Having seeing Iron Man 2 a couple of times already, it's never enough just to glance over some eye candy graphics and cinematography at work. So, when the movie's just not enough for a fanboy, it's time to accessorize and grab some collectibles! That's exactly what I did for the most part, and being a certified long time action figure collector, I couldn't pass up on Hasbro's latest toy offerings and official merchandise from the Iron Man 2 movie. For those of you who have wandered the malls these past few months, you may have noticed those G.I.Joe sized Iron Man 2 figurines in the shelves, based from the movie, comics, and some unused concepts that haven't appeared in either medium.
That's not what we're going to talk about today.
Instead, I'll be reviewing one of the figures from the elusive and exclusive 6 inch line of movie figures. Basically, that means these figures are more or less hard to find, and rarely appear in department stores. Obviously, these are taller in appearance compared to the 3.75 scaled lot, and have more accessories packed in to give collectors lots of options in posing and playing with the figure.
The Mark V armor is, quite possibly, one of THE BEST armor concepts I've ever laid eyes on in a medium to feature Tony Stark and his armored avenging alter ego. As a portable version of the Iron Man suit, it was built in the form of a suitcase so that it can be carried around whenever Tony travels, giving him the ability to transform into Iron Man when the situation calls for it. Activated by hitting a handle located at the center waist of the suitcase, the machine immediately pops up and opens, revealing a pair of red glove handles and boots that Tony can insert his hands and feet into respectively. The gloves, in turn, allow Stark to carry and attach a metallic mesh harness to his body, which starts to spread around layers of metal sheath and coating that covers up his entire body after he raises both of his arms laterally. Once the armor has taken shape, things end with the formation of the helmet piece around Tony's head, and voila, the Mark V Iron Man suit is ready for deployment! You can check out that amazing piece of superior tech via this clip from the sequel. It's really a MUST SEE sequence!Pretty slick wear, huh? This suit pays tribute to not one, but two versions of the Iron Man armor used in the comics - the original "suitcase" armor and the Silver Centurion armor. They have remained fan favorite variations of Iron Man's wear through the years, and the Mark V adopts the color scheme the Silver Centurion has prominently established for itself since its debut.
So what makes the 6 inch Mark V such a hit among collectors? For starters, the detail and sculpt on this baby is excellent, and you won't find any other mold that's an almost perfect representation of the suit's likeness from the movie than what you got here (unless they make a Hot Toys version, which has a likely chance of happening sometime in the future). There are several points of articulation located around the toy, from ball joints to peg points, so it's decently made when it comes to action figure standards. However, people may be disappointed to find out that the range of movement on the legs and feet are limited. That means dynamic posing and creating different stances for the Mark V are restrictive, and that's a bit of a frustrating thing to deal with. At least the head, waist and arms move well, so anyone looking to pose Mark V shooting out his repulsors will have no problems there. This is made possible by the inclusion of 2 pairs of interchangeable hands that can be removed and placed in easily thanks to the peg joint function, so this kinda makes up for the lack of movement and poseability in the lower section of the figure. If you fancy some accessory usage, Mark V also comes with a suitcase he can carry around with... but that's kinda silly when you know it's supposed to be what he's wearing already! It's probably a spare just in case he loses a fight. After all, those things come in handy when you least expect it!
The paint job for Mark V is not perfect. Then again, it's always been a quality problem for most of Hasbro's toys and figures. Mass producing something like this can have several errors being overlooked during the manufacturing process, and this particular figure is not exempt. Before purchasing it, I had to go through several other pieces that had problems ranging from "bleeding gums" to smears that won't just go away from a simple rub. As irritating as it sounds, botches will exist whether you like it or not, and besides the paint, there will be marks or blemishes that may be present around the figure. Still, this can be remedied with a little bit of customization, but if you're not one of the types who like to tinker around with their figures, you can live with these minor mistakes. Bottomline, toys are meant to be played with and enjoyed, and that's a fact of life.
As far as action figures go, I've gotta say I'm impressed with the 6" Mark V. Even with the limited lower body articulation and posing, it still makes for a decent figure to own if you enjoyed that particular armor and sequence from Iron Man 2, as well as anyone who has enjoyed Marvel Legends figures in the past. If there were actual life-sized suitcase armors sold on the market, I wouldn't hesitate and try to get me one of those right away! Still, this is reality, so you live with what you got, and this baby is the next best thing.Rating - 4/5
