Toy Review: Iron Man 2 3.75" Mark I

Iron Man 2 Mark I

One of the nicest action figures in the new 3.75″ Iron Man 2 toy line is the Mark I. Created and worn by Tony Stark in mountain caves with rudimentary equipment, it probably has the most character of any of the Iron Man armors. Since I can’t really afford a 12″ Hot Toys version of the thing, I’m settling for going in the other direction. I’ve already reviewed 2 of the armors I bought at the toy launch earlier this month and figured I’d continue with the best of those that I found there. Sure the Iron Monger is big, and the Mark II is shiny, but there’s something about the dirty, banged-up look of this rust bucket that just sings.

The figure comes with 3 “armor cards” which fit into the slot of the included stand. It’s a great gimmick that I can’t get enough of. Sure it’s simple, and if the regular Marvel Universe line were to adopt it it would be pretty ridiculous, but here it works because Iron Man is so technological in nature. Schematics included on his display is just fitting.

I wish the same could be said for the stand. It’s just too small for the figure. Understandable, considering the rest of the line is much sleeker than this figure is (not to mention more expensive for Hasbro), but it’s a kind of silly that he can’t really use it the way it’s meant to be used.

The other accessory that comes packed with him is another BFG (Big F*cking Gun), or Stupidly Huge Firearm (SHF). It seems to be a requisite part of any toy these days, popping up in Transformers, then GI Joe, and now Hasbro’s Marvel lines. Mattel also has them in some of their 5″ Batman and Brave and the Bold lines as well. I’m guessing kids love the spring loaded rockets, but I hate their disproportionate size and the fact that with this much extra plastic they probably could have either gave us extra hands, a flight stand, some exhaust pieces that attach to his feet, a repulsor blast, or hell, they could have just knocked a dollar of the price maybe.

At least his SHF is relatively acceptable, being in keeping with the movie’s design (it’s an arm mounted flamethower) and not being too stupidly huge.

The best thing about the Mark I has always been the sculpt. Even the 6″ version that came out after the first movie enjoyed such great detail that even without too many paint apps, it was the greatest looking toy of the whole line. In my opinion, it was even better than Iron Monger.

Compared to the 6″ version, the 3.75″ one is slightly less detailed. You can see the difference in the scale that the sculptors had to work with in the belts that run along the gears of his legs. The bigger figure has ribbing along that belt that is much smaller and closer together relative to the smaller figure. However, that’s about the only sacrifice. You can still see rivets and plates. You still have the various gears and gyros all around him.

What’s even better is that he’s painted.

The first version suffered from a lack of any real paint applications. Aside from some the black lettering on his chest. This one however has some really nice paint work with some muddy yellow knees and gloves and some nice rust effects. His rear “engine” is also painted black, which makes for a nice break in the monotony.

Of all the toys, this is probably the best one in terms of color because of the fact that it’s MEANT to be a mess. Unlike the Mark II or Mark III, it doesn’t really matter if the machines that spray the paint on miss a register line, because this guy is supposed to be made of junk anyway.

Articulation is another nice improvement on the 6″er. This version has some additional range when compared to the other. It’s not really dramatic, but it’s welcome.

He can basically dip lower than his counterpart, and can bend at the elbow and knee just a tad more. If this Mark I was going to propose to Pepper Potts in some wacked out What If… universe, he’d be able to do it. He’s also got some range on his neck, allowing him to look up to some degreee.

Of the 8 figures I bought the other week, this is certainly my favorite. I’m not sure about stocks though. They were plentiful at the toy launch, but I hear that they’re not included in future case assortments. It might become harder and harder to get a hold of later on, so get ‘em now. Don’t you dare wait for mark downs.