While there had been 6 inch figures from Marvel MCU movies before Iron-Man 3, it was the IM3 releases that were finally badged as Marvel Legends and absorbed into a full wave alongside comic book figures. Iron-Patriot was released in 2013 as part of the Warmonger BAF wave alongside the Mk42 armour Iron-Man from the movie - as well as a comic book version of itself, an Ultron and classic comic book Iron-Man.
Packaging 5/5
in 2013 the Marvel Legends remained on shaped blister cards, and the War Monger wave was badged with the Iron-Man logo - with the Marvel Legends logo sitting at the base of the blister in front of the figure. While blister cards are not to everyone's liking, I have a soft spot for these older releases and the beauty and brashness of their card art and colourings.
Round the back we had an image of the Iron-Patriot figure alongside artwork of War-Machine in the more typical grey and silver armour. The text for the figure was brief and in a comic book style header box with similar themed boxes for the other figures in the wave.
"Salute James Rhodes, unflinching Defender of Freedom!"
The following are Stock Photos as we purchased our Iron-Patriot as a loose figure
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
This is an impressive sculpt considering the release date of 2013, and it is a faithful representation in 6 inch form of the Iron-Patriot armour from Iron-Man 3. It would show its longevity by going on to the be the base for other Iron-Man figures such as War-Machine from Age of Ultron and the Disco & Hot Rod Armours from Iron-Man 3.
While the sculpt is good, the figure is a little undersized vs the figures we are receiving today and while this is not noticeable in a wider display, it can be seen if Iron Patriot is stood next to a more modern Iron-Man such as the Mk50 or the Mk 7 from the First Ten Years sets.
Painting is crisp with defined panels of silver and red over the metallic blue base. There are some very impressive applications of transfers too with the text on the shoulder panels, the name "Col. James Rhodes" down the side of the chest and the star logo on the wrist.
Accessories 3/5
Iron-Patriot is supplied with a shoulder cannon. This is cast in grey metallic plastic with no paint apps. It can be slotted into either of the two rear slots, but works best in the right. The piece is articulated so it can swing up and out for posing on the figure.
Our Iron-Patriot came without the original cannon - an issue with older releases - but the cannon from the recent War Machine or Disco Iron-Man will work just as well if needed.
While the cannon is a must for Iron-Patriot it would have been good to also see repulsor hands and an FX piece to allow some more posing options for Iron-Patriot. Instead we get one fist and one open palm hand with which to pose him. Perhaps if we ever get a re-release?
Articulation 3/5
Articulation is "of its age" and would have been impressive at the time, we have of course seen big improvements in the following years. There are 18 points in total, but the knees are single jointed and the ankle rockers quite restricted
Head - ball joint with pivot
Body - mid-torso ball joint
Arms - ball joint shoulders, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, pivot wrist
Legs - ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single joint knee, ankle rocker
On top of these joints and alongside the rear cannon joints it is also worth noting the two shoulder panels are jointed to move with the arm.
Articulation will allow for firing positions on the arms, but the legs have little movement other than wider stances - or perhaps a raised knee flying pose with an appropriate flight stand. Sadly the flight posing - as seen in the three lower images below - are still stiff looking as the ankle can't be adjusted to point the foot downward.
Summary
Had this been a recent release we would have been a little disappointed with Iron-Patriot when we compare him to more recent releases. He is a touch small and has some articulation issues, but he represents a different era and despite the issues he still looks the part displayed alongside other Legends.
I score the 2013 Marvel Legends Iron-Patriot from Iron-Man 3 a solid 4 out of 5. It is certainly one to track down for a complete MCU collection in he absence of Hasbro ever giving us a re-release or ever a complete do-over.
