Welcome to Flashback Friday: The MCU. In this series you’ll get a review and discussion on some of your favorite Pops and Dorbz from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here, we really appreciate the shared universe so the figures will come from film, television, and streaming.
When Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe we always knew more suits were on the horizon. In the original Iron Man they teased James Rhodes donning a silver suit known as War Machine. The character of War Machine was officially introduced in Iron Man 2 with Don Cheadle portraying the titular hero. Funko didn’t produce sets for Iron Man or Iron Man 2 so the first time we’re introduced to War Machine in Pop MCU form is the Iron Man 3 set.
The entire War Machine suit is painted with variations of gray and silver. The majority of the front of the face is silver. This includes the mouth, nose area, around the eyes, and most of the forehead. There is one spot under each eye that’s dark gray. The eyes are painted white which is exactly how they should be. Much better than the black eyes from the last Iron Man pop I reviewed. Starting from the chin and encompassing around the sides of the head in both directions are dark gray areas. This also covers the ears and back of the head. The dark gray extends over the center of the forehead with several slits shaped into the metal. The chest piece is spread over the pectoral area and ends just before the upper abdomen. In the center of the chest piece is a small square like arc to power the suit. It’s painted with a tint of red. The shoulder armor and gloves are dark gray just like the chest piece. On top of the left shoulder armor there’s an AR-15 Rifles or missile type weapon mounted for use in combat. In between the gloves and shoulder armor we have silver paint covering the bicep portion of the arms. The lower abdomen area contains silver plates which look like they extend upward when the suit is being placed around the person. The leg armor and boots are both dark gray and look very similar to the gloves and shoulder armor. Right above the knees are small silver areas that wrap around the leg to show some definition. Although later iterations of War Machine look much better and are more defined this one is a solid first try from Funko. My only complaint is the weapon mounted on the shoulder is mostly hidden under the head. I would’ve liked to see a more defined weapon that stands out as a big part of the suit.
It’s hard to believe that the Iron Man 3 set is already four years old. Being an older set it’s nearly impossible to find these in stores. War Machine being vaulted makes it even harder to find unless you take your searching to the Internet. Luckily for those interested in adding this War Machine to their collection they won’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get it. Recent eBay sales have the pop ranging from $15.00 to $30.00. If you can get it on the lower end more power to you. Even at $30.00 it’s not bad. Some of the Winter Soldier set is going for more than double that price point and it was released a year later. Anyways, go add this to your collection while the price is still reasonable.
What are your thoughts on the first ever MCU War Machine pop? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
Check back next week for more MCU flashbacks. Excelsior!
Matt Norris