The United States is currently in a patriotic mood, but this isn't the first or even biggest time for patriotism. The days of founding the country notwithstanding, the time when America stood most united in common cause and drive was during World War 2. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the nation was galvanized towards winning the war, but a few comics creators had shone their own patriotism even before this in creating a symbol for the country they loved. That symbol was the Star-Spangled Sentinel of liberty known as Captain America.

The character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby just prior to the US entry into the war, but this version of the good Captain inhabits the Ultimate Marvel Universe. While both characters have essentially the same origins, the Ultimate version is less an idealistic person and more of a hard-nosed get the job done character. He's much rougher and willing to use violence in any form that he deems necessary to complete his mission. The ultimate version even carried a gun during WW2, and had no compunctions about using it (in contrast to the modern version of the original Cap).

For a look at Cap in action, you need look no further than The Ultimates #2 (also available in a trade paperback). The tale is told mostly in flashbacks, but it replicates much of Cap's final WW2 mission from regular continuity. His mission is to stop a secret German weapon, a rocket with a nuclear weapon, from being launched. The raid on the base in Iceland was successful, but there did seem to be one major casualty - Captain America.

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As luck would have it, he did survive the mission and ended up frozen in suspended animation. Some 60 years later he is resurrected and joins the Ultimates to help keep America safe from the new terrors of this strange new world.

If you're confused about the Ultimate Marvel Universe, here's the Cliff's Notes version of what is going on. Essentially Marvel is 're-imagining' their universe, with an emphasis on trying to put the characters into a grittier and more realistic world. In many ways it mirrors the re-designs of characters for the recent Marvel movies. Along with the new look there are more mature themes, including profanity and sexual situations.

The bust from Diamond Select Toys is based on the WW2 look of Ultimate Cap, and not the modern version. With this in mind, you can see his costume is designed more for utility than symbolism. He has ammo pouches for his machine gun, a web belt and he wears and armored helmet (with a design much like the German helmets). He still has a shield, but this one isn't quite as good for throwing around and it has a distinct shape.

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The pose is identical to that of the modern Ultimate Captain America, as is the base. This introduces the only inaccuracy in this piece - 50 stars on the base when the WW2 era United States had only 48 states, as it would be a few years before Alaska and Hawaii would officially join as states. The web belt and various pouches are in place, and the original helmet with a leather mask is there as well.

The sculptor for the WW2 version of Ultimate Cap is the same as the man who brought the modern version to life, Andy Bergholtz. Andy has used the same basic pose and design for this bust, but added in the details that mark the two versions as different. This includes detailed work on getting the military gear accurate (a skill he used in Palisades GI Joe bust line), changing the shield and the texture needed for the WW2 era uniform. All these were done with perfection, and this is another great job done by Andy, joining his Ultimate Captain America and Iron Man busts and Dawn bust and statue.

The run for this bust is 1945 pieces, the same year that Cap went missing and that the war ended. And so there are enough for you to get your very own. There were an identical number of full-color and individually numbered certificates of authenticity, all with the sculptor's signature on them. You can display it alone or with the other Ultimates available from Diamond Select Toys, like the modern Ultimate Captain America, Ultimate Iron Man and Ultimate Thor busts. They also make an Ultimate WW2 Captain America, Ultimate Iron Man, Ultimate Hulk and Ultimate Thor action figures as part of the Marvel Select line. No one else gives you so many Ultimates in three dimensions!

Where to buy the WW2 Captain America Bust: This piece is limited to a run of 1,945, and retails for about $50 USD. You can find it at your local comics shop and various online retailers.