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I’m guessing we
will get the MK V as a figure before this line s
through, hell there’s the potential for a load more figs like Nick
Fury, Whiplash in his Mech suit not to mention an army of Hammer
drones. But if the thought of trying to catch up on this line is giving
you palpitations and a financial sense of dread, don’t despair… well
not yet.
The bust series has just started shipping, and it looks
like a cool way of having a representation of each armour suit, I’m
hoping they will revisit the first movie to make the line complete as a
good bust of the MK I would be pretty awesome. But for now they are
kicking off with the MK IV, very similar to the MK III from the first
movie, but with a few tweaks to the overall aesthetic. So, it’s a no
brainer that if you skipped the 1/6th figures these are a good way of
kicking off an Iron Man suit collection, but if you already have the
figures (or plan on getting them) do you need these as well?
Packaging
- ***1/2
Like all the other busts so far this comes in a nice sturdy cardboard
box with a big die-cut window on the front and 2 smaller ones on the
sides to view the contents, while the back has a full colour photo of
the bust.
Inside the contents are held firmly in a clear vac formed tray that is
moulded front and pack to avoid any rattling around whilst in transit.
Everything is collector friendly as well, so putting him back is as
easy as getting him out.
It’s a nice box, not hugely exciting one. But it’s robust enough to
protect the contents well and the graphics are pleasing enough.
Sculpting
- ****
Hot Toys have replicated the Iron Man armour so many times now I bet
they know its subtleties better than the guys at Stan Winston who
designed it.
I recently showed the battle damaged MK III figure to some people who
had worked on 1/1-scale replica versions of the suit, and they were
absolutely knocked out by the levels of detail and accurate observation
shown at such a diminutive size, in fact they said it would have been
handy for reference.
Here however, Hot Toys get to work at a larger scale meaning an even
bigger canvas for all the fine detailing. The MK IV is actually a
pretty sleek looking suit, and this is such an accurate depiction of it
that it looks like they may have worked from computer models. It shows
Iron Man from just above the waist and perfectly… and I mean
‘mathematically’ perfectly shows every swoop, curve, bolt and rivet.
Apart from a couple of tell-tale lines on the shoulders it’s all pretty
seamless as well, capturing the highly engineered feeling that the suit
conveys, and because they haven’t had to worry about articulation, all
the details are just as intended with no need for interpretation. The
head/helmet/mask has a real clarity here, looking clean and unfussy
whilst still having all the requisite details. The fact that the eyes
and ARC can light up means they also have some deep layered details and
can stand some pretty ‘up close and personal’ scrutiny. The base is
made to mimic an industrial plinth, but because of its angular stepped
appearance with implied areas of machining, it actually manages to have
a slight Art Deco feel as well. The front section has the Iron Man 2
logo above the suits designated MARK IV name plate. On the underside of
the base is the battery compartment, you’ll need a small Philips
screwdriver to open tit up and three AAA size batteries to give him the
juice he needs. Then just flick the tiny switch in front of the
compartment on, and the chest and eyes light up… and boy do they light
up.
It’s so bright in fact that I had a nightmare trying to get any good
shots with them on, my camera just ‘could not compute’.
So, a clean, accurate representation, and the sculpt is actually
enhanced by the addition of the action feature, as even in the powered
down mode it looks better than with the lenses painted blue.
Paint
-
****
Did you really expect anything other than perfection? This is a walk in
the park for Hot Toys compared to many of the 1/6th figures they bring
out. But they have still managed to make the colours dense and even
with super crisp division lines. Both the red and gold have an
iridescent quality, making them shiny without looking too glossy and
fake, and a lot of the division lines are circumnavigated by super
accurate matte black lines painted in. The plinth is also black, but
the logo is picked out in a bronze to gold graduation with the suit
number in white beneath it.
Basically there is just nothing to complain about here, everything is
just as it should be… nice!
Outfit
- N/A
Articulation
- N/A
Well, the head turns a little, but it’s a pretty moot point!
Accessories
- N/A
Value
- ****
At the RRP of $64.99 this is a pretty sweet buy, especially as all the
other Iron Man busts have an RRP of $74.99. I’m not 100% sure why the
others merit the extra $10, well, perhaps War Machine merits a bit
extra because of all the extra detail. But whatever the reason it don’t
stop the fact that this is an even better deal.
Fun
Factor - ***
I defy anyone to actually have much fun with a bust!
Sure they look good on your desk, and the light feature is so bright on
this you could probably use it as a lamp… but fun? Lets leave that to
the action figures.
However, I guess a certain sense of smug satisfaction will rise with
each new addition to the line, so as you place them side by side, a
feeling not unlike being a budget Tony Stark will start to wash over
you, and that’s gotta be worth some fun!
Overall
- ****
What we have here is a well sculpted, accurately painted, ¼ scale size
bust with a super bright light up feature and all at under $60 (if you
shop around).
Whilst it doesn’t have the fun factor of a fully articulated action
figure, it still seems like great deal to me and I’m looking forward to
lining up the other suits next to it.
Where
to Buy -
Sideshow
still has it available for the RRP of $64.99.
Or you can try Michael’s sponsor
below listed in order of price-
Urban
Collector- $57.99
Alter
Ego - $58.49
Fan Boy-
$59.99
Big
Bad Toy Store- $64.99
or hit eBay
where I’ve seen BIN prices of $60 to $75.
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