When Winter Soldier was released in 2014 many Marvel Select fans looked forward to an updated Captain America for their Avengers display - me included. Diamond went down a different route and released him in the all blue stealth suit that Cap sported in the opening segment of the film. There are two versions of this. The first is the standard release, which included a masked Captain and a standard painted shield. This is not 100% accurate as Cap used a blue & silver shield in the sequences where we wore the stealth suit. The second release was a Disney Store exclusive and included an unmasked Steve Rogers head, some "damage" to the suit and a damaged shield. The standard version is the easier of the two to find, but I was lucky enough to pickup the exclusive version. This review and the associated picture gallery are for the exclusive version. For anyone shopping for this figure then as with the first Captain America Movie Figure, there does appear to be knock off versions of this circulating in the Far East Cap comes in the standard Select Box with beautiful artwork on the side and a write up of the figure on the reverse Once cracked out of the box you will have the main figure, the alternative head, a shield and a large backdrop piece. The figure itself is really well done and is has been much improved on the First Avenger release. The sculpt is well done, with a lot more detail on the suit than shows up in images. Cap's face under the hood is much crisper. The alternative head never looked great to me in images, but up close it is much better than it looks - although is still not a brilliant likeness for Chris Evans, and I have no idea where that hair style came from. The shield is just a rehash of the original shield, but fits easier over the arms. The belt is nicely done and is loose on the figure so it slides up and down - still not sure what this is needed Painting is well done throughout. Yes it's all a dark blue, but within that are darker areas painted in and even some red down the sides. On the exclusive version there is some nice but subtle weathering added and there are very small scratches detailed into the chest.. The silver is crisp on the chest with no visible bleed into the surrounding clothing. The head and eyes are cleanly painted with very minor flesh colour bleed onto one side on the hood straps on my figure. The Shield is painted really well, it is very difficult to get a naturally distressed look, but they have achieved this. The best points on the figure are the articulation, which has come a long way in the 3years since the First Avenger Cap. The elbows and knees are much more natural yet still allow for a decent range of movement. Ankle rockers have also been added which makes standing Cap much better. The head is on a ball joint, so allows the head to look up and down as well as side to side. The head pops off to swap, its not the easiest to get off so I would consider warming it up slightly when swapping heads to reduce risk of any damage. The base piece supplied is the same as the piece that comes with Falcon, and is nicely detailed to depict a wall of the Shield Helicarriers, even including a SHIELD logo sculpted into the floor. It is painted a flat silver. This one works much better with Cap as a display piece where as on Falcon it looked a bit odd if you displayed Falcon on the stand with his wings in place. With the improved articulation, the nice paint job and the ankle rockers I give this Captain a 4 out of 5, overall DST were a bit lazy with not giving him the right shield and the Chris Evans head isn't a knock out. This is still not the definitive Cap, but is a good stand in and I just hope that DST will come good with a true Avengers Red, White and Blue version next year as part of Civil War

The Star Spangled Man, for me, is a must in any Marvel collection and more so in a collection that focuses on the movie universe. This is the first Cap figure released by Diamond Select in 2011 and is based on his WW2 appearance from The First Avenger As with most DST Marvel Movie figures this release is already well past its RRP of £20 and commands in the region of £40-£50 packaged on the secondary market (April 2015). A word of caution that this is one of the few DST Marvel figures that is being released in the far east as knock off versions and check when you are buying on eBay. If the price is too good, and the location is in the far east, this is likely a knock off and quality will be questionable. Cap comes packaged in the usual Select oversize packaging and included with the figure are his iconic shield, a hand gun and half of a diorama base piece - the second half of which comes with his counter part figure from the movie, Red Skull Once you get Cap out of the box, the sculpt on his WW2 gear is pretty impressive with different textures across the chest piece and a variety of buckles and straps. He does suffer a bit in terms of how the elbows have been tackled and the boots are a bit unwieldy, these are more articulation