Review of Heartbreaker Iron Man 3

Introduction

At the end of Iron Man 3, Tony Stark unleashes a deluge of remotely controlled suits, all shapes, all sizes, all colors. These additional Mark versions help him destroy the big bad and save the day (and the girl)...and they've since helped Hot Toys empty the wallets of collectors worldwide.

Some of these designs were better than others, of course. A fan favorite was the MK XVII, better known as the 'Heartbreaker'. Hot Toys released their version several months ago, but I'm just finally getting around to him. I've still got Starboost to cover as well, hopefully soon.

Heartbreaker is not die cast, but rather the standard plastic that we've come to know and love. He's in stock at lots of locations right now, and will run you around $240, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***1/2
It's the usual shoebox style, completely collector friendly of course. No reason to ever keep a Hot Toys figure in the box - NONE. You can easily open him up, remove the figure and all the accessories, play, display and pose, and return it all at any time without any fuss, muss or damage.

The graphics are great, but I do wish they'd done something a bit more creative and interesting with the inside cardboard cover. It's pretty plain, lacking the pizzazz we've seen with some other recent releases.

Sculpting - ****
Some suit variants, especially those worn by Tony, tend to be very, very streamlined. The slick look works great, but it's nice to get something a little different once in awhile. That's Heartbreaker.

With a much larger chest and far more attached pieces to the surface of the overall armor, this guy has a ton of personality. Everything is sharply defined, and while it might not be metal, it certainly looks like it.

While various parts are larger or more built out, the overall proportions still look terrific. They've also worked very hard to create a design that looks screen accurate, and yet allows for plenty of posability. More on that in the Articulation section.

He only comes with a few hands, but they all look good and swap easily. He stands great on his own of course, just as you'd expect based on past releases.

Paint - ***1/2
It's not just the sculpt that helps define all the small details of the armor - the paint follows it up with its own fantastic application. Clean, sharp, even...all the details look amazing. The paint also adds to the metallic look, no matter which color.

There's a little bit of wear and damage as well, like on the shoulder pads. It's very subtle, however, and the figure is not full on battle scarred. This subtle touch adds to the realism of the overall look.

Articulation - ****
Perhaps most impressive is the exceptional work with the articulation. Hot Toys continues to take what works and add to it, seeming to improve with every release.

The ball jointed neck is pretty much par for the course, but the ball shoulders include the ability to shift outward, increasing their range of movement by putting more distance between the pieces of armor. The shoulder pads are also articulated, making for some very posable shoulders. Finishing off the arms are the cut biceps, pin elbows and ball hands, all which work as you'd expect.

While the ball hips, double pin knees, ball ankles, and pin half foot work as you've seen with past figures, they've added in the same ability to pop outward at the hips. Again, this allows for the legs to take deeper stances, and to bring the knee up higher into a sitting pose. Other pieces of armor that might restrict - like the plates on the top of the feet or the plates at the side of his hips - are also articulated to move out of the way, at least a bit.

Finally, they've improved the overall waist articulation, allowing the torso to stretch, and designing the armor to allow for a greater twisting motion. This really adds to the life-like poses you can get, and I suspect is much more fluid than a real suit could ever be.

Accessories - **
This is the one category where this figure is a huge let down.  He has very little, and what's here is even a bit weak.

There are three sets of hands TOTAL. One pair of fists he comes wearing, one set of wide set fingers designed for blasting poses, and one set of the newer hands with fully articulated fingers, perfect for almost any hand pose you can come up with.  When you have a figure like this wearing gloves (or a robotic figure like Robocop), these hands work great. Their one shortcoming is around gripping accessories, and since Heartbreaker has nothing to grip, it's not an issue.

Which brings us to his only other accessory, the display stand. This is the style with a large base and heavy, bendable, metal post, perfect for flight or hover poses. The waist clip includes a padded piece to support his lower back or stomach, depending on the pose.

This base has been used before of course, but when it was originally released, it would also light up.  There's translucent plastic around the top edge, and even a battery compartment on the bottom. But they did NOT include the electronics, cutting costs in a rather obvious and disappointing way. They did that with Silver Centurion as well, but in that case the figure came with quite a few other accessories to make up for it.

Light Feature - ****
The lack of any light feature on the base is disappointing, but the lights in the head, hands and chest work great. They are also fairly easy to get to in terms of the switches and battery compartments. For the arms, both are right there on the inside of the forearm. The head has them hidden under the top plate, and in back they are hidden under a hunk of removable armor. I've mentioned with some of the previous figures, the removable armor seemed iffy, as though removing and replacing it over time damage it or weaken the fit. That is not the case here, where the design seems solid and effective.

Another thing that sets this guy apart is the two areas on the sides of the torso where the light shines through. These small grates allow the bright LED to shine out, and it's an eye catching detail that gives him that little something extra.

They did provide batteries for all of the lights as well, but these are not installed in the box. While you might be a little annoyed by that, remember that for people that fear leakage, this is a big plus.

Fun Factor - ****
I had no fear of breakage or damage when I was working with this figure, as long as I paid attention to where the various pieces of armor were each time I adusted a joint.  He's very solid, and very well designed, clearly intended for lots of posing and re-posing.  This is a figure you'll change up regularly, thanks to the excellent articulation and ease of use.

Value - *
All these four star scores, and yet if you were paying attention to the heading for this review, you know I gave him only *** overall. How is that possible? You're answer is right here.

The Iron Man figures have quickly increased in cost over the last couple years. Perhaps Hot Toys knows that with the AoU, they were going to be down to only a couple potential suits with Iron Man and War Machine, and the odds of a lot of new designs over the course of future movies is much smaller. If so, they might be trying to get as much bang for their buck as they can, before this particular gravy train starts to slow down.

Whatever the case, this guy retails for a whopping $250. With only three sets of hands and a display stand, there's simply no way he's worth that kind of green. Hot Toys is targeting the completist fan with these, hoping you'll go for the full house party protocol. But at this price tag, you better love the specific design as well.

Things to Watch Out For -
Don't get excited if a leg or arm pops off - they're designed to do so, rather than break. Just pop them back on with a little pressure.

Overall - ***
This is a terrific looking figure. I really, really like the design, and the improved articulation, particularly at the waist, is a big plus. But with a $250 price tag, this is the worst Hot Toys value I've seen, and that's saying a lot.

He will stand out on the shelf with the other Mark armor versions, and you can't have the ultimate Tony Stark diorama without him. But he's also one where I think a little patience may prove valuable, as I'm betting the price drops over the next 2 - 3 months on the secondary market.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has him at the original $250, but right now you get extra reward points with the purchase.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Recent reviews include Igor, as well as the Silver Centurion. Other Iron Man suits include the die cast MK XLII, one of the best figures from last year, 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.

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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