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Review of Iron Man MKV sixth scale action figure
Suitcase Suit
Hot Toys
Date Published: 2011-12-14
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5
out of 4
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Introduction
If you're an Iron Man fan and a Hot Toys fan, then you're getting hit hard by the numerous releases, no doubt about it. It
seems like they get bigger and more amazing with every announcement - and more expensive as well. With items like the Suit Up Gantry and Iron Monger, your collection
will be the envy of every friend, and possible the basis for the divorce papers.
Before those two big ticket items hit though, there's still a few other 'regular' releases to come. The latest is the Mark
V, the suit that starts out as a briefcase, but turns into a butt smacking armored exterior.
Obviously, this suit is from Iron Man 2, when Whiplash attacks at the races. This version comes with some additional battle
damaged parts, making him ideal to display with the earlier released villain.
While not as expensive as something like the Iron Monger, the price tag on the Mark V is still pretty steep, coming in at
around $200, depending on the retailer of course. He's currently in stock at most retailers.
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Packaging - ***1/2
For buyers of previous figures in the series, the package holds little in the way of surprise. It's a simple box, with
colorful slip cover, and everything is packed inside in such a way as to be easily removed and replaced later, if you find
the need. I call this 'collector friendly', and it's one of the nicest features of Hot Toys packages.
It's not the only nice feature though, and the bright, well designed slip covers go a long way to selling the product. The
quality of the box is excellent, and that implies the contents are quality as well.
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Sculpting - ***1/2
This version of Iron Man does not come with any sort of Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jr. portrait, which makes it a bit easier
on the Hot Toys team.
The detailing on the armor is extreme, with finest level of detail showing up on the various battle damaged pieces, where
wiring and circuitry show through.
Perhaps even more impressive is how the sculpted armor is designed to work with the underlying articulation. It could be
very easy - and we've seen it done by other companies - to simply say that the armor is too restrictive, and that attempting
to add any articulation is a losing proposition. Instead, Hot Toys saw it as a challenge to produce a sculpted costume that
could move and flow with the joints in a realistic and natural way.
I did dock the score a half star however, and that's because he seems too skinny, considering that a human needs to be
inside all that plate and electronics. This is particularly noticeable with the arms and legs, but still isn't a major
detraction from the overall impressiveness of the sculpt.
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Paint - ****
This is Hot Toys we're talking about, remember? Outstanding paint ops is their middle name, and when it comes to something
like a metallic suit, it's a cake walk for them.
The bright red is glossy and smooth, while the slightly (but only slightly) more matte gray is an excellent contrast.
The damaged areas are extremely realistic, and allow for some finer detail work to show through. Everything is consistent
and clean, with no slop or mess.
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Articulation - ****
Every suited Iron Man figure is a work of amazing engineering, with far more articulation built into this rather restrictive
suit than you could ever imagine. With the creative use of springs, joints, and the suit design itself, they have been able
to create a figure just as articulated as any of the clothed figures.
Of course, the ball jointed neck is one of my favorites, with a great range of movement. But the rest of the figure is much
more mobile and posable than I can possible describe, and they've created additional articulation in places like the
shoulder, hand and foot armor to allow these coverings to be less restrictive and move deftly out of the way.
One of the coolest features of the articulation is the jointed fingers on the main hands. Every finger (and thumb!) are
jointed like the real deal, allowing for a tremendous number of poses. The small joints are also very tight, which means the
fingers can be wrapped around accessories and will hold tight.
It seems like with every Iron Man release, the articulation improves, and this time around it seems like the most
improvement is in the waist and ab-crunch. The amount he can twist, turn and bend is really quite amazing.
While the left arm is removable, that doesn't mean it lost any of it's mobility or joint strength. Both arms pop on and off
smoothly, and have a full range of movement.
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Accessories - ***
Considering what we've seen with some past Iron Man figures - which usually include some sort of additional portrait - this
one feels a little light.
He does have a total of 6 hands - two fists, two battle damaged, and two with clear palms and articulated fingers. These
swap easily, and the articulated fingers work amazing, as I mentioned in the previous section.
