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Crossbones

July 11, 2011 | By Errex More

Crossbones is possibly the most striking figure released in the second wave of figures for the Captain America: the First Avenger movie line.

For starters, the color scheme is real easy to spot on the pegs amidst the sea of red, white and blue figures around him. Also, he is patently larger than the rest of the figures in this line.

Stylistically, Crossbones has more in common with the G.I. Joe figures also made by Hasbro than with the Marvel Universe line, even though this figure comes from the comic-inspired segment of the line.

Crossbones is well sculpted, although most of the detail is found in the removable rubber vest he wears. The torso underneath is rather plain, but its still well sculpted and gets the job done.

The legs are sculpted like BDU pants, with added kneepads, pouches and a non-functional holster on the right side thigh.

One neat touch is that the pouches sculpted on the upper thigh areas stick out above the swivel cut line on each leg, which helps in concealing the joint.

Crossbones’ mask is very similar to the designs used by Luchadores, which may or may not be intentional; in fact, I bet it looks like something the Punisher would wear, if he cared about secret identities and such.

Even though Crossbones is a rather bulky guy, he’s reputed to be deceptively agile for a man his size, which is fine considering the articulation model he got:

• Ball jointed neck.

• Pegged hinge shoulders.

• Pegged hinge elbows.

• Swivel wrists.

• Floating torso.

• Pegged hinge hips.

• Upper thigh swivels.

• Double hinge knees.

• Pegged hinge ankles.

Range on each joint is very good, with only the left hip joint feeling a bit limited because the piece is slightly too bulky, although use tends to correct the range over time. Of course, having the rubber vest on the figure pretty much kills the torso joint, but that’s hardly a surprise.

Other than the vest, Crossbones comes with two automatic pistols and an M4 carbine. These accessories are the single complaint most people have about the figure, and that because of the color of plastic used for them.

True, they don’t look particularly authentic in that hue, but after enduring the neon-colored weapons on the G.I. Joe figures from the late 80’s, I don’t mind these. And anyways, chances are most people will have spare weapons to swap from other figures laying around.

The paint applications on Crossbones are rather simple and neatly done, although the odd wavy line here and there could just be shrugged off as regular wear and tear. Gloves and boots are painted solid black, with a subtle shading wash on lthe vest piece, the legs and the sleeves. The neck and forearms are painted in a muted, tan flesh color, with the mask patter picked out in bright white.

Overall, Crossbones is a solid, well detailed figure that works in a number of settings and could also serve as the basis for some rather interesting custom work.