The Mark V has a special place in hearts of most MCU fans. Appearing for only one scene in Iron Man 2, this suit was the MCU version of the infamous Suitcase Armour that Tony Stark rocked in the cartoon. Sure it wasn't designed for extensive combat, and it basically got destroyed, but even to this day (which is done when it comes to Iron Man), the Mark V remains one of the most visually distinctive suits to appear in the movies. Hot Toys made a plastic version back in the day, and recent actually had to reissue their Die Cast version, which is great because quite frankly aftermarket pricing was terrible, and it didn't exactly look like that I would ever get my hands on one without spending a tiny forttune.
So while yes, aftermarket prices tumble after reissues, it drops to MSRP. You will never hear me complaining after these second chance opportunities for collectors to actually get something appear.
Like the Mark 7, packaging is effectively a giant foam case enclosed within a heavy cardboard slip cover.
Unlike the Mark 7, the Mark 5 is probably the suit with the lightest payload with regards to accessories, mostly due to the fact it didn't really fight with much outside of its Repulsors and fists. You'll notice there is no cocked fist, as there is no wrist/forearm mounted weaponry on this suit.
Battle damage parts mainly consist of chest panel replacements, but you also replace the entire left arm, along with the right shoulder armour.
You also get a scale version of the Suitcase, as well as a Arc Reactor which I believe replicates the one that Stark picks up at the end of the Whiplash fight in the Mark V. They definitely look nice, but it's nothing that would ever make it into my display. If only that suitcase was the Deluxe Edition one that comes with the Suit Up Mark V.
The Stark headsculpt is really good. It's actually my second unhelmeted sculpt (the first and only being the Mark 7), so its nice to see what everyone is all excited about. It's certainly one of the stronger Stark head sculpts. I question the accuracy of the hair, but I'm admitted not the biggest fan of sculpted hair.
What I can say is that its certainly closer to RDJ than any of my Widows ever came to Scarlett Johansson.
The finish on the Mark 5 is certainly glossier than that of the Mark 7, and the colours are deeper, making the suit much easier to photograph. From an aesthetics perspective, the tall and slender proportions of the suit make for a better integration into the Die Cast line up. While the plastic suits were generally pretty good with regards to colour accuracy, the plastic Mark 5 always looked.. well, plastic. Between the use of actual metal and the higher detail panel detailing on this release, the Mark 5 actually looks like a giant suit of flexibly metal plates.
By manipulating the panels on the chest and boots, you can recreate... sort of... the suiting up process of the Mark 5. Or at least the last 2 steps of it or something. It's nice to have, but ultimately more of a gimmick than anything, especially now that the Suit Up Version exists. If anything, this highlights the amazing QC of Hot Toys, particularly the panels along the boot, as there is tight spacing for the hinges, parts need to be properly aligned so they close right, and the tooling has to be very precise so that when they're closed, they all fit snugly against the leg, but there has to be sufficient clearance to ensure the panels can open again and won't result in paint loss due to rubbing.
Helmet accuracy isn't terrible. I think if the lines weren't as pronounced, and the eyes were larger, we'd generally be pretty bang on what the screen version offered.
I don't know how the Mark 5 compares to the later Nanotech suits, but definitely amongst the Phase 1 suits it is the easiest to pose due to the relative lack of bulk. All of the joints present in the Mark 7 are present here, and there's a new trick:
Part of the bicep armour will hinge up, which allows the arms to bend more than 90 degrees - I believe the manual says 130 degrees max.
While I don't recall them being used, the Mark 5 doe feature flight flaps on its back. Not as big as with other suits, which is probably why I don't remember them.
Unlike the Mark 7, I can say that the Paint and Build Quality of this figure are superb. There's no obvious QC issues or flaws to note. I didn't try the electronics, but that's on me. Everything else is as good as you could hope for from Hot Toys, and illustrates why the Die Cast line costs so much. I think the only Die Cast figure to ever get bitched at for being a rip off would be the Die Cast Whiplash, which apparently did not have very much Die Cast, but commanded Die Cast level pricing.
So to summarize, the Mark 5 is everything that I wish the Mark 7 was, namely perfectly made, even if it isn't 100% screen accurate. The tight QC and high production values are pretty much expected when you're paying these prices. The fact that we here in Not Hong Kong effectively get hosed by the Sideshow tax, which makes having that optimal quality level regarding product an absolute necessity.
Mind you, popularity of a character can also tank your sales, but that's another story.,
While I generally never say never, this SHOULD be the last Die Cast Iron Man figure.. or Die Cast figure in general I get, as there really isn't anything that would interest me enough to pay retail, and I'm not dropping Hulkbuster money unless there was a fire sale - they're also unlikely to make an Armoured Black Widow, so I'm pretty safe I say.
Have a few more one sixth to look at, including one that shouldn't surprise you when it makes its way on this page - I'm sure you'll figure it out very quickly.
For Full Gallery, please visit:
Comments