Hasbro Iron Man 3 Marvel Legends Iron Monger Hasbro, 2013
Day #878: March 17, 2014
Iron Monger Build-A-Figure Collection Iron Monger Series
Iron Man 3 Marvel Legends Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. A2514 No. n/a Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:n/a Action Feature:n/a Retail:n/a Availability: August 2013 Other: Requires purchase if Iron Man MK 42, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, Iron Patriot, Heroic Age Iron Man, Classic Iron Man, and Ultron to complete
The first-ever Marvel Legends build-a-figure I've assembled is Iron Monger. When I saw it, I knew I wanted it - but the purchase of 6 figures at a retail of $14.99-$17.99 put a stop to that quick. I lucked into 3 at $6.99 (thank you Ross) and another on clearance at Target for $10.80ish, with the others at Toys R Us at full price. I'm largely quite pleased with what I got, even though it set me back about $67. As I have precious few Legends figures, I'll deal - even if 3 of the 6 required purchases were Tony Stark. I checked eBay minutes after assembling him and was disappointed to see sellers in China selling complete Mongers for $20-$30.
Much like many of the other Hasbro collector lines, Marvel Legends is an impenetrable array of figures spanning more than a decade. Unlike other lines, it spans multiple manufacturers and the newest figure isn't necessarily the best - Hasbro has some great figures, but so does Toy Biz. Being unable to find some figures easily put me off a lot of these, as I don't want a partial set - if I can't get the whole thing, I just plain won't buy any of them (unless they're on clearance.) I wanted to buy the Walmart exclusives Avengers line but saw them at one Walmart only once, and those of you who have read my work for the last few years know I frequent - and live next to - Walmarts, making multiple trips a week just to see what's there. If I can't find stuff, there's money being left on the table. But I digress. The heartbreakingly low price of $20 in China makes me feel like a fool - I didn't necessarily want Ultron or all of these Iron Man variants.
The figure itself - which is being retooled as 2014's Captain America Marvel Legends Mandroid - is really spiffy. With 20 points of articulation, Hasbro made this figure in swirly metallic blue plastic which has me nervous for its longevity - it's pretty gorgeous, assuming the swirls aren't in an ugly spot. At this size I'm sure this worked better than the flat-blue of the 3 3/4-inch Iron Monger, but here on my desk I am quite impressed. The figure has very little paint other than a couple of red highlights and a bit of black here and there, so I have no doubt Hasbro is really getting its money's worth out of this 8-inch behemoth. It is truly an impressive specimen, with a few similarities to the previously released smaller figure.
Additional rivets and details plus a different antenna are obvious changes from the smaller figure, and its massive footprint is something to behold - it really is a big honking foot. The figure itself would have made a fantastic boxed item for Comic-Con if sold as an exclusive in addition to being a build-a-figure. Figures like this really incentivize collecting over picking and choosing, which could be alienating if some figures continue to be hard to find. In the case of this series, I had no problem finding all of the figures at one or more stores in January of 2014 - this makes me happy. My only real gripe about the figure's quality is the visor on the helmet - it's a more muted, faded red compared to the bright color on the chest. It's still OK, it's just that the chest's color is so much livlier. All of the figure's joints move smoothly and freely, no joints are stuck. Assembly is superbly easy, and I'm totally loving it.
While I have a few Spider-Man Classics (from Toy Biz in 2000ish), I think I've only got one other Marvel Legends figure until the last year. The Iron Monger is an impressive specimen and one that makes me want to dive in to another series. If Hasbro made a batch based on the 1990s X-Men cartoon, or perhaps a set for the Avengers sequel with a build-an-oversized-Hulk, or possibly something for Guardians of the Galaxy I think I might be interested in seeing more. The format is certainly impressive and Hasbro, when they decide to make a big figure, rarely fail to impress. If you have the means to get one, do so. I don't know if this figure is worth the sum value of the assortment, but I will say I'm glad to own one.
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