Wooden Blocks?

I've been on the lookout for low cost, new prop options for photographing my action figures after picking up a few flight stands recently, and happened upon a five dollar box of colored wooden blocks at Big Lots last weekend. As children, this is the most basic, introductory toy we are exposed to, teaching matching & building skills, and eye/hand coordination. The precursor to Legos, wooden blocks add the further challenges of balance, as they don't interlock, and arguably require a little more imagination. The best thing about this simple toy however, is that it can be used easily with other toys, such as cars and action figures. 

As I said, my interest in these were to add some more color and dimension to future action figure posts here on the Super-DuperToyBox, but I did enjoy building with them! I also saw some off-brand "Lego" sets at Big Lots at a much better price point that I may pick up for my MiniMates photography, but I first want to see how much I really utilize the wooden blocks. As one would imagine, at the $5.00 price point, these blocks are pretty small compared to other brands I've seen in the past, and will likely work better with figures 4" and below.

The Iron Patriot Brigade on construction duty! 3 3/4" Marvel Universe Iron Patriot, 6" Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 Iron Patriot, 2 1/2" Marvel MiniMates Iron Man 3 Iron Patriot, and 6" Marvel Legends Iron Man 3 Comic Series Iron Patriot ...

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Iron Man 3 MiniMates

I got these Iron Man 3 Minimates months ago, and while currently on a MiniMate kick here at the Super-DuperToyBox, I decided to go ahead and photograph them. I've said before that Iron Man is a character that lends himself well to action figure variants, of many in four and six inch scale I've already amassed- these two packs significantly filled out my Iron Man armory in MiniMate scale! Four MiniMate 2-packs is a lot for one post, so I'll try to keep the verbiage brief and let my pictures do the talking   :)

It seems appropriate to start off with the Mark 42 armor,  Tony Stark's new tech in Iron Man 3, the look of which I liked a lot. This is the TRU version in yellow, the regular release metallic gold, which I actually prefer. He looks good however, and comes with an extra helmet with removable face plate- it's a bit tight, so I'll keep the regular one on. The combination of extra arm and torso slip-overs restrict this figure's range of motion unfortunately, but he remains one of the most elaborately sculpted/painted MiniMates I've ever seen.

Mark 42 Iron Man with Marvel NOW! Iron Man...

Enter the Mandarin... !

Mark 42 Iron Man was packed with the Mandarin, a character whose comics continuity was radically altered in the film. With no real emotional attachment to the villain, I found the treatment a surprise, but cleverly done. Diamond does a great job with a lot of their facial caricatures, and this rendering of actor Ben Kingsley, who did a great job with his part. That said, if you want to read a great graphic novel, check out Enter the Mandarin (Marvel, 2007). Joe Casey and Eric Canete's treatment of the character evoked a certain mid-century/atomic age feel that fit well onto their reimagining of Tony Stark's first tangle with the villain.

I think this is a cool MiniMate! His rings are sculpted onto the hands, as are the cuff and lapel detailing on the coat. I wish the coat overlay was shorter as it restricts his leg positioning, but it looks great. The gun and extra bearded hair piece really top it off- he's rad!

Iron Patriot was another armor I was keen to adding to my MiniMates collection- a really decked out Iron Man like the Mark 42, but with the addition of shoulder mounted artillery. The gun doesn't pivot horizontally, but can be "disengaged" to the side with a twist. I'm pretty sure I prefer this figure, due in part to his slightly better range of motion in the shoulders.

I liked the patriotic treatment of Iron Man armor before I knew the origins of the character.Lt. Col. James Rhodes wears the armor in Iron Man 3, but we are given what I assume is an extra Norman Osborn head. There's some great detail on the body if you want to strip the overlay off it or the Mark 42.

Iron Patriot with Fighting Chance Capt. America...

Mark 42 Iron Man and Iron Patriot take off...!

Iron Patriot was packed with an Extremis Soldier, which I had little interest in, although the flak jacket and blonde hair piece included did make him a little more interesting. He also came with a pistol that can be holstered, if with some difficulty, at the thigh.

The Silver Centurion and Skeleton Armor share the third Iron Man 3 MiniMates 2-pack we'll look at in this post. I understand there are some reuse of parts here, but these are unique among my armory. They could have been made better with a different/more paint treatment on the plain white chest repulsors, but are otherwise nicely detailed sculpts.

Unlike the Iron Patriot and Mark 42, the Silver Centurion and "Bones" have no painted detail under their shoulder overlay. They look better with the armor on however, which is less restrictive than the Mark 42. One fun aspect of collecting all these Iron Man MiniMates is the array of Tony Stark expressions Diamond put under the helmets...

'85 Silver Centurion with Iron Man 3 Silver Centurion and Rescue Armor Pepper Potts...

I was glad to get extra civilian hands and feet with this Iron Man 3 Tony Stark- the armored gauntlets and boots were a movie accurate touch, but it's nice to have him without as well. I'm sure I could assemble a civilian Pepper from my other female MiniMates if I wanted them to go on a picnic or something   :)

Tony with Age of Ultron Iron Man...

Tony Stark was packed with the Heartbreaker armor, created for the film as an artillery-level suit with an oversized chest repulsor for heavier firepower. Though his color scheme is conventional red and gold, he's unique to my MiniMate armory. 

The last MiniMate to star in this post, the Heartbreaker is certainly not the least interesting. This figure has a ton of great detailing in the sculpt and paint, and a great scowling Tony Stark face under the helmet. There's no detailing under the torso armor, but no reason to display this figure without- it looks killer, and not nearly as restrictive as the Mark 42.

My entire Iron Man MiniMate Armory...

See all the cinematic Iron Man armors at IronMan.Wikia!

Visit the MiniMates Database! 

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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!

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