issues more on this later. The head sculpt is "enough" for you to know its Steve Rogers, but as with a lot of Human Sculpts from DST, its a bit soft and flat of any definition and detail. The hood is OK, but again a bit plain. Paint apps on mine are a bit messy, with some bleed on the stomach area straps. The helmet on mine is also missing one of the wings (which look like transfer rather than paint) on one side. There are some nice details on either shoulder and the chest star is OK. Articulation is what really lets this figure down in my opinion. I never expect a massively articulated figure from Diamond as I prefer the figure to look right. In Cap's case the articulation in the elbows has led to a rather odd, unnatural looking joint and the joint isnt painted so it stands out. The boots are also missing ankle rockers so Cap never seems to stand properly as his feet cant be placed flat to the floor. The Shield is nice, but is a bit too much of a tight fit to go over his arm, and mine broke when I first put it on. When in place it does thank fully hide the elbow issues. The Gun is what it is and fits snugly in Cap's hand or indeed in its leg holster. You wont get any significant action poses out of Captain, but once posed with his shield he does look pretty good. Although this was the right figure for the film, it is a shame that Cap has never been made in his modern outfit as either seen in Avengers or the tweaked Age of Ultron version. That leaves Avengers fans either using this version, or the stealth suit from Winter Soldier in an Avengers line up The base piece doesn't really add a great deal to this figure. Rather than be a background piece it is a metal base that joins up with the Red Skull's piece to make a base for both figures. Being practically flat it is easily lost in any cabinet and I have discarded mine to the storage box for now. Don't get me wrong, Captain is a decent figure. But due to the issues I have encountered I have scraped him in as a 3 out of 5, and I would recommend the Winter Soldier Stealth Suit as a better figure and of course you would expect an updated Steve Rogers next year when Civil War is released.

The Lizard (The Amazing Spiderman) The Lizard, the big bad from Amazing Spiderman, is a bit of an anomaly within Marvel Select's Movie figures. Since his release in 2012 he has actually fallen in price. Unlike most MS Movie releases, the Lizard is still pretty readily available, and with eBay sales as low as just a tenner recently. Having initially kept away from this figure I have been getting "collectors boredom" recently while I wait for new releases, and have been backdating my MS Movie collection. Lizard arrived in a bit of a beat up box, but still with very impressive graphics particularly the side panel. Once opened I am now struggling to see why people would not want Lizard in their collection. Granted he is a bit of a different look to the usual Comic Dr Connors, but this is a big figure, comparable with movie Hulk, and and adds real menace and bulk to a MS Movie shelf. Sculpt first, and this is as good as I have seen on an MS figure for the facial features. It captures the look from the movie really well. Down into the body and the detail is pretty good, with sculpted scales and muscles through to clawed hands and feet. The paint job is also impressive. It is predominantly green with a beige wash which then brings out the detail on the sculpt. There are also subtle washes of darker green in the recesses on the muscle definition. Eyes and mouth are also well painted, and the only real let down is the nails which are a bit bland and look a shade too orange for my liking Articulation is the standard fare for a MS figure. You have ball jointed shoulders and then standard joints in the elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. Lizard also comes with a ball jointed tail and there is a torso articulation which allows him to hunch over a little if needed. The head is on a ball joint which allows a full range of movement. The tail is key to this figure as it is the only way you can get Lizard to stand on his own. I can see the mechanics behind this as without the tail the feet would have to have been sculpted flat to the floor and would have made him look a bit too big footed (think Chitauri) At 8.5" high, and as mentioned, Lizard will give Hulk a run for his money. He also looks suitably big and menacing next to any of the human heroes. Despite his seemingly low stock score in the Marvel Select marker, I actually really like Lizard and can't understand why he is languishing in almost bargain basements while Red Skull and Loki are commanding silly money. I think Lizard is one of the best MS figures I have obtained to date in terms of overall sculpt, paint and articulation. If you don't like the Movie Lizard design from the film then I can see why this isn't the figure for you, but for me he has certainly exceeded my expectations and I look forward to sticking him into the display. A very high 4 out of 5 for me.

