More From the Super-DuperToyBox Iron Man Armory...

There was so much photography from my recent sessions with the Marvel Legends Iron Man 3, that I had to share some of it in this addendum post. Not only did I unexpectedly round up all the Iron Men  in this line to assemble my first BAF ever, the Iron Monger, but have picked up other 6" Iron Man & Iron Man 2 figures along the way.

I've said before that I have a fascination with variant decos on figures and reimaginings of popular characters, such as in the case with blue Iron Men. First introduced as Tony Stark's Model X, Mark I "stealth armor", the black armor was heavily highlighted in blue to accommodate comic book styling, influencing the several blue Iron Man figures we've seen over the years. While red and yellow/gold are a recipe for success in hero costuming, I find the dark blue with red highlights contrasty and attractive. My new Iron Monger with Marvel Select Fusion Armor Iron Man and Legends Series Strike Stealth IV....

I also have the Marvel Legends Series Terrax Series Stealth variant I picked up well over a year ago, and more recently found a 6" Torpedo Armor Iron Man Series figure, as well as a 4" Iron Man Series Sonic Storm Iron Man. The latter is really purple and black, but he still fits in with my blue armory. Some day, I'll get them all together for a photo shoot...

Picking up the classic Iron Man with interchangeable head was, of course, an excellent chance to play BIG TOY/little toy with my 4" Iron Man 2 classic Proto Armor Iron Man and Model III, Mark I Iron Man...

Iron Man has seen many reincarnations in his popular red & gold colors, including his Heroes Reborn armor, and Heroic Age "Bleeding Edge" armor...

While collecting the Legends Iron Man 3 series, I also picked up a 6" Iron Man Series Hulkbuster, 4" Inferno Armor, and 6" Concept Series Inferno Armor Iron Men...

Similar to my obsession with blue Iron Men, any Iron Patriot inspired armor decos I find pleasing to the eye, so It's fun to have Lt. Colonel James Rhodes (movie Iron Patriot), and the Marvel comics Norman Osborn Iron Patriot on hand for comparison...

Before picking up the Iron Man 3 Series Iron Patriots, I first found the Iron Man Concept Series Captain America Armor Iron Man on eBay. I love this one- he came with a wrist mounted missile launcher and Captain America shield! 

6" Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 Series Iron Patriot with 4" Marvel Universe Iron Patriot...

11 1/2" Titan Hero Series Iron Patriot with 6" Marvel Legends Lt. Colonel James Rhodes... I love those Titan Hero Series figures- yes they are big, dumb toys, but that's what I like about them...

Pictured below is the Wal-Mart exclusive 6" Avengers Series Mark VI  with my Iron Man 3 Mark 42 Iron Man. The popular motion picture franchise starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark gave the character a renaissance, and updated his armor styling. The Mark 42 Iron Man has updated Hasbro articulation, but there's no denying what great action figures came out of those Iron Man 2 molds...  

While I don't own one of the 6" Titanium Man figures from which Ultron's body was based, I do have the 4" version with similar styling, notably in his waffle-stomper feet. I picked up several of these 4" Iron Man 2 figures a couple years ago, and they were really nice sculpts with great articulation, unlike some of the recent Hasbro offerings.

6" Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 Series Ultron with 4" Marvel Universe Ultron...

How many Iron Man figures could one man possibly want to collect, you may ask? Well, that's hard to determine- I found a new MiniMates Iron Man just last week, and if they released a 6" version of the black & gold armor seen in the recent Marvel NOW! Iron Man title, or the space armor from the new Guardians of the Galaxy title, I'd buy them for sure! Iron Man just lends himself well to an assortment of variants, based on a character possessing a wealth of specialized armor. The possibilities are endless! Visit the Iron Man Armory online!

More Later- Make It FUN!

Marvel Legends Iron Man 3, Wave 2

Continuing from my last post on the initial wave of  Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 figures, I present the second: Iron Man Mark 42, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes (movie "Iron Patriot", and Ultron... who wasn't in the movie, but comes with the head of the Iron Monger BAF. 

