Marvel Legends started with Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk and Toad, although Toad is more technicality than true Marvel Legend. With the release of this 80th Anniversary Iron Man, Hasbro has succeeded in giving us unbelievably awesome new versions of those earliest figures.
I have to admit to being a bit overwhelmed with the sheer mass of toys that have been coming out lately. Wave after wave has hit, along with two-packs and single figures. Like a guy at a strip club getting a lap dance from Madame Bonkers Bazongas, I am being drowned in plastic.
Even with so much coming out, the 80th figures still manage to stand out. With Hulk, Colossus, Thor, Iron man and Captain America, I am getting pounded by peerless, pinnacle pieces of prefab plastic. These are some of my favorite characters in costumes that resonate with me on an atomic level, having been introduced to them when I was nothing but a small sprout of a lad. My imagination was weened on comics featuring these guys, so a big thank you has to go to Hasbro, from the sculptors to the entire Marvel Legends team, for making the 80th anniversary a great one.
Iron Man continues the trend of another great, almost definitive take on the Bronze Age armor. It completely annihilates the previous Hasbro attempt in every way. Size appropriate, with excellent sculpting and a streamlined yet functional articulation scheme, this is the definition of hand candy.
Iron Man features a shimmery red and gold that gives a great illusion of metal. Don’t tell the accountants, but I almost feel like I underpaid for him.
I know, I know…shhhh…
The double joints all work very well. With figures that have gauntlets like Iron man’s, I worry about the elbow articulation, but I had no issue getting his elbows to cooperate. His hips are obviously inhibited by his power packs, but they have plenty of forward range. The torso and neck allow him to look forward while flying. Nothing is worse than a flying character that can only look down. That’s how you run into a plane.
Iron Man comes with a pair of fists and a pair of repulsor hands. The repulsor hands continue the trend of not being articulated. I can understand why; the hinge would more than likely get in the way of being able to insert the effect piece. However, one of my only complaints is I’d like to have a set of articulated open hands as well as the perma-repulsor hands. But as far as repulsor poses go he looks great doing them, and he can even hold his helmet with both hands. It’s not perfect, but you can finagle it a bit.
The effects pieces do a good job of simulating repulsor blasts and/or boot jet flares. They’re able to work together so you can get a burst and a whoosh effect for either his jets or his palms, or you can use them separately. I’ve said before that effect pieces are not something I “need” for my figures, but these are definitely cool.
Iron man comes with three heads. One is the standard Iron Man helmet. Overall it looks great, however the eye slits seem a little narrow to me. I’m used to them being a tad larger, but it doesn’t bug me. The second helmet is the Alex Ross-inspired one, and it is…unique. I like it, but not enough for it to be my standard Iron Man head. With the angles and the hint of a nose, It’s almost got a strange, alien quality to it. Iron Man once had a helmet with a nose, so this must be that take on it. Like I said, I don’t hate it, but it wouldn’t eve be my default. Definitely interesting, though.
The third head is an unhelmeted Tony Stark head. Now, I like the bronze age feel of this head, with the appropriate snobby playboy mustache and all, but he is never getting that oversized noggin inside his helmet. Not even with a crowbar. Unless his helmet is like the TARDIS or something, then I guess he could squeeze his melon in there. But if you ignore the discrepancy in size (and to be honest, it was the same way in the comics as well; his helmet sometimes didn’t look like a head could fit in there without keeping his nose in a spare compartment). The eyes on mine are painted terribly, so that’s consistent, at least.
Iron Man is the kind of figure that makes you want to buy multiples of just in case of emergencies. I already have two, and I want a few more. And I’d actually rebuy this figure all over again if it were in the comic-color accurate red and yellow. I know in my head that yellow was the way old comics translated the color gold, but I have red and yellow hot-wired in my head. Either way, we’ve hit the heights of Iron Man majesty here.
Now let’s get Iron Man 2020 post-haste!
