24 thoughts on “Vault Review: Iron Man 2
S.H. Figuarts War Machine”

1. I’m so glad you reviewed this guy as I’ve been trolling for information on him ever since he was released.

   I’ve been looking for a “definitive” 5-6 inch War Machine and Iron Man figure to add to the collection. The Hasbro Armored Avenger line has done a good job to scratch that itch, but I’ve still been looking at the more premium lines. I’ve a bit unsure between these SH Figuarts figures and the Revoltech figures as I don’t own any toys from either line. Though you don’t compare the two here, your pics and review have given me so many positives on the Figuarts version that I think I might drop the dollars on it. It certainly seems like he’s worth the extra money over the Hasbro version.

   In general, do you have any thoughts on SH Figuarts vs Revoltech?

   1. The last picture is Revoltech Iron Man Mark 3 sitting with Rhodey. Scale wise they fit in pretty well with each other, with Iron Man being just a tiny bit shorter and slimmer than Figuarts War Machine.

      I bought the Revoltech because I liked the light-up feature and wanted the extra Tony head. The Mark 3 is also my favorite version of his costume, so it worked out nicely. Unfortunately the figure itself is lacking when it comes to plastic and paint quality. The two worst things being his red paint is a bit sticky, and his abs are made out of a soft foam-like material. (Here’s my review if you want more details. http://www.itsalltrue.net/?p=17687 )

      If you want a sturdy figure that moves well, I’d suggest getting the Figuarts versions. They’re definitely a higher quality than the Revoltech (at least the one I have). I would have bought an Iron Man to go with WM, but I’m waiting on their version of the Mark 3. The only other figures that might give these guys a run for their money are the Figmas, but who knows when those will actually be out.

      1. Yeah, I considered waiting for the Figma Avengers, but as War Machine is my favorite and he didn’t appear in the Avengers movie, I’m guessing he won’t get a figure. That kind of knocked Figma out for me.

         All of this has pretty much sealed it for me. Figuarts it is! Now comes the task of trying to find a cheap online retailer now that the first run has sold out at most of the cheaper online import retailers….Maybe I’ll be lucky and Toys R Us will sell them like they do with the Figuarts DBZ and Power Ranger figures…

         1. I wish you luck on finding a cheap one. Your best bet may be Mandarake (http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en/). I don’t see any there at the moment, but they’re very reliable and usually cheaper since they’re reselling the item.

            1. Thanks! I’ll keep an eye out. I’ll float between there and AmiAmi amongst other places.

2. I don’t have the Figuarts War Machine, but just looking at the comparison pics, I’d still go with the Hasbro version over the Figuarts. Screen accuracy goes a long way for me, and the Figuarts version is too noticeably stylized for my tastes. It’s not a bad looking figure by any means, it’s just that when I look at it, it screams “Stylized Japanese version of War Machine,” rather than “Definitive War Machine.”

   1. Yeah, this is definitely one of those figures that’s going to cause different gut reactions with people. I’m really looking forward to putting the Figuarts with more Japanese Marvel figures, but the Hasbro one still looks great with his Marvel Legends counterparts. It really just depends on what kind of shelf your going for I think.

3. Playing with this thing, he is ridiculously flexible and he doesn’t have that flimsy feeling that a lot of the import figures have. He’s super fun to pose, too, to the point that I ambitiously tired to make him break-dance. Incidentally, that’s what led to Vault snapping pic #2. Though a little bit of his “fabulous” wore off in the move from computer desk to photo room…

   1. *tried

   2. What you talkin ’bout? He’s still totoally faaabuloussss!

4. What is that three balled stand from that I see in some of your photos? I’ve been wanting a flying stand for Ghidorah, and that one seems to work pretty good.

   1. It’s a Flight Pose stand, and they’re terrific for holding up large and heavy objects! It’ll work great for you Ghidorah. http://www.itsalltrue.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/kghi10.jpg

      Here’s their website: http://flightpose.com/index.cfm

      1. Cool. Thanks. I`m assuming the 6″ stand for Ghidorah? Their site seems pretty vague on details about the sizes.

         1. Yeah, I use the 6 inch for most flying poses. The 4 inch is good if you want them floating near the same height as standing figures, and I use the 2 inch for hovering things like Metron’s chair.

5. Really like the review. This version definitely looks better than the Hasbro version with all the accessories and effect parts. However, the Hasbro version ain’t bad either. I can’t justify paying over $45 just for the extra accessories.

   1. Thanks, Bigbot! I’m really surprised at how well the Hasbro one holds up, especially when compared to the Figuarts. Hasbro did a great job on the articulation, sculpt, and accessories. I just wish they could consistently hit this level with all of their products.

6. is it me, or is his chest lit up in the couch pic?

