Saturday, April 20, 2013

Super Alloy 1/4 scale Iron Man: Preview Showcase by Play Imaginative at Bugis Junction

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark / Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

With a focus on Marvel’s upcoming Iron Man 3 movie, Play Imaginative is showcasing a slew of Iron Man collectible figures which will be released from August 2013. Visitors to the 17-day event will get a first look at a host of Iron Man suits including Iron Man Mark XLII, Iron Patriot, War Machine, Heartbreaker, Nightclub, Red Snapper, and Shotgun.


The first 1/4 scale figure (18 inches or approximately 46 cm tall) released will be the Super Alloy Iron Man Mark XLII, slated for release in August 2013. Play Imaginative will be accepting pre-orders for the 1/4 Scale Super Alloy Iron Man Mark XLII – Exclusive Edition at the Super Alloy Iron Man: Preview Showcase. The 1/4 and 1/12 scale Iron Man figures are available worldwide, excluding China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, while the 1/6 scale Iron Man figures are available to Singapore only.

Here are some pictures I took of the Super Alloy 1/4 scale Iron Man: Preview Showcase by Play Imaginative at Bugis Junction (outside Hotel InterContinental). The showcase will be on display from April 19 till May 5 2013 from 10 am to 10 pm daily. Pop by if you are in the vicinity.




On display were prototypes / samples of the Super Alloy 1/4 scale Heartbreaker (above) and Red Snapper (below). Scroll down to see the rest of the Iron Man armor suits on display.



This is Gemini



And up for pre-order is the 1/4 Scale Super Alloy Iron Man Mark XLII Collectible Figure – Exclusive Edition priced at SGD $750 (retail), pre-order price of SGD $715 (Non-member) and SGD $675 (Premium member). That's a lot of moolah ;p



Also on display: War Machine version 2.0 - a sleeker less bulky version of the predecessor seen in Iron Man 2. Personally, I prefer the bulky version but that's just me.



And of course, you got to have Iron Patriot, looking pretty much like Captain America in an iron suit, minus the round shield. At 1:4 scale, these guys are big and so is the price. Getting every one of the armors will set you back quite a bit but if you have the cash to splurge, then go for it. I'm just contend to stick with my 1:6 scale figures. They are just as detailed, have the same articulation (if not more), takes up less space (display constraints is something to consider) and costs way less than one of these.


I cannot imagine Mint-in-box collectors paying loads of cash for these collectibles and then keep them stored away in the box packaging. Just thinking about that makes me feel bad for them.


Finally, there's the one 1:6 scale Super Alloy Iron Man Mark VII on display. And he looks more poseable than the rigid statue-like 1:4 armor suits on display. Why not pose them all in different power poses to show up their value and make the display showcase more impressive instead of leaving every single one of them frozen in one singular fixed straight standing pose? Or is it because they can't be posed!


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

No head sculpt for that amount of money? I dont think so. I will stay with Hot Toys.

Anonymous said...

Hey any idea where i might find their super alloy 1/6 mark 42? (raw version), its a silver colored one, just saw it on their website and the preorder is closed, i might say it looks slick. Might have to get one off a scalper.... :(
-General Sam

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the pics Alex!

I found that video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj69t_uMIrM&feature=youtu.be

with a girl from Play imaginative presenting those figures. At 00:42 there is a camera shot to the description cards for the figures. Appears there would be a scared Downey Jr's head with the exclusive version. I found pretty appealing the presentation they do on the post-production with the performed tests on figures. Hiring Adi Granov to do the art on boxes (he is a comic book artist, that actually designed the armor for the first movies and before that rendered it more realistic/practical in comic books.) + the idea of a remote control for the lights.
Thats how they justify the prices I suppose.

I will personally stick to the 1/6 versions mainly because of the display problems. And I will certainly not invest in lot of armors.
"Heartbreaker" seems more and more appealing to me; while "Iron Patriot" seems too toyish colorful. I like more the grey version.

Shiro said...

Are they selling statues or figures? How come they couldn't even do an action pose to entice people to buy? Does this mean it's that hard to pose their 1/4 scale figures?

alex teo said...

I think they were not ready to launch the figures yet but had to put something up for display since the movie is coming out and they were given the exhibition space. Looked like statues more than action figures - not impressed.

Shiro said...

I admire PI for their boldness but sadly they busted their own bubble for this opportunity to grab the much needed attention and SALES.

alex teo said...

Glad you also see my point Shiro ;p

Valentina said...

This is cool!