IRON MAN Mk盜版 (that's bootleg in Chinese)
HISTORY: First appearing in Tales of Suspense #39, in 1963, Tony Stark was your regular billionaire; arrogant, snobby, self-centered and enough money to solve most of his problems. Unfortunately, as most of us know, he couldn't immediately solve getting himself kidnapped. Which led him to the first armor creation, with each individual incarnation stamped with a Mark (Mk) and its respective number for when it was created. Tony Stark most notably has been a founding member of The Avengers alongside Captain America.
FIRST GLANCE: So if you're not aware already, this Marvel Select knockoff is, in fact, fake. It is NOT an officially licensed Diamond Select Toys product. However, many have said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and this one is actually quite an impressive piece. Giving credit where credit is due, this figure does satiate a selective fan base for a Mk43 Iron Man which we did not get for the recent Age of Ultron movie.
PROS: The Mk43 Knockoff, as it has been commonly referred to as, has tried to do what fans have asked for, that is provide an unhelmeted Tony Stark head sculpt and it isn't bad either. It definitely has the head accessories that we can hope the Marvel Select line will provide down the line. Other than that, articulation, overall quality and sculpt is debatable.
CONS: It's sloppy. Paint is somehow accurately applied, but doesn't have the overall consistency we look for in real Marvel Select products. There are lots of blotches, black spots and the luster makes it look and feel cheap. My figure in particular did not have the small piece of armor on the open right hand as well. Joints seem to give way easily as well, where as you can feel notches on the actual Marvel Select figures. The choice of a rubber-like plastic for the face plate was a poor decision. One could go on and on with the rants about this figure but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
ARTICULATION:
Head goes about 45° in each direction with a fair amount of your standard vertical movement
Ball shoulders with bicep swivel
Single direction elbows
Forearm armor twist
360° wrists with vertical cants
Torso swivel
Ball hips with upper thigh swivel
Double knees
Roller ankles
RECOMMENDATION: So to reinterpret, again, this is NOT an officially licensed Diamond Select product. Unless you do not mind a knockoff and you really want a Mk43, this may be the closest thing. They do run around $27-$35 on the secondary market. I wouldn't waste time looking for these in the shops. Let's just hope we get a proper movie Iron Man soon from DST.
*** Hypothetical Overall Score of 50, but I'll give it 0 out of 100 because it's fake.
HULKBUSTER IRON MAN
HISTORY: Of the many armors of Iron Man, the Hulkbuster Armor first appeared in Iron Man (vol. 1) #304 in 1994. The heavy-duty exo-frame was designed for one thing, holding its own in hand-to-hand combat with the Hulk.
FIRST GLANCE: After a surge of popularity from the recent Age of Ultron film featuring a redesigned Hulkbuster armor, it would appear Hasbro and Diamond Select drew straws and Hasbro got the larger one. Thus leaving Marvel Select to take the comic route. Probably as a no complete clause or something drawn up by the good folks at the Disney licensing offices - but that's pure speculation. Either way, Gentle Giant was once again tapped to bring forth this Disney Exclusive offering. All things considered, it is a bit taller than any other Iron Man armor and was intended to look like an actual guy in a suit as opposed to the insanely large Hulkbuster we saw in the Age of Ultron movie, this figure is more comic accurate standing shoulder to shoulder with current Marvel Select Hulk figures. The shell head was intended to be recessed into the chest cavity which is logical seeing as a more elevated head wouldn't be tactical.
PROS: After some actual playtime with this figure, it feels it's built very well. This is common among Gentle Giant sculpts. The joints do not give by any means and feel as though they're designed for the long haul. This is a step in the right direction after many of their big figures often have weak knees or ankles and compromise posing after a short period. The figure is also a very accurate plastic depiction from the comics. Despite the basic paint and color scheme, there is very little paint bleed and what's red is red and what's gold is gold. Can't complain about that. Also, for being such a big character, the range of motion at the joints is remarkable.
CONS: Since the pictures were posted, many had hoped for articulated fingers, seeing as they're big enough. Didn't happen. We have one open hand and one closed. It's not terrible, although one can hope we will start to see some interchangeable hands with our big figures. Some feel the shoulder pads are a downfall, however, I prefer they come off easily instead of coming off not as easily and being just as difficult to put back on. The final gripe, is the head, it is very frustrating to move, but we do have a solution. If you have something soft and round enough to not scratch the paint, but hard enough to keep its form, you can wedge it between the head shell and chest armor and attempt to rotate it after pushing it around a few times.
ARTICULATION:
Head might rotate 360° with no vertical movement
Ball shoulders with bicep swivel
Ball elbows
Would-be 360° wrists, restricted by forearm armor with decent vertical and horizontal movement
Torso swivel
Ball hips with upper thigh swivel
Ball knees
Roller ankles
RECOMMENDATION: All in all, it's a great figure outside of the packaging. As a Disney Exclusive, it's worth the trip and if you're overseas, make a stateside friend. This is a hot commodity in the wake of the Age of Ultron wave and it may not be on shelves for long. This is a great figure for both Marvel Legends and Select collectors. So with that said, it has sold very well over SRP on the scum/secondary market prior to its release. Make this one a priority, I wouldn't look for any reinterpretations any time soon.