Monday, August 10, 2009

Hot Toys MMS Iron Man Mark I Review I

This crate arrived at my doorstep a few days ago and got me all excited. It is none other than Hot Toys MMS80 (Movie Masterpiece Series) Collector's Edition 1/6 scale Iron Man Mark I. The "crate" is actually the slipcase that Hot Toys include as part of all their MMS packaging and it's nice to know that Hot Toys put so much effort into first impressions because the packaging alone is impressive!

The box cover is similar to their earlier release of Iron Man Mark III. Whilst Iron Man Mark III box cover showcased the sleek look of the red chest (see post HERE), this Hot Toys Iron Man Mark I cover shows the unrefined and crude look of the first iron suit.

The box cover opens to reveal the miniature "arc reactor" built and embedded into Tony Stark's chest to keep shrapnel from working its way to his heart and killing him.

Product shots are shown on the back of box packaging

The box cover flap unravels to reveal a top half bust picture of Hot Toys Iron Man Mark I, similar to what they did with the Mark III version. A short description on the inner flap reads: "While traveling overseas on business, Tony Stark is gravely injured after being ambushed and taken hostage. While in captivity, Stark is ordered to build a super-weapon capable of worldwide destruction. Instead, determined to escape and ultimately confront the demons of his past, Stark constructs a nearly invincible suit of armor equipped with powerful repulsor rays and high-altitude flight capability and escapes. Upon his return to America, he becomes the red-and-gold warrior Iron Man, vowing to don his powerful armor to protect the world."

Includes an Instruction Sheet on light-up function, battery installation (button cell batteries included, by the way) and other not-so-obvious functions such as fire shield and fore-arm missiles

Iron Man Mark I in its tray, waiting to be unleashed upon the world

Accessories: Bupkis, None, Zilch, Nada. The Mask has to go on his face and the pair of extra clenched fist hands are customary.

But Hot Toys more than makes up for it with the actual suit of armor itself - it is a thing of beauty - IRON beauty!! It makes you breathless and hyperventilate when you hold it in your hands.

First - the head sculpt of Robert Downey Jr. There's no mistaking that it is him behind the mask but the look is a bit blank, like he's staring at something but not really focusing on anything. IMHO The prototype pictures of Robert Downey Jr's head sculpt is way better than the final product (see Preview pictures HERE). I prefer the sweaty look of the prototype.



It's great to know that Hot Toys put their passion into their products and are not just out to make money because for the price you pay, you certainly get the value and quality. Hot Toys certainly put a lot into this product and the final outcome is one of amazing quality with stunning details and clever engineering in toy making. I'll let the details speak for itself!


There is still quite a lot of articulation for an armored figure. Because of the amount of armor on this suit of iron, I didn't expect the kind of movement that was possible with this 1/6 figure. He's able to bend his arms and legs and move his hips and neck as one would expect with the actual armor. Hats off to the Hot Toys team for a job well done!!! And I haven't gone on to the light-up features yet.



And now let's see how Hot Toys MMS Movie Masterpiece Series Iron Man Mark I looks









In the NEXT POST, we'll zoom in on all the fine detailing that went into the making this 1/6 suit of iron but the verdict is out - this figure is stunningly AWESOME!!!

11 comments:

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

WOW..the best photographer on any action figure site. You turn these into the artwork they are and this figure showcases your skills like few are able too. Top work mate!

alex teo said...

Hi Calvin, thanks for the compliments. They are indeed 3D forms of artwork to me and I try my utmost to show them as they are meant to be and encouraging words like yours do spur me on ;>

desmond said...

HT Mark I is super awesome and it's definitely a must have collectable in the 12inch figure series..

alex teo said...

you're spot on desmond - Iron Man Mark I is even better than mark III!!!

desmond said...

Yes Alex, for overall quality control, detailed parts and paint jobs. But they look nice when standing side by side too..

alex teo said...

yup desmond, they certainly look GREAT standing side by side ;p will post pictures soon.

Eamon O'Donoghue said...

I think I can only afford either the Mark 1 or Mark III. Which one would you recommend as they are both very cool.
Thanks!

alex teo said...

hi Eamon, I didn't get the Mark II nor the Gun Metal Grey version either but I just had to get Mark I and Mark III because of the contrast between the sleek and high-tech of Mark III and rough and tumble of Mark I.

I much prefer Mark I because of all the nice, cool details and the fact that Tony Stark is really under all that hunk of "metal" whereas Mark III is really just an iron suit with Tony's face plonked on if you have to - there's really no 1/6 body under there.

Paul said...

Hi Alex, thanks for the great review & excellent images! :) I'm a late comer & just started collecting 1:6 recently. After seeing your review I quickly went out & searched my local toy shops.

Unfortunately, stocks are long gone. It looks like the only place available is ebay but way too pricey. Hoping to able to find one that meet my budget in the near future. :(

alex teo said...

Hi Paul, Hot Toys figures are indeed HOT and they disappear from the shelves really fast. Some don't even make it on the shelf at all due to the overwhelming demand :( I always make it a point to pre-order mine

All the BEST with your collection CHEERS

WL a.k.a Wee Loong said...

You know what they say about regrets in life..

well, this was certainly one of my greatest regrets in my toy-collecting life...

I saw this figure way b4 I started collecting when it was still avail on the shelves at ard 300 odd (and I thought it was pricey then!!)

I put it off.. and the next time I saw it.. it was near 500..

By the time I started collecting it was way around 700...

today people are trying to sell it off for $1000 SGD...

this is certainly a "Hall of Fame" toy..