2011
06.10

 

Another TRU set in this Iron Man themed wave has yet another suit variation for Iron Man along with a foe picked totally out of left field. So will this set rise above the rest? (beware, more stilt related humor ahead)

Packaging

The packaging is the standard window box with control art below the windows. The sides have individual picture of the two figures. On the back are the mini-bios of each character along with group picture of all figures in this wave. 
 
 
 


 

The Figures

Neo Classic Iron Man

Well another Iron Man suit variation in an Iron Man themed wave, who’d a thunk it? This time around we have the Neo-Classic suit. The little bio on the back of the package sums it up best (plus saves me time searching the info down online): Tony Stark’s Neo Classic Iron Man armor made its debut after his lighter armor was destroyed in a battle with The Controller and several others in his rogues’ gallery. While on the surface this new armor does not appear to vary much from previous incarnations, it is much heavier and stronger than past suits, and the first to feature an integrated force field and increased power to the repulsor rays.
 
They nailed the best shiny gold color back with the Modular Armor and the shiny hot-rod red was nailed with the first Mark III movie armor. Finally for this wave we get both colors together on non-movie version armors: Hulkbuster and Neo Classic. The helmet has the traditional Iron Man look with a more streamlined design, this time around there’s a few more black detail lines on the faceplate which makes him look angry. Also there are the raised areas for the ears but is it just me or do they seem a bit lopsided? His right ear is definitely higher than the left one. Pop off the tin can and there you have Tony underneath (told you he is angry). Love the expression on this one, lots of details, gritted teeth and all. The hairpiece included is a decent piece and fits well. You’ll also notice a new collar piece, I find it a bit bulky and odd looking which is more of a criticism of the suit design not how it’s replicated in minimate form (that they’ve done well).
 
 
The torso has good details and paint apps on the front with the colors continuing on the back, sadly no extra detail on the back. The legs and arms both continue with the gold color. Like the Classic Iron Man suit this one has shoulder pads that fit around the shoulder joint, this time they extend out in a square shape on top. Visually this really completes the look; however functionally it’s not perfect. Depending on how you position the arms, the pad tops tend to slip forwards/backwards. This Iron Man has another waist cover but not as detailed as past ones, this time around it’s a simple flat cover. The gaunlets are impressive; all one piece but slim enough to keep that true minimate form. I especially like the extra bit of detail with the gold section on the bottom cuff. Same goes for the boots, the extra indention on the back is a nice touch. He also comes with another open hand gauntlet for the ready to fire repulsor blast look.
 
 
No extra accessories included for this one. For customizers there’s a decent amount to gain from this figure. Plenty of extra fodder: colar piece, hairpiece along with shoulder pads, boots and gantlets. The gold arms and legs are nice clean pieces that could be used the only drawback I see is trying to match a torso to the same color for any character other than Iron Man.
 
 
In conclusion another good Iron Man figure to add to the hall of armor.
 

MMC Score – 8 out of 10


 

Stilt Man

Wow, Stilt Man! They actually made a Stilt Man! You would have to assume, with this figure being made, that pretty much any Marvel character has the chance of one day being minimated (you can almost hear the fans of Squirrel Girl rejoicing).
 
Stilt Man was one of Daredevil’s earliest enemies and continued to pop up here and there in various Marvel comics. One of his most prominent appearance was during Iron Man’s “Armor Wars” storyline, where he proceeded to get a beatdown from Iron Man with his own telescopic leg.
 
 
Right off the bat you’ll notice the great work with the chrome color on this figure. We’ve seen this color before with other metallic characters (Silver Surfer, Colossus, Iron Man and more) and it works just as well here. Stilt Man has a removable helmet with the eyes and mouth cut out so you can see underneath. I’ve always liked these type of masks better than the full head covers. Underneath he has his white shades with some detail eyebrow and mouth to give him a concentrated look (the man’s on stilts so of course he has to concentrate). He doesn’t have an extra hairpiece. The collar not only visually completes his look but functionally it helps to hold the extra leg extensions on the pegs on the back.
 
 
His torso has some black detail on the front but everything else (arms, hands, etc)  is just chrome colored; even his extra bracelets and belt. Now for the legs; each leg top has the socket to connect to the waist but right below the socket instead of a joint for the bottom part of the leg these have a peg that fit into the stilts. Nice bit of minimate engineering on this one, kudos to the design team. Also the extra leg extensions connect securely to have him stand even taller.
 
Included in what you could call an accessory is a flat circular base for balance. It’s a nice addition and is very helpful for balance when he it at his full height (doubly so if you’re able to acquire more leg extensions to have him reach even higher). He also has a blaster gun.
 
 
For customizers there are a lot of useful pieces with this figure. Nice clean sculpted helmet along with the new collar piece. Also the unique legs could make for some interesting customs. The main body pieces with the nice clean chrome color would work well for quick customs. Even the circular base is handy to keep other off-balance figures upright.
 
In conclusion, a very unexpected character choice but this one really stands out.
 

MMC Score – 9 out of 10

 

Review and pictures by Lurch77

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