Review of Iron Man Silver Centurion 1/6th action figure

Introduction

I don't know if you've heard, but there's this little company called Hot Toys that specializes in sixth scale action figures, and they are doing a few Iron Man figures based on the Marvel films.

Yes, Sheldon, that's sarcasm. If you're a completist when it comes to the Iron Man suits released by Hot Toys, you are broke, you are divorced, you have been shunned by all your non-nerd friends, and you have one damn sweet display.

Hot Toys has every intention of driving you further into debt and seclusion, by releasing several more suit variations, some of which I'll be reviewing very soon. Tonight I'm checking out the Silver Centurion, with both the Heartbreaker and Igor coming up very soon.

The Silver Centurion is another suit from Iron Man 3, a movie designed to sell Iron Man suit variations. This guy comes in two versions - regular and exclusive (with one extra accessory). I'll be looking at the exclusive tonight, but the only difference is that one extra, which I'll point out clearly later in the review.

Packaging - ***
There's nothing earth shattering here - a standard shoe box design, with several plastic trays cradling the toy and accessories. Everything is very safe, everything is collector friendly (you can remove it and replace it with no damage to the packaging), and it's attractive enough. As I said, nothing ground breaking or special, but it does the job it's supposed to do quite well.

Sculpting - ***1/2
This suit is pretty bulky, more so than some of the other variations. Both the torso and legs are chunkier, and with the wide shoulders, both the head and arms seem small.

That's my personal aesthetic, and it's the reason I'm docking it slightly here. It's not my favorite overall armor design, although I'm sure there are plenty of folks that will love it.

Outside of my personal tastes, the figure is fantastic. I did have an interesting reaction to pulling this guy out, my first all plastic version in quite some time.  If you read my reviews of the die cast War Machine, Iron Patriot, or MK XLII, you'll hear me whine about the cost. But pulling this guy out, I realized that the heavier versions have spoiled me - this figure feels cheap, and riskier when posing.

That's all perception of course, but perception counts. This is a terrific looking figure, and on the shelf with the other variant designs, he'll look fantastic. But I now realize why it's worth spending the extra $60 if the option is out there.

Paint - ***1/2
Generally speaking, this is a gorgeous paint job. I love the red and silver combo on the armor, and it's very clean, bright and consistent. Add in the bright silver metal blades, and this guy can hold his own on the shelf with many of the other suits.

The Stark portrait has some damage painted on, including bruising and blood. It looks reasonable, and gets the battle damaged concept across.

However, I dinged them here because his mustache is a bit off. There's actually sculpted hair that's not painted, something I've never seen on a Hot Toys release before. It's not major, and you have to be looking for it, but once you know it's there, you won't be able to miss it.

Articulation - ***1/2
There's all the extreme articulation you've come to expect in every Iron Man suit, including the double ball jointed neck, ball shoulders and hips, double pin knees, pin ankles, and even a turning, twisting, expanding waist.

It's not just the waist that expands to allow for greater movement - the hips drop down as well, allowing more room for deeper stances.

Unlike the die cast versions, the ankles don't extend, and neither do the ball shoulders. However, both of these have plenty of armor pieces with articulation. That allows these pieces to get out of the way of the basic joint, improving the mobility.

The armor itself also has calf sections that open up in back, exposing the sculpted wiring and circuitry. Not sure I'd pose him that way, but it's a nice touch.

I will say that having played around with three of the die cast suits now, the non-die cast take a hit in this category. The joints actually work better there, allowing greater posability and deeper stances.

Accessories - ***1/2
There's a nice assortment, if not an exceptional one.

The obvious plus here is the two heads, one with light up eyes, and one with the underlying Stark head sculpt. The regular head looks great, and the light up feature is pretty much what you expect. I'll delve into that a bit more in the specific category.

The Stark head is a solid portrait, although with the hair and face shape hidden, it's always tough to really tell.

The Stark head has a separate mask that is held in place in the open position by magnets, or can snap over the Stark face for a finished look.

Swapping the heads is easy enough, and there's a battle damaged chest armor piece that you can use with the bloody Stark head to get a more consistent look. That extra chest piece is the only additional BD armor that's included.

While most Iron Man variants have a plethora of hands, this guy only has three sets - fists, splayed (with rubbery fingers), and articulated, designed for all kinds of poses you create on your own.