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This Iron Man Mark 42 was the one I was waiting for! He's an exceedingly handsome action figure. I love this armor! The satin, metallic gold over metallic red  plastic is pretty clean for such a mass produced figure, and Hasbro even put some subtle blue in the chest reactor. Nice.

Iron Man Mark 42 has no waist joint as not to break up that beautiful sculpt, has an hinge-swivel torso joint that works effectively, especially leaning back. The shoulders and thighs have great hinge-swivels, and his shoulder pads and wrist gauntlets are made of a softer plastic that bend with positioning, no hinge to come undone like on some of those Iron Man 2 figures. We get that wonderful ball-hinged neck with great range, and of course the highly coveted ankle pivots. He's a well executed action figure- Bravo!

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Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes gets the Iron Patriot deco in the Iron Man 3 movie, as opposed to Norman Osborn's character in the comics. I was trying to decide what parts he borrowed, but a lot of this looks new to me. And aside from a couple small spots, his metallic deco is even more stunning than the Mark 42.

Iron Patriot's articulation is the same as Mark 42 Iron Man, except the ankles, due to the sculpt, and the upward range of motion in his wrists, hindered by his gauntlets. The shoulder mounted gun has both a hinge and swivel joint that's quite helpful for aim, and can be mounted on either side. Like the Mark 42, I was looking forward to photographing this hunk of fantastic plastic more than some of the others, and he does not disappoint!

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As I said, Ultron comes with the head of the BAF, so I had to get him to complete Iron Monger. He's not in the film, but the dread Marvel cyborg recently starred in the Marvel NOW! Age of Ultron series, and has been a big part of the Marvel Universe the last several years in general. I'm mildly disappointed the body is a reissue of the Titanium Man mold, but it's not all bad- the subtle blue shading over the silver metallic plastic is nice, Hasbro gave him new shoulder pads, and the head sculpt is satisfactory.

Ultron's shoulder pads are hinged, allowing decent range above the head, which enjoys a very expressive ball-hinged neck. His double hinged knees are hindered slightly by the boot tops and thigh bands, but his articulation is great otherwise. The hinged abdomen and swivel waist are perfectly disguised on that Iron Man 2 Titanium Man buck, and while we don't get an ankle pivot, the waffle stomper boots are kinda fun.  I still have eyes for that sweet Ultron Marvel Select dropped awhile back, but Hasbro Ultron wasn't as much of a let down as I'd feared, and he loves the camera. 

The arms and head of Iron Monger were included in this second wave of the Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 line of 6" figures... my Iron Monger is now complete! Hooray!

Iron Monger is beautiful in his metallic blue deco! He's 7 5/8" tall and twice the girth of the other figures, who look small next to him. I love a big, chunky action figure, especially a robot, and Iron Monger scratches that itch. The figure's girth limits his range of articulation, but the hinge-swivel hips have enough room to work with the swivels at the tops of his thighs, and he actually has double-hinged knees and ankle pivots. Additionally, the forward range in motion on his neck is decent so the tall figure can look down. He looks like he has a bicep swivel but he doesn't and that's fine since we get a hinge swivel at the elbow, The pivotal range in his ball-hinged torso doesn't seem extraordinary, but is highly effective in positioning due to the exaggerated proportions of the figure. Iron Monger is wonderfully fun to play with, and the first BAF I've ever completed!

I'm giving this line two thumbs up! Ultron and the comic Iron Patriot were of less interest to me personally, and classic Iron Man has really limited vertical articulation in the neck, but they are not without merit. Yes we get three re-purposed molds, but an attractive assortment of armor and color, and well articulated figures I would have loved as a kid. I had not originally intended to pick up more than two or three of these, but finding a couple on sale and the lure of the Iron Monger BAF finally sealed the deal.

More Later-Make It FUN!