By Loran
Just like Hasbro promised, the Marvel Legends line has returned to shelves across the country! I can’t same I’m surprised by the fact that some people thought we were just going to get Marvel Universe from now on. While I like MU, they’ll never be Legends, and the Legends line just has way too much of a following to stay dead. Wisely, Hasbro started the line out with a plethora of new characters and new outfits, rather than giving us ones we’ve seen time and time again. For the time being, it seems as though the Legends line is off to a good start.
Unsurprisingly for Hasbro, one of the figures in Wave 1 was of course, Iron Man. Hasbro seems to put out at least one Iron Man figure in every wave these days. I’m not complaining, but it just gets a bit annoying when you see five thousand Iron Man figures sitting on the shelves and nobody buying them. He’s now joined the ranks of Spider-man and Wolverine, for serious.
Anyway, this new Iron Man figure comes in the Extremis Armor, which we actually haven’t seen in the scale yet! So yes, while it may be YET ANOTHER Iron Man figure, Hasbro was kind enough to do something that hasn’t been done before.
The figure is very tall and lean, much different than the other Iron Man figures I have, who typically come on the more muscular side. I actually like it a little more here, but only with the comic-styling. I prefer the bulkiness of the movie figures overall.
His paint job is very well done, much better than the typical Legends fare in my opinion. The red is shiny and striking, and the accompanying gold only accentuates that. Even the work on the helmet is pretty decent.
One problem I’ve had with a lot of Iron Man figures is how intrusive the shoulder armor can be. Thankfully that isn’t a problem here! There’s enough “give” in the design that it doesn’t get in the way and moves pretty freely. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly an improvement.
His head retains the classic hinge-style joint ML figures are famous for, and thanks to that and his torso joint he can do a “flying” pose without any issues.
I do have some problems with the legs, however. Instead of using the typical 
ML-style hip joint that even most 4” figures have these days, he has a more traditional hinge joint. I’m just not into it that much, and the circles on his hip armor get in the way, though those can be moved easily enough. The swivel joint is now at the thighs, which works from a design standpoint, but personally, I’d rather have the old hip style back.
Only two hands are included with him (open palm and fist). I don’t know why, but I was expecting a little more. Maybe I’m just spoiled by the 6” Iron Man 2 figures.
I welcome the return of Marvel Legends. I don’t “use” them as much as Universe, sure, but they make great display pieces. I give him my recommendation. Come to FPNYC for all your new Marvel Legends needs!
