Ugh.
Everyone’s friend VeeBee uses this term quite a bit when things go wrong, and in the case of Iron Man Movie toys I can think of no better description than “ugh” when describing the shoulder pads on Iron Man 1 and 2 movie toys. Ugh.
Why ugh? Well, for the pure and simple reason that the damn things fall off — all the time! All the time! The first movie toys had nubs and dimples to keep the shoulder pads in place. A great idea, but the nubs aren’t long enough and dimples not deep enough, resulting in “shoulder pad hide and seek.” After searching and searching I can’t find the damn shoulder pad for the Mk2 and and the Mk6 left pad just disappeared. Gone. Without a trace. I mentioned the Mk6 from Iron Man 2 — this was Habro getting smart and again failing.
The Mk6 has a joint system that drops the should nub and dimples and moves to a trapezoid attached hinge, which, in theory, is a fantastic idea — except where the hinge attached. The end of the shoulder pad ends in two nubs. A fantastic idea, except, once again, the nubs aren’t long enough. The dimples seem to be OK, but the nubs? Let’s just say if I look at them incorrectly, the shoulder pads pop out; small changes in the atmosphere cause them to pop out.
Which is too bad. The previous figures are oodles and oodles of fun. My kids love to play with them, pull them out of the boxes regularly, and wage war on any villains within reach. usually Hydra soldiers since I have a bevy of them. I need some A.I.M. soldiers. And while the fun is fantastic, the clean up is a nightmare; more time is spent finding shoulder pads under the sofas, under beds, under arm chairs, and under other pieces of furniture.
But there is good news! Iron Man 3 toys seem to have solved this issue! The shoulder pads are soft plastic, rubbery, and are glued into the trapezoid. While I’ve yet to invest in Iron Man 3 Marvel Legends action figures, I have some reviews online confirming that the Mk42 is, in fact, shoulder-pad problem free. Technically this solution was already provided in the Mk5 and works great on this armor. I personally love this figure (except for the ankle joints) — tons of good fun and posability.
As for the past toys, yeah, erm, ugh. They are good toys, have good sculpts, and are fun to play with, but the constant shoulder pad popping off does get a bit annoying and frustrating. Remember to clean up well after a solid play through and double check the floor and under the couch before vacuuming.
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As always you can talk about this article further on the fwoosh forums: https://thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=85240
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