The Movie Realization series from Tamashii Nations has been one of the most excellent re-imaginings of characters --- particularly in the Star Wars universe --- in the figure realm in quite some time. It was such a success, Tamashii turned its attention to comics for the next Realization line, which kicked off with Spider-Man as a samurai. Though I wasn't a huge fan of the figure's design, I could appreciate what the company was trying to do, and was eager to see what other Marvel characters would get the Manga Realization treatment next.

It shouldn't have come as any surprise that Iron Man, one of the most popular action figure characters in Marvel's catalog, would follow Spider-Man into the Samurai era. Fortunately, all the issues I had with Spider-Man aren't present here, and Tamashii has delivered an impressive new twist on the armored Avenger.

Designed by Takayuki Takeya, the same mind behind the Star Wars samurai, this Iron Man figure fits perfectly within the Realization universe Tamashii's crafted. It's a wonder Iron Man wasn't first in this series, as he makes a much more natural fit given his predilection for various armor suits. Still, the wait will have been worth it based on the prototype images we're seeing here for the first time.

There's a great deal of detail throughout the figure, but particularly in the chest plate which gets some tremendous ornamental metalworking. The gold elements look a bit more mustard than they do like a brilliant metallic element, but that may have more to do with honoring the actual color palette of the era than anything else. So far the Realization series hasn't had to get to wild with its color schemes and paint apps, and gold is one of the more precious metals we've seen incorporated so far across the line.

Like all the figures, Iron Man comes with some blades, but the real weapon accessories are the matchlock pistols fastened beneath his wrists. Obviously repulsors wouldn't work inside the suit, so Takeya opted for the next best thing, which was just hooking up to pistols to Iron Man's gauntlets. He also has a massive "flight contraption" attached to his back to provide that aerial element. It's a little steampunkish, but it also looks fantastic. You get a sense Takeya actually thought about how such a jet pack would be constructed in that time period, and built out the device with that in mind, rather than just slapping some jets on Iron Man's back.

Pre-orders will open on Sept. 30, with the figure expected to arrive in February 2017. Manga Realization Koutetsu-Samurai Iron Man MK III will retail for around ~$95.

 

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