Comicave Studios provided us with a preview of the Iron Man Mark 23 aka Shades figure as part of its Iron Man 3 armors line. I was really impressed with Comicave’s Igor figure, so let’s see if Shades will be able to shine or get lost in Igor’s massive shadow.

Shades’ packaging making better use of the space than Igor, and I really like the gold and black foil accents. It definitely adds a touch of class. As a G.I. Joe fan, I really like the drawing on the front, which also gives it that “comic book” dynamic. Due to the accessories, the package is a little bottom heavy and was tricky to get to stand still.

Shades is a repaint of the Shotgun figure Comicave released earlier, but the paint job helps differentiate it.  Considering the camouflage paint job and the dark setting of the film’s final battle, it’s no surprise there’s no great reference pictures to compare the figure to, but it seems to match up with available source material. The shades, which you can raise up and down on the forehead, combined with the camo certainly gives the figure a distinct look.

Like Igor, the attention to detail is commendable. There’s not a panel, bolt or rivet that was shortcut, so everything is sculpted.There’s no skimped-on details here.

While you can match the figure up with your Marvel Legends, Comicave set this line up on a 6-inch scale, which means the regular armors — like Shades — work OK next to average-sized Marvel Legends figures height-wise, even if it’s a bit slight.

Overall, based on the slender look of the armor, this would be one Tony Stark could only wear when he’s skipped the parties and champagne for a couple of weeks. The dainty feet also make the armor look too small for a regular human to fit into in addition to making standing somewhat frustrating. Ironically, Shades actually fits in better with the DC Collectibles Icons line since they use a slimmer build for their figures.

Easily the strongest selling point of the figure is the paint job. The camo pattern throughout the figure is sharp and looks exactly what you’d picture with a Stark military armor. There’s some subtle deviation in the camo pattern with heavier greens in the arms, torso and shin area, while the thighs and rear feature more of a light brown.

Despite its size, Igor had great range of motion and there were few iconic Iron Man poses you couldn’t achieve. Oddly, Shades is more problematic thanks to restrictions in the major articulation points.

Shades has:

• Neck (ball joint)
• Shoulders (ball joints)
• Biceps
• Elbows (double jointed)
• Wrist
• Abdomen
• Torso
• Hips
• Knees (double jointed)
• Ankle

Comicave says the figure has over 20 articulation points, although it seems more like 30+, even if four major points — the neck, elbows, arms and knees — lack enough range to get the best poses. Of the three, the elbows and the neck prove the most frustrating. That elbows restriction is due to the armor piece, but it appears that the light-up function is responsible for limiting the neck articulation.

The shoulder pads also restrict some of the range of the arms and shoulders. The pads pop up easier than I’d like as shortly after taking these pics, I managed to displace one while trying to pose him. The hip joints “detach” somewhat from the main hip area, allowing for a bit more movement. The hip armor portions separate to help make for easier posing as well. Initially I missed this, but the shades also move and can slide up and down the forehead.

Shades is stacked with accessories that help provide some extra value for the cost. There are four extra pairs of hands: fists, relaxed hands, semi-clenched hands, repulsor mode hands, repulsor mode hands with firepower. Additionally, there’s two orange translucent repulsor effects and a jet exhaust. Each of these pieces easily fits into the figure, which is helpful.

Like Shotgun, Shades comes with two stands: a bendable black stand, a straight clear stand, and a claw to keep the figure in place. Thanks to the weight of the figure with 75% die-cast metal, the bendable stand doesn’t do you much good, but the effort was appreciated.

Beyond the cool visual, the shade visor serves a dual purpose in revealing light-up eyes in addition to the chest Arc reactor.  The lights are fairly strong and light up well in daylight and are even better in low light. I can’t express how appreciative I am that Comicave actually included a mini-screwdriver to swap the batteries out. That was a very considerate and nice touch for folks who don’t have a smaller scale screwdriver readily available.

There’s a lot to like here with Shades, but the articulation issues really hinder what folks have come to expect with their Iron Man figures. If you’re just posing it, you can find a great showcase pose, but if you’re into setting up intricate dioramas, this may not be the best option. 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

With better articulation to match its great paint job and sculpting, this would be another knockout from Comicave, but its limited posing options hinder a promising figure.
Right now, Shades is a Japan exclusive, meaning you’re probably going to have to shell out more than the standard $140 for a Comicave figure to track him down.