Review of Iron Man - One12 Collective action figure

Introduction

Mezco's One:12 Collective series has tackled a lot of interesting and difficult characters on a 6 - 7" scale. But doing Iron Man presented its own set of unique challenges, thanks to the suit and light up feature.

They actually have three versions of him either out or announced so far.  The MK42 was released as a con exclusive earlier this year, and the Previews exclusive 'Stealth Armor' version is coming soon. Tonight I'm checking out the regular release, a design based very much on his classic comic book appearance.

This guy just started shipping, and will run you around $90 at most retailers.

Packaging - ***1/2
The usual box, with a fairly simple but clean design. The Iron Man logo hearkens back to his earlier days, and the photos and text on the back look good. The heavy cardboard means the package can withstand handling over time, and it's all collector friendly, with no need to damage anything when removing or replacing the figure and accessories.

Sculpting - ****
This is an all new body of course, with almost no removable armor. There's a back cover that can be removed to expose the battery compartment, and the face plate comes off, but the rest of the suit is permanent.

There's plenty of metal parts too - from what I can tell, some pieces of the arms and legs are die cast, as is the upper torso and part of the feet. Some other areas may be as well, and it's a heavy figure in hand. The heft gives it a high quality, sturdy, realistic feel.

The sculpted armor looks fantastic, with generally sharp cuts and a machined appearance. They also did a terrific job engineering the articulation to work with the sculpt, getting the best appearance and yet maintaining lots of posability.

You can remove the mask, and underneath is Tony Stark. They did this instead of giving you two heads this time, and while it means you can't have light up eyes, it's still a very workable solution. The mask actually attaches to the top of the head via magnets, although I removed it completely in the close up so you can fully see the face.

The face is pretty standard stuff, and can pass for a comic book Tony just fine. The sculpted mustache and eyebrows look great, and the expression works for the character.

This is a big figure for the series, coming in at almost 7" tall. He takes up some serious space next to the rest of the series, but fits within the appropriate overall scale. The legs and arms are thicker than many other Iron Men in this scale, and it's a much appreciated improvement to the look.

Paint - ***1/2
This was almost a four star paint job, and your mileage may very well vary.

The work on the overall suit is certainly four star stuff. The metallic, glossy paint job sparkles and shines, and the coverage and colors are consistent and even. Edges are sharp, and it's impressive work for something in this scale.

The Tony Stark face looks on par with other faces in the series. The eyes are clean, the eyebrows and mustache subtle, and there's very little bleed. On the inside of the mask itself is a sticker with printed HUD details - nice!

I did have a couple minor blips on the helmet and mask, spots where the paint is slightly smudged. I can't see it easily in hand, but it becomes clear to me in macro photos. Yea, I know - I'm being super picky here, but that's the level of quality that I've come to expect in this series.

Articulation - ****
Creating an Iron Man figure in this scale, let alone one with metal armor in various places, is hard enough. Doing it and maintaining the articulation is a whole different ball game.

The ball jointed neck allows for a ton of movement, and you can get lots of tilt and lean action, including front to back.  The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists allow for plenty of good arm poses, particularly with the blaster and bullet effects. The hands swapped easily, but they remained in place as I was posing him.

The torso rolls and turns, and the ball hips actually pop down slightly for deeper bends. There's double pin knees, a cut joint at the top of the boot, and good rocker ankles. He can take shallow to deep stances, and keep his feet flat on the ground through most.

I was really impressed by the work here, and I had a ton of fun posing and re-posing this guy!

Accessories - ****
I'll admit it - I'm a little disappointed there wasn't a second portrait. Still, he comes with a ton of extras, and many of the blast effects will really increase your display options.

There's extra hands of course - four to be exact. He comes wearing fists, and there's a set of grasping hands and a set of flat palms. Of course, the flat palms include holes to attach the various blase effects.

There are actually two different effects he can use with his hands. One are large blasts, while the second set have a matching set for his feet. These are perfect for flying poses.

The light cover on his chest is removable and can be replaced with a huge, phallic blast. The light effect actually illuminates this pretty well.

He has some guns too, with one on each wrist and a rotating set on his hips. The hip covers can be swapped out with a set that have bullets flying, and you can attached a fired bullet to each wrist as well.

He comes with the usual Mezco stand, and you can use either the simple foot peg, or the large, clear plastic support rod for flying poses.

Light Feature - ***1/2
This is one of several new One:12 figures that incorporate a light feature, and they cost a little more than average because of it.

His reactor lights up with a very bright, very steady LED. There's a 'pack' on the back of his armor that is removable, and underneath is the battery compartment and light switch. It's easy to pop in the included batteries, and the cover isn't difficult to remove and replace, so turning the light on and off is easy enough.

The light is bright enough to see in a normally lit room, and it's a feature you'll show off to your friends and family.

Fun Factor - ****
This is a very sturdy, well made figure with a ton of good articulation and lots of great blast effects. I had a ton of fun working with him for the photos, and I can see revisiting him on the shelf regularly to come up with new poses and looks.

Value - **1/2
The average price for the usual One:12 figure is $80 these days, and the light up feature is well worth the extra ten bucks.  You're also getting an awful lot of value in the metal costume and well designed articulation, so I have no problem with the price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
It can be tricky getting the small circular cover off the reactor on his chest. Slip a fingernail under the edge at the very bottom and you should be able to pop it off. Don't use anything that could scratch the paint!

Overall - ****
I thought we pretty much had the nominees for Best Male Figure 5 - 11" all wrapped up...and then I opened this guy up.  I'm going to work to get him on the Poppies ballot somehow, because he certainly deserves a spot.

The newly designed body looks great, the light up feature works well, the articulation is excellent - this is an overall home run for Mezco and the series.  He has quickly become one of my favorite, if not favorite, Iron Man figures in any scale. My only regret now is that I missed out on the MK42 pre-order at their site and ended up on the wait list - he's going for big bucks already on ebay.  Don't make that mistake with the Stealth Suit version, and pick him up now while he's still available.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has sold out of this one, but still has the Stealth Armor version for $90 with free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Marvel One:12 figures include Ragnarok Hulk, the Ronin Wolverine, the Special Ops Punisher, and Doctor Strange.

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

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