AVENGERS ASSEMBLE OVERVIEW: MAYBE I GROW TOO USED TO DOWNEY JR. DETAILED ARMOR, BUT...

... I don’t know, I feel there’s something missing about the Avengers Assemble Iron-Man just launched. I’m not sure if is the lack of detail of the sculpture or the lack of personality but it doesn’t seem like a collector item to me. It looks very much like a toy in my opinion. And it’s not the size. My 1:5 He-Man most certainly doesn’t look like no toy at all. I quite don’t know what went wrong with this one. The armor is creative, different from every other version I’ve seen. It just does not look cool enough. It is not cool at all. And the face, better saying, the mask, doesn’t bring any expression, the mask is the big mess of it all. I don’t know what Randy Bowen did with his oversimplified sculptures (for today standards, I love Bowen Designs, by the way) that make good old Iron-Man look so cool. I really don’t know but it’s not present in this streamlined piece. Presence. Is this the exact word that lacks to this figure. It has no presence, no personality, no Sideshow magic to it. I know I can’t compare because it’s an 1:4 statue but Sideshow Daredevil PF is a relative simple design, based on the comic book character and it oozes personality on his face, on his pose daring jumping over the broken justice of Hell’s Kitchen. That Daredevil statue tells a story about the character. The Avengers Assemble Iron-Man tells me nothing. It’s a completely inexpressive uninspired piece. From base to face. But then again it’s not a fair comparison. Even though is fair to compare 1:5 Skeletor’s armor with Legendary Scale Doctor Doom armor and call it a draw in terms of beauty and detail (and I still prefer the Skeletor’s best).

Iron-Man comes for a friendly price (again for today standards), $360, and many will buy for nostalgia’s sake. I don’t blame them. Who am I to judge anybody tastes? I’m just expressing mine. For a little less I prefer to put my money in one of the Sideshow Ninja Turtles. They are small but surely has that Sideshow magic, they have each a different personality and are very detailed models for their sizes. And I don’t like the Turtles comics nearly as I love classic Iron-Man ones. But comparing the statues, I stay with the turtles ones all the way. And the worse (or the better, so I save my money) is that Captain America is coming the same way even though I believe he’ll be a bit more expensive because of the Cut & Sew finishing, what I find pretty cool (albeit the utility belt packs seemed really big in proportion to the statue).

I’m seeing more promise in Hulk and Thor though. I believe they will bring a lot more personality to the Avengers Assemble line by the bit I could see in the preview picture of the group. And don’t take me wrong, I hope Iron-Man and his pals sell well. I want to know which other Avengers could appear down the road. Sideshow’s David Igo said they’re planning to do statues of heroes they never tried before or in a long while and this is like music to my ears. They will certainly maintain the streamlined style to give unity to the line, what brings me a bit of concern. But Captain America is already more detailed than Iron-Man, even though it also lacks the character of his big brother 1:4 scale Captain America - Allied Charge on Hydra. Once again, I don’t know why, since He-Man, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn all have presence and personality being 1:5 characters. But, hey, maybe it’s just me being picky and becoming a surly old guy. Or, like I said I, became too used to the hyper detailed armor from the movies.

One thing is for sure: please don’t take my word about this piece. Nor about any other. Make your own mind and buy it if you will. I’ll even facilitate for you and put a link to Iron-Man’s Sideshow page at the bottom of the post.

P.S.: I just saw the pointy alternate head now. It’s awesome!

Marvel Iron Man Marvel Statue

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Oh, and to those interested in a good fight, or a fight for good, below is the link for the petition asking Sideshow to begin their payment plans as soon as the figures are out for pre-order, giving us more months to pay at smaller monthly fees. If you like this idea, just click the link below and sign the petition. It will take just a minute and can make a lot of difference to all of us average-pocket collectors. 

Sideshow payment plans starting along with the pre-orders means more months to pay, meaning cheaper monthly fees, meaning more easier payments. If you want this to happen, sign the petition. It only takes a minute but can bring long term facilities to all of us Sideshow (and Prime 1 and Hot Toy and etc.) collectors.

https://www.change.org/p/sidewhow-collectibles-sideshow-we-want-payment-plans-with-more-and-lower-monthly-fees