In 2018, to celebrate the first ten year of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hasbro released ten set of Marvel Legend figures covering movies from this first decade of the MCU. The fourth set was based on the 2013 Iron-Man 3 movie and gave us our first MCU Pepper Potts. The Hall of Amour was extended a little further with the Mk22 "Hot Rod" and the previously unreleased Mandarin / Trevor Slattery figure got an airing. The set was exclusive to Amazon, but as of the summer of 2019 started to also show up at discount retailers in the UK.
Packaging 5/5
The packaging for the First Ten Years MCU sets moves away from the usual scooped side Marvel Legend packaging and goes with a standard box. The colour scheme remains black, but with scenes from the MCU built into the backdrop. The predominant header is the MCU First 10 Years logo, with the Marvel Legends logo reduced in size and positioned top right.
The figures are displayed in a window, which is bordered in red and carries the character names bottom left. The bottom of this border is broken with a circular icon of an Iron-Man mask. Beneath this and to the right sits the movie logo.
The right hand side piece carries part of a larger art piece that connects with the other 9 sets to make a full montage. The left hand side carries some short text about the Iron-Man 3 plot as well as confirming this as set 4 in the range.
"SUITED UP AS IRON MAN, TONY STARK DISAPPEARS TO RURAL TENNESSEE TO INVESTIGATE GLOBAL TERRORIST ATTACKS AND DISCOVERS THAT THE RADICAL SOLDIERS ARE AFFLICTED WITH EXTREMIS, A VIRUS THAT CAN ENHANCE HUMAN STRENGTH AND DURABILITY, BUT CAN ALSO BE FATAL TO ANYONE INFECTED BY IT."
On the back of the box we have a small version of the Iron-Man 3 movie theatre poster and next to this panels dedicated to each of the three figures in the box - with a circular header and an image of the character from the movie.
"Under the guide of the Mandarin, Trevor Slattery works under Extremis-propagator Aldrich Killian, taking credit for systematic attacks on global soils and hoping to provide from feeding both sides of the War on Terror."
Once opened the figures sit in a standard inner tray which itself sits in a cardboard backing piece. Like the box, this backing section carries a lot of MCU scenes from the First Ten Years, all taken from various movies and assembled like a comic book layout.
Paint & Sculpt 5/5
It is worth stating before we kick of with the figure that this entire figure was sculpted in 2013 for a planned 3rd wave or Iron Man figures that would have also included a War Machine Mk2 and a comic-book Rescue Pepper Potts. 5 years later Hasbro has resurrected the sculpt for the First Ten Years Iron-Man 3 set.
The Mandarin was worth the wait with the 2013 sculpt being absolutely spot on, but the more recent face print technology has allowed the figure to be enhanced even further. The likeness to Ben Kingsley is excellent, with those expressive eyes and wrinkled brow. The beard and hair are good with dry-brush details, with the only issue on the head a small blemish on my figure under the left eye.
The costume replicates the movie well with upper robes contrasted by combat trousers with a camouflage pattern. Over this is the large overcoat / robe with its gold highlights. There is a ton of detail on this robe with circular sculpted detail on the arms and ornate eastern style scroll-work on the cuffs. All of this is well painted and the colours bright and crisp.
Even the hands are adorned with rings, each painted neatly in a gold/bronze colouring.
Accessories N/A
The Mandarin does not come with any accessories. This is a shame as the original 2013 release was pictured with a sword and a combat knife. An alternative head with sunglasses would have also been a nice inclusion to give The Mandarin two distinct looks.
Articulation 3/5
Being an older figure the Mandarin has a reduced level of articulation vs more modern figures.
The cloak makes any leg poses redundant as the Mandarin cannot sit or kneel. The arms are held back by the single elbow joints but with a bit of work there are some expressive poses you can achieve to make your Mandarin looking like he is delivering another lesson.
Summary
The Trevor Slattery Mandarin was not the best received character of the MCU, although the portrayal and twist on his role was very much of the era. The figure does capture the menace and intensity of the Mandarin we see in his videos in the first half of the film and it is a great addition to an MCU collection, and is arguably the strongest figure in this 3-pack.
While there are no accessories and the articulation is limited the figure deserves a 4 out of 5 score.
