Well here's a complete re-use of the Iron Man Mark VI sculpt, and the name doesn't even attempt to hide the fact that it is the Mark VI, repainted and packaged with something more interesting--Captain America's shield. Out of the 3 armors in this K-Mart Exclusive Advanced Tactical Armor Concept Series 3-pack, this was the one that first caught my eye. Granted, the Omega Factor War Machine is a sweet deep green repaint of movie series War Machine, but it's just that--a complete repaint, right down to the accessories. Even the serial number on War Mack's side (001) remains the same. The other armor, Bio-Metal Armor Iron Man Mark V, is a recasting of the Mar V suitcase armor in a translucent red plastic and it comes with an ill-fitting missile launcher from the Hyper Velocity Armor. But at least they tried to freshen things up by mixing and matching. So when the chance came to split this pack with fellow toy hunter The Rangerlord ("The" is a very important part of his title), I jumped on it because he wanted the O-Factor War Machine more. Divide and conquer, I always say!
Name: Vibranium Armor Mark VI
Line: Iron Man 2: Concept Series (Part of K-Mart Exclusive Advanced Tactical Armor 3-pack)
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Released: 2nd Quarter 2010
Price: Retail: $24.99 (for 3-pack)
Scale: 3.75 in.
Accessories: “Captain America” Vibranium Shield
It's a solid sculpt, but still inferior to the Mk II/III body, which has better head and thigh-joint motion. The head on this baby is reduced to a swivel, due in large part to the squarish neck sculpt and a really deep socket. As for the the thigh sculpts, they partially block the leg from bending forward. But the good thing is that despite these shortcomings, Vibranium Armor Mark VI can still kneel on one knee. The other plus point is the really flexible chest pivot, which allows the figure to swivel 360 degrees and still pivot up and down at any point during the rotation.
Since this is a Concept Series suit of armor, as far as "new" concepts go (like the Deep Dive Armor or the Hyper Velocity Armor), this sculpt isn't anything newly thought up. But if we think in terms of the movies and how Tony Stark might just decide to repaint his Mk VI armor for that one Independence Day special appearance (if it were to happen), he'd do exactly this. In that sense, the Vibranium Armor sculpt is very much movie accurate.
In addition, Captain America's shield is a beautifully added touch, as much a nod to Cap's shield appearing in the movie as it is a tribute to the good Captain himself. The shield is excellently constructed--it's nice and smooth on the outside curved surface, while the underside has a clip for IM's forearm and dual rubber bands to secure the shield firmly. I find double twisting the bands over the forearm yields the best results.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Who doesn't love the red, white, and blue? I'm no expert, but I think these three are the most used colors when it comes to national flags. Off the top of my head, there's France, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Britain...Yeah, that's about all the major countries that use those colors. :P Ok, ok, I kid. There's of course the ol' US of A, which this figure very much represents.
The metallic blue paint used on his torso and head is an improvement over the sticky red and messy gold. It's a pity the sticky red paint on the arms and legs hasn't been improved on, making those parts look waxy and very plastic. The silver is also not so hot, with some fuzzy edges on both his thighs and some major paint rub on the front of his left.
The Vibranium Armor's chest triangle arc reactor is a sticker, as is consistent with the line. But instead of the white on light blue, they've used a pale yellow that doesn't look at all like it's glowing. Also, they messed up the edges of the sticker, with one whole side of the triangle bled over with the yellow. The other edge also has a spill over it. It was tough to find one with a good arc reactor. Also, the sticker eyes seem a little less well done than the single packed Mk VI, but this could be down to the figure I got--the single-packed figures were also pretty inconsistent.
The good news is that the VA's shield paint is excellent! The white lines and star are nice and bold, making for a very sharp looking "weapon" of choice. There's little flecks of gold in the red of the shield and that's a superb touch to set it apart from the regular Captain America shield. It's only obvious from certain angles and under light. Even then, it's subtle and really adds to the "Tony Stark improved on it" factor. And of course, the shiny red matches the shiny blue of the Vibranium armor perfectly!
Paint Score: 7 / 10
Not the best, but not bad at all. Despite not having a full head motion (swivel only), and thigh joints partially blocked by the leg sculpt, the Vibranium Armor IM still manages to pull off what you need from him.
He can still manage a kneeling pose, his shoulders rotate and swivel fully, while his legs have no problem swinging out to the sides so that he can almost do a sideways split. And like the Movie Series Mark VI, his best joint is the chest pivot, which rotates 180 degrees side to side and can pivot up and down seamlessly.
Articulation Score: 7.5 / 10
He doesn't really have to do anything but just stand there and he's already fun to look at. It's the red, white and blue of the guy that gives a sense of the Beach Boys and Surfin' USA. It would be wicked fun to paint up one the Silver Surfer's Surfboard in matching red, white, and blue and give it to this guy. Power Cosmic Vibranium Armor Mk VI Armor FTW!
This guy can also team up with Cap no problem just because they've got similar color schemes. Can you imagine how great it would be to see this armor appear alongside Captain America in the Cap Am: First Avenger movie? It'll be like Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights, except it would have to be retitled as "Marvel Knights: Red, White and Blue, F.T.W!"
Vibranium Armor IM Mk VI could even be Cap in an Iron Man suit in a sort of "What If?" if they were on the same side in Civil War and Tony Stark had built a suit for Steve Rogers instead of Spiderman. Or did they actually do that story already? I'm feeling some sort of deja vu...FTW!
Anything other than a red and gold armored Iron Man just seems like a lot more fun to have and to look at if you're putting together a Stark Armory. He'll look fantastic next to the "special missions" suits like Deep Dive, Hyper Velocity, Stealth Ops, and Hulkbuster Armors just to name a few favorites.
Fun Score: 9 / 10
Well, he cost me more than the standard retail of a single figure despite being part of a 3 pack. He also didn't have a stand, nor Armor Cards. However he does come with a cool accessory in his shield, which has been repainted for this figure. He's good value if you're looking for this guy and don't mind another two repaints (Mk V, which is decent, and War Mack, which is always great!) for your Stark Armory.
Value Score: 7 / 10
80 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
He gets some extra points for being a great concept. Having him on display will just brighten up the room. Despite his flaws, he really doesn't have any major putt-off factors. It's one of those figures that will always be sought after because of it's patriotic color scheme. It's also a figure that the uninitiated will look at and say "Hey! That's Iron Man. I didn't know he had a suit of red, white, and blue!" And then you could reply (Captain America: The First Avenger spoilers ahead), "Yeah, that's the new Iron Man suit that's gonna be in the Captain America movie, when Tony Stark unlocks the secrets of the Vibranium shield and builds a whole suit out of it." The Unitiated would then go, "Really? Oh wow, I can't wait!" And you'd say "Dude, not really. But it would be awesome if it were true, wouldn't it?"
-Ewan
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