Zombie Magneto (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Zombie Magneto

Witness Magneto in his finest role in comic book history. A role that took him guts! -a zombie! Well... swallowing a pumpkin bomb and blowing it up inside his own gut may also look like one gutsy move but nothing like being a flesh-eating zombie could have prepared Magneto and his beloved fans from this. An alternate universe that got comic book readers shocked, the Marvel Zombies series is a story about all our favourite superheroes turning into undead locos. Being in a world filled with super-powered zombies is one scary shit, and being human-kabobed with a steel pipe by this "monster of magnetism" is a lot scarier.














And our poor Green Goblin gets a taste of what it's like to be chewed like a candy on Halloween. He seemed to be hanging onto his toy for that one last bite but our ghoulish friend here learned that spicy pumpkin bomb- no good for stomach. Zombie Magneto comes with this base stand strewn with a lot of dark paint shading and wash that looked so much like downtown on a rainy day. Unlike most Marvel Select base stands, this one doesn't have pegs to support with "standing", but I guess it's alright as long as his feet are steady. What's interesting though is that his soles got peg holes and it's useless when you got no pegs to attach it to.

Upon removing his infamous helmet, Zombie Magneto's face/head strongly reminds me of Evil Ash at the final fight scene (where his face turned into a complete skeleton). There is not a speck of feature that would tell you that it's him... or a reminiscent of him! Only by putting that helmet on would you be able to get a positive ID.

But Diamond Select did a great job with his head sculpt; with the one eyeball missing and the jaw hanging. And like that decomposed face of his, there's also a complete absence of skin and muscles found to his left knee. I like how the joint on that knee blended and become part of the bone. And everything just looked bad and beat up; being ugly never looked this good! The way those wounds, bite marks, and that blown up belly and torn cape are sculpted made him remarkably badass!

The choice of colours are perfect. The application of dirty white mixing with brown shading to his skull and knee... and those vertebrae inside his gut mimics the true feature of a bone. As far as those wounds and skin tears goes, it looked as if they are the same colour as his suit but they are actually a more darker type of red with an added shading to it. And of course, we have the classic red and purple colour scheme of the great Magneto.

The articulation on this figure is as zombified as the way he looked. There is no rotation at the waist nor at biceps nor at the thighs! This may disappoint people who are particular with articulation and poseability, but, I mean, what kind of dynamic pose would you want from a zombie? ...the splits? Surprisingly, we got ankle rockers from Zombie Magneto that we normally don't get from Select figures. The head can only rotate and lean forward and to the sides. He got ball-hinged shoulders, single-joints at the elbows and rotation at the wrists. He got a Y-jointed hip, double-jointed knees, and ankles that can move up and down.

The Marvel Select Zombie Magneto is typically your "staction figure" (statue+action figure) that prides itself on details with less articulation. It is an action figure that could satisfy the eyes of both fans of superheroes and zombies, and especially those who have read and loved the Marvel Zombies books. For collectors, this is an awesome figure that is highly recommended.

Hawkeye (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Hawkeye (Classic)

While we wait for Hasbro to get their own version of the Classic Hawkeye, which they have already confirmed to be released next year, I would like to do this review on the Marvel Select Classic Hawkeye that I had couple of years ago. This Hawkeye action figure is probably the one that Hasbro should compete with because, personally, I think this is how we should envision when we talk about a Classic Hawkeye and Diamond Select Toys brings that to the table. This Hawkeye surely hits the bullseye!















The figure delivers Hawkeye in his classic blue and purple outfit accurately. And when I say accurate, it means that as if he almost came out from the pages of the 1960's or 70's comic books. He just looked clean with no obvious paint defects. It's pretty interesting that while we see most Marvel Select have some good eye-catching paint jobs, the Select Hawkeye didn't get the same treatment but the simplicity still worked effectively. There's a little paint wash and shading going on but you can't really see it. The exposed fleshy parts are solidly painted with one colour that's consistent all through out.

