[TAO's Note: After a very brief break, Ewan is back for another Iron Man 2 review, and this time it's all about the brand new Mark VI armor. If you're wondering which of Iron Man's armors you should buy first, there might be an answer inside, because Ewan has a pretty strong opinion about this figure.]
Name: Iron Man (Mark VI)
Line: Iron Man 2: Movie Series
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: March 2010
Price: Online: $9.99-$12.99, Retail: $7.99-$8.99
Scale: 3.75 in.
Accessories: Clip-on missile launcher, 3 x Armor Cards, Base (1 peg) with Armor Card stand.
It was hard to get excited about the Mark VI after the disappointment that was the Mk III. After all, both are red and gold and both are supposed to be the pinnacle of Tony Stark's achievement in armor in their respective movies. But whaddaya know? Upon closer inspection, the Mark VI proves to be a brilliant sculpt on its own, especially when it comes to the little details.
First off, the overall design is more angular and is morrored in the trianglular arc reactor as opposed to the cicular one of the previous Marks. (I think that's what separates the Mark IV from the Mk VI—just the shape of the chest power source.) We get an upper torso boasting a lot more detail in the chest area, with more overlapping plates rather than the smooth 'one piece' design in the Mk III. But this is hard to see, especially when you don't have the figure up close, because all intricate details of the seams are painted red.
Secondly, the Mark VI has glued-on shoulder guards, which are excellent. These roughly triangular shaped shoulder pieces are molded out of a softer rubber and don't get in the way of the shoulder's ariculation. Even if they did, the soft rubber would allow for a greater range of motion. But one thing you've got to watch out for--iffy glueings-on of these guard pieces. The one on my figue's right shoulder is slightly off and to the back, but it's not a big problem because it's hardly noticeable.
Now the Mk VI's head sculpt is the same as the previous red and gold armors, which is great. But he suffers from having a rather thick neck, which restricts the ball-joint to a swivel. I popped the head off to find a super large ball for a joint, but if the heads are the same, I don't understand why used a thicker neck.
Another nice feature of this sculpt are his legs. While they aren't any sleeker than previous designs, it looks rather more "cut" to use a body building term. The thighs have especially been changed to be more squarish and covers up the hip ball-joint quite nicely. So the Mk VI's has more of a chiseled look, especially in chest and the thighs, resulting in a more "ripped" appearance. I think it's a great way for designers of the movie's armor to show how the Iron Man has evolved, both suit-wise and in how Tony Stark's designs have become more complex.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Surprisingly, the Mk VI has a lot less bleeding and spills than I thought he would. In fact, giving the guy a once-over, I realize that he's pretty well painted, except for the small mistakes for the gold lining on both his gauntlets. This alone was heartening because it means not all the red and gold figures are botched. I guess finding one in the piles and piles of figures will still take time, but it's doable and the good paint jobs are out there.
Hasbro has also used a lighter red than on the Mk III and slightly redder gold for this figure. He ends up looking less dull in pictures. Even at a glance, Mk VI somehow looks just that bit more vibrant. Remarkable that they've made the effort of varying the color, even if it's ever so slight.
The other good thing about this guy is that you can find plenty with nice white triangle arc reactor stickers. Granted, there are still the pink ones out there, but compared to the Mk IIIs, where I saw perhaps one out of ten white ones, this is a welcome change. The eyes are also stuck on well and while I know some of you out there are anti-stickers, it's been a good move by Hasbro because it's one less paint problem we'll have to worry about. Too many times we're let down by a figure's eye because they were painted cross-eyed or looking up or something.
I also love the gold lines on the Mk VI's stomach. I haven't really seen one that has missed the grooves, quite unlike the Mark IIs which have their black lines go so wayward it's pretty horrendous.
Paint Score: 7.5 / 10
The stand out joint of this figure is his superb chest pivot. Not only can he bend all the way around when swiveled to face any direction, but he does it effortlessly without being crazy loose. I don't know how Hasbro did it or even if it was meant to be that way, but the upper torso fits over the lower torso like a glove. So whichever way you have Mark VI's upper body turned, he'll do it for you in such a seemless manner that it'll bring tears to your eyes. (Ok maybe not that awesome. But it was still awesome enough to make me crack a smile.) :)
I already mentioned how much better his shoulders are because of his glued-on guards. Besides better articulation, this also means no popping off and losing of the little swivelly plastic pieces. If it weren't for my girlfriend finding these for me about 3 times now, I'd have a shoulderless Mk II and III. So yay for glue! Mk VI also gets a point for being able to point his toes, something which most of the figures of this line seem unable to do.
