Nice pics of the new Captain Action and the basic Cap America and Spidey suits.

[levyguy]

I agree 100% about the masks.
If they went with removable heads it would NOT be CA to me and I would not bother with it.
They need to drop the price for the CA figure to $19.99.
Captain Action is my favorite CHILDHOOD toy. If they were to modernize him too much I would have no interest in it.
I want what I had as child.
To me Ideal did CA the best, although the new uniform sets are better than the original versions.

[rche]

Man, I was looking at the pics you posted through this thread, and to me one thing is for sure, in the side by sides, the old stuff just blows away the new outfits.
The new Thor looks great though. Thanks for the pics.

I will always be a vintage toy fan first; so no matter what improvements are made a vintage toy looks and feels better to me. I do like these new Cap Action items, tho. And they are a great way for me to bond with my son as he is a MAJOR fan of Dr Evil for some reason.

These are great sets. I have a few wishes for 'shoulda been done like this' or 'why isn't this working like this', but overall I am very happy with these toys.

My favorite modern additions - the BIG cap shield and strap system (both of them actually); and the Parker mask is pretty darn cool if on the right sized head. There is a lot of cool detail on these and attention to that detail as well. Hope the line is a smashing success, 'cos I wanna see 'em make a puffy Hulk suit.

[Zemo]

I have to agree. Part of the magic is CA (or Dr Evil) under the mask. Not that he is a dead ringer for the character.

I made some 8" customs for CA to wear superhero outfits and the trick was to make a mask that would fit on the 8" head, but not look completely huge. CAW did the same with the Redbeard and Phantom figures they had made. If you were to say a head swap would do it for the character change, then pretty much all the Phantoms that CAW made could be considered Captain Action figures. Nah. He's gotta have a mask. It is essential to the character.

Man, I was looking at the pics you posted through this thread, and to me one thing is for sure, in the side by sides, the old stuff just blows away the new outfits.
The new Thor looks great though. Thanks for the pics.

[Iron Mego]

I'd prefer not to have to buy the Captain Action figure, and for some reason thought I had read early on that the basic sets were going to come with a figure included. I'm sure I read that incorrectly, but I was hoping that's the way they were going to be sold. For me he'll never be dressed up as CA, only as Spidey, so it makes it harder to plop down the $50 bucks to make a Spidey figure. I do think they've done a great job with these, but knowing I'll have to buy a basic CA every time I want a new suit is going to be a big factor in how many I end up getting.

[Werewolf]

I have to agree. Part of the magic is CA (or Dr Evil) under the mask. Not that he is a dead ringer for the character.

Totally! If you swap out the heads it just becomes another Spider-Man figure. The toy loses what made it different. Captain Action being under the mask is integral to the very indentity of the toy.

[rche]

I have to agree. Part of the magic is CA (or Dr Evil) under the mask. Not that he is a dead ringer for the character.

I made some 8" customs for CA to wear superhero outfits and the trick was to make a mask that would fit on the 8" head, but not look completely huge. CAW did the same with the Redbeard and Phantom figures they had made. If you were to say a head swap would do it for the character change, then pretty much all the Phantoms that CAW made could be considered Captain Action figures. Nah. He's gotta have a mask. It is essential to the character.

[Werewolf]

I, personally, would not have liked removable heads. In my opinion, The masks are what makes Captain Action, Captain Action. It's what makes the toys unique. No masks and the toy isn't Captain Action anymore.

I would not have collected them had they gone with the removable heads.

[Teemu]

They should of went with switchable heads instead of Masks

they actually talked about it too

[rche]

Playing Mantis went back and forth with the same thing years ago. They initially sold the costumes with a figure fully dressed in a gatefold box with some nice artwork on it. Their second series were released looking very much like the vintage Ideal items with the same sort of window boxed costumes (no figures, just costumes) and then small coffin boxes with a retro/Idealish look for the three main figures. Dr. Evil, Action Boy, and Cappy himself.

I think if you are going to modernize the line, then you should abandon both of the above ideas and sell just the body as an extra for the people who want to display the costume on an armature. Plus, as I stated above, there may be a side benefit of attracting some of the 1:6 scale customizers to your format if it is sturdy yet flexible.

On the other hand, if you are not planning on modernizing and going purely for the vintage mojo, then the coffin boxed figures and window boxed costumes are the way to go.

Now that I am thinking of it, the Captain has a few different looks in the modern comics, I think. Perhaps they could just simplify his packaging and offer the Cap in a couple of different jumpsuits? and without a bunch of pack-ins.

No matter how you look at it, a tough line to balance in the marketplace. Hopefully they will be successful enough to get the new Dr Evil out and many more costumes.

[enyawd72]

I have read a couple of snippets that seem to indicate the Captain Action figures are not selling at the volume that the costume sets are. Possibly because you are buying extra stuff in order to have a manikin. Possibly because there are enough less expensive alternatives out there for folks to pose the costumes sets on. Possibly because collectors are displaying these in the nicely designed boxes rather than taking them out and dressing up a CA figure.

My vote would be for Round2 to sell a nude body on a blister card w/o any costume or fancy add-ons. Just some nice basic black and white art behind him and an indication that he is supposed to be used for the CA costume sets. If they sold just the armature at about the $20 price point, I would think they would match the sales of the costumes easily. The body is nicely designed. I would think that the 1:6 scale customizing community might even nab up a few for some easy height difference in their creations since the CA armature is a little shorter than your standard 1:6 scale body.

Hot Toys sells their Truetype bodies in a similar way and I think they retail at 60-80 bucks!!!

This is an excellent suggestion. I already have two complete loose and useless sets of CA clothes and accessories I don't need. Hard to swallow buying more. A better solution still would be to just put the Marvel costumes on a body to begin with like the old PM sets and charge $10 more.

[rche]

Just picked up a set. Put the Spidey costume on. Had a rough time with the gloves and mask, but in the end I like it. If only Round2 would sell a basic Captain Action for about $20, then I would buy a couple more.

I have read a couple of snippets that seem to indicate the Captain Action figures are not selling at the volume that the costume sets are. Possibly because you are buying extra stuff in order to have a manikin. Possibly because there are enough less expensive alternatives out there for folks to pose the costumes sets on. Possibly because collectors are displaying these in the nicely designed boxes rather than taking them out and dressing up a CA figure.

My vote would be for Round2 to sell a nude body on a blister card w/o any costume or fancy add-ons. Just some nice basic black and white art behind him and an indication that he is supposed to be used for the CA costume sets. If they sold just the armature at about the $20 price point, I would think they would match the sales of the costumes easily. The body is nicely designed. I would think that the 1:6 scale customizing community might even nab up a few for some easy height difference in their creations since the CA armature is a little shorter than your standard 1:6 scale body.

Hot Toys sells their Truetype bodies in a similar way and I think they retail at 60-80 bucks!!!

[levyguy]

Thanks rche!

[Jerry68]

Has anyone tried snipping the toes? That should make the suit more manageable and the boots will hide it. if mine is to tight, I plan on doing that.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

I am planning on displaying my Round2 costumes on PM cappy bodies as that is what Cap Action looks like to me and, after experimenting with various armatures, I keep coming back to that look as my favorite.

have a GOOD time - rche

Not too mention that but I tried the Spiderman suit on last night and it is so darn tight on the new body it won't stay Velcrod in the back no matter what you do, so the smaller body is good for that.
Lynn

[Werewolf]

You can pull them cold, but they do come out a bit easier if you heat up the forearm first. Either with hot water (the boil and pop method), or a concentrated hairdryer hot air blast for a few minutes. You should be able to pull the wristpins holding the hands in the forearm right out.

Great info.