[Acquisitions] Iron Man 2: Comic Series Ultimate Iron Man

Another day, another toy. Yey! Today, we have the Iron Man 2 Comic Series Ultimate Iron Man figure, another figure that was not released locally here in the Philippines. I was fortunate enough to snag one through eBay and it's high time to check out this amazing piece of plastic that we almost missed out on.

This 1:18 Ultimate Iron Man fig is pure eye candy! When I received it from the courier, I was like, "Wow!" When I took it out of the packaging, I was like, "Wow!" When I was taking pictures of it, I was like, "Wow!" You know where I'm going with this so let me just say that this figure really wows! I love this figure! I really, really do! This is a great display piece, a fantastic addition to anybody's 1:18 Iron Man armory.

The figure looks badass thanks to its bulk, and you all know how much I love big, bulky action figures. The sculpt is full of intricate technological details from the head down to the soles, and I'm particularly impressed with the sculptural work done on the head, the neck, the abs, the bracers, and the legs. The paint scheme on the fig is also praise-worthy, I love the shades that Hasbro used and the fig really looks like his comicbook counterpart. The fig that I got has some minor paint problems (a yellow paint spill and a couple of paint chips) but I can live with those. For accessories, there's an extra head that looks a bit like a monkey, a display stand, and three armor cards.

Yes, this figure is a sight for sore eyes, but being beautiful is different from being functional, and that's where this figure suffers a bit. Like most, if not all, Iron Man figs, this figure's upper arm movement is hampered by the shoulder armors, but this one has an additional problem: the arm bracers also limit the movement of the lower arms and the hands, making the arms very hard to manipulate for dynamic poses. Other than those arm problems, Ultimate Iron Man's articulation is actually okay, especially at the neck, torso, and knees. The fig also features hinged hands, similar to those that the modern G.I. Joe figures have.

Ultimate Iron Man is a great figure. It definitely belongs to my top five 1:18 Iron Man figs (along with the Hulkbuster, Bleeding Edge, Advanced Armor, and movie War Machine figs) and that says a lot. It has its flaws, but it's still an awesome figure nonetheless. This is how Ultimate Iron Man should look like in action figure form (I'm looking at you, Hasbro Marvel Legends Ultimate Iron Man), and a 1:18 armory will have a gaping hole without this fig. What I'm trying to say is, you need to find and get this bad boy, or you'll be missing out on something splendid.