Review: Winter Soldier Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys

Bucky Barnes caused a lot of trouble for Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was hard to see Cap's friend turned into a weapon, but on the plus side, at least Bucky didn't die? It's kind of a positive. He's been through hell, but there's still hope for him and I don't think we've seen the last of Sebastian Stan in the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Until he's back on the big screen, you can bring a much less deadly version of the Winter Soldier home thanks to Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles. Hot Toys has made a remarkably detailed sixth scale figure of the Winter Soldier, and Sideshow Collectibles has it available to order now.

They sent a figure for me to review, and as usual, I'm impressed by the quality Hot Toys puts into their collectibles.

Packaging: The Winter Soldier arrived in perfect condition. The statue even has an attractive outer box. Hot Toys ensures there's a place for every last accessory in the plastic, and each little pocket in the packaging is made to fit a particular item. Because of that, I always take a photo before I start removing accessories (even when I'm not reviewing an item). Otherwise, it's like trying to refold a map.

The interchangeable heads were wrapped with plastic to make sure none of the paint rubbed off, and soft padding was layered between the arms and torso for the same reason. Look at the sleeping Winter Soldier:

If you've ever wondered, Hot Toys does thankfully include detailed instructions on assembly and pictures to show you where all the accessories go:

Sculpt/likeness/paint: Don't worry, the Winter Soldier figure does indeed look like Sebastian Stan. One head features his face unmasked, and the other has a mask and has removable hair so you can slide on snazzy goggles. The paint on the face is especially well done. It looks like Winter Soldier legitimately has facial hair stubble, and the black paint around his eyes is spot on and gives that effectively creepy vibe. I'm not a fan of the sculpted hair but a couple of things about that: Winter Soldier had some pretty lackluster and tangled hair in the movie and I can't imagine a more realistic approach to the hair that would also look good. The plastic hair looks fine from a distance.

The facial sculpt successfully captures Stan's intense visage from the movie. He's an intimidating character and that comes across here.

Clothes: The Winter Soldier's outfit is all about being practical. He's got buckles and straps and holsters freaking everywhere. Hot Toys did a tremendous job considering just how small those buckles and straps are. They blended textures and fabrics so the figure is a realistic representation of what you saw in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The jacket is a leather-like material while the rest of the ensemble is canvas. It doesn't look too beat up, but you can tell this isn't a straight off the rack costume. It's lived in.

And how about that cyber arm? It's made to look like metal (real metal would do weird things to the figure's balance) and painted to match the one in the movie. Every line is there.

Accessories: The Winter Soldier is a walking weapon, and he's also covered with them. He comes with several guns, some knives, and bombs. He's prepared as can be for a fight:

The best part about these accessories? Most of them have a home. Bucky's costume has plenty of places to stash each weapon and they clip or slide into place with no trouble at all. However, I recommend waiting to add the guns and daggers until after you have the Winter Soldier in his final pose. While the holsters are secure, they don't stay in place while you're moving Bucky about and trying to change his hands or head. And speaking of those, here are the different options so you can change up Bucky's pose:

I had a trickier time than usual swapping out the heads, but it was manageable. The hands - especially the gloved ones - popped on and off easily. Bending the arms into shape and posing the statue was simple, too. You can go to town putting the Winter Soldier into poses from the film, like this one:

He also looks good in a simple standing pose, too.

The Winter Soldier is available for $239.99 at Sideshow Collectibles, and I'd say it's worth the price tag. You can make a single payment or break it into two. Here are the technical details:

Approximately 31 centimeters tall
Body with over 30 points of articulations
Metal-like left arm
Four pairs of interchangeable palms
Two interchangeable heads, one masked
One machine gun, one remote bomb launcher, one submachine gun, one spike with sheath, two daggers, two grenades, and three pistols.
One pair of goggles

The following artists worked on the figure: Kojun (Head Sculpt), JC. Hong (Head Paint and Head Art Direction), and Seung Min and Kang (Accessories Sculpt).

Full disclosure: Winter Soldier was provided by Sideshow Collectibles for review purposes. This did not affect my review of the product.