#90: Iron Man 2 - Ground Assault Drone

After picking up the Weapon Assault Drone a couple months ago, that left me with only one type of drone missing from my collection, the Ground Assault Drone. That figure was, as far as I know, only released as part of a four pack that inlcluded two drones, an Iron Man, and Nick Fury. I'd been thinking about picking one up, but I've never seen one on sale quite low enough that I was willing to bite. Then I got the Avengers Nick Fury figure, and the four pack looked even less attractive. Fortunately, the GAD is going pretty cheaply online loose, and I was able to get one for less than a single packed figure goes for at retail. Since each drone was meant to fill in for one of the branches of the military, I think the Weapon Assault Drone was supposed to represent the Marines, and this one is supposed to represent the Army. I don't really have anything concrete to back that up, but it seems right to me. This is one of the most heavily armed drones, on the right arm there is a grenade launcher, on the left a machine gun, and over the shoulder is a giant cannon. It's basically a walking tank. The feet have fold down panels to provide stability when firing the main cannon, as seen in the movie.

Anti-slip soles

#70: Iron Man 2 - Weapon Assault Drone

This weekend, I made my second visit to the Time Tunnel toy show in San Jose, and this was all I bought. I saw the Walmart exclusive six inch movie Hulk, and the second wave of Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters, but they were all marked up way more than I am willing to pay for them. The Weapon Assault Drone from Iron Man 2, which I never saw in stores, was priced cheaper than its original retail price, so I consider it a good buy. In the movie, there were drones created for each branch of the military, and I believe this was meant to represent the Marines (I think the ground assault drone that comes in a battle pack with Nick Fury is the Army drone, but I could have the two mixed up). So, now I have drones for three of the four branches of the military. It's a shame that all of them were so poorly distributed, the whole line did a poor job of presenting antagonists from the movie. The articulation on the figure isn't the greatest, and its bulkiness works against it in that area. There are at least a couple of cool play features here, which would come in handy for army building if one were able to find multiples of the figure. The forearms have "shields" that fold out. They kind of look useless, but it's something. There are two interchangeable heads, one with a glow to represent the activated drone, and one without the glow (oddly, my other drone figures both have deactivated heads). Then there are two sets of weapons to go with, pictured above are the whiplike saw blades reminiscent of Whiplash's powered suit. Pictured below are the retracted saw blades for closer combat.

Land, sea, and air

#86: Iron Man 2 - Air Assault Drone

Given how the Iron Man 2 figures have been sitting on pegs for a long time, I pretty much figured I would never see any of the Hammer drone figures. Imagine my surprise to see the Air Assault Drone hanging from the end of a peg in one of my hometown Targets. Intrigued, I looked through the pegs and saw a couple of weirdo Iron Man and War Machine variants that I didn't even know existed. I skipped those and bought this guy. Unfortunately, it's kind of a mixed bag. For the most part, it's pretty cool looking, and it's pretty tall so it looks imposing next to other figures. The articulation is a bit wonky, with that annoyingly high thigh swivel that's way too close to the hips. That's the sort of thing that makes it hard to pose the legs. Also, the wrists look like they are ball joints, but they are both stuck. I'll probably give it some freezer time, but for now they're stuck where they are. There's a removable jet pack as the sole accessory aside from the stand and cards. Why is it removable? Modular design for easy repair? I guess that makes sense. I don't know if I would recommend this, but that may be a moot point given how uncommon it is. At least it's a killer robot!

#146: Iron Man 2 Armored Assault

This set has been sitting on Target shelves for a while, but now that Christmas is over it has finally gone on clearance. Originally selling for 20 bucks, I got it for half price which I consider a good deal. Since I only wanted two of the figures, the original price wasn't worth it for me. I figured it would be safe to wait for clearance because these didn't seem to be moving at all.

I already have the Mark V Iron Man, so Whiplash and the sea drone are what I wanted from this set. Whiplash has been released as a single carded figure, but I have yet to see one in person. The paint on the face is kind of iffy, and of all the sets on the shelf, I picked the one that looked the best. Actually, I think the whole head looks kind of small. Head aside, it's a pretty cool figure, and the whips are removable. It's nice to finally have a figure of the main antagonist from the movie, 7 months after it came to theaters.

In the interest of having other antagonists from the movie, I've been looking forward to the drone figures as well. I haven't seen the two (that I know of) singly carded drone figures yet, so for now there is the sea drone. It's a big military robot, and that's cool. There's nothing about it that looks particularly naval to me, unless it could be said to be a battleship gray. The big missile launches on the shoulders fell off right as I removed the figure from the packaging, but with some fiddling I was able to get them attached in a way that is at least somewhat firm.

