Nick Fury

"I am sick of these melonfarming Sons of the Serpent on this melonfarming Helicarrier!" Nick Fury prefers to lead from the shadows, leaving others to take the glory of the triumphs he engineers. But when push comes to shove and the fate of the world is on the line, he is not afraid to step into the line of fire. This is the third 4" Nick Fury figure - there was a 616 version available to anyone who subscribed to a year's worth of Marvel Digital Comics, and a movie version in a Toys Я Us Iron Man 2 box set. That means this is the first time Nick has been available without being exclusive - and we have GI Joe to thank for it! If the Retaliation toys hadn't been pushed back, stores wouldn't have needed to fill space, and would have just kept pushing Thor and Iron Man 2 overstock instead of putting out Series 4 of the Avengers toys. Nick would have been yet another phantom that never came out and we'd all be waiting for at TJ Maxx. Surprisingly, Nick Fury gets a new head. Of course, so did Black Widow, and her previous 4" figure wasn't even released! But at least she had a new haircut; how many ways are there to sculpt "bald with an eyepatch?" The head is narrower, and with his painted eyebro, he looks much angrier. Plus, the detail on his scars is extra crisp. This time, Fury isn't just a new head on a repainted GI Joe body. Instead, he's a new head on a repainted Marvel body! We've come a long way, baby. Specifically, this sculpt was originally made for Winter Soldier in the Captain America movie toyline. It's a bit more martial than Fury actually wore in Avengers, but it gets the idea across. The double-buttoned panel on the front of his shirt feels a bit like body armor, which would make sense for a guy as paranoid as Nick Fury. He's got one holster sculpted on his chest, and another on his left leg. The right leg has a pouch strapped to the thigh, and he's wearing thick boots. The arms and coat are new sculpts. It doesn't really matter what body they use to make Nick Fury, as long as everything's painted black, right? This one follows that rule nicely, just adding a little bit of silver for the buckles and the snaps on his shirt. His skin is a darker brown than the last toy, but it's an accurate shade. The use of an existing body means he has a balljointed head, swivel/hinge torso, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees and swivel/hinge ankles. The arms are new, so they have the lowered articulation you've come to expect from the Avengers toys: swivel/hinge shoulders and elbows, but no wrists. Nick is armed with an M-16 with an underslung grenade launcher and a broomhandle Mauser pistol that fits in his leg holster. There's also a big missile launcher, like many of the toys have, but at least in his case it makes sense: it's called a "launching anti-tank missile," but it's modelled after the rocket launcher he used in the movie, so this isn't as bad as most Stupid Giant Guns are. The projectile itself is purple. Why purple? You know why. This figure is technically named "Assault Squad Nick Fury," as though they needed to differentiate it from all the other Nick Fury toys. And what assault squad is he on, anyway? Ah, whatever, the figure's still cool, and thanks to GI Joe, you actually shouldn't have too much trouble finding him. -- 01/14/13

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