From a distance, a Classic Hawkeye can be easily recognized by his three basic features- the ala-Wolverine type of cowl with the "H" at the front, his chain mail chest armour (reminiscent of Classic Cap's), and his loin cloth along with the utility belt. The attire and body are sculpted authentically to the source material. By the looks of his overall physique, there is no doubt that he got relocated to a gym. The musculature is not too lean nor too bulky; it fits the athletic-type superhero.

For accessories, we begin by looking at Hawkeye's weapons as these are his "superpowers" so to speak. Note that the quiver straps are glued across his torso and so it's irremovable; also making the quiver at his back locked in place, albeit rather you can use the quiver to store all his arrows into its cavity except for the arrow with the explosive tip and a Janet Van Dyne (a.k.a. Wasp) sitting on it. While this quiver may gave that illusion of a dozen purple arrows, Hawkeye only use and carry four (4) of them- a regular arrow, two (2) "headless" arrows (which I will get into later), and the "Wasplosive" arrow that just got mentioned.

Hawkeye's bow is the only accessory he has which I hate unfortunately. Everytime you pull its rubbery string, the bow bends in this awkwardly twisting sideway movement instead of naturally curving back. Furthermore, the string doesn't go far enough across his chest leaving you no choice but to have him neutrally hold it. But the base stand is what I am astonished about!- it gives me a preview of what the ending of the Avengers: Age of Ultron would look like. So this is where we use the headless arrows- put each of them into these bullet holes of a slain Ultron minion.

Marvel Select figures are considerably not very poseable. They are action figures with a blend of being statues and so as this Hawkeye. The head is on a ball-joint but interestingly it cannot do an up-down movement. The arms have ball-hinged shoulders, single-jointed elbows, and wrists that can only rotate without the flexion. He got waist swivel and ball-hinged hips that allow his legs to move forward and back without the loin cloth getting in the way (because it's a pliable plastic). The legs got swivel at the upper-thighs, single-jointed knees and hinged ankles. Sadly, no rotation at the boot area!

I'd say this is a must-have Marvel Select Hawkeye since this is the only Hawkeye we got from this toyline that renders that original comic book version of the character. I am a huge fan of this classic outfit and I like how Diamond Select Toys had done with his paint and sculpt. However, I wish they could have executed the functionality of his bow properly, and wish that they are not too stingy with the articulation. But overall, it is a great figure with a price that's affordable.

Falcon: Captain America- The Winter Soldier (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Falcon

If there is one guy that I'd like to be part of the next Avengers movie, it's got to be Falcon! Falcon's character is one of a kind; making him a great addition to the roster. Although the movie got me wondering why he is stripped with one of his unique powers (i.e. bird talk) but I believe it shouldn't be importantly necessary. A guy with mechanical wings flying and swooping around while spraying loads of bullets from the sky is as spectacular as 4th of July fireworks! The absence of a 6-inch Marvel Legends version of Falcon in the Captain America Wave made me quite excited to purchase the much upscaled, more detailed Marvel Select one, but there's no guarantee that Falcon will be immune to scrutiny as I tell all the good and the bad.











Nothing has changed with the design of Marvel Select packaging. It's always the bookend style, standard type with the figure suspended visibly behind this clear plastic along with all its accessories. We got a beautiful artwork of Falcon from the movie at the side, which may be one of the reasons why some collectors still hang on to its packaging and have it displayed sideways.

But let's talk more about the figure, shall we? With or without his mech-wings, this Falcon figure look stunning! He comes with these 6-inch long wings that are removable and can easily be plugged at his jetpack. The only downside to it is that they don't have any joints or articulation that allows you to move them in varying ways. But what totally bugs me is that there are no weapons! In the movie, I know for sure he carries two semi-auto handguns but Diamond Select seem to ignore that. Though a lot of people suggested to use Deadpool's handguns but it's still a shame that such essential things are not included with this Falcon figure.

