Pros : Very impressive head sculpt up close. The bionic arm is done really well
Cons : Not exactly the Bucky we saw in Civil War. Can't quite hold his knife correctly. His feet look too big for the body
The main Captain America Civil War wave of Marvel Legends was supplemented by two exclusives at Walmart stores in the US and subsequently Asda stores in the UK. These figures of The Winter Soldier and Falcon used the same packaging as the main wave, but included no BAF pieces. They had no exclusivity marking, and for UK collectors they turned up in The Entertainer stores in 2017 after Asda had sold through.
While the figure is labeled as a Civil War release, the blurb on the back of Winter Soldier is quite generic and as you will see as we work through the review this figure could just as well be at home within a Winter Soldier display.
Out of the pack and what initially looked to be a very plain white backing card is revealed to hold a feint image of Cap's shield. FOr visual impact it might have been nice to see this in a red or blue hue to make the figure pop in the box.
Bucky was released before the advent of Face Print Technology, but still carries an impressive likeness to Sebastian Stan. They have done a great job of capturing his eyes and that stern look. The stubble is also done well as is the hair which is dynamically sculpted, not just laying flat.
The costume is quite plain after this, but the metal arm is really nice with hits red Soviet star and ribbed segmented sections. It is also well proportioned (the Select version of this figure had an undersized arm) and painted to in a metallic silver with black in the panel lines. While the arm is well proportioned, the feet are less so - being particularly large and blocky for a 6" figure.
The whole body is a predominantly a re-use from the original Winter Soldier release, although the chest has been updated and the paint apps changed. While this undoubtedly kept costs low, it means the figure is not particularly accurate vs the costume Bucky wore in Civil War. In Civil War Bucky wore the coat in both the Airport scenes and later when he and Cap fought Iron-Man - so while this look with the chest straps and holster may well have been under the coat, it makes this actually closer to a Winter Soldier release. Everything on the outfit is painted in a single colour, mainly black, with no washes or weathering.
Articulation comes in at 19 points and starts with the ball jointed head which has a full range of movement. The torso also has a ratchet t-piece to allow the torso to lean forward and backward, in addition we can rotate the waist.
The arms are ball jointed shoulders with a bicep swivel underneath to allow the arm to rotate. The elbows are double jointed on both arms allowing them to fold back almost on themselves. The wrists are then pivoted as well as rotating.
Legs are ball jointed hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ankle rockers. Leg posing is very easy and those larger feet do add something in keeping him standing in these more action orientated poses.
All the joints are nice and tight and you can feel a ratchet within each joint.
Bucky comes with a hand gun and a knife. These are an improvement on that garish gun from the Winter Soldier release, but as with the costume are not really reflective of what Bucky used in Civil War. I'd have much rather seen that larger rifle that Select included in their version.
Both weapons are done pretty well and have paint apps on the handles and some dry-brushing of silver on the knife blade.
The other issue with the weapons is the fact the hands on this figure (being reused) were not made for either of them. The gun can just about be slotted into the hand and a trigger finger coaxed into position - but it was shaped to hold a different gun and the grip is not tight. It can also be put into the left hand with some teasing. The knife wont fit in either hand and the best bet is to prop it in the metal left hand.
Bucky comes with a pistol holster on his chest, but this is not designed to work and instead there is a pistol already moulded into place. The knife also does not have a home, but it can be tucked into the separate belt piece if you wish.
In summing up, the Winter Soldier / Bucky figure from Civil War is more akin to a Winter Soldier release in terms of outfit and accessories. However, the majority of the figure is done well with an impressive head sculpt and paint job and the metal arm being well done. Articulation too is impressive and there is plenty you can do with Bucky from a posing perspective.
If you want a better Winter Soldier for your Winter Soldier display then this does the job, albeit without the masked head. Or if you ignore the costume discrepancies and ditch the accessories and this Bucky will also do the job in a Civil War display. I score him a 4 out of 5.
