Thursday, February 10, 2011

REVIEW: Iron Man 2's Titanium Man


As a loyal KGB agent, Boris Bullski was more than happy to undergo the experiments that increased his size and strength, and wear the massive armor that turned him into the Titanium Man. He was assigned to embarrass the United States by defeating Iron Man in open combat, but the armored hero’s fighting skills and superior technology defeated the massive Russian armor.

Packaging

Titanium Man uses the standard Iron Man 2 packaging. It's nice enough, as it allows a good view of the figure within but I do wish Hasbro would use individual illustrations, as this makes finding specific figures much easier. 

Titanium Man
There's something not right here. Boris Bullski - AKA Titanium Man - had a suit of armour that was huge, a lumbering, heavy-set behemoth. Yet this armour is clearly based on a more modern design. Was there an Ultimate Titanium Man? Or have they since established that the modern Titanium Man IS Boris Bullski? I'm not sure really what's going on here but frankly, I don't care, as - minor quibbles aside - this figure is great.


For starters, the sculpt is excellent. Titanium Man towers above the other Iron Man figures and although his limbs and torso are slightly elongated, they appear generally in proportion. And even if they're not, it lends him a dynamic feel.

The armour itself is nicely detailed, with a banded ''under-suit'' augmented with larger plates and straps that give it a slightly bolted-together look, which is ideally suited for the character, given that the armour is not supposed to be as sleek or modern as Iron Man's many costumes. I especially like his big, chunky boots with their thick sole and heavy tread and the shoulder pads that lend it a more medieval sensibility.

There are some figures in the Marvel Universe that just seem to radiate dynamism and Titanium Man is one of them. Even when he's standing stock-still he has a good sense of potential energy about him, much like the Modular Armor Iron Man. Indeed the two make excellent companion-pieces.


The toy is not without its faults, though. Titanium Man uses ball-jointed hips - which are normally excellent - but here they're a little tight at times and getting his legs to bend in the exact direction you want can test your patience. Also their range of motion seems stifled by his groin-piece. Whilst he's not utterly rigid, don't expect to be able to sit him down or make him do the splits.

Some of the joints are also a tad loose - his ankles especially seem weak and there's a lot of give when you're posing him. It's not a problem, really but sometimes you'll find yourself making some minor tweaks to his pose to accommodate the slightly wobbly feel he has when standing. It's also a shame he's cast with a solid waist.

There's little to speak of in terms of his paint - most colour comes from  the two shades of plastic used (green and grey) and where paint is applied, it's done so accurately and masks the plastic beneath well. There are a couple of dark washes applied to the metallic grey but they're actually very subtle and work well. It's also nice to see that the paint and plastic hues match, which gives a seamless look to the figure. Where paint is used extensively - on his visor - it's also applied accurately and gives a nice fiery glow-effect.

Extras
Titanium Man includes his own armour cel cards, a stand and a clip-on ''fiery fist'' effect. This piece is a very snug fit and sits well on the hand. You won't find this dropping off as you pose him. It's cast in a semi-transparent plastic that looks great and - best of all - is a very dynamic sculpt that adds a real sense of motion to the character's poses.

Final Thoughts
The Iron Man 2 line has a number of great figures and this is certainly one of them. Yes, there's a lot of chaff in the range (how many Iron Man variants do we really need?) but the Comic Series features some superb toys and it's nice to see Hasbro widening the scope of the line with such figures as Titanium Man.

Sure, Titanium Man has a couple of joint problems but it's nothing to get too upset about and maybe they're limited to my figure alone. But even with those minor issues he's a great figure. He looks dynamic, his colour-scheme is eye-catching and his design really draws the eye, with it's combination of sheer size and intricate detail.

Titanium Man is a well-designed, well-executed action figure and with many places selling-off their older Iron Man 2 stock, now is the time to pick him up. You won't be disappointed.

Scores
SculptA-
PaintA-
ArticulationA-
Production QualityB+
Final ScoreA-

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