Jane Foster (Thor : The Dark World) I was determined not to go "completist" on Diamond Select's 7" Marvel Movie Figures, my focus was on putting together The Avengers. One figure I originally had no intention of picking up was Jane Foster from Thor, the Dark World. But as collectors will know a number of things can transpire to bring new figures and items into your collection. With Jane Foster it was a combination of price (£12.30 delivered from Amazon.com), a slow month for new figures (that dreaded itch to buy "something") and the announcement of a new Thor figure for Age of Ultron, even if it was a repaint. I decided at £12 that Jane would now become useful to sit with my Dark World Thor as a standalone display and the new AoU Thor would take his place in the Avengers set up... how weird our collectors minds work. Upon arrival Jane had obviously either taken a battering in transit, or was from some pretty beat up stock back at Amazon. As I am a loose collector this didnt really impact anything, but would have frustrated any MOC collectors. Jane comes in the usual oversized Select packaging with wonderful art across one side and the back She comes with two head options, one normal, one possessed. And comes packed in with half a base/display piece which joins up a piece packed in with Dark World Thor - more on that later. Sculpt is a pretty good likeness to Natalie Portman and the sculpting on the robe looks nice and natural. Paint applications were strong. Articulation however is where the figure lost a few points. First issue is her feet which are sculpted in heels and with no feet hole. She does have ankle joints, but finding that balance point to keep her stood up is tricky and I think she will need some 3rd party aid to keep her stood in my display. The other issue is a rather ugly left elbow joint where the bronze paint on the bracer has carried on into the joint - appreciated this could be a one off with my figure. Because of the dress her legs have limited movement, and the arms are also restricted heavily by clothing and the shoulder plate on right side. The heads however do swap over nicely and gives a couple of options to display Jane as "normal" or "possessed". Over to the base, and this is where I struggle. It is a lovely piece. It is well sculpted, well painted and has a fair bit of weight to it. It clicks easily into the Thor version. But it is not a base! There is no way you could stand Jane or Thor onto this, it is more of a scenery piece that would stand beside them. Considering everything, Jane is a 2/5 figure. I applaud Diamond for using one of their slots for the Dark World to produce Jane over say re-releasing Loki, or doing Malkieth. It is also nice to see a female character in the Select Movie range. Sadly she suffers from not standing very well and limited articulation which has been sacrificed over the sculpting of the dress and accessories. The head swap is a nice touch. The "scenery" piece would have been better as a true base to help keep Jane upright.

Red Skull (Captain America : The First Avenger) I came quite late to the Marvel Select line and decided early on just to go for Movie based figures. Having now ticked off all the main Avenger characters, Falcon and Spiderman I looked back at the range to add some bad guys to the shelf. There are about 4 to chose from if you go on Movie appearance only, these are Loki, Red Skull, The Lizard and Chitauri Soldier. At this point I am not overly awed by the Lizard and Chitauri and wont lose any sleep not having them just yet - but I really wanted Loki and Red Skull on the shelf. Little had I realised that these had rocketed in price and rarity. I try not to go mad on rare pieces, I put a price on anything - and although I will go higher for a rare piece - paying say £100 on a £20 figure because it is rare is nonsense to me and I would rather not have it. I have been playing a long game with Loki & Red Skull hoping for a re-release or perhaps a loose one coming up on the market - and that is what has happened with Red Skull who popped up on my ebay search at £19.99 buy it now and free delivery. He arrived along with the usual Select base section and I am very impressed all round. Sculpt wise he is the usual Select high standard, and the paint job is superb with a number of Hydra logo's on his shoulders. The buttons, buckles and trim of the coat are well done and well painted. And despite pretty much being an all black outfit, there are shades and finishes that differ (gloves vs sleeves for example) which bring it too life. The head is shaded well and the eyes are even painted up into the recessed eye sockets. He comes with a base that links up to the First Avenger Cpt America figure, and also with a German Pistol (Luger?). My only downsides are probably a result of this being a 2nd hand piece. Firstly the left leg is very loose - and I think this is a wider issue on Selects as it is identical to the problem I have with the recent Amazing Spiderman 2 figure. Secondly I think one patch on his head is a paint chip rather than paint deco - decision now wether to try and touch up or leave as "battle damage". If you are a fan of Marvel and Marvel Select then I highly recommend Red Skull to add some menace to a shelf. Here's hoping that I can add Loki at some point and hopefully more movie based figures in the future.

