: While my excitement level for a figure called “Secret War Captain America” would typically be pretty low, this Hasbro Marvel Legends Secret War Captain America  figure is top-notch. Creative costume choice, exemplary paints, perfect articulation scheme, and an especially inventive accessory make this figure a total winner. Highly recommended.

GRADE: A