Hasbro is releasing more Marvel Legends 6″ figures in 2016 than ever before, but even so, collectors trying to fill out their MCU movie figure rosters are still having a rough time, as only a handful of figures Hasbro puts out each year are movie-based. But Bandai Japan is coming to the rescue with a 6″ Civil War Ant-Man figure! The import SH Figuarts Ant-Man figure will run collectors about $50-$60 online–is he worth it? Read on for my review…

The Right:

Captain America: Civil War may be the second-highest grossing film of 2016 so far (rassum frassum Findig Dory…), but the Hasbro 6″ Marvel Legends Civil War line has left a little something to be desired, with only nine characters released in it (Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Giant-Man, Spider-Man, Falcon, Winter Soldier, War Machine and Scarlet Witch).

And so, I was forced to turn to overseas imports to get my fix of my favorite character from the film: Scott Lang as normal-sized Ant-Man!

The S.H. Figuarts Captain America Civil War Ant-Man figure is a 100% new mold and looks it. This is a mold that Bandai will likely never be able to use again for any other figure, but it was definitely worth the effort.

The textures on his costume are extremely well-done on both the front and back, and I’ve really grown to love the more comic book-like Civil War-styled helmet on the figure (whereas I had initially preferred the old-styled helmet from the “Ant-Man” movie).

The Ant-Man S.H. Figuarts figure comes in a small and thin box which is superb for folks who are running out of storage space (like me). The box art is simple but eye-catching on both sides.

You can easily take the tray containing the figure in and out of the box without damaging the appearance of the packaging at all.

Bandai Japan has a reputation for excellent quality control, and as such, all of the many joints on this figure are nice and tight and can easily hold a pose.

From ankle rockers to double-jointed knees and elbows to both a ball-jointed waist and a ball-jointed upper torso, the Bandai Figuarts Ant-Man is positively loaded with articulation and posing potential.

The figure can pose in any way you’d expect a non-ninja like Scott Lang to be able to with no problems.

The one stumbling block for this line is that sometimes the Marvel Figuarts figures aren’t quite scaled properly to fit in seamlessly with Legends.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in this case! The Ant-Man SH Figuarts action figure looks right at home next to Marvel Legends Civil War Captain America, and is even a little taller than Spidey is (just as he should be).

On the accessories front, you get two pairs of interchangeable hands (relaxed palms and fists) and an itty-bitty Ant-Man figure.

The miniature Ant-Man figurine is so tiny that it can stand on a penny with tons of room on all sides, but I always get a huge kick out of these minis (though I’m sure they literally cost Bandai pennies to produce).

The Wrong:

Make no mistake–this is an expensive 6″ scale action figure. The Japanese MSRP on this Ant-Man was around 6,200 jpy, meaning that he costs right around 60 bucks imported to the United States. That’s quite a bit of money, and because it is, I don’t feel bad nitpicking this figure just a wee bit.

First off, for that price, the Ant-Man Figuarts figure’s paint apps should be absolutely perfect. And while the paint is 99% great, there’s some little marks on Ant-Man’s helmet (that look gigantic in the hi-res photos) that mar his perfection and really set off my OCD alarm.

You can barely see the little imperfections when you’re not looking at the figure straight-on in hi-def, but I know they’re there, and that’s enough to bug me (no pun intended). Other people may be able to deal with these little flaws or repaint them. Me? I just ordered another one and will be putting this dude up for sale (hit me up if you want an S.H. Figuarts Civil War Ant-Man for $50 shipped in the U.S., anyone!).

In addition, there’s precious few accessories included here. I wouldn’t expect an alternate head from SH Figuarts (as they rarely do them for the Marvel figures), I would have liked something beyond a mini Ant-Man figurine and fists/open palms.

How about some red and blue Pym Particle Disks for the Figuarts Ant-Man figure to throw, or a mini truck he could hold? Basically, anything more than the three tiny accessories we got.

Also, I’m sort of bummed Bandai Japan didn’t integrate translucent lenses into the helmet like the Marvel Legends Giant-Man has. Seeing Scott Lang’s eyes through the helmet is super-cool, and it’s disappointing we can’t do that with Ant-Man.

Overall: With the exception of some surprising subpar paint spots on his helmet, this S.H. Figuarts Ant-Man figure is a really great figure overall with a detailed sculpt, tight joints and loads of poseability. I would have liked a few more accessories to be included for the relatively high price point and perhaps some translucent lenses, but otherwise this figure is a terrific complement to the Hasbro Marvel Legends Civil War collection.

GRADE: B+