The History: Alex Ross established himself as one of the great artists in comics long ago. His reputation on that score is pretty unassailable. His first classic, delivered with writer Kurt Busiek, was, of course, Marvels. It’s only fitting that he lends some designs and package art to the Big Three of the Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. Today, we’ll be looking at Cap and Tony. Hasbro provided these figures for free for review.

As you know, Cap is the Living Legend of World War II. Frozen in ice after a climactic confrontation with Baron Zemo (comics, kids; not movies), Cap only emerges years later when he’s found by the Avengers. The hero learns to adjust to modern time while becoming one of the greatest Avengers himself.

Genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark is Iron Man. One of the smartest guys in the room with the smartest mouth, Stark co-founded and bankrolled the Avengers, lending them funds and HQs from the start. Though he’s battled his personal demons as often as villains, not much keeps him down for long. Not even The Crossing.

Both of these Ross-inspired figures are classic interpretations, but it’s easy to see that they fall into the later 1960s-to-1970s era that Ross admires and frequently returns to in his art. Let’s take Cap first.

Captain America: Man, these are good-looking figures. The color on Cap in particular really, really pops. A lot of detail work went into sculpting in terms of the costume presentation; the scales are defined, the boot cuffs are sharp . . . even the belt loop and buckle details are vivid. There’s also a shiny quality to the figure (maybe a glossier or pearlescent paint wash?) that echoes the highlights that Ross incorporates into his paintings of the character. The figure excels as a representation of both Cap and Ross’s art. Poseability, as you might expect, is top-shelf.

We’ve also had the opportunity to see many versions of Cap’s shield in figure form in the past few years, and this is one of the best. It employs the familiar switchable peg-and-clasp for affixing it to either the figure or the throwing effect, but it’s also particularly well-colored. The figure has a peg-hole on its back so you can attach the shield. The other accessories include the throwing effect piece, extra hands (there’s a claspy set and a fist set), and an alternate head (with one expression being more angry or grim than the other).

In terms of design and feel, this figure really says ‘70s to me. It reminds me of when I first started reading The Avengers (the first issue I remember buying from the spinner rack was #187 in 1979). This Cap would fit really well with a display from that era, particularly with the Iron Man that we’re about to discuss. There are a lot of Cap figures, but this is a legitimately great Cap figure.

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Iron Man: THIS ONE. Okay, look. Everyone has their favorite Iron Man armor or their sentimental favorite. This is what Tony was wearing when I started reading. It’s also similar to the armor of both the ‘70s Mego Iron Man figure and the later Secret Wars Iron Man figure. When I think of classic Iron Man, this is the version of the two-tone that I personally think of. And it’s just about perfect.

Seriously, just look at that. Shiny metallic paint. Attention to detail in the trunk and gauntlets. Power pods! The face slits! Man, it’s just good. It’s good in just so many ways.

The accessories are appropriate; we’ve got an extra helmet head, a Tony head, two sets of hands (one set of fists, the other palms-out for repulsor blasting), and four repuslor effects (two pairs). You can attach the repulsor effects to the palms or boot-bottoms; you can also attach the blast extension inside the flare for a double-effect.

For me, personally, this feels like the version of Iron Man that I’ve always wanted. Yes, they’ve had takes on this look before (going all the way back to the very first assortment with Tony, Cap, Hulk, and Toad), but this is a big winner in my book. Like Cap, it’s perfect for a Classic Avengers display.

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Where To Get: Cap is listed as a Wal-Mart exclusive, but I’ve seen him for sale at other fan channels. The SRP is $24.00, which is slight more than the regular ML price. Iron Man is available at HasbroPulse.com, in stores, and a variety of other outlets; it carries the same SRP, as does the Thor figure.

Recommended: You’ll love them 3000.

What’s Next?: I’ll see you soon with the Retro X-Men wave. Outback Dazzler, kids!