Like most Select figures, Falcon comes with a display base that you can also use as a prop. From what it looked like, it seem to be some sort of a wall from the inside of a helicarrier- I'm not too positive but the application of gray and almost silvery paint is perfect.

Speaking of paint, let's move now to how the paint job is done. Falcon's suit is primarily composed of black and different shades of gray. Even the American flag at his leg is all black and gray, which I think was also the same as in the movie. Any paint defects would not be too obvious or visible since the application and choice of colours are too plain and simple. I like the kind of brown tone used over his face and skin, though I'm not so sure about his hair. I think it should be black instead of a darker brown but it's no biggie.

Like I said earlier, you can use any handguns from either the Marvel Select or the Marvel Legends figures for Falcon. However and what's really bothersome is the way the hands are sculpted and are not in a trigger finger pose. It just seem odd to me that he's holding it like some weirdo. Another issue that this figure have are the leg guards around his calves that overlaps the ankles; rendering the articulation on the ankle joints useless.

guns and clear stand not included.

That's not the only sad part- the Marvel Select Falcon doesn't have rotation at the upper thighs and boot areas making it even more harder to pose regardless of being blessed with ankle rockers. He doesn't have rotation at the biceps, which again bothers me since I've been collecting these figures and I know most of these figures have them. The head rotates but doesn't look up. He got a waist swivel, rotation at the single-jointed elbows and at the hinged-wrists. Falcon's legs only have T-joints, double-jointed knees and as I've mentioned, ankle rockers.

This figure reminds me of the old Marvel Select days where aesthetics triumphs over functionality. The overall details and the likeness to the Anthony Mackie Falcon is accurate. However, the figure is poorly "engineered". I think Diamond Select is capable of stepping up to their game, but it seems like laziness has prevailed. I know I shouldn't be expecting more from Marvel Select figures especially when it comes to articulation but sometimes you got to wonder why they're not consistent, but a figure like the Marvel Select Falcon is an excellent display piece for 7-inch collectors.

Winter Soldier (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Winter Soldier

When you enter a Disney Store, you just won't know what kind of surprises this store could possibly bring to you and your family. Sometimes these surprises turn into tears of joy and excitement... but probably not in my case. What am I,... a 4-year old!? Other than that creepy store guy who handed me the receipt and told me to have a "magical day", I chuckled at the fact that I won't worry no more about ordering the Marvel Select Winter Soldier online. I just got very lucky finding this action figure. I may be a little bothered here the fact that the face kind of reminds of Bruce Campbell but then it doesn't really matter because... hey, we finally got this character on Marvel Select!












The packaging is pretty standard with its bookend style Marvel Select type of packaging. Inside the blister, we got the figure itself displayed nicely and got this amazing artwork of the Winter Soldier at the side which, unfortunately ends up in the garbage because I always open all my Select figures!

Now let's take a look at the paint apps. You can't beat what this toyline has done to the almost realistic colours painted on Winter Soldier's entire body. This blue wash applied sporadically over the "cloth" is well executed; making it come to life. Though the beige and brown to the boots, pouches and straps added some variety to his rather simple colour scheme, the paint app over his cybernetic left arm could have been done better. A much lighter metallic-type of gray perhaps could help it stand out while maintaining the presence of the star insignia, rather than just this deep black and gunmetal paint that almost matches his tactical suit.

As far as face and head is concerned, I think the sculptor kinda overdid his chin and jaw but the overall sculpt on this figure is amazing. I got no complain but to praise at all these texturing and how gorgeous these folds and creases are sculpted around his arms, legs and torso. Moreover, the line works, grids and muscles shaping his cybernetic arm should also be as eye-catching as his utility vest and belt. Once again, Diamond Select did an impressive job in incorporating all the details.

