Dragon 1/9 scale Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Captain America Stealth Suit (#38338)

Just received from Dragon USA! It is comprised of 13 exquisitely cast, solid polyvinyl pieces +
1 [grey] polystyrene piece (shield) + 1 vinyl [neck] peg + 1 [black] polystyrene base. The items that have exposed flesh or are made predominantly of leather (heads—there are two heads provided: one helmeted, one bare; hands; and belt) are molded in a semi-translucent, flesh-colored PV; the rest of the kit is molded in a neutral grey PV.

Assembly is as straightforward as it gets: literally “plug and play”. The attachments are fairly snug compression fits, but in my sample they can be inserted without any undue effort. If deemed necessary, the pegs can be shaved down a smidge.

Unless you have extensive experience working with polyvinyl, I would keep any reductive/invasive surface modifications to an absolute minimum: these kits should be approached literally straight OOB. Fortunately, in my sample, any such interventions are largely unnecessary. Insofar as fillers are concerned, feel free to use your favourite; but make sure to do all your work while it is still workable—keep in mind at all times that the medium will be softer than just about anything you would normally use to prep a figure. A light touch is the order of the day!

I own one other Dragon 1/9^th scale figure model kit, and the difference is night and day! It is encouraging to see Dragon applying the knowledge gained from earlier experiences, and provi- ding such a quality product. As such, in this instance, it is certainly worth the asking price. And if a virtually no prepwork, from-box-to-bench-in-less-than-a-few-hours figure is your idea of what every figure should be, then I would give this one a long, hard look.

“When the cost of a hobby exceeds the fun and doesn't attract new people, the game is over.” -
Oscar Koveleski, August 2003