Since Iron Man already had much focus in prior reviews, I wanted to look at the other characters first, mostly because I always wanted a She-Hulk and a Whiplash. The former was not bad but the latter sucked. I have no one for the gold Armor Model 1 nor Count Nebula, but I want more unique Iron Man armor in my collection. For this part, I want to catch up and review the two retro-carded armors that have nothing to do with the 1994 cartoon but are still worth discussing, though we'll see which model wins the round.
Let's first cover the Model 9. This version of Iron Man is described as a "neo-classic" design, mostly due to how it feels like a redesign of the more traditional Silver Age armor. Debuting in Iron Man #231, this design represents a time when Tony Stark aimed to somewhat return to basics while dealing with the Armor Wars. Sure, the Silver Centurion armor was more efficient in combat, but the writers made sure that Model 9 remained versatile until it was taken down. So did Hasbro do a good job in nailing the design? I should mention that the boots vary in design, from some panels depicting him with leaner boots with yellow ridges to artwork with the same bell bottoms that the toy has. What I can say is that the use of marbleized plastic makes the toy feel unfinished. The red could be fine enough as it is, but it's the yellow that I feel 50/50 on. If it's trying to make for a match between the yellow of the comics and a proper shade of gold we normally see, then why not at least paint it as metallic yellow rather than leave it as a see-through yellow? The proportions are at least accurate to the design, though some may find the light blue arc reactor to be odd when it should be yellow. The white dots on the arc are not accidental QC errors but they do bother me a bit. Also, can we be consistent with having figures either be pinless throughout the joints or retain them instead of mixing them up?!
His head sculpt is in line with the standards of Iron Man helmets at the time, being rounded and using black slits for the mouth and eyes. The articulation is standard for an Iron Man figure with a ball and hinge combo for the neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement with pliable shoulders, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation and curl for the fists only. The torso has an ab crunch and a waist swivel, while the legs have ball jointed hips, thigh swivels, double-jointed knees, and ankles that barely pivot. In addition to the same blast effects we've seen before, he also has sizzling effects after blasting his hands off. They're compatible with other Iron Man figures.
For a comparison with other Neo-Classic Iron Men, here he is with the previous versions sold under the Epic Heroes wave and the Retro-Carded versions sold 5 years apart. The proportions and articulation are generally better on the newer figure, especially with the head not being tiny. Not only that, but having accessories and the option to keeps his hands symmetrical with either fists or repulsors on both sides is appreciative. The original EH version just had a base that all figures from the same wave borrowed from the Avengers movie figures in 2012 However, I will defend the first version for having a metallic paint job that this new version sorely needed instead of marbleized plastic. The second version isn't as shiny, but while it and the original had less ankle movement, I do wish Hasbro could make the lower legs removable for optional boot designs. Would be better than just making us wait for a retool and pay twice as much, Hasbro.
Up next, we have Armor Model 20...which is actually false. They may look similar, but the armor itself can be seen in this link. This is actually 24/25, which is a precursor to the Extremis armor we see in the Civil War arc as well as games like Ultimate Alliance 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. This was in the first Ultimate Alliance, but you may remember it from Scott Johnson's god-tier Marvel promotional artwork. If Alex Ross is praised for realism, then Scott Johnson should be praised for making evergreen Marvel better than the 2010s and 2020s. This armor is a lot more segmented than what most armors before it normally were, and it was also predating the more refined Extremis that took over. I love how the design turned out, being sharp with all the years of hindsight from prior Legends done effectively. Nothing looks rough or blurry, and it also helps when there is a mix of metallic paint and competently marbleized plastic. I will agree with AnthonysCustoms and say that the torso should be broader somewhat.
The head sculpt also showed how angular Iron Man got even further, and while I wish the mouth area would be a little thinner, this definitely makes me appreciate how sharp the etched details are with well-applied paint apps (and metallic ones to boot). The articulation is generally the same, though boot swivels are replaced with butterfly joints, a rarity for Iron Man figures (at least the ones made by Toy Biz.
For accessories, he has repulsor blasting hands that barely hinge outward as well as a quartet of blast effects that peg into the hands and feet. This at least makes you want to display him blasting and flying simultaneously. Now I know many still think ToyBiz is always perfect no matter what while also constantly shitting on Hasbro because God forbid anyone give the latter credit and the former any criticism. That being said, this blows the original Series 8 Iron Man out of the water. It's not even a case where it's not saying much, it's a major slam dunk in proportions, deco, and sculptwork. Seriously, that muddy ass color scheme and petite frame is something ToyBiz purists want to defend just to spite the megacorpo Hasbro? What's next, the ugly faces on Rogue and Black Cat are superior to the ones on Hasbro's versions? Please use more genuine reasons to criticize Hasbro Legends than just "muh ToyBiz" because there are actual ways they're fucking up today.
So who wins the battle of the best armor Tony Stark came up with? I'd argue that Armor Model 24/25 is the more desirable option of the two. Not only does he have the metallic deco that the Armor Model 9 should have come with, and not only is the sculpt much more unique, but it also avoids reusing parts from other figures to stay as original as possible. Some of the range could be better, and maybe the torso could be broader, but it still manages to be a figure I recommend more over the Model 9 and its handful of missed opportunities, such as not getting a better paint job, consistent joint aesthetics, and swappable boots. Still, was it hard to add a 4 or 5 instead of a 0 for the number of the more modern armor model, Hasbro?
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Armor Model 9)
⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Armor Model 24/25)
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