Before we inspect all his weapons, lets take a closer look at this very dramatic base stand that he comes having this broken window, glass of wine and what it seem like a thermo canister on the floor. There's probably a story here! Being a sniper or assassin as he is, Winter Soldier was probably drinking close to this window while waiting for his target. Looking at these bullet holes, somebody must have tried to kill him but ended up shooting at the wall and the window. Does that sound plausible? And with the crate that has this familiar insignia on it, it's very likely that he is on a mission somewhere in Russia.

Now the best part- weapons! Though not as ample as that of the Marvel Select Deadpool but the Winter Soldier essentially got all that weapons he usually carries. He got a huge ass sniper rifle that stands almost like 6 inches tall, a small pistol that has its personal holster, and a submachine gun that just dangles around his back having tied to this strap. All of which are very well detailed. The only problem with these weapons is that some of it might not fit well on either hands but it's still very cool looking things.

The articulation on this figure is not entirely the best nor is a big letdown. You can still execute some decent pose on the Winter Soldier. His head cannot fully aim up but can move down and rotate 360. He got a ball-hinged shoulder with bicep swivel, which is pretty standard for Marvel Select and has single-jointed elbows and hinged wrists. The torso has a good diaphragm swivel that lets him rock side to side plus a waist swivel. He got this DCUC-style hinges at the hips that creates these gaps at the groin areas, but best of all he got double-jointed knees, mid-calf swivel, ankle rotation and the ankle rockers.

Captain America 2- starring Chris Evans and Bruce Campbell.

So what can I say? Should I recommend this figure? Absolutely yes! The head sculpt might get you a little appalled especially when you own and you're able to compare it with the Legends version of the Winter Soldier, but this is just a different take or style by the designer of this figure. He is pretty much in good scale with some other figures in this toyline standing at exactly 7 inches tall. What saved Winter Soldier from being a flop figure is the decent amount of articulation within his well sculpted and painted parts. He's another fine creation by Diamond Select.

Silver Surfer (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Silver Surfer

There are three reasons why being a herald of Galactus is such a cool thing. One- butt-kicking powers, two- free trips anywhere in space, and three- a unique skin tan that may be an envy to anyone who just can't be happy of the way their skin colour looks. It feels awesome to see a 7-inch scale Marvel Select Silver Surfer, which I was hoping this toyline would create. Finally, the Power Cosmic is here! Just with this tight silver speedo alone, you can easily tell that this Silver Surfer is based off from the classics. And with his neat paint application and well detailed base stand, this figure is yet another marvellous display piece by Diamond Select Toys.













When I saw the preview about 4 or 5 months ago, I thought that the type of gray paint that they'll be using on Surfer is something like that of the Select Ultron which, at that time, I thought would be great but it was more than I expected. I think this glossy type of gray paint is the perfect choice. As reflective as this paint can be, any form of light just bounces back to your eyes; literally giving the silver on Silver Surfer. Even with such plain and simple paint work, this action figure may "outshine" any action figure in this toyline.

The overall sculpt on this figure is phenomenal. Well proportioned and balanced body lengths and muscle mass served a good role to Surfer's ideal body type- the swimmer's body type. Though not exactly the same as I would hope, his size is not too hefty nor too lean and didn't come short on the amount of muscular definition which I'm still satisfied of.

Every time I lay my eyes on Select base stands, I'm always at awe. You can see some great sculpt and paint shadings over this "moon rock". Also, this translucent blue plastic coiling and kind of swerving above it adds a unique touch on the base. Like that of Spawn's, Surfer can be displayed in two different ways using this base; you can have him just stand in the middle of the base (with its peg) or get him on a "flying pose" by inserting the surfboard at the end the swerve with his feet already attached.

Interestingly, part of Surfer's accessories is the Infinity Gauntlet. Yyup... Thanos' favourite toy. Though it may be completely unnecessary to give him such accessory but I'll probably do other fun stuff with this rather small version of the Gauntlet.

