In the Iron Man movies and comics, Tony Stark has his super cool toys and gadgets. Well, his toy figurines have some pretty cool toys, too.
Okay, I've purchased my fair share of Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece figures, but this one takes the cake. The Tony Stark (Workshop Version) 1/6 scale figure is part of the Iron Man 3 line of figures being released from Hot Toys and is quite possible the coolest figure I have ever bought.
I'd already seen it during my visit to the Hot Toys Iron Man 300% Exhibition, but up close and personal is something else altogether. The figure itself is a fine piece of work, head and shoulders above any other figure of this scale I've seen out there – the face is a well-crafted, uncanny likeness of Robert Downey Jr., the clothes are detailed down to the little "Stark Enterprises" logo on his shirt and barely hinder the mobility of his limbs – but the real gems of this figure are the accessories.
The figure has interchangeable arms and feet to recreate Tony's testing of the Mark 42 armor, helping to add to the image that he's a man in a suit. There are also a variety of other armor pieces and a workbench with real metal tools and tiny blueprints and a miniature magazine (with actual articles) to help recreate the image of Tony Stark's workroom.
The table itself looks like they've repurposed the table that was included with the Joker 2.0 figure and added wheels. There's still a "pencil trick hole" and a place where you can hook up the table lamp prop. This isn't really a negative for me, because it just means I can use the lamp and chair from my Joker figure to add some more atmosphere to the set.
There's also the trusty robotic arm from the movies. The fingers are moveable, so you can have it holding the little camcorder. It's these tiny attentions to detail I love about the Hot Toys figures.
There's also a light-up platform (some assembly required) that adds to the atmosphere of the figure.
The Mark 42 hands also light up, as well as the arc reactor under Tony's Shirt.
Standard 1/6 scale figure flaws are applicable: The hair is hard plastic, mobility, while much better than most figures, it still limited due to the figure being, you know, plastic. However, all the minuses go straight out the window when you just stare in awe at the whole set. Seriously, I could stare at this thing for hours and not be bored.
Hot Toys Tony Stark (Workshop Version) is available in the west through Sideshow Collectibles. It costs a pretty penny… Screw that, it costs are whole lot. But considering the detail and all the goodies included within, it was well worth the weeks of living on instant ramen and microwave foods for me. As of writing this article, the figure is still available, so if you've got the spare money and are on the fence about getting this, it's definitely worth adding to your collection.
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
To contact the author of this post, write to cogitoergonihilATgmail.com or find him on Twitter @tnakamura8.