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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Rescue Iron Man  - Avengers Endgame
Sixth Scale action figure

Hot Toys
Date Published: 2021-09-13
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Introduction

Regular readers - and listeners to the podcast I do with my buds Jeff Parker and Eamon O'Donoghue - know that while I have a large number of Hot Toys Iron Man figures, I have not purchased any in the last several years. I'm pretty burned out on the concept, and while they've done some terrific releases recently, I'd rather spend my bucks on new characters instead of the 25th version of Tony.

However, I made an exception with the Rescue armor release. Most importantly, this is not Tony, but Pepper Potts in her own armor. Almost as important, the design is quite unique, and includes an excellent Pepper portrait, allowing you to set it apart from the other dozens on your shelf.

But it's not cheap. It's a die cast release, which are always more expensive, and it has perhaps the most LED lights of any release so far, driving up the cost even further. It just started shipping, and you can expect to pay around $400, depending on the retailer.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Packaging - ****
Hot Toys tends to create higher end packaging for their higher priced figures, knowing you expect some 'wow factor' from the moment you open the shipper. This time they've used a very sturdy, solid, bookshelf style outer box, with a hard foam inner box that slips out from the side. Inside the hard foam, everything is safe and sound, packed in a very collector friendly way. The overall look is sharp, and the improved quality matches the expectations.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Sculpting - ****
This category covers two areas - the portrait of course, but also the armor.

The Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is quite accurate, and there's little doubt who it is. They've captured the nose and eyes, although the helmet takes away some of the features that make her recognizable, like the strong jaw and chin, or the shape of the cheeks. Still, you'll know it's her immediately.

The expression is calm but stern, not overly dynamic but reasonable for a number of poses. I don't love the hair, but that's more of an issue with the paint than the sculpt, and with the face plate up, you won't see much of it.

The armor is simply amazing, as you've come to expect. The detailing is scary real, with sharp edges and clean lines all around. This costume was designed specifically for Pepper, and it follows the curves of her body, rather than making her look like a clunky robot. This smooth, streamlined look helps set it apart on the shelf.

However, this is a 'die cast' release, but there's not a ton of metal here. She doesn't have the hefty feel of most of the other metal versions, and while part of that is due to the thinner design of the suit, you're still likely to be surprised by how light weight she is.

The hands are designed for a couple specific purposes, and both the hands and heads swap easily. She stands just south of 12", and looks great with the other Iron Man suits on the shelf.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Paint - ***1/2
The overall paint work is excellent, especially on the armor. The bright colors really pop, and the metallic finish is even and consistent. It's also a fairly unique color combination, allowing her to stand out in the crowd.

But the paint work on the portrait is a bit underwhelming this time. Of course, the skin tone, eyes, and lips are as lifelike as ever. But the original Pepper had a slight freckling that's largely missing this time, and I don't love the brassy, metallic look to the hair. Thankfully, it's not obvious with the mask on the forehead.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Articulation - ****
One of the factors that has always set the Iron Man designs apart is the amazing articulation. Somehow, they've even improved on that.

She has all the joints you expect - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, knees, ankles, and even a half foot - and many spots are multi-jointed, designed for maximum movement.

They've done this by designing the armor to get out of the way. Many of the armor pieces are articulated, allowing you to move them out or up out of the way of the joint. The shoulders, the small pieces around the hips, the chest, the feet, the hands, all have surrounding armor pieces you can move. They've added a few this time that I haven't seen before, like the bicep armor that moves out and up to get away from the elbows, or the wrist armor that does the same for the hands.

They also made some of the joints extendable. Both the hips and the ankles can be pulled - carefully! - to extend the limb out, creating even more clearance around the joint. Overall, this figure is intended to allow for the widest range of poses, and it's a very impressive piece of engineering.

There's also some interesting additional features with the armor. You can remove the chest piece, and underneath is the complex interior. And the multiple (three) layers of flaps on the back of the costume flip up and out, similar to other versions.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Accessories - ****
The figure includes a number of unique extras, always a big plus.

There's two extra sets of hands to go with the fists she comes wearing. One is a posed set, designed for open hand blast poses. The other is a set with articulated fingers, which covers just about any other pose. They swap easily with little worry.