Other accessories includes two interchangeable hands; one is for holding his surfboard and the other one is for... umm... holding his surfboard tight. He also got two cosmic blast effects made of translucent plastic that can fit well around his judo-chop hands. Lastly and something you mustn't ignore is his surfboard! A perfectly oval-shaped silver surfboard from outer space which has two pegs to stabilize his feet.

Finally, we've come to articulation. Be reminded that this is a Marvel Select figure and the articulation may appal you if you're too particular about it. So his neck is on a ball-joint that lets his head turn side to side and lets him gaze up and down but very limited. He got ball-hinged shoulder, bicep swivel, single-jointed elbows, and wrists that are hinged and able to rotate on both arms. Waist swivel around his torso is good but the absence of a thigh swivel is just bad even with these hinges on his hips. Moving on, he got double-jointed knees and ankles that can move up and down, rotate and pivot.

Silver Surfer stands 7.1 inches tall to be exact; perfectly in scale with the Marvel Select Thanos or with some Marvel Select and Legends figures. We know that the way Select figures are scaled can be ridiculously inaccurate without any basis from facts. So just be prepared for a surprise- try size compare him to a Marvel Select Deadpool first. But the bottom line is- this is the best Silver Surfer action figure out there right now.

Iron Patriot: Iron Man 3 (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Iron Patriot: Iron Man 3

If you haven't visited your local Disney Store yet, check out all their toys and you'll see this exclusive Marvel Select Iron Patriot from the Iron Man 3 movie. I gotta say I just like how this 7-inch scale action figure turned out to be amazingly accurate based off from the movie. Basically, the Iron Patriot is just a repaint of the Marvel Select War Machine (IM3 Version); baring colours of the first Avenger, Captain America. His body mold is different to the Marvel Select Mark 42 Iron Man, and so there are no re-uses and reconstructions here. You only got features that are entirely unique on this guy.














As far as the movie is concerned, I was actually surprised Iron Patriot came out a lot cooler than the Mark 42 probably because he is more intimidating and had this all-for-business type of persona dealing no issues within himself. However, I was a little bothered about that scene where the President somehow got into the Iron Patriot suit but couldn't even free himself with his arms being tied in chains- doesn't make any sense. But overall, I think the movie was great but not as awesome as the first two movies.

Looking at the paint job, a lot of people wanted the Iron Patriot to have that shinny metallic look like most Iron Man figures we've come across. While I think that this type of look may as well work with this figure, I believe the matted finish on his paint gives a better result on cameras. Also, one thing I like about the paint are the decals over his shoulders, arms and hips that are perfectly printed/painted without smearing. He got this red, white and blue colour scheme with the blue that kinda lean towards being indigo and white that is rather silver.

The sculpt on this figure is done from the interior mechanical part to the exterior protective shell of his body. Taking a closer at the ball-joints over his shoulders and hips, you can see lines and all sorts of details that are noticeable every time you lift his arms or move his legs. Iron Patriot has that housing for his missiles sculpted over his forearms, which is the same with that of War Machine. Like the Mark 42, the hinges and joints on this figure blend seamlessly as though it seem to have not existed.

And just like the Mark 42, Iron Patriot comes with a base stand (or a prop) which is very nice to have for your Iron Man display. Get like maybe 5 or 6 of these and you can have your very own Hall of Armor right on your shelf. Most importantly, he comes with this nicely sculpted shoulder turret that is removable and got some decent articulation in it. He also has an interchangeable head which has the exposed face of Don Cheadle as Col. Rhodes; sculpted perfectly to look almost close as the actor.

Now for the articulation on this figure, he is not as articulated as his Marvel Legends counterpart. I didn't even bother do that Iron Man flying pose because it is just not achievable. However, poses like aiming to shoot repulsors or preparing for a take off can be done easily. The shoulder turret is highly articulated which can turn and point at any direction except probably when you have it turned where his head is on its way.