To add to the battle damage theme, there's a scarred left arm, and two pieces of the ripped chest. These pop on and off
fairly well, although I did have some trouble getting the scarred rectangular piece back off the chest once it was in
place.
Also included is a pair of hand cuffs and the MKV suit in it's 'briefcase' form. This doesn't open at all, but it will look
great with your Tony Stark figure that you've put together with the extra heads from past releases.
Finally, there are two stands - the light up 'flying' stand seen most recently with the Secret Project version, and the
standard black stand with the Mark V nameplate.
I'm pleased that we got the briefcase, since I do have a Tony Stark packed away right now that I can display it with
eventually. But the rest of the accessories seem a little light to me at close to a $200 price point.
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Light Feature - ****
This figure has four separate switches to light up the eyes, chest and each hand independently. Each has a small piece
of plastic blocking the batteries during shipment, and once this is removed the lights turn on and off easily with the very
small and very unobtrusive switches.
With some past Iron Man figures (and even the light up Terminators), I've had issues with the included batteries dying
within just a few minutes. This time I didn't have any dimming or drop off while I was shooting the figure with the eyes,
hands and chest lit, an improvement at least for me.
While the small watch size batteries are included for the three key areas of the figure, the three AAA batteries for the
stand will be supplied by you. The stand lights up around the edge with the flip of a switch.
There was more bleed this time around at the neck, but the joint is also less obstructed than on some past figures. It's a
trade off I'm happy to make.
The articulated and battle damaged hands work with the wrist bulbs. The fists do not have clear palms. Also, it's
worth noting that the damaged arm does light up, something I didn't notice first time around.
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Fun Factor - ***
While this is not a figure for your average 10 year old, I did find that even with the small parts and complex articulation,
it was quite sturdy and solid. You should have no trouble posing this guy just the way you'd like, and with a little care
nothing should break or snap.
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Value - **
I love this figure - it's an engineering marvel. Still, at almost $200 it's one of the more expensive Hot Toys releases, and
it is ANOTHER Iron Man variation. While the separate switches for all four lights is certainly expensive, and the figure is
an all new suit design, it's still a very high price tag.
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Things to Watch Out For -
While I didn't have any specific issues, remember that this is a highly detailed figure with lots of small moving parts.
Care should be taken when swapping the arm, hands, damaged pieces, etc. I also found that the plastic barrier on the
batteries for the eye lights was very tough to remove without needle nose pliers, but yours may not be shoved down in the
neck quite as far.
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Overall - ***1/2
Iron Man fans have been thrilled with this figure, and I suspect that for many of them, he'll be the best of 2011. While I'm
very happy with him, he falls a little short for me considering the price point.
He is a great addition to the display as the perfect companion to your Whiplash figure from last year. The briefcase is a
nice pick up too, especially for those that have kit bashed their own Tony Stark.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ***
Light Up Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
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has him at $189.
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has him at $189.
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has him at $190.
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has him at $195.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
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Related Links -
Other Hot Toys Iron Man figures include:
- last summer they released the Secret Project version.
- if you want more battle damage, check out the MKVI.
- there's the very cool War Machine.
- also there's the hot chick Black Widow.
- the previous release was just a few weeks earlier: Whiplash.
- prior to that, I looked at 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.
Other Iron Man products include:
- Kotobukiya did a nice Mark IV statue.
- I got a great Sideshow 1:1 Iron Man bust, but
lots of other folks got ones with serious paint issues.
- if you're looking for something on the cheaper and smaller side, check out the 3 3/4" Marvel
Universe Iron Man, the 6" movie figures, or
the 12" Repulsor Iron Man.
- Marvel Legends has had it's share of Iron Man version, including the Silver
Centurion in series 7, vs. Mandarin in the
Face Offs, the classic version in series 1
(Toybiz), and the series 1 (Hasbro) Ultimate Iron Man.
- in the Marvel Select line, there's the Ultimate Iron
Man.
- and if you're looking for funky, there's always the Hot
Toys Iron Man cosbabies.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case
any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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