So I was surprised at how much I
’loved’ this figure, there’s no
getting away from the fact it is in effect a ‘variant’ but as always,
Hot toys (HT) add just enough extras to make it a virtually essential
purchase… but just HOW essential!
Packaging
- ****
When I reviewed the MK 3, I gave the packaging 3 ½ … what was I
thinking?
Michael rightly gave it a full
score, and I have to say ever since I first sent in my review I thought
I should have given it more… well consider it rectified.
This was again designed by T.F.Wong along with Monster JR, and is
virtually the same design as the MK 3’s but of course showing the MK 2
colour-way.
We again have a complete wrap
around double layer and the front is held in place by magnets and the
overlap on the die-cut circular ‘power-source heart’, so like last time
you simply lift the front panel and unwrap it panel by panel
anti-clockwise. The outer design mimics the polished steel suit, and
once the panels are unwrapped they show the mechanical inner workings
of the armour. Once again the quality of the print and make-up is first
rate with all the edges smooth and finished wonderfully.
Inside the internal black tray the figure is held in place by two clear
‘window’ over trays, the lower one is formed to hold him in place so no
twisties are used at all and he can removed and replaced as good as
new. This is one of the most attractive boxes to come out since… well,
the MK 3. Now I am just itching to see what they give us for the MK 1,
that guy will be hefty!
Sculpting - ****
Well, we are going to have a
lot of repetition in this review, that’s inevitable, so I will take it
as read that you are familiar with the first two reviews that the MK 3
received, linked to above, and I have to say that when a company has
put as much R&D into a figure as HT did with this, then it
deserves to be milked, and I hope they announce a battle damaged
version soon. The basic construction of this figure is 85% identical to
what came before, but the different elements are just enough to raise
it’s standing even higher. When fresh out of the box, apart from the
glaring difference, that this version is steel coloured, the only other
real point of note is in the visible rivets that cover the figures
chest, run down the arms and the indents on the helmet. But this is not
the feature I love, oh no, the bit I love is the alternate head.
Last time, with the MK 3 we got two heads as well. One was the armoured
head, fully encased with light up eyes and the second was a full Tony
Stark head, handy for sticking on the MK 3 body, but ultimately it was
all about creating a separate Tony Stark bash. This time you again get
the full armoured head with the light up eyes, but you also get a
reveal helmet. It is so very well put together, and once again HT have
tweaked with what we saw on the original
proto-type to give us something even sweeter.
I inquired when I first posted
those pics if the faceplate would be moveable, and was told it would be
fixed… fair enough I thought, but secretly I died a little bit inside.
However, things have changed!
When you unpack the alternate head you will see that it the faceplate
is a separate piece, with two small strips of metal hidden on it’s
underside that stick to a magnet within the head, coupled with this,
the chin guard can also be slightly lowered, it’s just fantastic!
I love this feature, as the mask can now be worn completely covering
the face or slide up to semi cover or reveal. For me this is the
perfect option. I was lucky enough to secure the ‘exclusive’ display
base, so my final display will be a Tony Stark bash (a separate suit is
being released, the full MK 3, the MK 2 with revealed face, MK 2 bust
and the MK 1 in all its junk yard glory… oh yeah, bring it on!
The reveal face is a new sculpt,
like the last head it’s not the very best HT sculpt you will ever see,
but it’s still a very strong one, and the over all package makes this
whole category another winner in my eyes.
After re-visiting the scene in
the movie when Tony is literally wrapped in the MK 2 suit for the first
time and you get the 360 view of the suit as it comes alive, all the
panels, flaps, servos and weapons systems come on line then 'BAM' we
see the inaugural flight. This figure just brings that alive, the fine
details are once again amazing, the paint job is sublime and actually
manages to enhance the details even more than the classic MK 3.
Paint - ****
The revealed face is once again painted very well, the base plastic is
translucent, so the skin-tones, eyes, lips and hairline all showcase
why HT are still very much at top of the heap when it comes to paint
apps. Enterbay have recently been snapping at their heels, but for
sheer volume and consistency HT have reinvented the quality we can
expect in this field and continue to improve upon it with each new
release. The head is inserted as a separate piece into the mask from
behind, so the ‘steel’ shell looks even more authentic when viewed up
close, next to the simulated flesh.
The rest of the figure is pretty much all steel coloured, and like the
MK 3, even though the construction is made up of different types of
plastic, the whole thing looks very uniform and the colouring is just
perfect, I mean it actually looks like metal. This colour palette
actually seems to enhance the details even more than the red and gold
did on the MK 3.