Iron Patriot has a ball-jointed neck that lets his head move side to side, and move up and down but very limited. The shoulder guards are hinged and, although it helped quite a bit with the articulation on his shoulder, it only goes at a certain point and so you can't really raise his arms way up high even with the ball-hinged shoulders. He's got swivel to the biceps and forearms, single-jointed elbows, hinged wrists that flexes and rotates. There is no waist swivel but he got a diaphragm joint that lets him turn towards the sides as well as get him to lean at any direction. The hips are T-jointed and ball-hinged, and the legs got upper thigh swivel, double-jointed knees, and ankles that flex, rotate and pivot.

Again, compared to Iron Man Mark 42, Iron Patriot is a little heftier and a centimeter taller which is good... the fact that I think Rhodes probably has a much larger physique than Tony Stark. If you haven't had an Iron Patriot within the 7-inch scale, I would recommend getting this one because of all its detail and neat feature. Definitely, a must-have figure.

Gambit (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Gambit

Here's a guy that can turn his deck of cards into stack of grenades; behold the Ragin' Cajun, Gambit! For sure, he is one of the coolest guys around in the X-men universe with powers never to be underestimated. Since 2011, the year when this action figure was released, the Marvel Select Gambit, so far, still got the most accurate rendition on a Gambit when compared to other brands. Sporting a classic look (the pink shirt) based from the cartoon, this figure got all what it takes to make it look good on display with a lot of accessories to choose from. May that be Gambit throwing his cards or Gambit holding his bo staff; you name it... Gambit got it.














When it comes to sculpt and paint job, there are two areas in this figure that brought me awe! First, the head and face sculpt really captured the ones from the T.V. series or comics while getting that realistic details from the paint. Upon its great head sculpt, a lot of people say he looked a bit like James Franco or David Beckham but, for me, he just look the good ol' slick and suave Gambit. I like how the paint job on the hair appears to be having that black-brownish look, and that facial grimace made this figure as alive as his kinetically charged cards.

Second, Gambit's signature trench coat added some "energy" on this figure. With the coat's bottom part slightly bent towards the back, it renders a kind of air-assault look. Made of soft plastic, this trench coat got a lot of folds and creases around it along with these dark colour shadings making it more fabric-like. Gambit has a body-type of a sprinter so his entire body especially the legs are much leaner. The application of dark colours between those muscle folds on the torso defined Gambit's physique.

The articulation on this figure is being hindered a bit by the areas being covered by his trench coat. Gambit got a ball-jointed neck that moves his head up but doesn't go far. He got ball-hinged shoulders, swivel to the biceps, single-jointed elbow, and swivel to the wrist. This figure got a beautiful diaphragm swivel that lets him rotate to the sides and lean forward and back and to the sides. He got ball-hinged hips that lets his legs move forward and to the sides, upper thigh swivel, single-jointed knees, and hinges to the ankles that lets it move up and down. No ankle rotation or pivot on this figure.

This figure comes with a Danger Room back drop that looked kinda like the one on the Marvel Select Storm, which I turned into a flooring (if you've noticed it among these photos). Gambit has quite a lot of interchangeable hands. One hand is used for holding a charged-up cards. There is a throwing hand that can latch on into this purple energy with flying cards molded in it, and then you got a pair of hands for his bo staff. He got two sets of flying cards; one set can be held with his fingers and the other one doesn't have anything that could let Gambit hold unto.

The Marvel Select Gambit stands about 7.5 inches tall and is on the same height as the MS Nightcrawler. This is a very well done action figure by Diamond Select Toys and I totally recommend it if you're trying to complete your team of Marvel Select X-men.

Iron Man - Mark 42: Iron Man 3 (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Iron Man - Mark XLII

Upon purchasing this Marvel Select Iron Man Mark XLII (Mk 42) at my local comic bookstore, I say I have officially got an Iron Man action figure based from the Iron Man 3 movie. I never really bothered ordering the one from Hasbro, although that one is more articulated, but the 7-inch scale with all its great amount of details feels just right for a movie-based action figure. In this case, aesthetics outweighs functionality. Then again, I would still get into everything that are nice and nasty about this figure.















