This review was originally intended to wrap up our Flags & Spandex Week, but then Preview Night had to go and be all amazing, so we decided to hold off for a few days and start our Armchair Coverage early. The International Patriots 3pk includes Cap, Captain Britain, and Red Guardian.
The idea behind this three-pack is perfect. Although it’s being sold under the Captain America movie banner, these characters were designed for the Marvel Universe collector who only buys the comic book characters. Unfortunately Hasbro didn’t make it easy. Not only is it a K-Mart exclusive, but the quality control issues makes it very challenging to find a pack where all three figures are in an acceptable condition.
You may have noticed I’ve been using the Cap A from this three-pack in my review pictures all week. That’s because I like this figure so much that I don’t feel the need to buy another one. (And before you say it, Fortress Cap doesn’t count. Remember, he’s Kick-Ass Warden Guy to me.) I’m not saying this Cap is perfect, but he’s good enough to represent the character on my shelves. The sculpting on the figure is just as detailed as US Agent, with all the intricate detail work on the chainmail. Plus, the figure’s proportions are on and don’t have any of the chunkiness that can creep into the torso design.
Hey look, it’s another Captain Britain! (Yes, he’s one of the main reasons this pack was bought.) This time Captain B’s in his modern costume, which I’m not as big a fan of. I’m a big fan of the helmet, and the fact that you can see this figure’s ear bumps makes me think this is more of a cowl. Plus, they didn’t go for that shiny armored look again which is disappointing. With the exception of their heads and gloves/forearms, this Britain and the New Excalibur version share the same body. It took me a bit to realize this because the paint really does a good job of hiding the similarities.
Lastly we have the Red Guardian. If you’re a casual Marvel fan like me, you probably have no idea who this guy is either. All you really need to know is he’s the Soviet Union’s answer to Captain America. I’m pretty sure this is the most modern incarnation of the character. But strangely every picture I find of him has him with an entirely different shield. The comic book character seems to have a round black shield with a large red star. So I’m not really sure where the design for the figure’s classic red shield came from. This figure’s sculpt is just as good as the other two’s. For some reason I’m particularly happy with his boots, which are baggier and have a pointed toe. They just look cool.
The articulation on these guys is pretty good, but not perfect. All three figures have ball jointed heads and torsos. Their shoulders, elbows, hips, and ankles are swivel hinges. And they all have thigh cuts and double hinged knees. But sadly neither Cap nor Guardian have wrist joints, which can really cut down on the dynamic posing in their arms. Surprisingly Captain Britain does have wrist joints even though his forearms are different from the figure he shares a body with. I’m not sure why he was the special one in the pack.
I bought this pack the second I saw it at K-Mart. 20 bucks for three great toys is a no-brainer. Last time I was there it was even on sale for I think 17.99. Crazy good deal. Great review!
I really liked this pack, but I was a bit down on the Britian, I was upset over the fact his arms don’t bend a full 90 degrees, that actually bugs me MORE than the lack of Wrist articulation with Cap and Guardian.
On Guardian, Just type in “Winter Guard” on a google search and you will see a pic of Red Guardian with that shied. He is the modern one, but the colors inside his one appearence do not match the figure (the shield is black but red on the cover which should be what you pull up).
Odd thing about Red Guardian figure’s shield… even though it’s the wrong colour if your’re talking about comic book accuracy (as zedhatch noted, it’s black in the comics), it’s actually far more accurate in terms of “patriotic” Russian colours, as the coat of arms of Russia indeed features a heraldic eagle on a red field.
Thanks, I did forget to mention that, also I think that is why they got it wrong (or right depending on your POV) on the cover
where did you get that big chair? it’s awesome!
Great review, dude! I actually only want the Red Guardian from this set. No K-Marts where I live, though. I did actually see one in a specialty store, but it was abt US$50 so it was an easy pass.
Good eye on noticing the torsos for the Captain Britians are the same. I instantly thought they were different bec of the paint like you said. 🙂
I only want Britain… largely because Ewan pointed out that he has the sexy ankles with side tilting. Ideally I’d just grab the single version, but lately I’ve been unable to find one that doesn’t have pink stripes instead of white ones. For any issues that 3-pack version might have, he doesn’t look like he has pink stripes!