Iron Man
Review by JoshB
One of the cool things about owning a site like CDX is that every so often you get a mystery box in the mail. Sometimes toy companies just send me stuff, out of the blue, with no explanation.
It was on a cold January morning when I stumbled upon a box from.... Hasbro? How cool! This is not the first random package from Hasbro that I've gotten, but its always a pleasant surprise.
Anyway, this box was loaded full of Marvel Comics toys. Mighty Muggs, Marvel Legends and... whats this? IRON MAN. Are these even out in stores?
I don't really collect Super Hero toys - not because of any lack of love of the characters. On the contrary, I have two 5-drawer legal size file cabinets full of comic books. I stopped collecting a few years ago because I could only maintain so many vices at once. But my love for the characters remains. I didn't collect the toys largely because I wasn't happy with most of them. They just didn't capture the likeness I was looking for.
This new Marvel Universe line, on the other hand, is something I could really get into.
Think of these as mini Marvel Legends figures. They are 3.75" tall - roughly in scale to Hasbro's current Star Wars and GI Joe lines. It makes sense, and its a move that I wonder why they never did sooner.
Iron Man comes blister carded similar to that of Star Wars figures. The package is beautiful front and back, with information about Iron Man and his secret identity. There is also a folder marked "Top Secret" that contains a file card, a dossier, and a code that you can enter on-line at http://www.furyfiles.com.
I'll get right to the chase - the figure is awesome. It is everything I hoped it would be. Nicely made, super articulated, sturdy and looks fantastic.
The sculpt is just beautiful. I don't know which Iron Man armor this is, but the detail on it is great. No noticeable smudges or overspray. The paint has a great metallic finish.
If you've gotten one of the better recent Star Wars figures, then you have a good idea what to expect in terms of articulation. The neck and torso are both on ball joints.
The shoulders have swiveling shoulder pads, with ball joints at the shoulders and elbows. The wrists rotate as well.
As opposed to the shaft style hips that most Star Wars figures use, Iron Man uses a cool ball joint much like the GI Joe figures. There's a bar that runs through the crotch that each leg attaches to, providing a wide range of motion.
The knees are on ball joints, as are the ankles. The feet have holes in them that are the same size as those on Star Wars figures, so you can share display stands with them.
The only accessory that is included with Iron Man is a translucent yellow "Repulsor Blast" that clips on to his forearm. It's a neat effect, but the way they have the electricity spiraling out it looks more like a web.
I think Hasbro has a winner with this line - I know I am going to grab all of my favorite characters. Keep an eye out for these at your local store!
Comments
16 comments postedBeing a life-long Iron Man fanatic the overflow of Iron Man toys on the market right now is like a dream come true.
The movie opened up a lot of doors, finally people know what I(and others) knew all along: Iron Man is one of the greatest American comic book characters of all time. I started reading Iron Man way back in the late 1970's when Stark had his first bout with alcoholism. At the time there was no other "main character" in mainstream comic books that had these sorts of problems, it was huge. Most consider this the best run in the IM comics history(#115-128). Plus hardcore IM fans(myself included) consider this run the best art ever on the mag. The trade paperback "The Power Of Iron Man" reprints issues #120-128 which is the meat of that story arc. This is a great starting point for anyone interested in Iron Man. The writing is on a level rarely seen and the art is out of this world.
Anyhow, I'm glad to see you like the Marvel Universe Iron Man, Josh. It really looks sweet, I'm, picking one up for sure. That armor is one of the more recent models by the way(2004ish).
To those of you who want the perfect Iron Man - Movie Version figure I'll suggest one or two or all three versions of Hot Toys' Movie Masterpiece but they are very expensive.
To all those who want an exquisite set of Iron Man figures I'll suggest the soon-to-be released gashapon-style set by ezhobi toys.
To those who want a neat, cool but inexpensive Iron Man comic version toy figure I'll suggest this superb offering by Hasbro.
To be honest I'm more into Classic Japanese Super Robots but DC and MARVEL figures still attract me like a powerful Magnet-o.
Thanks for posting this. I'll be keeping my eye on this line, but so far, I'm not particularly impressed. This figure looks just okay to me. Another part of the problem for me is that I'm not all that big a fan of Hasbro's new Star Wars or GI Joe figures. Yeah, the sculpts are great and the paint apps are better than any action figure line...pretty much ever...but they're super-cheap-feeling. The rubbery PVC they use is prone to warping and joints can get super-loose...totally reminds me of Bandai's Gundam MSiA figures.
Granted, not that the Marvel Legends line is that much better these days. They've certainly been hit or miss, but I'll tell ya, for my money, the Silver Centurion or the gold Ditko variant are the best non-movie Iron Man figs.
iron maniac, thanks for posting that info about the comic--I'm not that informed a fan, but like JoshB, I still have the love of the characters and mythos, so your comment really helps. It's been well over a decade since I've collected comics and I just feel too busy to get back into the hobby. So picking up trades, like you suggest, is perfect for someone like me!
grendizer1975, I agree with your assessments. I'd love a Hot Toys figure, but I'm probably going to wait for the second movie, which will hopefully include War Machine--I've always had a soft spot for Rhodey! Hopefully (again!), Hot Toys will still be around and will make a similarly amazing figure of War Machine.