Spiderman (The Amazing Spiderman 2) Although not an Avenger as such, a movie Spiderman was always on the shopping list for the Marvel display. Diamond have put out a number of Spiderman figures in the Select range so far, including both comic versions and one from the Amazing Spiderman. However, I have held on for this new version from Amazing Spiderman 2, touted as the ultimate Spiderman figure. Upon arrival the figure is in its usual oversized collectors packaging from Diamond with some lovely artwork on the side and rear panels. The first key difference between this figure and other Select figures is the lack of any base/display piece - this is fine by me as I never use these anyway (update : Diamond have since re-released this figure with the wall display piece previously released in their original Amazing Spiderman). Diamond have obviously counter acted the inclusion of a base with a wealth of accessories. The first of these are the Fireman helmet and hose as seen in the film. Alongside the fireman gear are a wealth of hands - and this is wear I began to lose the plot. Spidey comes with open palm hands attached, and there are also web shooting hands - with removable webs. I get these. Then there are 3 different pairs of fists, one of which is designed to hold the lengths of web - but the other 2 confuse me as surely Spidey only needs the option for one clenched fists? Then there are the lengths of web which are meant to allow you to hang Spidey from a wall / shelf etc. Now these webs are well done and link together nicely and attach to Spidey's hand. The issue is there is then nothing to attach them to the said wall/shelf etc. I can probably work something out - but I don't think it would have hurt putting some kind of clamp or sucker in the pack? Spidey himself is then also a bit of a let down. First, mine has a very loose right leg which results in him doing the splits quite often. The articulation is then not quite there for the type of poses you would put Spidey in. For example the regular crouched position can be achieved but as the neck articulation is limited - Spidey simply looks at the floor. The leg issue was fixed with sticking Spidey on a Neca stand and I have gone with a pretty neutral pose and Spidey is now sat alongside Cpt America and Hulk. All in all this figure promised much but didn't quite deliver. Had he not been touted as being able to swing from his webs or be more pose-able I wouldn't have been too bothered as he is actually the same as any other Select figure I have ever bought. The issue here is too much hype.

Falcon (Captain America : Winter Soldier) The one thing I have learnt very quickly about the Diamond Select figures based on the Marvel films is never hesitate on a purchase. After deciding earlier this year to add an Avengers set of figures to my movie figures I have had no end of trouble tracking down some of the figures at a decent price, and am still missing on any bad guys due to the price on Loki and Red Skull. So when Falcon landed at Film n Figures in Chorley I went and picked him up straight away, despite not actually seeing CATWS at the point I bought him. My only knowledge of Falcon is what I had seen on the Disney XD Avengers cartoon the clone and I watch at weekends Falcon comes in the usual impressive packaging with a bio of the character on the back. Once opened you have the choice of displaying him with or without the wings which slot into his back pack. With wings was the only way to go for me, and with these slotted into place you really appreciate the figure. Some will argue the wings would have been nice to be folded away, but I can understand the cost of that tooling and the risk of damage so the slot in and out solution is acceptable. The sculpt is great, as I am getting used to with Diamond's Marvel Select figures. And there is a decent range of articulation. The head rotates with a bit of up and down movement. Arms are on a ball jointed shoulder, with elbow joints and swivel in the wrists. The Legs are also ball jointed at the hips and with a knee and ankle joint. Unlike some of the other Select figures the backdrop for Falcon is pretty impressive also, with a Shield logo stamped into the floor. However, and this is my major gripe, I would have preferred Falcon to come with a flight stand of some kind and packed also with the two hand guns he uses in the movie. There is enough articulation to get him into some relatively good flight poses and the one where he is flying backwards shooting would have been lovely to replicate on a display Overall Falcon makes a great addition to the Avengers shelf and misses out on a perfect 5/5 due to lack of a flight base.

