A review of Mezco’s Iron Man from their One:12 Collective!

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Everything I’ve done, everything I’ll do today, everything I’ll ever do, I do to protect this world. When I put on this armor, I took on more power than any human was ever intended to have… and maybe more responsibility than my heart can truly bear. But today… I will do my job. I will protect you. No matter what it takes… – Tony Stark

Tony Stark or Iron Man has become one of the most popular and influential comic book characters since his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 in March 1963. Mezco has added Ol’ Shell Head to their One:12 Collective. He is the first figure from them with metal parts but we will get into that in a bit.
So may I present Iron Man:

PACKAGING:

The packaging is the typical slipcover type and one of my favorite logos they have released to date: it is “The Invincible Iron Man” from the first run by Marvel Comics in the late ‘60s. It has the 3D look to it with the rivets in his name. The colors in the lettering are the same as the figure against a box that is hot rod red. The side of the box has maroon lettering against the classic yellow. There is an outline of a helmet for the side logo. The back of the box has the action and accessories page with some images of what’s in the box along with a few poses against the red background. The cover slips off to reveal the figure securely packaged and you can see pretty much everything aside from the arm and baggie on the underside.

LIKENESS:

The figure is modeled in the likeness of Gene Colan’s design of the character with the pirate boots and gloves. The looks was a staple in the Marvel Comics for about two decades. The design of the mask is also very much from this time period. As for the Tony Stark face, he has a tan complexion with the facial hair that we come to expect from the character. Both his facial hair and the stuff on top is black but it has a light application. What I mean is that his skin comes through a little more than intended (i hope). The face definitely captures the essence of the hero. The yellow is a plastic with a semi-gloss finish and small details to show off the plating. The metal finish on the armor is a metallic-candy gloss with a lot of details as well. The yellow looks like a metal but it is a plastic and clearly different from the metal. Here is where the metal parts that come in to play: they are the upper torso, gauntlets, Boots, Toe cap, and the upper footplate. This gives him a little more weight and a better center of gravity for posing on his lower half. The gauntlets and upper torso are where the batteries, as well as the lights, are housed.

ACCESSORIES:

He comes with a nice lot of accessories that complete the look and feel of Iron Man. He has six (6) interchangeable hands, one (1) chest beam, two (2) repulsor beams, two (2) hand booster effects, two (2) foot booster effects, two (2) gauntlet rockets, two (2) hip rocket launchers, a base stand arm for posing, the base stand with the arc reactor design, and a bag for the accessories. The hands are one (1) pair of fists, one (1) pair of posing hands, and one (1) pair of blasting/flying hands. They made sure to include a lot of hands to keep the poses versatile. Beginning with the fists, these can be used for punching or even to look like he is clenching when using his weapons against someone. This works for attacking with the chest piece to shooting from his arm. The posing hands are used in a relaxed pose or like he is about to do something crazy. It is a mid-moment hand and the paint on them matches the red on the rest of the suit and the hand has the painted repulsor in the palm. The blasting/flying hands have the repulsors cut out so that the booster effects or the repulsor beams are able to be pushed into the palms. As I mentioned, the chest is metal and it houses the lighting for the arc reactor. The cover of the reactor comes off and that’s where the reactor beam is inserted. The beam is translucent with some blue accents and it is a cool effect. The sculpted look makes it look like the energy can’t be contained. The repulsor beams in the hands are made in a similar design with the blue accents and blast look. The small pegs insert in the palm and light up from the lights in the gauntlets. The hand and foot boosters work the same way and, because it’s supposed to be the same tech, they have the same color. The gauntlets have a small opening on each arm for the rockets. The hip rockets are also a cool accessory but I initially thought that they were flares. They pop out in the same way as the chest piece and have little clips to secure to the body. The base stand is red, white, and blue. It is designed to look like the arc reactor up close. It has the standard removable peg where the posable arm can be inserted. The figure is a little heavier than most but he as no issues being held by the arm. The figure is also nicely stable on the peg by only one foot.

ARTICULATION:

Posing the figure is simple and he is able to pull off a lot of the typical looks anyone would expect from Iron Man. His head moves easily and can be put in pretty much any direction you want. When looking up, it will do it to a point but not in a way that would realistically break his neck in the suit. Where the metal torso meets at the shoulders, the plastic does rotate in a 360° and, like the legs, there is a separation that allows the arms to also swivel 360°. This allows for plenty of flexibility but there is one little issue: when you try to pose the arms inward towards his center, they can’t really go that direction. The arms are limited in that way. The elbows have the double joint and the hands swivel at the wrist. His legs can be turned in 360° swivel but the legs are also limited by the “hip” area and there is a thin plastic piece. This piece limits the movement even though the legs can be pulled down to try to allow more flexibility. The “belt” that holds the hip rockets and is lightly attached. It has a lot of give but it is still fixed to the body so that it won’t just move out of place. His feet can swivel a complete 360° so getting the posing right shouldn’t be an issue. Even if you are bold in the types of poses you put your figures into, this figure can be manipulated in various ways.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The design and extras make this entry to the One:12 Collective a successful one. They chose one of the best designs from the comics and ran with it to create a very cool figure. The metal parts give it the heft that you want from hero made of…well…metal. He comes with a slew of weapons and accessories that make him be the formable hero that he is. To me, this just opens the door to other figures that would work with metallic parts such as War Machine, Metallo, a partial part like if they redo Cable’s arm. Either way, Iron Man is a must-have and I’m excited how they will integrate die-cast into future designs.

About the author

MEDIA JOURNALIST | Michael is a fanatic about all both cinema old and new. He collects anything from 1:6 Scale, 1:12 Scale, and vinyl Collectibles plus Slipcovers and Steelbooks. He loves pop culture, writing, reviewing films & collectibles, and journalism. An avid Batman, The Joker and anything comics junkie, he will also chat it up about pretty much anything. Go ahead and ask...