Iron Man Mk.VII 1:9 Scale Dragon Models

[Smiffy]

Iron Man Mark VII

1:9 Scale Dragon Models

One of the biggest box office hits of the summer, The Avengers successfully brought Marvel’s best known superheroes together, into one entertaining and action packed movie. Under the directorship of Joss Whedon (who co-wrote the story and also wrote the screenplay), the film follows Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Tony Stark’s not-so-secret alter ego, Iron Man, as they join forces to battle against an invasion by an alien army, led by Thor’s (adopted) brother, Loki.

The Iron Man suit itself has gone through a number of revisions and modifications since it’s first appearance. Manufactured from a gold/titanium alloy and powered by a miniature Arc Reactor, it can fly higher than an SR-71 and is capable of supersonic speeds thanks to it’s repulsor technology. The surface of the suit doubles as the flight control system, with multiple flaps, ailerons and airbrakes, essentially making it an aircraft that you wear. It also packs quite a punch, thanks to an array of built in weapons and countermeasures. The Avengers sees the debut of the newest addition to Stark’s armoury, the Mk.VII suit. It is packed with a whole host of new kit, including laterally launched rockets and a pair of jettisonable boosters strapped over the shoulders.

There have been a few plastic kits available of the various movie incarnations of Iron Man. However, they all seem to suffer from rather uninspiring poses. Many modellers have taken to modifying these existing kits in order to get something that looks a little more animated (no pun intended) and dynamic. Now though, Hong Kong’s Dragon Models have entered the superhero universe, with a new range of figures from The Avengers movie.

The kit

I will admit that I was totally unaware that these kits were due out, as there appears to have been little fanfare about their impending release. I found it totally by chance, while browsing on one of my favourite overseas web-shops. The store had received a limited number of the Iron Man kits and were showing only a couple left. As soon as I saw the pictures of the completed model, I knew I had to have it and placed my order straight away. They had also received the Hulk kit from the same Dragon range as well, but my wallet was saved from further distress as this model had already sold out.

A little over a week later and I had the package in hand. First things first. The box art is exquisite and features a fantastic illustration of the Man himself flying past the Stark Tower. Below that, alongside The Avengers logo, another shot mimics the actual pose of the figure itself. It’s one of those boxes that will have to be kept, long after the kit is finished. Lifting the glossy box lid off, we discover quite a high number of parts for a figure kit. There are 64 parts moulded in red plastic, 17 pieces in a silver colour, one clear sprue holding 4 parts and one sprue of a red vinyl like material, holding 3 pieces. A 2 part stand rounds out the contents. The instructions are provided on a small, glossy 4-page spread out sheet. The construction sequence is laid out in 9 assembly steps, with very clear and well drawn diagrams. On the back of the instruction sheet, the paint guide provides 4 photo views of the completed figure. Colour callouts are provided for Gunze paints, with mixing ratios given for the main red and gold shades.

The plastic parts themselves look very clean, with no flash whatsoever and look every bit as crisp as we’ve come to expect from this manufacturer. The first stage of construction deals with the build up of the central armature. This is constructed from 9 parts and basically forms the backbone of the figure. It has the attachment points for the limbs and a ball joint fitting for the head. Looking at the instructions, it’s seems very little (if anything at all) will be seen of this armature, but each part is detailed, which is curious. I’m wondering if Dragon are planning a battle damaged version of the kit or if they have simply provided it for the modeller who wishes to add some blast holes in the armour, themselves. Toward the end of the movie, the suit does look pretty beat up, so this might be a nice feature to try and replicate.

The torso armour is all engineered to be built up in layers. The abdominal armour is attached to the armature first. There is a join where the front and rear halves meet, but these joins are covered by separate side panels, which shows how well thought out this kit is. The front and rear halves of the chest armour are added next. Dragon have supplied optional Arc Reactor pieces, which locate in the centre of the chest plate. We have the triangular one, which was first seen in Iron Man 2, or alternatively we have the circular type which Stark reverts to in the Avengers. One slight disappointment here is that these reactors are moulded in red plastic. It would have been nice to have them moulded in clear, as it would make lighting the model a little easier. That being said though, the kit piece could be modified with some careful drilling and carving. We are at least supplied with a clear lens which covers the Arc Reactor. The torso is completed by the addition of the all-important crotch armour, the central chest piece and the covers for the shoulder mounted boosters.

The arms and legs are also of a similar multipart break down, with the forearms and lower legs being very impressive looking, single piece mouldings. Assembly for the upper arms and legs is of a more conventional breakdown. The central core of each limb is built up from several parts and then over these, there are some separate armour plates to add. Where necessary, these plates have finely moulded edges for a more realistic appearance. The hands are moulded in a red vinyl-like material. They are solid, so if you plan to light the model, some careful drilling will be required. Some large diameter fibre optic cable might be the best way to go about lighting these parts. Clear lenses are supplied for the flight stabilisers/palm weapons and on the back of the each hand, another fine armour part finishes things off nicely.

The head is built around an insert, which is also moulded in that red vinyl material. There are front and rear halves for the head armour, with a separate faceplate, which has a clear insert added for the eyes. There is a neck piece which is slid over the ball socket on the torso and then the head locks in place over this. The arms and legs locate using large pin and socket joints. With the legs in place, two armour pieces are positioned over the hips. All that’s left is to position the figure on the stand. A solid metal rod is supplied, which attaches through his right sole and elevates the figure just off the surface of the large round base.

Photo of the completed model from Dragon's website

Conclusion

A very impressive looking kit. It appears to be up to Dragon’s usual high standards in terms of quality and detail. An intelligent parts breakdown means you end up with a very authentic multi layered look to the suit and gives it an overall air of finesse. I also think the airborne fighting pose looks fantastic.

I can’t do anything other than wholeheartedly recommend this kit to all fans of the Iron Man movies.

Review sample from my personal collection.

[Chablar]

Ive been looking into grabbing this one myself, thanks for the review

[triumphfan]

I have one on the way from t'far east. I have also put my Moebius version on ebay.

Looking forward to getting my mits on this one. Will probably make this one of my Christmas period builds along with Thunderbird 1 in the launch bay.

Steve.

[rmcclure]

Never been tempted by this sort of thing before but that my change my mind. It's just crying out for an Alclad fest.

[gunpowder17]

Never been tempted by this sort of thing before but that my change my mind. It's just crying out for an Alclad fest.

And LEDs!