Review: 5002943 Winter Soldier
Posted by CapnRex101,
Before the first of our Avengers: Age of Ultron set reviews, which will be published later today, I thought it might be worth taking a brief look at 5002943 Winter Soldier. This item is currently only available with purchases of 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier in Europe, while North America will have to wait until June for a currently unknown promotion.
The Winter Soldier appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier last year and has featured in the comics as a Soviet assassin since 2005. His role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been left open and it seems likely we will see Bucky again in future. The minifigure appears to take some elements from the comics, but is predominantly based on the movie design, and therefore carries as much detail as any other Super Heroes minifigure, if not even more!
Minifigure
The Winter Soldier features a rather unkempt hairstyle in the film, which is recreated quite nicely using a dark brown tousled hair piece. The head is printed on both sides, with a mask over his mouth on one side and a domino mask on the other. This domino mask print is based on his comic book attire, while the muzzle-like design originates from the movie.
I am very pleased that the two versions of the character have been acknowledged, and they both look superb in my opinion. The rest of his costume is almost identical between the comics and the movie, so either face matches perfectly with the attire.
The torso is equally impressive, featuring laminar armour plating, a brown belt and a holster strapped across his chest. This design is continued onto the reverse and the glossy silver buckles contrast nicely with the black combat suit worn underneath. Just like in the film his left arm is metallic, which would have been good enough for me, but I got a pleasant surprise when I assembled the figure to find that his arm is printed with the Soviet red star and articulated armour!
His legs are printed simply with a strap across the front, but unusually there is also a holster printed on the side of his right leg. This kind of design has only appeared on a few other minifigures, including 5002145 Rocket Raccoon from 2014. Perhaps we will see printing like this on more figures in the future rather than just exclusives like this one.
Overall
For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe this is a must-have minifigure. The popularity of Captain America: The Winter Soldier last year and the fact that we are likely to see the character again will only add to its desirability. The minifigure itself is excellent, capturing just the right amount of detail in my opinion and accurately recreating his appearance in the film.
If you are not intending to purchase 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier then you will have to pay around £30 to acquire this polybag at the moment. If you can wait then I am sure we will see the price drop as it becomes more widely available in June, and we may even see it available with smaller purchases as has been the case with some past promotional items.
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16 comments on this article
I think the Max minifigure (852996, from 2010) was the true debut of side-leg printing, not Ravager Rocket Raccoon. On a side note, I like my name for that minifigure, which I just now thought up, because it covers that version no matter if you have him from the SDCC set or the polybag.
A number of the CMF figures have side-leg printing. The recent series 13 sheriff also has a holster printed on the side.
could have given him a weapon since he is a soldier. otherwise he should be known as the winter pedestrian.
One of the other Lego blogs claims to have a 'source' who has said the Winter Soldier won't be available anywhere other than via a Helicarrier purchase. This article suggests it will be available in the US later in the year. Both can't be right :)
@aleydita - I believe the D2C list confirmed the Winter Soldier as a June promotion in North America, but we don't yet know what the qualifying purchase will be.
Yes, here. http://www.thebrickfan.com/lego-2015-set-release-dates-and-promo-details/
We chose not to report the information at the time given the potential to upset LEGO.
I really hope to see this in a system set with other minifigures.
Lovely fig, just wish you didn't have to buy a £270 set to get it :(
Am I the only one who found the head to hairpiece connection to be substantially weak? Should I contact LEGO about this? I can't even pick him up by his hair,
@Dominic95 Yes, they will not charge you at all just follow the link and click on broken piece: https://service.lego.com/en-gb/replacementpartsBasicInfo
@Huw when is the Age of Ultron review coming?
So, do you think he will available worldwide again in June as a more reasonable promo? Or just in North America? I want him so much, but I'm not gonna buy the Helicarrier.
I like the fig... what's he free with in June?
I was tempted to buy the Helicarrier but a pic of the Kiwk-e-Mart set has appeared on Instagram with a rumour that it'll be the April VIP exclusive. I can't afford both sets so close together so looks like I'm saving my money for Apu :)
https://instagram.com/p/zzwxaGDZO4/ - for those who are interested.
I had zero interest in the Simpsons house but the Kwik-E-Mart, if that's what it looks like, would be very tempting.
PicnicBasketSam - there hasn't been a confirmation of what he is free with, just that he is free with purchase in June. Most likely a $75 threshold or $100 like in years past.