I really like the articulated hands, since the multi-jointed fingers allow for some very life-like poses. However, the splayed hands are designed with the wrist already bent back, making them perfect for blasting poses.

The big selling point for this variant, at least to me, is the metal blades that attach to the back of the hands. Clearly this is a unique look for Iron Man, and the real metal blades look terrific in place.

The regular release finishes with a large display stand. The post is the bendable metal design, but it's also the shorter version, not the newer 'flight' height. You can pose him off the ground, but not very high off the ground.

The batteries are included for the lights in the hands, chest and head, always a plus. No screwdriver this time, however.

Finally, the exclusive includes one more extra - a battle damaged head. This particular accessory isn't ideal for this suit, since it doesn't include a head without the helmet on it.  Instead, this works well as an extra to one of the work shop sets, or if you take one of those Tony heads and swap it in here.

Light Feature - ***
As is the norm, the Silver Centurion has light up eyes, chest and hands.

The batteries and switch for the head are hidden under the top plate, a pretty standard design. That means you have to pop that plate off every time you want to turn them on or off, but at least the design seems more stable with this release, less likely to get loose or break over time.

The same issue exists for the back, where you must pop off a chunk of armor to get to both the switch and the battery compartment.

The arms don't have that issue, since they've moved both items up onto the underside of the upper arm. It's an unobtrusive  spot, and allows you to reach the switch quite easily.

The batteries are included, as I mentioned, but getting them in is always a bit tricky. I also found that the fit wasn't as tight this time around, so that when I was handling the figure, the lights would dim or blink out.  I don't think it's a wiring problem - I had the issue with all the lights at one point or another - but rather an issue with the springs inside the battery compartments. They are allowing them to shift around slightly, causing the lights to flicker.

The base does NOT light up. No, I don't understand why they'd cut that from the basic feature list, particularly since the base has the battery compartment, and the top has translucent plastic windows perfect for a light feature.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
For the adult collector, this is a really fun figure. Plenty of posing potential, although once you've messed around with one of the die cast figures, it's hard to go back.

Value - *1/2
Remember the days when you could get an Iron Man for $200? It wasn't that long ago, so if you can't, you might want to see your doctor.

This guy is going to run you $250 at most retailers, and if you're trying to get the exclusive, I'm betting ebay will burn you for more than that. Unless you're either a) a completist or b) really, really into this suit design and color, that's a hard price to pay. There are places already selling the regular for $20 - $30 below that, which is no surprise considering the sheer number of Iron Men figures available that are soooo similar.

Cutting the light up base hurts here too - charging more for less is never good.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I did find that the back leg armor that lifts up can pop free, so take some care there, but otherwise things are pretty straight forward.

Overall - ***
How can I give this guy a *** score? I told you he looks terrific, with an excellent paint job and solid articulation. What's the deal?

The deal is that overall, holding him in my hand, he's just not all that exciting.  An overall impression is more than just the specific pieces - it's a feeling, an emotion, a combination of the total package. And while this guy does look great, he's not that much different than so many other Iron Man suits. If you're going to spend $250 on him, you have to know that.

I think it's interesting that the figure that has sold me on the concept of the die cast suits, and convinced me that from now on that's what I'll be getting when I have the option, is NOT one of the die cast figures, but one of the non-die cast figures. This is the first time I've spent any appreciable time playing around with one of the all plastic figures since getting the die cast, particularly the Iron Patriot and MK XLII. And while the plastic armor is still rocking, the price differential isn't enough for me to not go the better route.

We'll see if that opinion holds, or if it's just an effect of the Silver Centurion. I'll be looking at the Heartbreaker next week, and I'll be interested in seeing if I feel the same after unboxing him.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow had the exclusive and regular versions, both for $250.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I just covered the die cast MK XLII, one of the best figures from last year. Others in the Iron Man realm include the recent die cast War Machine and Iron Patriot, the Mandarin, the Power Pose MKXLII, the Iron Monger, the Mark V, the Secret Project version, the MKVI, the very cool War Machine, the hot chick Black Widow, Whiplash, the Mark III figure, Mark II figure, Mark I figure, and additional Tony Stark men's suit. There are also guest reviews of the Battle Damaged Iron Man and Mech Suit Tony Stark.

Discussion:
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