In 2009 Diamond Select Toys took their Select range of 7" Marvel figures and applied the format to the first Movie figure, that of Wolverine from the 2009 movie X-Men Origins : Wolverine The figure that "started it all" is now highly sought after, and I was lucky to pick this up recently from Evilbay at a sensible price and meant I had now effectively completed my Select Movie collection (variants aside) until the 2016 figures arrive. Wolverine comes in the standard Select packaging and would still fit with any Mint on Card collection nowadays despite being 6 years old. The big variance of the packaging that you would notice is the lack of a graphic on the left panel, instead this is a black panel with the X-Men Origins text. Once out of the box the first thing that will strike any Select collector is Wolverine's size... he is far too small. At 6.5" high Logan is almost Legends scale rather than the now established Select sizing. He is dwarfed by his 2013 do-over and by all the other Select Movie figures, including Widow and Hawkeye. Putting the size of Logan aside, the figure is a half likeness to Wolverine, but more a cartoon representation than looking anything like Hugh Jackman. The face is sculpted in what I assume should be a snarl, but ends up looking a little bit like a forced smile at a Wedding. The paint applied to the face and hair is a tad too shiny and there is no wash or dry-brushing to add depth. Down to the torso and the chest and arms are sculpted with some nice muscle definition. The chest has a sculpted white vest which is painted, like the head, in a shiny finish and has no definition or weathering. The chest skin tone is also very glossy and a different shade to the arms. The one redeeming feature of the top half are the bone claws which are nicely done. The bottom half is a set of jeans which do appear to have had a bit of paint work on them to look weathered. The flared bottoms of the jeans are a nice nod to the era the movie is set, and under them are the cowboy boots that Logan wears in the film. Articulation isn't too bad on the figure with a ball jointed head that turns a full 360 degree. Arms are fully articulated on a ball jointed shoulder, elbow joint and wrist swivel. These mean you can get the arms into a variety of menacing poses. There is no torso joint that fans nowadays would expect, but the waist does swivel. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and can get out to a spread position, but not into the splits. The knees bend, with the joint pretty nicely hidden, and the ankles rotate to allow you to stand Logan with a good degree of stability. The scenic base and dumpster are pretty nice and add a bit of theatre to the Wolverine display. It is nice to see a peg in the base that allows you to drop Wolverine on it and then the peg holding him secure enough so you can pose him on one leg in an action pose - something we have lost in the more modern figures. Overally you have to respect that this figure launched a line that is still going after 6 years and that is well respected in the market and well collected with a good core of fans. It is a shame that despite having a good 7 years experience with comic figures that Diamond got the size so wrong on this, and I believe it is that Comic experience that probably drove the paint choices and the glossier finishes. In a way Wolverine Origins is a transitional figure and has hallmarks of the Comic figure heritige whilst being a movie representation. Thank fully Diamond did improve very quickly and within 12months had put out the excellent Iron Man 2 figures and would go on to give us such brilliant figures as Captain America and Thor. Thank fully for Logan fans, we got a much improved Wolverine in 2013 and if you want a Wolverine in your collection, then pay the extra to get that one. Wether we will see anymore Wolverine figures, or indeed anything ever again from the Fox licence, is unknown, and a little sad. Origins Wolverine walks away with a 1 out of 5, not even nostalgia can cause me to give it anything higher. Sorry Logan.