While admiring it I was struck
by how cool a medieval Knight would be if done by HT (can you imagine
if they did Excalibur figures based on John Boorman’s classic movie… I
can!!!)
Articulation - *** 9/10 Now this category is again virtually identical to the MK 3, so you’ll
have to excuse my laziness, but for the complete low-down I’d read the
‘articulation’ category in this
review again.
The only difference is the
moving magnetic faceplate on the new head and the neck articulation on
the extra bust (if you’re lucky enough to get the exclusive).
So I’ve upped my final score
from last time by a gnat’s whisker. However, as wonderfully engineered
as this figure is… and it is truly, breathtakingly well engineered,
there’s still no getting away from the fact the articulation isn’t
absolutely perfect, especially at the waist and elbows. But for a
figure of this type, and this complex it’s closer than just about any
other company could ever get it (or would ever even try), so I’m giving
it as close to perfection as you can get… without actually being
perfect… which I think is fair!
Accessories - regular**** exclusive ****+ To be honest what can you give this figure that he doesn’t have?
He comes with a stand (blue logo
this time), all the hands he had last time (2 relaxed/flight, 2
repulsor and 2 fists), the new reveal head (already been over this…
very cool), a small replica of his original ‘power’ heart, the one made
in captivity that he gives to Pepper and she puts in a display box. If
I was gonna nit-pick… and I am, then the ‘IRONMAN’ logo shouldn’t
really be there, but it will be easy to paint over it should it annoy
you too much. This ‘spare’ heart also has a light up feature, you just
flick a tiny switch on the rear of the base and it illuminates so
bright you can use it as a torch, this means even during daylight hours
it shines fiercely bright. Now for me, the new head and the heart were
enough to elevate this category to a full score, but as I said I also
managed to get the exclusive mini-bust. This is great for displaying
whatever head you decide not to use on the main figure, the chest light
doesn’t work on this, but it’s still a very useful ‘exclusive’, the
only pity being that it wasn’t a standard accessory. But it’s quite a
big item so I guess if you’re going to the bother of making an
exclusive, you might as well make it something people actually want.
Outfit - ****
As I said in the MK 3 review, it’s not ‘really’ an outfit as it’s all
sculpted as the actual body. But viewing it as the ‘power suit’, then
it is a work of art.
Value - regular****, exclusive
****+
Like I said last time, this is a figure where you can see every penny
you have spent has been invested in the R&D!
Hot Toys have made a product
that is truly deserving of the name ‘art’, hell it’s a product that is
more accurate and better put together than a lot of pieces that are
twice its size, so for an outlay of $160 I actually think it’s nothing
short of a bargain, and I can’t imagine these being around for too
long… even in this god-awful economy!
Fun Factor - ****
The addition of the new head has made this an even better display piece
than the MK 3 in my most humble of opinions, and the quality of the
steel effect paint job makes this look like a very expensive specimen
when on the shelf.
So once again, there is no way
one should ever consider this a ‘plaything’ as all those moving and
jointed elements make it just too delicate, however it’s still robust
enough to be subjected to many, many hours of posing when handled with
due care. And because of that impressive articulation, something tells
me you’re gonna have a blast finding that ‘ideal’ pose… enjoy… I know I
do!
Overall
- regular****, exclusive ****+
As near to perfection as it
is possible to get in this scale (at the moment… who knows what we’ll
be seeing in a few years from now), and along with the Endo-Skeleton
from a couple of years ago, it shows us why, at this moment, HT can not
be touched when it comes to tackling subjects that would frankly
‘terrify’ their rivals.
If there is any justice in the world this figure will be regarded as
something of a classic, underlining just what is achievable at this
scale when a company truly puts its mind to it.
I honestly didn’t expect this to
eclipse the MK 3, but as I said, for me at least, it really has!
Score Recap:
Packaging - ****
Sculpting
- ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - *** 9/10
Accessories - regular**** exclusive ****+
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - regular****, exclusive ****+
Overall - regular****, exclusive ****+
Where to Buy -
Sponsor options include:
- Sideshow has an exclusive
version with an extra accessory, and just happens to be on second chance right now. They're
$160.
- CornerStoreComics
has him for $150.
- Alter Ego Comics
has this guy at $152.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
- and if your tastes do tend toward the statue more than the figure,
check out the Kotobukiya fine art statue at Showcase
Collectibles.




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