#110: Iron Man 2 Comic Series Iron Monger

So the other week, Target was having a sale, with Iron Man and Star Wars figures for 5 bucks each. I can't resist a good deal, and I can't resist a cool mechanical suit so I picked up the comic version of Iron Monger. It's pretty cool! It's about the same height as the movie Iron Monger, but with much chunkier proportions. I also dig the big stompy feet on it. Despite its bulk, the articulation is pretty well designed. The shoulder armor/pads can move up and down, so they don't get in the way too much. The left elbow is stuck, so it's currently serving some freezer time. There is a black wash over the figure, which really helps bring out the details of the sculpt. That's a good thing, because it's pretty well detailed. This version of Iron Monger is definitely worth picking up.

#101: Iron Man 2 Hulkbuster Iron Man

About three months after the movie was in theaters (just in time for the DVD release!) I finally got the Hulkbuster figure. As a figure that's actually based on the comics, as well as one that's pretty big, this was a must get for me. It's not quite as tall as the Iron Monger figure, but it's pretty bulky in all three dimensions. I always feel like I'm getting my money's worth with such an oversized figure. Now I'll have someone to keep my Hulks in line.

#37: Iron Man 2 movie series Iron Man Mark V

I think I said something along the lines of me being done with collecting Iron Man 2 figures until the next wave, but I was wrong. As seen in the trailer, the Mark V is Tony Stark's portable suit of armor which is stored in a suitcase. Due to its folding design, it looks distinct from the various other suits he has worn. Since I'm skipping the Marks III and IV from this line due to being too similar to the Mark VI, I wanted to get the Mark V because it is so distinct. Also, the idea of carrying around a spare suit of armor in a suitcase seems pretty cool. Naturally, the suitcase is included here as an accessory. In toy form, it does double duty as a missile launcher, with two missiles. It's kind of ridiculous. There is also an extra left hand so that Tony can hold the case. With that, I really mean it this time when I say no more Iron Man 2 figures until the next wave shows up.

#28: Iron Man 2 concept series Iron Man Deep Dive Armor

Why does Iron Man need a special underwater suit? Who is he going to fight, Namor? Are there any underwater villains in the Marvel Universe? I guess it doesn't really matter, because I just plain like the design on this figure. It's from the concept series, so I'm guessing he has never worn anything like this in the comics. That's the cool thing about doing an Iron Man line, you can just come up with random variations and it will make complete sense for the character. What I like about this figure is that it isn't just a repaint, or a slight modification with a new accessory, it is a completely new sculpt. It manages to look wildly different from the other armors yet still maintains a visual connection to the more standard armor. The aquatic color scheme is also really cool. Until the next series comes out, I am done with this line. I picked up so many Iron May toys this month that I think I could retroactively dub it Iron March.

#25: Iron Man 2 movie series Iron Man Mark II

During the run of the first movie's line, I skipped the Mark II figure because it was just a Mark III with a different paint job and an extra blaster. Since I'm not planning to get a Mark III in this scale since it is so similar to the Mark IV and VI, I figured I'd go for the Mark II and get one suit with the round unibeam on the chest. I do dig the silver paint job, too. The seams and bolts are made more prominent by paint than they were in the movie, but I don't mind, it makes it look a little more like a prototype, and a bit more low-tech even. One huge improvement over the armors from the first movie line is that the shoulder pieces don't fall off. I almost lost one of the shoulder pieces from my first movie Mark III, which would have been annoying. If they had were removable in these smaller figures, they would be even easier to lose. Since I'm not interested in getting every single variation of the armors, I may be done. I might get the Mark V since it is different from the rest. Then there's the helmet-less Iron Man coming out in the next couple of waves... I might get that. Especially if it includes a removable helmet. We'll see! Until then, this is a cool figure, just like the rest.

#24: Iron Man 2 movie series Iron Man Mark I

I already have this figure from the first movie's line. I already have the comic version of it from the current line. Now I have this version. What can I say, I really like this line, and this scale. I think I like this version better than the first movie's figure. Like the rest of the line, it's a good figure. I'm glad the flame thrower is detachable, the design team for this line seems to really know what kids like, what us older collectors like, and has been able to make a nice mix. I was curious to see if the website listed on the cards (www.ironmancards.com) works yet, but it is still redirecting to Marvel's site.