Anyway, one thing to add: ezhobi is also making a chogokin Iron Man based on the movie design! That'll be interesting to see develop...
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Sanjeev
How dose this figure compare with the Movie iron mans?
I've been itching to buy one myself.
Thanks for the review, Josh. It's always nice to
get a thorough look at new toys before they hit
the shelves so decisions can be made to prepare
for them or to avoid them. I really like the look
of this Iron Man. I think it's heavily influenced
by the Iron Man artwork done by Adi Granov.
Here's some of his stuff:
Iron Man pounding the ground
Iron Man flying straight at us
and some of his War Machine artwork (for Sanjeev)
War Machine holding his ground
War Machine punching at us
War Machine firing off some rounds
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By the way, the webpages of the War Machine artwork
also give info about the 3 comic books where the
artwork is taken from. These issues have Rhodey as
War Machine taking Tony's place (since Tony's armor
is rendered powerless) in being the front man to
take on the Skrull Invasion during an important
part of the huge "Secret Invasion" storyline Marvel
just finished. Rhodey kicks butt big time and takes
a huge pounding too. I highly recommend those three
issues for intense armor action with the entire
world's safety at stake. Go War Machine!!
A War Machine comic will be starting soon also :D
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I'm definitely going to buy this Iron Man figure,
but I prefer the look of War Machine. If you're
going to fight the kind of people of the world
who murder without hesitation, then you better be
sure to bring the big guns with you! I've already
preordered the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark 1, and if
they do a War Machine, then it will probably be
my favorite toy of the year that it is released in.
That's awesome, krakit! I'm definitely going to have to check out War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D! Thanks for the heads up.
And keep your fingers crossed for a War Machine appearance in the next movie, and obviously, a corresponding masterpiece figure from Hot Toys. Hey, I always wanted an action figure of Don Cheadle! ;)
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Sanjeev
Josh, you asked which Iron Man that was, I'm not into the comic books but the design looks like the armor he used in the Ultimate Avengers animated movie that came out awhile back
I get the feeling most CDX people don't really follow superhero stuff,so I'll point out that these are a direct competition to Mattel's small DC heroes that started coming out last year. I forget what the name of the line is,but it's something like "Crisis on Infinite Heroes" or somesuch. Looking at this Iron Man,though,these Marvel figures blow those out of the water. The DC guys are way less poseable,and use shared molds when possible. They just feel like something made a decade or two ago,as opposed to a new product on the shelves. Probably why they're pegwarmers.
OTOH,the DC line is expanding,with the types of figures adult collectors want (Power Girl,Comissioner Gordon,Huntress),so hopefully Hasbro follows suit.
Thanks for the info! I, personally, don't follow superhero toys closely, but I try to stay sorta up on any collectibles of my favorite characters. Plus, I've always pretty much only read Marvel comics (except for a few top-selling DC one-shots like the Frank Miller Batman books, Kingdom Come, and whatnot...).
I was only vaguely aware of the 3-3/4" DC figures, but was never interested enough to dig any deeper. It's interesting to hear that these Marvel figs are being produced in direct competition to these guys. Honestly, I just think it's awesome to be able to have GI Joes, Star Wars characters, and now Marvel superheroes battling it out on the same scale! (even if I still prefer the Marvel Legends scale)
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Sanjeev
Just think,you'll be able to pose them on a shelf or bookcase with Wolverine and Snake Eyes teaming against Serpentor and Sabretooth! Or all four could have to team up against the Hulk! Or ALL FIVE of those guys could work as a team to beat that Bandai USA giant Godzilla!
I know it's not quite to scale,but it's workable.
Oh since you mentioned the repulsor blast looking like a web,I wouldn't be surprised if we see a white version being used as Spider-Man's web accessory. Or Venom,if they end up making a Venom (pretty sure they will,obviously.)
I was going to say that I am jazzed about these figures, imagining the infinite number of variations they could do with Iron Man or Spider-Man. However, I cringe when I have to pay 7 bucks for a Star Wars or GI Joe figure. I think 10 bucks is kinda steep, especially when you consider you can get a Marvel Legends figure at Wal-Mart for a dollar more.
Heavyarms
thatsjustprime.blogspot.com
addictedtoplastic.blogspot.com
I still haven't seen this great Iron Man figure
in stores yet so if anyone sees this, please
leave a comment telling us when and where you saw it.
By the way the comic War Machine #1
came out Jan 2nd and it ROCKS!!
I've been told the 3.75 inch Iron Man
toy will be in stores on March 1st.
I finally found one of these guys at Toys R Us! I've seen a few others from the line at Wal-Mart, but this is the only Iron Man I've found. And it's awesome! So much fun to fiddle with.
I'm usually not too much into superhero toys at all but I could see myself buying tons of them in this format. Possibly Wolverine next.
HAMMER Files 2010 Iron Man (Extremis Armor) is a great improvement over the Fury Files version, I strongly recommend it.