.

The standard Marvel Minimate carton, depicting Tony Stark and Iron Monger on the front. The Iron Man logo from the movie sits on the sloped back section of the carton. Background art is very dark, all black and subdued reds, but the ‘mates stand out well against it. The side flaps also feature photographs of the ‘mates, one to each side.

The back of the carton features a shot of all the Minimates in the wave. One difference is that the biography boxes are missing from this wave.

The first figure in the set is Tony Stark, as played so brilliantly in the movie by Robert Downey Jr. This version of Stark is very much the playboy inventor happy to rest on his laurels until tragedy strikes while on a weapons test in Afghanistan. Circumstances force Stark to stretch his skills to the limit and his initial quest for freedom leads not only to personal redemption but also to the birth of Iron Man the hero.

This is a great stab at a likeness of Robert Downey Jr. It’s not perfect, the shape of the head stretches the features a tad, but it’s still a really good attempt. This is Stark as a playboy businessman. His hair’s immaculately coiffed, his facial hair trimmed to perfection and there’s that subtle contented grin that tells you this guy doesn’t have a clue what life’s about to throw at him.

It’s just as well that there’s so much attention to detail to the face as there’s very little to say about the rest of the figure. It’s an ocean of blackness, the only relief being a hint of shirt sleeves at the cuffs and a very well detailed tie. When the best thing about a Minimate’s outfit is its tie then there’s really not a lot more that can be said. It really is very dull. What makes it even more dull is that there’s nothing under that chest piece – no circuitry, no pacemaker thingy, nada. It’s just a plain black Minimate body. Dull. [although, to be fair, his needing the pacemaker design hadn’t happened to him yet – Ed.]

Tony Stark has no accessories, not even a Martini glass.

In conclusion: Dull dull dull dull dull. But at least the face is great.

MMC Score – 5 out of 10

Now we get to the major villain of the piece; the ludicrously monickered Iron Monger. Obadiah Stane wears a suit of armour created thanks to research stolen from Tony Stark. What a stinker!

This is an awesome Minimate. Probably the most imposing Marvel Minimate yet. The chest piece adds a huge amount of mass to the ‘mate and the boots add height. Put them together and the figure dwarfs every other marvel ‘mate there is.

I cannot find a negative word to say about Iron Monger. So much thought has gone into the figure. The engineering is perfect, there really isn’t much in it between this figure and the larger more ‘life-like’ action figures. The helmet is well represented and I’m very impressed with the way the eyes almost glow electric blue. Despite that huge chest piece the head has full movement, which really amps up the attitude factor when posing the ‘mate. Detailing is very good even the top of the helmet has been detailed and the downturned ‘mouth’ makes it look very mean indeed.

As already mentioned the chest section adds mass on a scale not before seen in the Marvel line. It’s excellently detailed both front and back, though the all in one design which joins the shoulder sections to the chest piece does limit movement of the upper arms. That said it doesn’t detract from the figure at all. The ‘mate also has massive gauntlets that end in very robotic looking hands. There’s all sorts of weaponry installed on these gauntlets – the stand out piece being the minigun on the left hand side. The bulking out continues with added armour to the crotch piece and thighs, and is completed by those massively chunky boots with their bifurcated feet. Attention to detail on this ‘mate is second to none, even the plastic used for the armour has a metallic sheen to it.

Underneath the armour is an almost Obadiah Stane. I say almost, because it appears DST forgot to throw in extra hands for Stane. He got normal feet, but didn’t get hands! A huge oversight but come on, I think we can forgive them when they’ve given us a figure this cool. It’s not an exceptional likeness of Jeff Bridges but there’s enough of a hint of him in the face. I particularly like the ‘salt & pepper’ beard he’s been given. Stane’s wearing what appears to be a fairly bland grey coverall beneath the armour. There’s not a lot of detailing on it, but that’s fine as really it’s the Iron Monger we’re interested in here. A nice touch is the silver necklace Stane wears. It looks suitably silver and just adds a hint of sparkle to what would otherwise be a fairly bland Minimate. Still, it’s Iron Monger I’m reviewing, not Obadiah Stane, the fact that DST has given us Stane under the armour is just a bonus.

In conclusion: An awesomely powerful looking Minimate.

Review and pictures by Rad Kerrigan

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