#21: Iron Man 2 movie series War Machine

While I previously expressed disdain for movie War Machine's giant missile launcher, upon closer examination, I decided that it looks okay as long as the projectile is left out. So, I got one. In general, I like the movie aesthetic better than the comic look anyway. None of that silly muscular shaped armor here.

Complaints!
-The big goofy gun has an ammo belt that plugs into it on one end, and into the back on the other end. It is too stiff to plug into both at the same time, as well as not plugging in very securely. I kind of cheated it for the picture.
-The shoulder armor flips up to allow you to move the arms forward, otherwise they can only lift up to the side. This looks really bad, and comic War Machine also does this.
-The left leg is bent out at a bad angle, but I'm pretty sure that's limited to just this specimen. It's hard to say, as it's the only one I saw in the store.

Complaints aside, it is otherwise pretty cool. Like the comic version, both of the weapons can be folded back behind the shoulders, which is a cool feature.

It seems like all my figures from this line (except the Mark VI) are all shades of grey and silver.

#20: Iron Man 2 movie series Mark VI Iron Man

So far, the Iron Man 2 line seems plentiful in stores, so for the most part you can find whichever figure you're looking for. I was thinking I'd like a movie style Iron Man in this scale, so I decided to go with the Mark VI which is apparently going to be the most advanced suit Tony Stark wears in the upcoming movie. Sure, I have the similarly styled "Extremis" Iron Man figure from the Marvel Universe line, but these movie figures seem to be of a higher quality (and lower price!) than their MU counterparts. Speaking of price, these figures are on sale for $5.99 at Target this week.

There are two versions of the Mark VI figures, this one, and one that has a light up chest. Really, it's just supposed to be the unibeam on its chest that lights up, but in practice the entire chest glows. I decided to stick with the basic version. As we've come to expect from the figures in this line, it's high quality stuff. I think it would be nice if the left hand had a swivel joint so he could point his repulsors at something without lifting his entire arm up, but that's not a major complaint. The big missile launcher is of course removable, which is fortunate. I'm really digging this line, so I'm curious just how many more I'll end up with through its run.

#14: Iron Man 2 comic series Iron Man (Mark I armor)

This is it, the original Iron Man suit of armor as it appeared in the comics. It's not the first figure to be made based on the design, but by the time I started paying attention to Marvel Legends, it was already long gone. I already have the movie version from the first movie's line, so although they have released it in the smaller scale, I think I can pass. I definitely wanted to pick up the comic version, though. Like Iron Monger, I dig its retro aesthetic, which in this case is genuine since it's a 60s creation.

The figure itself is really cool, and does a good job of adapting the look to toy form. Particularly cool is the paint work, which does a good job of representing beat up old metal. On the front, anyway. The back looks relatively clean. It also comes with a detachable repulsor blast. Even though the song isn't exactly about Iron Man, this version is what comes into my mind whenever I hear it.

#13: Iron Man 2 movie series Iron Monger

The first time around, for whatever reason I never got an Iron Monger figure. Now I have corrected that omission. I really dig the design of movie Iron Monger because even though it is high tech, it still has a sort of retro feel to it. It wouldn't look too out of place terrorizing small town America in a 50s sci-fi drive in epic. It looks good and it moves well. Also, it's probably the bulkiest figure in the entire line. Although it is big, it also brings up my only complaint: that it's too small. Movie Iron Monger is pretty towering, and so to be in scale with the rest of this line should be... well, it should be the 6 inch figure from the first movie's line. I think I'm going to have to pick one of those up. Aside from the scale issue, I really like this figure, and even if I end up with two, I don't regret picking this one up.

#12: Iron Man 2 Comic Series War Machine

Like last year's Wolverine movie line, this year's Iron Man 2 movie line will feature figures based on the movie and comics. I decided to get the comic version of War Machine, mainly because the weapons over his shoulders don't have a missile launching feature, and consequently don't look so goofy. Also those blast effects are removable, which is as always a cool feature.

It's a pretty sturdy figure so even though it comes with a stand it doesn't really need it. The figures in this line have unusual stands that are meant to also hold the three included cards. It's one regular card with two transparent plastic cards with different pieces of the armor printed on them. When you put them together, you get a full picture. You can probably even mix and match between different sets.

Anyway, the figure itself is well made. It's got articulation where you'd want there to be, and the joints all feel like they'll hold a pose well. The sculpt is a good one, and the paint is a nice mix of shiny and dull finishes. I'm not necessarily interested in picking up version after version of Tony Stark in armor, so the addition of War Machine to the movie and consequently the toy line is welcome.