Over the years, it seems a blue repaint of shell-head like Iron Man (Stealth Armor) is an action figure tradition. Toy Biz and Hasbro have certainly made several of them, and they tend to sell. Around here, I don't remember seeing him for very long and while there are leftover, unsold figures in some stores Iron Man isn't one of them.
As I lack expertise, I asked search engines about the comic origins of this armor. Apparently it's from 1981, but the suit is really black. So why is the figure blue? Colorists back then frequently used blue as a highlight color on black elements - so Darth Vader was usually black with blue, and with red lenses in some cases. This Iron Man added red eyes and a red chest, but that's not how it looked in the comic. But it was how it looked in Toy Biz Marvel Legends, and Diamond Select Toys and Hasbro and Mezco made some as well, so it's arguably still retro. I think the oldest figure to have this coloring was in 1994 with Toy Biz' Iron Man Stealth Armor figure - which also had an open left hand. Coincidence? Most likely.
The 3 3/4-inch figure is covered in rich paint, with a dark metallic blue for the armor. It looks great, although I do wonder how it will hold up to long-term play. Will it crack? I have no idea - and I don't know if kids are going to play with these much. The swivel wrists work well, and the neck, hips, and shoulders are all great. It plays like a toy, which is what I look for in my small, plastic men.
The bright red pops nicely, and unfortunately the repulsers in the hands aren't painted - and they weren't sculpted in the feet. As with his Kenner-flavored siblings, he more or less looks and feels like a real old toy. The old Kenner figures rarely had swivel wrists, and they almost always had accessories. But it's the 2020s, and this kind of figure is often made with lavish packaging art and a clear plastic bubble because Hasbro (and Super7, and the rest) assume collectors will be buying these to display or store in the packages. Which is a shame, because a $10-$12 line-up of every major Marvel heavy hitter for kids should be a slam dunk. Or would be, if there weren't $10-$12 12-inch figures also available.
I would recommend this figure if you're in to blue repaints or considering collecting this whole line. It fits a certain style, or play style, that is arguably more interesting than the figure itself. I'm not someone who is looking to buy big, expensive figures to impress people when they see a 1:4 or 1:6 scale thing in my house. I just want something I can pick up, fuss with, and put back on a shelf without it falling over, and this fits the bill nicely. I admit I probably would consider skipping this one if I wasn't currently all-in on the idea of Kenner Marvel, mostly because the regular Iron Man is really good. I can't deny the shiny figure looks excellent, though, so now that I got it (on clearance, no less) I do think it was worth the asking price.
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