First released in Hasbro Pulse's exclusive two-packs (but this release was from the wide-release wave two), Iron Man meets expectations. In terms of deco - and to some extent, sculpt - this feels a lot like something from the 1980s because we actually have a very good basis for comparison in Mattel's Secret Wars Iron Man.
Kenner never had the Marvel action figure license, but this new figure line blah blah "What If?" blah blah blah. You know the story.
If you want a comparison shot of Secret Wars to the 2020ish release, saladejustica-br has a few shots at the bottom of a page you might like. Also if this is meant to be Secret Wars Iron Man, that means it's Rhodey in the armor - he was taking over for Tony Stark in this era.
There are some things this "Kenner" figure does that Mattel just plain couldn't, be it for budget or know-how. Separately sculpted fingers on an action figure didn't come to pass until about 2001, when Hasbro started incorporating them in Star Wars. The secret to doing it without breakage was making the fingers fatter vertically, and frequently making sure they were a little more flexible so they don't just snap right off. Kenner Iron Man has swivel gloves mostly for the purposes of construction and reusing parts, while Mattel's figure just had five joints like you would expect. Kenner's figure has extra paint on the hips, while Mattel's just left the upper legs unpainted. Other than that, they're painted quite similarly down to the yellow on the chest and the emoji-esque face mask. The design was clearly created to be an action figure.
At 3 3/4-inches tall, he might be a little short. In theory he's an armored man who probably built in some lifts in his shoes and stands a smidgen taller thanks to his costume - but this figure sees eye to eye with Ms. Marvel and Silver Surfer. Landmarks on his costume were moved around a tiny bit for aesthetic reasons, but everything is pretty much still there. The right hand is designed to hold an accessory, although none is included. Kenner's left hand is open to show you a repulser, which was left unpainted. (The ones on the feet were left off completely.) I think that was a smart move, mostly because Kenner left quite a few details unpainted in the 1970s and 1980s. It needs to look a bit cheap, and it does. This 2020ish Iron Man is almost completely molded in color other than the black and yellow on the face, the red on the upper legs, and the yellow on the chest. That's a real cost-cutter. (The savings were not passed along to you.)
Comparing the new "old" Iron Man with the old old Iron Man, it seems as if the design was made for Hasbro to reissue it in a "retro" form. Mattel's figure included a gun and a shield, which could be included in a future rerelease. There could also be an alternate "fist" left hand too, if they felt like making one. Secret Wars turns 40 in 2025, and if this line keeps going I wouldn't be entirely shocked to see some sort of Hasbro-made figures to tie in to both the anniversary and the Avengers: Secret Wars movie in 2026.
This figure is pretty good. It's not as fancy as the 2010 Iron Man (Blast-Off Figure Stand) [FOTD #4], which was more or less this costume with more articulation, more paint, and more gear for $8. It's much fancier than the "discount" 2019 Bagged Iron Man [FOTD #2,438], which was only $2-$4. It scratches a certain itch with gorgeous packaging art, but it feels like at a slightly lower price Hasbro could've kicked off a popular entry-level line for kids, as well as collectors who don't want to spend $1,200 or more per year on 6-inch figures. As an action figure who can fit in vehicles, stands well, and look good, I love it. I wish it could be a better value, but it's an excellent modern take on old Kenner aesthetics and there's a reason he always seems to sell out immediately whenever new cases of his wave shows up at Target. You will be more impressed with the $25 6-inch figures - they're a far more impressive bang for the buck - but I don't want to buy a house for another action figure line. So I'll enjoy this smaller one, which is just fine and dandy for my needs.
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