“Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal.”
The first curated releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe outside of the main Legends waves came in 2018. The ‘First Ten Years’ sets marked the 10th Anniversary of the MCU and went on to fill several gaps in our collections with figures like Red Skull, Yellow Jacket, Crossbones, and more. The series was then renamed the 80th Anniversary series in 2019 and here, alongside comic book releases, we saw more new releases including Skurge, Ghost, and Peggy Carter. 2020's releases saw a switch to the Fox movies and a set of releases celebrating both the original X-Men movies and Deadpool. And then finally in 2021, these annual releases evolved again into the Infinity Saga collection, a series of figures celebrating the first three phases of the MCU and including a mix of re-releases, and new characters such as Quicksilver, Odin, and Obadiah Stane.
The Infinity Saga would go on to skip 2022 but returned in 2023 with a set of 8 figures from the first full arc of the MCU. The packaging’s square box shape is consistent with all the movie releases dating back to 2018, while the design for the Infinity Saga established in 2021 is continued with a black window box, reflective side artwork - which is the same on every released - and the use of the movie logo on the box front, and the movie poster on the rear alongside a small piece of supporting text.
The Mark III War Machine suit, worn by James Rhodes during the events of Civil War, has been released in a few different sets previously. All of these were tied into Captain America: Civil War and included a single release with the Giant Man BAF, as well as two multi-packs one with Iron-Man’s ‘Disco’ Armoured Suit, and another as a Disney Store 4-Pack. The 2023 Infinity Saga is a direct repack of this original 2016 figure and offers no updates or upgrades as such with the figure.
War Machine features a deep grey cast body, similar in execution to most MCU Iron-Man figures. Selected panels are picked out in a crisp silver with decals applied to create the ‘glowing’ look of the red Arc Reactor as well as the winged star emblem on the left shoulder, the 003 text on the left bicep, and the ‘Lt. Col. James Rhodes’ text on the upper left chest. The figure features a number of sockets at the shoulders, beneath the forearms, and on the hips - all designed to incorporate accessories included in the set.
The head sculpt is a single helmeted version with a silver face mask and painted red eyes. It is in the correct proportions for the body and the whole War Machine look is reasonably complementary in terms of scale with the other Civil War figures, although the Iron-Man from the same wave is taller and the Tony Stark head included is quite a bit bigger than Rhodey’s helmet. With other figures in the wave benefitting from updated or new unmasked heads - it is a shame that the opportunity to give us an unmasked Don Cheadle was not taken and poor Rhodey remains one of the core MCU characters from the Infinity Saga without an unmasked likeness.
Moving to the accessories we start with the shoulder cannon, and we have two versions to play with in the set. The first is the main cannon with a hinged barrel that can articulate to a firing position over War Machine’s shoulder. You also get a second ‘retracted’ version. Both are shaped only to slot into the socket on the left shoulder and while the fit is OK, it is less than secure when posing your figure. The right socket is a bit wider and has a specific purpose for another of the accessories. In the movie, this did house a pop-up rocket launcher.
The rocket launcher would have been a preferred option to the second pair of accessories. These are assault weapons that include a hinged section so they can be displayed closed or open. They can be stowed on either the hips - where they have to remain closed - or beneath the forearms where they can be displayed in either position. The forearm look does bolster the ‘weaponry’ that War Machine can bring to bear, but having them here does leave a very visible void at the top of the leg. The fit here at either location is also very loose and these fall off far too easily. A fitted version glued into place on arrival would have been preferred.
The Electobaton is the third accessory piece, and like the shoulder cannon, we have two versions - one retracted and one extended. The latter features some additional glowing red decor down the exposed central shaft. The smaller retracted version can be located in the right-hand shoulder socket as a stowed version. Both versions can be held by making use of the pair of gripping hands offered alongside the clenched fist versions. Swapping of the hands is more difficult than usual thanks to an overlaid section of the wrist armour which makes getting a grip on the hand itself tricky.
War Machine features 18 points of articulation on a pinned body. The bulk of the suit does restrict some movement, although the flexible shoulder armour will allow a bit more arm movement than you initially think by allowing the armour piece to pivot upwards a few more milimetres. As a solid and well-built piece, there are no stability issues with Rhodey and you aren't short on poses for a Civil War display.
In terms of the wider Infinity Saga wave for 2023, Rhodey is perhaps the weakest in terms of what he offers. This is a very simple repack with zero added value to collectors who already own the MK3 War Machine. While the other figures bring at least one tweaked or updated piece - usually new or updated heads - the War Machine doesn’t have that selling point. He is not even that desirable as a figure having had three different releases during 2016 and 2017. Had Hasbro added a Don Cheadle unmasked head, then we’d be having a different conversation.
What you do get is a well-sculpted, solid-looking figure in keeping with his Civil War appearance with appropriate decor and suit markings. The accessory count is extensive, although some of them are frustrating to keep in place. I’d have dialed these back and incorporated some into the figure itself as fixed pieces. In summary, War Machine is good, offers nothing new, and is another case of what could have been.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...