2018 saw Hasbro release a number of new MCU box-sets to celebrate the First Ten Years of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. The first of these sets went back to the film that started the MCU back in 2008, Iron-Man, and finally brought us a mass release Tony Stark as well as the first Iron-Man suit, the Mark 1.
Packaging 5/5
The First Ten Years sets move away from the usual scooped sided Legends packaging and go with a sleek black squared off box with a window trimmed in red. The character name sit within this red trim and above the window is a pronounced Marvel Studios First Ten years log, with a smaller Legends logo to the side. A stylised Iron-Man head sits in a circular panel at the base of the window and the Iron-Man movie log below this to the right.
The right hand spine carries part of a larger illustration. By lining up all 10 box sets from 2018 a wider montage of MCU images is revealed. The left hand spine is designed more like a fact file in deep red with a breakdown of the setup for Iron-Man 2008.
"DURING A BUSINESS TRIP GONE WRONG, TONY STARK IS KIDNAPPED AND FORCED TO CREATE A MEGA-MISSILE FOR A GROUP OF RADICALS. MUCH TO THE SURPRISE OF HIS CAPTORS, STARK INSTEAD CREATES A SUPER-SUIT POWERED BY AN ARC REACTOR CHEST-PIECE, NOW WEAPONIZED. HE ESCAPED IN WHAT BECOMES KNOW AS THE MARK I ARMOR OF THE TECH-POWERED HERO, IRON-MAN"
Around the back of the box we have more references to the movie on which this set was based with a recreation of the movie poster. Next to this are two circular head shot images of Tony Stark and the Mk1, under these sits some character specific info.
"Iron Man Mark I - Tony Stark creates a suit out of weapons materials and escapes from confinement in a clunking suit of metal later known as Mark I."
The figures sit in an inner plastic tray (no ties) which sits into a cardboard inner sleeve. Like the montage on the side of the box, this inner tray includes a set of images from the MCU in a neat grey scale finish.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
The first thing to clarify is that this is the same figure as was released in 2008 at the time the movie was released. At that point they were not fully under the Legends banner and were sold as a Walmart US exclusive.
Hasbro's only change for the 11 year old sculpt is a hugely improved paint job giving it a more rusted, weathered metallic look with patches of colour and some nice decals.
The sculpt itself, even with its age, is good but the figure is sadly undersized against the modern Legends line. Considering that this comes with a Tony Stark figure who is meant to be inside this suit - the head on the Stark figure is bigger than the helmet and the whole suit is around an inch too short.
The other issue is that Hasbro have even left on the missile firing mechanism from the 2008 release and this looks and feels odd stuck out from Iron-Man's left arm.
Accessories 1/5
The Mk1 comes with a single accessory. The same missile that came with the 2008 figure and that is designed to "fire" out of the box type device on the left arm. This is cast in a translucent orange and has an attempt at a fire effect at the end.
This slots into the firing piece, but doesn't lock into place as the idea back in 2008 is for you to push it in and let go to see it fire.
Considering this is a more collector focused release I would have liked to have seen Hasbro have at least amended the FX piece even if they left the figure unchanged. Had this been a more dynamic flame thrower piece that slotted into the firing box - then that would have added a little more value. Throwing in the same piece as 2008 feels a let down.
Articulation 2/5
The 2008 figure has already scored quite low for being undersized and with a poor acessory choice. It is therefore no surprise that articulation also disappoints. It clocks in with just 12 points of articulation.
Head : ball joint
Torso : waist swivel
Arms : two way rotating joint, single joint elbow
Legs : two way rotating joint, single joint knee, ankle rocker
Everything about the joints is basic and there are some missing joints vs more modern releases such as the hands which are part of the arm sculpt. Even in 2008 the Mk1 articulation was limited, and your posing will be limited to some wider arm poses - until the shoulder armour blocks the movement - and some wider stances.
Summary
As a standalone figure, the Mk1 is a good looker. But put it alongside the Tony Stark it is packed with - or any other modern Legends figure - and it looks sadly undersized. With limited articulation and a poor choice of accessory the value for money for this set are under question.
When you consider this comes in a 2 pack with a Tony Stark figure that is also a re-release and that figure too has no discernible accessories then you do feel like the set offers very low value for money - especially when you compare the contents of this one vs others in the same series such as the Ant-Man, Dark World or Civil War sets.
I score the Iron-Man Mk1 a disappointing 2 out of 5.
