The Iron-Man Mk85 figure was released in the Autumn of 2019 as part of the 3rd Avengers Endgame wave of the year. The wave was a complete MCU wave, bringing us figures from Endgame as well as Infinity War and Civil War - and a new BAF in the shape of the Endgame Thor.
Packaging 4/5
The Mk85 is packed in the same coloured Endgame packaging as the previous 2-waves, the big difference with these wave 3 figures is that we have the full Avengers Endgame logo - it had been absent on the previous releases.
The black box is highlighted in blue, both in the log itself and also in the name plate and the artwork either side. The backing card for the figure is similarly blue in tone and carries the Avengers "A" logo in the centre. The bubble positions for the Thor BAF arm and hand are a little odd and I would have swapped them around with the Nano Gauntlet.
The back of the box carries the briefest text about Iron-Man and the Mk85 suit and has no real reference to the Endgame storyline. Under this sits a breakdown of the Thor BAF figure.
"Tony Stark gears up in his highly-advanced Mark LXXXV armor"
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
Despite some similarities to the Mk50 I was glad to see the Mk85 is a brand new sculpt, and a pretty damn good one at that. This is a well proportioned tall and bulky Iron-Man, properly sized to other Legends figures while still retaining the sleekness of the Mk85 suit as seen on screen.
The figure parts are cast in either red metallic or grey metallic plastic, and then painted on top with the corresponding colour and the gold panels. As usual the panel work and lines are well executed with virtually no errors - except my figure had a huge gold smudge on the red of his helmet.
Like most Iron-Man figures to date, the arc reactor is flatly painted in a white. The eyes are also a little drab and both could do with being brighter and have more shine. I usually also comment on the need for a dark wash on the Iron-Man figures to bring out the brilliant lines and detailing of the sculpt - and again the same applies here. It's a figure that is a couple of paint upgrades away from perfection.
Accessories 4/5
While some figures in the same wave (Vision) have been sparse on accessories, Iron-Man comes with a few options. He arrives with two lots of hands - a pair of fists and a pair open ready to fire the repulsors. Each hand swaps in and out well and each hand is also well painted keeping the consistent silver panel between thumb and forefinger.
As is the way of Iron-Man figures since Civil War, we also get those Repulsor FX pieces - four in total this time in a blue translucent plastic. They plug into sockets on the two open hands for firing or booster effects and also into the feet, although you will need an aftermarket flight stand to use the pairing for the feet.
While the FX pieces are OK, this set was screaming out for swap out forearm housing the Infinity Stones and in a clicking pose. I would have loved to have seen an unmasked Tony Stark head for this appearance of Iron-Man, its something we've not had on an Iron-Man figure since Age of Ultron, and considering what happens in Endgame and the final scenes including these accessories would have moved this release up to top marks.
I will mention at this point that this release also includes a Infinity Gauntlet, as built by Iron-Man to house the Infinity Stones after the Time Heist.
This does NOT fit the Iron-Man figure and is instead a bonus piece that fits the Hulk BAF figure from the previous wave. The fit to Hulk is good, with the only issue being one of screen accuracy in terms of Hulk's outfit vs the scene when he wears the Gauntlet. Check out the Hulk BAF review for more details.
What is a shame is that there is no Nano-Gauntlet included for Iron-Man considering the part it played in the movie. A swap out piece would have been great with the Infinity stones in place - as would an unmasked head as mentioned above.
Articulation 4/5
The Mk85 suit has 18 points of articulation, and as the Iron-Man suit has become sleeker and lost the bulky armoured shoulders and hips the ability to pose Iron-Man has advanced significantly.
Head : ball joint pivot neck
Body : Torso ball joint
Arms : Ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : Ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
The upper body works great with a lot of articulation in those arms so that they can achieve anything from a repulsor firing pose to a fists up and ready to fight stance. The torso gives enough movement for the upper body to lean into or back from a position. And while the head wont lean backwards to look up for take-off or flight mode, it can move fully on the horizontal.
The leg articulation is much more mobile than previous figures, but still locks a little as the hips are raised and the leg armour hits the groin area. Iron-Man won't sit, kneel or do that iconic Superhero Iron-Man landing pose. What it can do is hold some wider stances and action shots. Or, when put onto an appropriate flight stand, do a decent job of some flying poses.
All the joints have a satisfying and robust ratchet to them as they are moved. They are all tight and hold well and that means the figure is a pleasure to pose and to stand.
Summary
The Iron-Man 85 is a very strong, solid release with loads of positives. The sculpt is good, paint is neat (mostly) and it is well articulated with tight and mobile joints. It has a good range of accessories - although there is an argument it would have been perfect with a RDJ unmasked head and a gauntlet hand option.
Had Hasbro managed to sort out a well fitting Tony Stark head, that gauntlet and perhaps a dark wash over the figure then we would have had a 5* release on our hands. Instead I am going to rate the Mk85 Iron-Man from Avengers Endgame a very high 4 out of 5.