Despite a number of comic versions and a wealth of films to pick from, Diamond Select have only ever done two figures from the X-Men film series - both of which were the iconic Wolverine. The first was in 2009 and based on Logan's appearance in X-Men Origins. This early figure, in jeans and white T-shirt, was updated in 2013 with a brand new version as seen in the standalone Wolverine film of the same year. Wolverine, in both instances, is becoming a real grail figure for MS collectors and in particular the newer version which was a huge improvement on the first in terms of sculpt and articulation. I was lucky enough recently to get hold of this newer Logan and I am so pleased to be able to review him for you today. Wolverine comes packed with a plethora of options which means from one figure you can achieve a quantity of different looks. There are 3 heads in the pack, one is neutral, one is snarling and one is screaming. You can then choose classic Wolverine "bone claws", or the more iconic Adamantium claws. And if neither of these are too your liking, you can stick with normal hands. Normal Hands? I hear you cry, why on earth would we - well the normal hands are there to hold the samurai sword which also comes packed in. With all these accessories you can forgive DST for not packing any background pieces which was included in the original 2008 figure Starting with the sculpt and this is probably the best Movie Select that Diamond have done to date (May 2015). The heads are all a striking resemblance to Hugh Jackman, and all three of them capture an iconic look for Hugh from the films, The chest is sculpted really well with lots of definition on the muscles, this continues down the arms and to the hands which are all well designed. Hand set one is the bone claws (pre Weapon X), set two are the classic Adamantium claws and set 3 are plain to hold the Samurai sword that is also packed in with the figure. The trousers, are fairly plane but work well and the figure is finished off with some nicely done army boots. The only criticism you could heap on the sculpt is the decision to do Logan as we found him at the start of the movie, rather than in say a white vest or leather jacket. Paint is superb also, bringing out all the detail in the face, particularly the eyes and teeth. There is subtle shading on the skin and hair is painted on the chest and arms which at this scale, and on what is essentially a £20 figure, is really well done. The pants are painted green with a brown wash to dirty them up and there is a similar highlight layer on the boots. Articulation, and we still haven't found a downside. The head is ball socket for swapping out with the 3 options, but can also revolve a full 360 degrees and look up and down. Arms are on a ball jointed shoulder so can be moved 90 degrees out from the body and then swing back and forth with a good range to get them to either straight out, straight back or even straight up over-head. After the ball joint shoulder there is a biceps swivel to further aid movement and a standard pivot elbow. The hands are then on a standard joint but also rotate. The chest is jointed, and here is a niggle as if you lean Logan too far back on the chest joint you can see a noticeable gap - not that you will ever use that position as Logan will always be leaning forward menacingly. The hips are ball on a two way joint, and without any bulky armour or cloaks this is the first select figure you can get into a true sitting mode. There is then a thigh swivel, double jointed knees and ball jointed ankles. All in all this allows Logan to get into plenty of dynamic poses. So what's the downside? Well nothing really, Movie Wolverine is as close to a perfect figure at this scale and price point as you will get. In fact I will go as far as say that the head sculpt is knocking on the door of some of the higher end product in terms of quality. I can gripe a little about the choice of outfit, but then again if you stuck a jacket and vest onto Logan you would love the articulation which is as much of a contributor to this figure as the sculpt. The only downsize is getting hold of the figure, which is already circa £60-£80 boxed and around £30-£40 loose (prices as of June 2015). Wolverine deserves nothing less than 5 out of 5, and I hope that at some point in the future that Diamond / Marvel / Disney (whoever is restricting the range) can see their way to give us both additional Wolverines (this head would have worked great on a Days of Future Past Wolverine) and some more of the great characters from the X-Men Movie Universe.

