Over the past few years Hot Toys has cemented itself as the company of choice for for many purchasers of high-end collectibles based on popular blockbuster films. From amazing screen-acurate paint jobs to the crazy realistic head scuplts that several of the figures see, it is no surprise that we are seeing rereleases of the company’s more popular figures in special color schemes.
The figure arrived in the standard brown “shipper” box that has become a highly sought after accessory amongst the more militant collectors of these figures. Unfortunately the company with whom I have ordered this from shipped it out bare like this. Thankfully there was no damage to the container but this is a bad thing because it could bring down the overall value should I one day chose to sell it.
The actual box itself is interesting. Hot Toys usually puts a lot of production into the boxes themselves and from a distance this looks like a black Nike box but when you get up close and see it in direct light you can see the subtle design lines imitating what is obviously the torso area of War Machine himself. This is very reminiscent of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Secret Project Iron Man Mark IV that they also released this past summer and will probably continue to be a trend in repainted editions such as this.
Once you get inside everything is laid out in a form fitted plastic wrapped package. There packagers made sure that everything has been carefully placed and securely wrapped to prevent any damage that should occur between manufacturing in China and delivery to customers hands.
The figure itself is pretty slick. The black plays off of the white very well and the small imperfections in the form of paint scratches really is a nice touch. I also enjoy the level of attention paid to the small details of the movie such as the inclusion of the “Ex Wife” missile that is housed in the left shoulder mount. I had a little trouble installing the forearm guns but aside from that the rest was a breeze.
The red LED lighting display is also a major change from the initial movie version release which had a white ARC reactor. I am a little disappointed in the luminance of the figure though. When compared to the white lights of a couple of previous Iron Man releases the red is just not as bright. Considering how often that we will leave the lights on this is not as big of a deal though.
War Machine’s height came off pretty nicely in this scaled translation. When I had received my Mark IV Iron Man my immediate thought was “this is too thin for a normal sized human”. The beefyness of this figure is in full display when compared to other figures that are essentially a man in form fitted cloth such as Spider-Man.
At the end of the day the figure is pretty slick but with an APR of $240 it is not a “must buy”. It is pretty bare bones in terms of accessories and I am a little upset that this did not include a Don Cheadle alternate head that the original had. With the number of original Movie Based figures from The Dark knight Rises, The Avengers, Green Lantern, and X-Men: First Class that we are expecting to see in 2012 I say save yourself a few bucks and hold off on this unless you can swing or NEED to collect every figure released from the iron Man/Avengers film line.
You can find this figure for sale now over at Sideshow Collectibles for a cool $240. Here is the official breakdown of the specs and goodies included:
Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of War Machine from the Iron Man 2 film
Approximately 30 cm (12 inches) tall
Over 36 points of articulation
Movable parts on shoulder and waist
Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including:
One (1) pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (blue light, battery operated)
One (1) pair of fists
LED-lighted eyes and heart (red light, battery operated)
Articulated flaps at the back of armor on left and right legs
One (1) articulated shoulder-mounted gatling gun, rotatable and multidirectional
Two (2) shoulder-mounted cannons with Ex-wife Weapon on the left and cannons on the right
Two (2) machine guns with one behind left and one behind right forearm
Figure stand with War Machine (Special Version) nameplate and movie logo
Light-up figure stand (white light, battery operated)
