LEGO Marvel 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure review

Sam Wilson’s shield-slinging superhero swoops into view with LEGO Marvel 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure, but fumbles the landing.

Captain America: Brave New World will be the first MCU movie to arrive in 2025, with the fourth outing for the patriotic comic book character debuting on February 14. Ahead of the film’s release will come three LEGO Marvel sets spinning out of the on-screen action, including 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first large-scale buildable iteration of the shield-slinger we’ve received to date, with 4597 Captain America debuting in 2012, followed by 76258 Captain America Construction Figure last year.

However, 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure is significant in that it marks the entrance of Sam Wilson’s version of the character, as portrayed by actor Anthony Mackie – not that you’d know it from the fully-assembled build though.

Release: December 1, 2024 Price: £29.99 / $34.99 / €34.99 Pieces: 359 LEGO: Order now

Winging it

LEGO buildable figures all tend to follow the same tried-and-tested construction methods and there are certainly no surprises here. 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure comes together in just under an hour, with the finished model presenting quite a striking display piece.

That’s primarily down to two large printed foil wings attached to Cap’s back, which have been manufactured from the same material used for similar elements in the likes of LEGO NINJAGO and Avatar sets.

The red, blue and transparent pieces attach to a thin framework of Technic elements that give them some stability, although (somewhat disappointingly) it isn’t possible to fold the wings and retract them when not in use. They can be removed altogether though, as can the tiny brick-built version of Redwing lurking around the back of the model.

Freedom lacks a face

As usual with this kind of build, the LEGO Marvel model may be poseable enough, but it lacks stability and can easily fall over if not stood up correctly. While placing 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure’s legs, feet and arms in just the right position can take a while, it ultimately proves to be a fruitless exercise during extended play sessions.

As with 76292 Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle, Sam Wilson’s costume in 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure appears to be some sort of high-altitude survival outfit, complete with printed helmet and rebreather attached to one side of Cap's mask.

The problem here is that the helmet completely obscures the character’s face and there’s no unmasked optional element included with the LEGO Marvel set. That seems a major oversight by the LEGO Group and Marvel, especially considering Mackie’s face appearing prominently on the packaging for the movie builds and his importance as the next iteration of Captain America.

The character’s mask also has a similar chin section that’s reminiscent of 76284 Green Goblin Construction Figure’s helmet. Both feel like unnecessary additions that move around way too much when touched and have to be constantly repositioned.

Shield issues

A slightly less frustrating complaint has to be levelled at the set’s shield piece, which appears to be the same element that was included with 2023’s 76258 Captain America Construction Figure. While that part connected to the Avenger’s hand with a light grey Technic pin, this time around it’s a red version of the same piece that unfortunately stands out way too much, throwing off the shield’s overall colour scheme.

Minor niggles aside, 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure appears to be a fairly accurate (but average) version of the character as seen in the teaser trailer for Captain America: Brave New World. However, with little context available regarding the costume selection for the evolution of the patriotic hero and the baffling choice of presenting only a masked version of Sam Wilson’s Cap, this is one LEGO Marvel set for completists only.

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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Our honest opinion: An impressive wingspan and plenty of poseability fail to save 76296 New Captain America Construction Figure from being a merely average build.