The Good: Not overly expensive.
The Bad: Terrible animated look, The “hook” is lame, Balance issue, Lack of subtlety in coloring
The Basics: The 2012 Captain America from The Avengers Hallmark ornament is an unfortunate rendition of the film version of the Marvel hero character that does not live up.
There is something seriously wrong with Hallmark’s lack of ambition at times. While there are frequent times that they execute ornaments from current film projects expertly, when they fall down, they really fall down. Holding off their gimmick-based Captain America ornament from The Avengers until the autumn release may have been a sales ploy; I suspect it was the only way they could get it to sell. As fans of The Avengers likely already purchased the two ornaments that connect with the Captain America ornament, Hallmark banked on fans buying the third ornament “blind.” Those who do will be completely disappointed.
As I sit inspecting the Captain America ornament with complete disappointment, I wonder how offended the die-hard Marvel movie fans are. Captain America looks nothing like Chris Evans in this ornament. This is absolutely baffling, as Hallmark had plenty of lead time to get this ornament right.
Captain America is a common-release, mass-produced Hallmark ornament that is one of three The Avengers ornaments and one of four Marvel comics ornaments produced by Hallmark this year. The base helps indicate that it is designed to coincide with the DVD release of The Avengers (reviewed here!), but this is basically identical to the character who appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger (reviewed here!), so it should look like it. Alas, it does not.
Basics
The Captain America ornament recreates the American war hero in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2012, is a poor recreation of the heroic character as he appears in the cinematic rendition of Captain America from The Avengers. Most notably, the coloring and sculpt do not resemble the Chris Evans Captain America. Far more rounded than angular like Evans, this Captain America is unfortunately unsatisfying for fans of either the comics or the film.
Captain America is the hooded character in a running pose, with his iconic shield in his left hand. His right hand is molded in a raised fist. The detailing on the ornament Is fair, but includes the requisite stars and stripes and the detailing on the hood.
It is not enough to make it worth the $14.95 original issue price, at least for fans of the cinematic Captain America. The Hallmark Captain America ornament is made of a durable plastic and has him in an action pose, but on a detachable stand so those inclined to set the ornament on a desk or the like will find it can stand up when on the stand. This Captain America ornament measures out at 3 3/4" tall, 2" wide and 2 3/4" deep.
The coloring for the ornament is done in monotones. In other words, Captain America’s skin is one color, the blue on the uniform is one shade, the reds are another. There is no subtlety or shading that makes this ornament distinct.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Captain America could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the more expensive ornaments. This Captain America simply hangs or stands on a desk thanks to the base.
The base detaches from the ornament and connects to the bases from Iron Man and Thor, both ornaments are also released this year. They create the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and have the slogan “Avengers Assemble” on it, but it’s a pretty cheap looking base and it looks pretty silly on its own.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Captain America ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Marvel Universe Christmas Tree, Captain America is essential, but not this version. The ornament has a brass hook loop embedded in the top center of the back of his head. From that hook, the Captain America ornament hangs in such a way that he leans heavily forward. This makes it look like he is perpetually falling downhill. There, the base makes it impossible to cheat for the ornament; it does not hang level! The ornament sways when rocked, but otherwise sits stable, noticeably off balance, looking like Captain America is running or falling forward!
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review of that!). Since then, Hallmark has gotten into every major franchise from Disney to Twilight to the Marvel Comics universe. This Captain America ornament was not at all limited. I would not bet, given how the other Marvel ornaments have met demand without leaving a lot of people wanting, and how little it looks like the cinematic version of Captain America, that this will not be an incredible investment piece.
Overview
Only those who insist on finishing the ridiculous base from the other The Avengers ornaments will truly want to shell out the dough on the Captain America ornament.
For other Marvel Hallmark ornaments, please check out my reviews of:
2012 Iron Man The Avengers ornament
2012 Thor The Avengers ornament
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man ornament
2011 Spider-Man ornament
2011 Thor ornament
2010 Defender Of Justice Iron Man 2 ornament
2/10
For other ornament reviews, please check out my Ornament Review Index Page!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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