It’s a modern update on a classic design, familiar yet refreshed. It’s got that new car smell with some very familiar notes.
After years of subpar Iron Man armors that suffered from bad articulation or a lack of bulk that suggests a person could actually fit inside, we seem to be in a golden age of Iron Man armors where they’re the best they’ve ever been. The newest armor, the Model 70, continues that trend.
After several iterations of Iron Man’s classic armor over the past few years, plus plenty of MCU armors, it’s nice to be getting something brand new, yet familiar. The red and yellow-gold is there, the armor patterns are familiar, but there’s a futuristic upgrade to everything. In short, this is a beautiful figure. It doesn’t quite take over my personal top spot currently held by his classic armor, but it’s a very close second. And despite the hiogh esteem in which I hold the classic armor figure (any of which that are based on the 80th Anniversary figure) this figure does best that figure in a couple of areas.
The entire figure is an all new sculpt, and it’s an excellent one. There is a lot of additional detail in the armor, with plenty of sharp lines and paneling, all of which are reminiscent of the classic armor but with more “busy-ness.” However, it’s overboard, overdesigned detail for the sake of detail busy-ness, but just enough to suggest an enhanced overall tech feel. It balances the Extremis-era detail with the classic seamlessly
I like the additional light-panel elements on the boots, waist and gauntlets that echo the unibeam in his chest.
The articulation is uniformly good. He has good range in the shoulders and hips, and the use of a mid-torso wobble in place of a standard ab-crunch gives him a lot of 360 wiggle room. My favorite increased point of articulation is the neck, which has a ball joint at the bottom combined with the traditional disc hinge at the top which allows him to tilt his head straight up for flying poses.
The figure itself feels very solid, with no loose joints or any of the fabled “gumminess” that people complain about.
Iron Man comes with two sets of hands: fists and open repulsor hands. I’m pretty confused by the repulsor hands. Not because of their inclusion, but the fact that they exist. I have absolutely no idea why this figure can get repulsor hands with actual articulation, but every version of the classic Iron Man figure has repulsor hands that have no wrist articulation, forcing his hands to be frozen in constant push-up mode. If yet another variation of the classic Iron man armor is made, these are the exact type of hands that need to be included: fully articulated, open repulsor hands. These are great.
Speaking of repulsors, he comes with two blast pieces that can either be fit into the holes on his hands or in his boots to simulate boot jets. He comes with two of those swirling effect pieces that can also be affixed to either his wrists or his ankles.
This is a great looking Alex Ross-designed armor, and it’s been made into a fantastic figure, yet another in a strong string of armors. I’m hoping there are some other armors that will be getting a similar amount of attention, like the Heroes Return armor and the Extremis armor.
Source: Fwoosh