   Decent review, but I can’t afford this right now. Too bad Hasbro (and Mattel) can’t take any cues from the superior Japanese toys on articulation, instead of dropping it due to “cost cutting”. right. Had to laugh at the “dance off” pic. “You just got served!” LOL

   Any plans to review the movie line? I know there are several repaints, but there are also a few newer molds, like “Col. James Rhodes” (aka movie Iron Patriot, since Osborne’s repainted Extremis armor took that name in the first half of that wave), the Mark 42 movie armor, and the Heroic Age/Bleeding Edge armor.

   1. Apologies if it’s been pointed out on this site before, but it’s a bit unfair to compare the articulation and features of a Figuarts figure to those on a Hasbro 6 inch figure. I used to think the same until another collector explained the Japanese collector market to me. I agree that at the very least US manufacturers would do well to emulate a few Japanese engineering features, but really US manufacturers and Japanese manufacturers operate off of completely different business models that have different ideas of who their consumer base is.

      Looking at Figuarts in particular, you very rarely see figures grouped as waves or see as much mold re-use as US companies tend to do. They can cost more towards each particular figure and aren’t really bound by balancing development/design budgets across multiple figures in a wave. The amount of character specific molding like Bandai Japan can do per figure is mind blowing compared to what US companies are bound by. The Japanese companies know they can spend more on their adult collectible marketed figures and US companies will always be conscious of how big the children market is compared to the collectors market.

      The biggest example of this can be seen when you compare the Power Ranger toys Bandai Japan offers in Japan to what Bandai America offers the US. (It’s also worth mention that Bandai Japan and Bandai America are very separate entities.) Japan gets bigger, more complex Zords and Figuarts for the Rangers themselves, and the US gets more simplified Zords and is only now getting super-articulated Rangers.

      Bringing it back to War Machine, the Figuarts version is a lot better because even with import costs aside, Bandai was probably able to put twice the budget into it than Hasbro could with theirs. I’m actually shocked that a figure as decent as Hasbro’s War Machine got made seeing as how it will probably see little mold re-use and got a lot more accessories than other comparable 6″ figures.

      1. For many years, the Japanese market has gotten only non-poseable vinyl figures for their Sentai toys. They also don’t get figures of the villains. What’s funny about that is that they used to get better toys. Back in the 80s and early-mid nineties, they got figures comparable to what the US was getting for Power Rangers. The original 8″ super-articulated MMPR figures were based off molds created for the Turboranger series from 1989. There were also the 3 3/4″ figures that were made for the Super Sentai line that featured articulation comparable to a GI Joe figure (minus the balljointed neck). In America, they were only ever released with the vehicles (Power Bikes, Shark Cycles, Galaxy Gliders, etc.). For several years, Bandai Japan released “fliphead” figures, based on the Bandai US Automorphin figures.

         The S.H. Figuarts line is a fairly new development, only having been created in 2008, with the first Sentai Figuart (Shinken Red) released in 2011. It’s also not aimed at the same audience as other Sentai toys. The kids are still getting the vinyl dolls (because “little kids don’t care about articulation.” Pfft). The Figuarts are aimed at adult collectors. That’s why so many of the figures are released as web exclusives.

         There has been a good deal of parts reuse, and at least some attempt at releasing full teams. However, it’s not easy to get them all. For example, all of the Dekarangers use one of two bodies (one male, one female, much like with a Power Rangers series). The core 5 Rangers have all been released (no word on Dekabreak or Dekamaster, to say nothing of Dekabright, Dekaswan, or Dekagold), but only Dekared was released at retail. The rest were all web exclusives. The common theme seems to be that only Reds and Sixths can get released at retail, with some rare exceptions. Shinken Red and Shinken Gold were available in stores, but Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green, and Princess Shinken Red were all online only. Red Buster could be found in stores, but none of the rest of his team. Akibaranger, the Sentai parody, got all of its members released at retail, though they’re only a three member team. The only other figure from that series released so far, the enemy foot soldier “Corporate Drone,” was a web exclusive. For Gokaiger, Bandai tried releasing all of the male Rangers at retail (Red, Blue, Green, and Silver), though Pink and Yellow were still web exclusives. Bouken Red was released in stores over a year ago, and now Bandai is releasing the rest of the Boukengers (at least the core team) in two-packs.

         Bandai is now using Akibaranger as an advertising tool for its Sentai Figuarts. The market for Sentai merchandise is, currently, not as large in Japan as the market for Kamen Rider (S.H.Figuarts started as a Kamen Rider line and later expanded to Sentai and anime. The line is considered a spin-off of the Souchaku Henshin line, which was a Kamen Rider line that featured “civilian” forms of the Riders that armor could be attached to to make their Rider form). Older Sentai characters have been appearing on the show and are being given new accessories that are then being included with the Figuarts of that character. RyuRanger and KibaRanger of Dairanger, TyrannoRanger and DragonRanger of ZyuRanger, and HurricaneRed of Hurricanger are all being released in the coming months with their Akibaranger accessories.

