Sen-Ti-Nel — Marvel — Iron Man, Sentinel Fighting Armor — Mini Review
I am going to start reviewing some of the action figures and statues I acquire for my toy photography. I have found other reviews helpful when deciding whether or not to buy something and I want to provide the same sort of help to others who may not have the same access I do to such a wide variety of figures.
As I’ve matured in my toy photography, I have gradually been moving away from 1:12 scale (six-inch) figures because they generally do not offer enough articulation or detail for me to use in my photographic pursuits.
I (like many) started with the Hasbro Black Series of Star Wars figures. I almost never buy anything from Hasbro these days (with the exception of troopers — they are a good source when you want to army build — and I am putting together an army of 200 troopers and the more affordable Hasbro line works for that.)
But I recently came upon a new line of 1:12 figures that I absolutely adore. The Japanese companies tend to make better (and more expensive) figures so when I ordered the Sen-Ti-Nel — Marvel — Iron Man, Sentinel Fighting Armor (https://amzn.to/3yMeF9k) I had high hopes.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Let me remove any suspense — these are the best-built, most attractive, six inch figures I’ve seen to date. They have maximum articulation that I can’t even replicate on the much more expensive Hot Toys 1:6 figures. They feel good in the hand — have some heft to them. They are SO much better than the cheap plastic stuff from Hasbro that it’s not even close. That said — they cost two to three times as much as the 1:12 Hasbro line and not everyone will have the application I do (photography demanding detail and articulation) so for some, the price will be an issue.
This Fighting Armor line is very unique. They take traditional Marvel characters (Wolverine, Deadpool, Spiderman, Iron Man, etc.) and they dress them all in battle armor. Think Iron Man. Of course their Iron Man figure (pictured here) was the first one I obtained and it — not surprisingly looks a lot like every Iron Man. After all, Iron Man wears an armor suit — so on this figure it’s not much of a stretch. But if the build on this figure is any indication, I cannot wait to get the rest of the series. I just received the Wolverine Fighting Armor and will be reviewing it next but at first glance, everything I am saying about the Iron Man figure will apply to the Wolverine figure… But back to Iron man!
The body of each figure in the Fighting Armor line is covered in armor while each joint is is carefully designed to recreate the articulation of a true human body. This articulation is simply off the hook. I can put my Iron Man into poses that are so life-like it’s scary. There seem to be almost no limitations. I am sure that my own lack of skill in posing will be the only limitation here. If you can think it — you can pose it with this lineup.
Oh and this Iron Man even has opening and closing shoulder repulsors on his back, which is such a cool added feature.
I do want to specifically call out the exceptional nature of the use of die-cast material in this figure. It’s not 100% die-cast but it is MOSTLY die-cast. It is used in various parts throughout the body to add a sense of heaviness. There are clear parts that are used in the eyes and chest for great detail!
The figure’s instructions do make mention (several times) that the surface may be prone to scratches. Whether or not that is just a standard CYA type warning or a serious one, I don’t know. But I am not taking any chances and am being very careful with the figure.
This Iron Man stands well on his own, but all the figures in this line come with an adjustable stand. This makes it easy to recreate Iron Mans iconic flying scenes.
I do wish the stand were an inch taller and I also wish it were a tad easier to put together. If you have fat fingers like me, prepare to spend more time assembling the stand than you thought you would. I’d suggest having a set of heavy-duty tweezers on hand to help with the stand assembly. I also think the stand could be a little sturdier. If this were merely a plastic figure, the stand would be overkill, but given the amount of die-cast material in this figure, I feel like the makers cut corners on the stand — a very minor quibble but a quibble nonetheless. (I will compare the sturdiness, and height of the stands that come with the other figures in this line to see if there’s any variation but I doubt there will be.)
The box the figure comes in is attractive and the item is well packaged. I was surprised to find that this figure comes with four additional hands or six total. I expect that with more expensive figures from places like Hot Toys but not on a six inch figure. What a nice touch.
Wrapping up…
The paint application on this toy is as good as it gets. The colors are rich and vibrant and seem to go well with my idea of what an Iron Man should look like.
I think that the Sentinel Fighting Armor Iron Man is nothing short of a work of art. You can buy it for just under $100.
Make sure that you buy one from the SHIPS FROM/SOLD BY Amazon page. There are lots of knock offs out there. A dead give away is seeing sellers offering this guy for less than $50. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
I give this figure my highest recommendation.
Remember, toys are joy.
P.S. Other than the box shot, the photography in this post is all mine.
