Over the years Norman Osborn has been many different things: brilliant scientist, ruthless businessman, criminal mastermind… oh, yeah, and he was this for a while:
As Iron Patriot, Osborn changed the face of the Marvel universe. Wearing a stolen suit of Iron Man armor and leading a team of notably-nasty villains, he cut a swath of destruction from New York to Asgard before he was finally taken down. After his defeat, Osborn abandoned the mantle of Iron Patriot, but the name didn’t go unused for long. Ex-War Machine James “Rhodey” Rhodes took it up in both the comic and movie universes because, let’s face it, you can sell twice as many Iron Man figures that way.
If this particular version of the Iron Patriot looks familiar, it’s because it’s a retooled version of the previously released Extremis Iron Man. Collectors beefed about how the figure was not particularly comic-accurate, but Hasbro was never going to sculpt a new body for this guy, so it is what it is. The reuse is not bad per se, but the figure suffers the same problems the previous Iron Man had. He’s puny.
Hasbro had a few shaky years where all of their Iron Man offerings were undersized, and this figure originates from that era. Extremis is the sleekest armor Tony Stark has ever created, but that can’t excuse the overall scrawniness evident here. Under that suit, Osborn would have arms like pipe cleaners, a waist as thin as female SHIELD agent, and a head shaped like a balloon. This would make a fine base for Rescue, but it just doesn’t work for a guy who is supposed to be 5’11” and just shy of 200 lbs.
If you can get past Iron Pat’s diminutive nature, then there are things to enjoy about the figure. The design is hi-tech without going overboard on an overabundance of clutter and it makes for a sharp-looking toy. Pat’s helmet fits with the suit’s overall aesthetic, but has a cruel, almost alien malevolence that sets it apart from the Stark versions. The star-shaped unibeam is sharp and well-defined, with a small but noticeable ridge to give it further definition against the red of the chest.
To my eye, Pat’s arms track short. It’s not as big of a deal head on, but from the side it’s definitely noticeable. Leftover details from the Extremis figure compound the problem, giving the character goofy-looking alien feet and Popeye forearms. Conversely, the power pods on the hips could have used a little something other than the ugly and uneven mold line. The hands are nice and expressive, with one sculpted into a fist, the other firing a repulsor blast.
Osborn spent a lot of time sans helmet while he wore this armor (those cornrows get mighty sweaty), and a swappable head would have added a lot of play value to what is essentially a repaint. It wouldn’t be until 2014’s Marvel Legends Infinite line that extra heads and hands became the standard, leaving Osborn stuck in his tight-fitting helmet for eternity.
The paint is minimal; the bulk of the figure’s color coming from iridescent plastic it was cast in. What’s there is notably clean and crisp. In spite of the glossy black used in the mouth and the eyes, there is only minor slop, an impressive feat at this scale and price-point. The silver paint provides nice, even coverage over the dark plastic and the orange-yellow in the eyes really pops against the primary colors of the suit.
On the articulation front, Pat is fairly standard. He has a ball-jointed head, ball shoulders (with hinged shoulder-pads), rotating biceps, double-jointed elbows, and pin-and-hinge wrists. The torso joint is fairly limited due to the sculpt, as are his swivel hips. There’s rotation in the upper thighs, double-jointed knees and fairly restricted hinged ankles.
Pat lacks any sort of accessory of his own, but he does come packed with the torso of the Iron Monger. Hearkening back to truly impressive Build-a-Figures, Monger stands 8 inches tall and features the same “swirly” plastic Pat is made of, only darker. It looks great and is a welcome update to the crappy blue repaint of the movie ‘Monger from the Iron Man 1 line.
It appeared as though Iron Patriot was going to be the peg-warmer of the bunch… until all of the figures began to sit. Retailers ordered these enthusiastically, and once the initial round of collector interest waned, the wave began piling up. Bad for stores, but great for those who waffled on purchasing Pat here. In spite of the figure’s shortcomings, he does represent a pivotal moment in Marvel history that most collectors will want on their shelves. I mean, who else is going to hang around with your Sentry figure?
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