         As a result of both the Zyuranger appearance on Akibaranger and the MMPR 20th anniversary, the entire Zyuranger team is getting released in Figuarts form. However, in Japan, everyone besides Green and Red (Dragon and Tyranno) will be an online exclusive. In america, they’ll all be available through the specialty market.

         Akibaranger has indicated that there will be a full team release for Jetman (Red Hawk and Black Condor are already available, though, due to parts reuse, Black Condor’s Wing Gauntlet is not correct, being a reuse of the Red Hawk mold rather than its own unique style as in the show). However, Yellow Owl would seem to be based on the same mold as the rest of the team, making his appearance somewhat inaccurate. Yellow Owl is known for being noticeably pudgier than most Sentai heroes.

         So, my point, if I have one in here, is that, yes, the Japanese and American markets are a bit different, but it wasn’t always the case, and not always as much as orionpax indicates. In the 90s, Bandai US and Bandai Japan readily shared molds (it wasn’t until Operation Overdrive in 2007 that Bandai US began releasing their own exclusive Zords). Even in Japan, the holy land of outrageously awesome toys, kids’ toys are not always seen as worth investing resources in (“kids’ll be happy with half-painted vinyl). Even the adult collector lines like Figuarts aren’t exempt from economics. There’s the parts reuse I’ve mention, and even on ocassion minor paint apps will go missing. People have even asked Bandai why some Riders have all the details on their gloves painted and some not, and the response is basically “money.”

         Fianlly, Bandai US has managed to pull their head out of their ass a bit recently. Not only are they releasing the awesome Legacy Morpher, they are importing some Japanese items for sale at TRU. The Shinkenranger Figuarts were released last year, and now Shinken Oh (the Samurai Megazord in America) is on shelves. It looks like Figuarts will be available through the specialty market for the foreseeable future, and the Zyurangers and KibaRanger will be getting new packaging for MMPR (Red, Dragon, and Kiba required new packaging for the US, since Bluefin doesn’t have the rights to Akibaranger, and those figures some with Akibaranger accessories that had to be removed for the US release, but changing the packaging on anything they don’t have to is a new move for Bandai/Tamashii).

         1. Thanks for that clarification. I confess that I don’t have a full grasp of all the differences and variation between Japanese/US releases and child/collector offerings with the Rangers, as I’m only a marginal fan of those. That property does give an interesting example to study the differences, though.

            Also, point taken that Bandai America has taken good steps towards better quality US offerings, albeit with some stumbles. Importing collector-focused Japanese figures is seemingly a small gesture, but an appreciated one, Figuarts on brick/mortar shelves are hard to pass up. And although many hardcore Ranger fans don’t like them, the Armored Might figures have impressive size and articulation for Bandai America product (I dig ’em). I really liked what they attempted for Thundercats too at the larger scales (6″ and up), it’s just a shame that the property fizzled for whatever reason.

         2. Wow! Very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!

            I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the SH Figuarts Iron Man stuff (and who knows what else down the line) will also be released at TRU. It might be a no-brainer for them to stock it as they stock anything else with the Iron Man name on it, though they might also say, “We don’t want those. We already have a million Iron Man figures on the pegs. If those aren’t selling, no one will want to pay double the price.” Plus, the fact that there’s one Shinken Red available at my TRU (it’s been there for a long time) could be viewed by some as “no interest.”

            1. Can they do something like that what with Hasbro having the Marvel license?

7. Thanks for that clarification. I confess that I’m not that clear on the US/Japan and kids/collector differences on the Ranger offerings, as I’m only a marginal fan of that property. The Rangers example does offer a good window through which to compare the differences, though. I would point out, however, that a few Figuarts lines (some of the Kamen series as well as Dragon Ball Z) are examples of what I pointed out in terms of tons of unique sculpts, with probably only internal joints and connectors being shared across figures.

   Also, point taken on the improvements of Bandai America’s offerings. A decision like simply importing Japan’s toys seems like a small one, but Figuarts offered on US brick/mortar shelves are hard to pass up. I also enjoyed the recent Armored Might Ranger figures, though the proportions aren’t favored by a lot of hardcore Ranger fans. I thought what Bandai America tried to accomplish with Thundercats was encouraging (especially at 6″ and above) and was disappointed when the property fizzled out for whatever reason.

   1. Dammit, double post! Apologies for this, my initial reply didn’t show up for some reason…

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