It is 2010 and Iron Man 2 is out at the cinema. Despite doing numerous comic characters over the last 8 years, Diamond had only one Marvel Movie figure to their name, an Origins Wolverine. Iron Man 2 would see the start of figures from what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The main choices of what to release from the film were obvious - to get the movie Iron Man out into circulation. To go with him Diamond avoided Whiplash or any of the Hammer Drones and went instead with the Mark 1 War Machine. At the time of writing this review (June, 2010) the War Machine Mk1 is one of the scarcest Marvel Movie Select figures and comes up very rarely for sale. There are two variants of War Machine. The standard release had a red arc reactor, whilst a Borders Exclusive (as we are reviewing here) had the blue arc reactor. The WM1 is a chunky figure once it comes out the box, standing a touch taller than the Mk4/6 Iron Man from the same film. The sculpt, considering it is 5 years old at the time of writing this, is very crisp overall and there is plenty of detail built into the armour - a lot of which is obviously the same as the IM Mk4/6, but you can forgive that as Tony himself recycled parts all the time. If you look closely at some parts such as the silver panels on the biceps or the two silver chest panels either side of the arc reactor, and WM1 starts to show his age as these are much clunkier and less defined than you will see on more recent models. Like the IM figures the head has a sculpted face under the mask, in this case it is a decent enough likeness of Don Cheadle. The mask is tackled using two prongs so you can pop the mask off and have it up or down. This works great up to the point you realise when the mask is down there are two holes in the head and these are a bit unsightly and I am glad later models have gone down the alternative head route. Paint is basic, essentially grey with silver panels as highlights. There is no wash (not sure its needed) to bring out any detail and the only other colours are on the mask and the arc reactor. The painting under the mask of Don Cheadle's features is crisp, but a little flat and more comic book than realistic. The painting is very neat with no paint bleed or wandering pupils in the eyes. Articulation back in 2010 was pretty basic on most Diamond Select figures. Although IM2 expanded articulation, WM1 remains a little restricted. The head rotates a full 360 degrees despite the chunky shoulders and can also look up and down to a certain degree. The arms are where there is a lot of missing articulation as the shoulders can only rotate one way to the body, there is no ball joint to move them outwards to 90 degrees to the body - in fact the arms popped off when I tried to move them that way, The elbow is a simple joint allowing for 90 degree bend only (one way) until the armour stops the movement. The best movement is on the wrists which rotate and pivot, but again are restricted by the wrist armour. There is no chest pivot and no waist articulation. The next point of movement is therefore the hips, which thank fully are on a ball joint. But again even with this the armour blocks most movement. The knees, like the elbows, are a simple bend (backwards) and there is a tiny bit of movement on the ankles. All of this means that you wont get WM1 into anything other than a neutral pose - but due to his weight and bulk you wont have an issue getting him to stand. Accessory wise WM1 is packed with a shoulder cannon which slots into his right shoulder. The cannon has a bit of movement, but can only really be posed in a firing position - there is no folded back option. WM1 is also packed with a diorama piece which arrives in 3 pieces and assembles to represent a Hammer Industries door, this is an identical sculpt to the diorama packed with Iron Man Mk4/6 but in this case coloured in a bronze finish. War Machine is a brutish piece and looks great on display. Ignoring his rarity, but taking into consideration he was developed and sculpted in 2010, I will give WM1 a 3 out of 5. Articulation does let him down slightly and is wasted in places when you consider the armour blocks movement. There are some less defined areas of sculpting and a couple more shades of grey/silver will have brought out more detail. A lot of issues were rectified on the later Mark 2 War Machine, but I think this one still has loads of merit, bags of character and I would encourage collectors to grab him if you get the opportunity

