“RHODEY! NOOOOOO!!!!”
Not really a spoiler. We all saw the previews. We know James Rhodes (aka War Machine) gets his ass handed to him by his own teammate, Vision, during the airport battle. And if you didn’t know that, then now you do.
War Machine is part of the upcoming Walmart 2-pack featuring War Machine Mark 3 from Captain America: Civil War and “Disco” Iron Man from Iron Man 3. It’s a great set for the armor completists that features an amazing new sculpt of War Machine in his Mark 3 armor. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, what are you waiting for? It is the best superhero movie currently out and brings the Captain America trilogy full circle, all the while setting up the next phase of Marvel cinema.
War Machine has a great sculpt and is a pretty fun to play with. I don’t know how the figure stacks up to the actual movie, but the sculpt isn’t bad, nor is it great. The sculpt on Iron Man Mark 46 was fantastic, and even the Mark 1 War Machine is amazing. This one is off, however. It suffers from anime proportions, long legs, and a short trunk. It’s a great look and it pops, but it loses the “real-life” look that we get from the movies. While the overall thickness of the figure’s armor is pretty good, the thighs are a bit thin and short, giving the figure that manga look. Also, the chest sits a bit low or is too compact, adding to the cartoony-ness. Don’t get me wrong, this figure looks great and it is a welcome addition to either my movie setup or my comic setup.
The articulation is standard Marvel Legends; most of the joints work with a few exceptions. The chest joint was disappointing as it has a limited range of motions forwards, so no bent over power position for this guy. The side-to-side and to-the-back motion is great. The hips have a limited range of motion, again due to the high hip armor. Unlike the Mark 46, you can’t really adjust the hip joint to sneak the armor under the crotch. Finally, there’s the ankles. While these are a vast improvement over the War Machine and Iron Patriot/Mark 2, the barbel ball-and-socket joint does have limitations. What we lose in the forward movement (toe to shin) we gain in the rocker. It’s a preferred trade-off as I’d rather have a good rocker.
War Machine is chock full of accessories: an extra set of hands (fists), his “First Order Stormtrooper” baton, shoulder Gatling gun, and arm-mounted pistols. He even comes with the baton and Gatling gun coming out of his back accessories. The accessories are cool, but the guns are bit loose and wobbly and fall apart too easily. The hands pop in and out while the baton is loaded, which is loads of fun. Collectors now have a baton that they can do things with. Awful things. Instagram will be on fire soon.
War Machine is a must have. The figure looks great with other figures from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as on your comic shelf. He is pretty fun to play with, but he will require some work to achieve decent poses.
He’s not available yet, but we’ll update you as soon as he is.