There's two heads as well. While we've talked mostly about the Potts head with removable mask, there's also a standard masked head that lights up. More on that in the next section, but having both is a big plus here.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

The figure includes a unique blast effect and a 'drone'. The six pieces of the drone can be attached to the figure, or can be used in conjunction with the blast effect.

To use it with the figure, you open up the various flaps, and swap out a silver piece underneath with an included version that has a small slot. Into this slot you attach a clear plastic support, and the six pieces of the drone attach to this in a flying pattern. I love the look of this set up, and expect this is the way I'll go with my display.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

You can also attach the six pieces to the sides of the blast effect, and then attach the hands to the effect as well, creating another unique look. I liked this option as well, although the effect is fairly heavy. That means you can't extend the arms too far and keep the figure upright, but if you use the display stand, you'll have even more options. The stand includes a long, posable metal support rod, perfect for flying and leaping poses.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Light Feature - **
A huge reason this figure costs $400+ is because of the light up feature. There area a ton of lights, 16 in all, in the usual spots but new areas as well.

There's the eyes, chest, and hands, as you'd expect. But there's a slew more, additional extras including her torso, hips, and calves. All these lights are intended as a huge selling point, and are clearly a big reason for the price tag.

And yet, working with them is a huge pain in the ass. There are six locations for batteries, which are included of course. Putting them in place is going to take you awhile, so buckle in. The top of the head opens for three batteries, lighting the eyes and sides of the helmet. The back opens for three more, lighting the chest and torso. Each forearm opens, and get two more batteries each for the hands. And both thighs open up, also getting two batteries each, and powering the multiple LED's on the legs.

The problem is opening some of these is dicey. The back and head were no problem, but the thighs and forearms require some care, and I worry about repeatedly removing and replacing these pieces. And that's exactly what you have to do to use the lights, since every one of the switches is also buried under the plastic armor.

This figure has one of the coolest and most expensive light features in the line...and it's almost completely useless in practice.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Outfit - ****
This category is really just a reiteration of things we've already discussed. Unlike most sixth scale figures that have their own cloth costume, this one is all armor. And we've talked about the amazing quality of that armor in the Sculpt, Paint, and Articulation sections. Still, it's worth pointing it out again, and giving the work its own score here.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

I'm also using this section to show the flaps down, open, and with the drone in place. The battery compartment for the chest/torso lights is the easiest to get to, and is located under the silver plastic piece you pop off and replace for the drone connection.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Fun Factor - ***
With well designed articulation and some useful accessories, this is a very fun figure. Sadly, the lights don't provide the enjoyment you'd expect at this price point, but you should still be able to get some very cool poses, and find some interesting ways to change it up regularly.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Value - *1/2
This is a killer, and will be a deal breaker for most folks. At $400, she is up there with the most expensive Iron Man releases. While she's advertised as 'die cast', she doesn't have the amount of some of the other versions, and the light up feature, while cool, is close to useless outside of the chest and head.

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Things to Watch Out For -
There's nothing here to fear, but I did notice a couple things worth mentioning.

The thigh armor is designed to turn a bit, and it mentions it in the instructions with about a 20 degree rotation potential. However, keep in mind that when you do turn it, it will block the one light on the upper thigh itself.

I also found that when removing the forearm armor, it was easier to pull it loose from the edge by the elbow. Your mileage may vary.

Overall - ***
This is a great figure, but she has two big issues that are intertwined.

The big issue is her price tag of course, right up there with the top end Iron Man die cast releases. This is an issue on its own of course, but the other big reason it's so high is the large number of LED lights. However, because of the placement of the switches and the need to remove armor pieces every time you want to turn them on or off, the feature is close to useless. The only lights that are easy to work with are those we get with every Iron Man - the head and chest. Even the hands are tough to light up this time, and that hurts her appeal at this price point.

I picked her up because she's a really unique version of the suit, and I thought she would make a nice addition. If I had it to do over, I'd probably skip this one, and it's a case where as cool as the final figure is, the price tag is awfully hard to swallow. If money isn't a problem, you're going to love it, but for those on a budget, it's a different story.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Light Feature - **
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - ***

Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has the pre-order still up for $406.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered a ton of Hot Toys Iron Man suits over the years. A few highlights -MK42 (diecast), the Iron Patriot, and Hulkbuster. And if you're a fan of Pepper, they also produced a regular version.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!

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Rescue Diecast Sixth Scale Action Figure from Avengers Endgame by Hot Toys

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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