[Shin Densetsu]

The Iron Man Mark V Suitcase Armor first appeared in the 2nd trailer, and definitely had an impact on me. Admittedly, when I 1st saw the figure at Kmart, prior to the 3/1 launch date, I was immensely disappointed. See, I originally thought(after reading the initial listings), that the suitcase would turn into armor for the figure.

Technically, the suitcase armor in the movie is made from Tony Stark's suitcase. However on this figure, the suitcase is a dual missle launcher. My 1st thoughts were "uh, okay......". Now that we have seen the trailer we know that the toy companies have just included the suitcase with the suitcase armors for the sake of displayability or in Hasbro's case, as a missle launcher.

I wasn't a big fan of this figure at all upon 1st sight. I'm aware that the armor is supposed to be form fitting and slimmer than Stark's other armors. Yet this one looks too form fitting to me. Depending on who you talk to, this is more accurate than the upcoming 6" version, but I personally think the 6" movie series version looks awesome, superior, and I think it will be the best Mark V figure made unless Hot Toys makes one. It doesn't matter to me if the 6" version is not as accurate, or form fitting, to me, it simply looks better. The 6" version can be seen here:

http://www.toyark.com/news/marvel-to...e-part-2-2503/

So you're probably asking yourself why I even picked this figure up. As mentioned earlier, the 2nd trailer had an impact on me and at that point, the suitcase armor was AWESOME. Then there was a sale at Toys R Us.

I took a closer look at the figure and the details up close are very impressive. Intricate details and panel lines are molded all throughout. The detail won me over and I picked it up.

This figure comes with armor cards, a stand, the suitcase launcher and 2 missles, as well as a swappable left hand. The left hands included are an open one, and a fist. I prefer to use the fist because I don't think the launcher looks practical at all. I like how it opens up, but that's about it.

The paint job is excellent, until you get to the face. See this is the bad thing about the Iron Man 2 figures; the paint is inconsistent and random! Some look GREAT, some look bad. I mean look at the closeup on the face of mine, he looks like he is CRYING!. It's like sad-face emote suitcase armor Iron Man. Not cool.

The other bad thing is that this figure has more limited range of motion for the hips than the Mark IV/VI armors. Why? The thigh armor gets in the way of the hips when moved up. Some paint has already scratched off because of me moving the legs up. Same issue as the Mark IV/VI but worse. Yes you can get the legs all the way up but only if the inner thighs face upwards, which looks weird.

The Mark V Suitcase Armor is a decent figure to pick up, it's one of the most unique molds in the line. It could have been better. The primary reason I got it wasn't so much because of the figure itself, but because my choices are primarily character driven. So if I see something I like onscreen, chances are I might buy it.

I found the range of motion on the hips to be the most disappointing factor. The sculpted detail is very impressive, as is the gloss finish. Is it something I would have bought if not for the TRU sale? Possibly, but not right away. It's not a figure that jumped out at me right away, nor is it a must have.

6/10.