As is often the case Diamond Select produced an exclusive figure for Iron Man 3 which was sold exclusively in Disney Stores. The Iron Patriot is a repaint of War Machine and actually reflects more accurately what was seen in the film. We have covered the sculpt and articulation of this figure in our War Machine review, so if you have arrived here first then CLICK THROUGH to have a read of the War Machine review above to see what I think about the sculpt and articulation. The only difference between War Machine Mark 2 and the Iron Patriot is the same difference as the film, a paint job,. And what a paint job this is. Where as War Machine was a very muted monotone figure, Patriot just screams "look at me" even upstaging any of the Iron Man figures in your display. In the symbolic Red and Blue, both of these colours are applied in a a sharp metallic finish with the infils done in silver. The silver pieces appear much more reflective and brighter than the paint used on War Machine which gives the whole figure a sparkle. The decals are still included with wording on the shoulder pads and the forearms. Patriot also comes with the two head options - with the unmasked version being Colonel Rhodes and in my case is a bit crisper on the paint finish than the War Machine head. Iron Patriot however still carries the same gripes as its base companion with a wobbly right leg impeding him standing well and the shoulder cannon feeling flimsy. Because of these I can't score Patriot past the same 4 out of 5 I gave War Machine.... even with a killer paint job

The mark 2 War Machine in terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe never appeared on screen in Iron Man 3, but was still released by Diamond Select as part of their Iron Man 3 figures. The Mark 2 did appear in a comic prequel to the film which showed Tony Stark presenting Rhodes with an upgraded set of War Machine Armour. On screen the Mark 2 would get a paint job and go on to be the Iron Patriot - more on this later. The standard Mk2 release comes in the usual packaging we expect from Diamond with the usual high quality artwork on the side panel, and images of the figure and its counterpart (the Mark 43) on the reverse along with some detailed blurb about the figure. Once unpacked War Machine comes with a variety of "bits". Firstly there are two heads, the standard head and the unmasked James Rhodes. There is then the rear cannon which arrives in one piece, and the Hall of Armour diorama piece which is packed flat in 4 individual pieces. The sculpt is top notch, but I have come to expect as much from Diamond's 7" Movie range. As the whole figure is armoured the sculpt is broken down into various panels and pieces which are all very well detailed and link into each other - in many cases cleverly hiding one of the articulated joints. The head sculpt, or should I say face sculpt, of Rhodey is a good likeness for Don Cheadle. The paint on War Machine is pretty basic in terms of being two toned metallic. That being said all the pieces are well covered and there is no bleeding into corresponding panbels. The chest piece is painted with a red hue around the arc reactor and there are some nice decals on the arms and shoulders that link in to War Machines position in the US Military. My own gripe on the painting, and this likely varies by figure, is that my Rhodey eyes are a little "bog eyed". Articulation is very similar to the Mk43 Iron Man. The head is jointed and can look to either side and has a bit of up and down movement. The shoulders are ball jointed and cleverly covered by a shoulder pad which moves with the arm. There is an elbow joint and then a rotate and pivot joint in the wrist, all allowing War Machine to get into some decent poses with the arms - including that all important firing stance. These shoulders are prone to snapping. so be careful when posing the arms. As usual there is a torso joint which allows the torso to swivel side to side and gives War Machine a bit of range to lean forward and backwards. The legs are ball jointed at the hips and are quite exposed like the IM43 but in this case because the whole figure is grey the ball is less noticeable. Having the hips done this way allows for War Machine to have a greater range of movement as opposed to the early Iron Man armours which were heavily restricted by the sculpted hips (see Iron Man Mk6). The knees bend and there is a decent swivel and pivot joint at the ankles. That means Rhodey is pretty stable on his feet and stands very well. The only issue I have found, like many Selects, is a very loose leg which does tend to see the figure naturally slide into the splits. The head swaps easily enough, but I wouldnt want to do it to often as I would expect the paint to rub pretty easily. The shoulder cannon slots into a hole in the back and then swivels round and bends to a firing position. The mechanism isn't great and feels a bit flimsy so I think most people will leave it folded over the shoulder. The base is nice enough, albeit a bit plain and technically a little short once the figure is inside. All in all War Machine Mk2 is a solid figure with plenty of good points. The wobbly leg syndrome is worrying, and the cannon is not as great as I imagined. But he certainly deserves a 4 out of 5.