And as mentioned earlier, Mk VI loses points for the ball-joint turned swivel neck. And it's not a problem that some simple shaving of the neck can resolve becaue the joint is large and fits deep in his head. There's just no way you can take off some plastic from the neck without losing some paint. The only saving grace is the chest pivot, which also serves to raise his head up and down when he needs to, though if he did have proper motion in the neck, the Mk VI would be almost perfect.
The other downside is that as detailed and great looking as his thighs are, they get blocked by the edge of the lower torso, limiting his hip/leg forward bend to quite a large extent. But unless you wanna have Mk VI doing forward lunges, I don't think it's too big of a deal.
Articulation Score: 7.5 / 10
I like me a good chest swivel, and this guy has a great one! Maybe it's because I like to twist and turn figures to get just the right pose and body language on them. The Mk VI is the definitive armor of the movie though, so it's fun to know you own the most advanced piece of Stark weaponry (to this point.) It's also great to have a figure that doesn't fall apart (glued shoulder gaurds) when you move him around and nice to look at him and not see any major paint flaws.
When I first laid eyes on this figure, I thought it was pretty ordinary and actually liked the old Mk III design better. But somehow the more I look at Mk VI, the more I fall in love with the angular design, starting from the chest reactor to the armor plates and on to the rest of the figure. And I'm also thouroughly intrigued by why the Mark IV's upgrade to a Mark VI only results in the change of shape of the chest power source. I guess there's more to it than meets the eye...
Now that I have the Mk VI, I also really want to put him beside Movie War Machine. Then and only then, can I play out the scene from the second movie trailer! (What an exciting life I lead... heh. It is an awesome trailer, though.)
Oh, and I also have to 'fess up—the blast off stand and repulsor ray beam were 'borrowed' from Classic yellow and gold Iron Man from this line. That was the main reason why I got the guy. That, and the fact he's not malnourished like his Marvel Universe counterpart.
Fun Score: 8 / 10
By now we're all aware of and appreciative of the new lower price point for these figures. And I hear that in some parts of the States they're going at 2 for $10.99 at certain TRUs. Now that's a really good Bargain. Even without the deal, the Mk VI offers a new sculpt that's actually got more detail than Mk II/III. Yeah, he comes with the standard arm cannon, base and armor cards that you all know and love by now, but what he also comes with is a glimpse of the movie's new armor.
So if you're looking for the best value red and gold Iron Man from the movies, look no further. The Mk VI is the best you can find out there right now—a new sculpt, good paint, good articulation and the standard accessories all bring together a decent package in this figure.
Value Score: 7.5 / 10
8 / 10 - Great detail, with especially unique new tooling in the upper torso. The MK VI is aesthetically very pleasing with its new angular look.
7.5 / 10 - There's still issues with the consistency of the red, but there isn't any major spill or bleeding. He's a lighter tone of red than previous versions, and his gold is redder, making for a more vibrant color scheme.
7.5 / 10 - Great chest pivot (and I mean GREAT), but a head swivel and limited hips/legs balance this guy out. Despite the flaws, he still comes through as being very poseable.
8 / 10 - Strangely enough, I've had the best time posing Mk VI and it's down to one thing—his chest pivot. What his head can't do (look up and down) his chest pivot makes up for. The seamless way it looks no matter what angle it's in is just a bonus.
7.5 / 10 - New sculpt, nice articulation, nice paint, and a nice little 3D spoiler of the new armor. 'Nuff said!
80 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
And I just love this guy! At first I didn't like the armor's design, but I warmed to it soon after posing him around for photos. I was also surprised that despite the limits to his head and hips, he proved to be a pretty darn poseable figure. It turns out that the Mk VI has a certain x-factor (no, not the x-gene—that was so last summer) that makes him stand out from among the rest of Tony Stark's armory. I do recommend getting him, espeically if you're only gonna get one suit, because this guy can fit in nicely anywhere as your default modern suit Iron Man.
-Ewan
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!
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