The overwhelming gold colour of the Mk 42 armour makes it one of my least favourite Iron Man suit, let alone how crappy the suit was in the movie. But somehow in my view, I think that movie would probably give the producers and screenwriters some thought on how the character, Tony Stark, is prepared to face yet another otherworldly beings in the Avengers 2. It's like a stepping stone to Thanos.

Anyways, enough of that movie. The colour scheme of the Mk 42 is like a reverse polarity of the Mk 3, Mk 6, Mk 7 or any standard red and gold Iron Man suit you've seen in the comics and the movies. You would not notice any shading or special paint effects (like little sparkles) around the suit, just the colours- yellow, red and gray intertwining together. The external parts are mostly covered in yellows and reds, while gray colours are applied mostly in its interior parts and joints. One thing I also notice is that the red areas are glossier than the yellow ones as you've seen on these photos. So this isn't your knight in shinning titanium alloy suit as you've probably seen in most Iron Man figures. But even without the gloss, I still think this armour looks pretty neat once on the shelf. Moreover, I like that Diamond Select painted the eyes white and not screwing it up like what they did on the MS Mark VI.

What truly impressed me with this figure is the body mold and the sculpt. Standing at 7.4 inches tall, this is the only Marvel Select Iron Man figure I've seen that has the perfect body shape. Arm and leg lengths, and torso are in the right anatomical measurements. The overall girth, specifically the chest is not too wide nor too skinny to feel and look at. Mk 42 has some robotic designs on these ball-hinged shoulders under the shoulder guards as well as the entire armour is covered with designs of "iron platings", wirings, gears and a bunch of robotic stuff.

The Mk 42 comes with interchangeable parts. Both arms can have either fisting hands or shooting hands, or both at the same time. Just by popping its head off, you can replace it with an unmasked version and reveal the man behind this great invention. And if you're ready to get him back into action, you can always put that armoured head back to its place.

Not surprisingly, this Iron Man cannot do a more pronounced flying pose. It is a Marvel Select; it is what it is. However, the articulation on this one is not as bad as its predecessors. In fact, this is one of the most articulated Marvel Select figures along with MS Ultron and MS Captain America.

The Mk 42 got ball-jointed neck that lets you turn its head 360. It got ball-hinged shoulders that lets you turn and move his arms up and down with two of these shoulder guards that are ball-socketed that moves along with the arms but limits it as you move further upwards. And so the only way for you raise it higher is to get these removable shoulder guards out of the way. It got swivel to the biceps, single-jointed elbows and ball-hinged wrists. One thing I like about the hands is that it have these soft pliable plastic wrist guards that bend as you try pose it shooting its repulsor rays, but I'm a bit worried about the wear and tear of these plastics and so I better not use it constantly. Moving on, Mk 42 got diaphragm swivel that can rock front and back, and side to side. No waist swivel, but it has this T-joint, ball-hinged hips and thigh cuts around this area. It got double-jointed knees that kinda reminds of those Play Arts Kai figures. Both toes can point up and down, ankles can swivel and turn 360 as well as do the pivot!

At the bottom of its feet, there are peg holes which suppose to latch on to a base stand. But unfortunately for this guy, its base stand does not have any pegs (which made me wonder), and so you just have to get him to stand on the right position to get it to stay there in place. The design of the prop really look awesome even with its plain metallic gray colour.

MS Iron Man Mk XLII vs. MS Iron Man Mk VI (size comparison)

Next to the Marvel Select Iron Man - Mk 6, the Mk 42 stand probably half an inch taller and it is much leaner compared to it. I definitely recommend this figure for its richness in detail and better articulation. Marvel Select figures comes cheap ranging between $20 to $26 bucks, so its not much of an acid burn in your wallet.