Iron Man 3 Assemblers figures have started to show up for pre-order. When the line was recently announced, we weren't sure what to expect based on the limited photos available. Since then, better images and information emerged that confirmed it was basically a line geared at children rather than collectors.
There's been something of a downward trend in the quality of 3.75-inch movie tie-in lines where the general toymaker sensibility has returned from making products with a broad appeal to "cheaper" items more specifically targeted towards very young children. These Assemblers figures only seem to feature five points of articulation (much like Mattel's The Dark Knight Rises 3.75-inch line), all of which only seem to only offer rotation. The arms (and possibly the legs?) are removable and can exchanged for those of other characters in the line. Then there are armor bits that can snap on top of the mold.
While these figures are disappointing, on the plus side it means that I have fewer line to collect. However, I'm just surprised that to see Hasbro go from their wonderful Iron Man 2 line to something cheaper than their Iron Man: Armored Adventures line. Of course, the real kicker is the US$10 MSRP which is also the current price point for the far better Marvel Universe line. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if this line actually proved successful within its target demographic given those interchangeable parts.
[ Pre-order set of 6 at Big Bad Toy Store ]
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In between all the Masterpiece news today, we almost forgot to post about the the new images of the FansProject Function X action figures that were revealed by way of BBTS today. Following the Function X-1 C.O.D.E. figure we have news of the Function X-02 that is clearly a homage to the Decepticon Headmaster Wierdwolf and the Function X-03 that is a very sexy looking rendition of G1 Headmaster Brainstorm. These are just teasers right now. No details on pricing or a release date yet.
