Review – Marvel Legends Ultimate War Machine

Back in December we took a look at the Marvel Legends Heroes Reborn Iron Man action figure (review here), and with the Iron Man 2 movie closing in fast I thought it would be fun to take a look at the other action figure I bought when I scored that Iron Man, the Marvel Legends Ultimate War Machine*. Unfortunately, where the Heroes Reborn Iron Man was a cool toy, this War Machine action figure is a disappointment. Even at the $5 I spent for him. Too bad, since I was looking forward to another fun action figure.

Far Too Many Flaws

At a glance, this Ultimate War Machine action figure looks pretty good. The colors are decent, the sculpt is attractive, and when he’s displayed with a variety of different Iron Man action figures and toys he makes a nice addition to the display. But once you pick this toy up and start looking closely at it . . . well, that’s when it all falls apart.

Take a look at the photo above for the first major flaw with this toy. Too many ugly spots where the plastic wasn’t cleaned properly. I don’t know if this was on a sprue or if we’re looking at an injection point, but both thighs have those ugly dimples that just do not look good at all. And it’s not just the thighs. We see marks like this on the arms as well as the helmet. It’s almost as if this toy was made when the experienced factory staff were on vacation and a team of unskilled laborers came in to fill a shift. Frustrating, but as I said the toy still looks good in a group shot, so not devastating.

A Reused Sculpt

I’m okay with toys sculpts being reused, but when we get deeper into this figure we uncover that it was a lazy reuse. Take a look at the photos below; you see how there’s a head under the helmet? Well, don’t get excited because the helmet doesn’t come off. What we have here is a Tony Stark head that has been painted and the helmet glued on.

Michael Crawford’s review of this figure isn’t forgiving, but I have to agree with him when he says:

“Excuse me if I get really negative on this one, but is this not the most lazy wave filler you have ever seen? (don’t answer) Not only is this just a simple re-color re-cast, but its a pretty bad one at that, customizers have been making Ult WM from Ult IM for some time now and a simple Silver and black does it. Why they busted this Titanium Copper color and flat grey is beyond me, but if that is not enough to make you want pass on this figure then hold on to your hats… THE HELMET IS NOT REMOVABLE but at least the took the effort to make the skin color right when you look up in to the chin are (**claps) did I mention this figure comes with the head of Ares? A perfect example of BAF marketing to sell peg warmers. Sorry hasbro, but this one is a FAIL in my opinion. 1 1/2 Stars for being a lazy, yet clean looking figure.”

I Hate When Toys Aren’t Awesome

It’s not fun to play with weak toys, and it’s really not fun to put energy into writing about toys with so many problems. In a shocking twist, I actually find myself being harsher with this figures than some of the other reviews out there . . . like this review at OAFE that is far, far too forgiving:

“Ultimate War Machine isn’t the most exciting Marvel Legend ever released: in fact, he’s just a palette swap of Ultimate Iron Man, but that’s true in the comics, as well. It would have been nice if they’d at least gone to the trouble of giving Rhodey his own head, but for a simple repaint, he’s not bad.”

Sorry, but the closer we look at this toy the worse it is. Besides the glued on helmet and the poor injection-mold/sprue points, the shin guards just will not stay on when I play with the toy. They look cool, but I’m gonna need to glue these pieces in place if I ever plan to pick this toy up again.

At Least the Paint isn’t Terrible

Not expertly applied, but the color scheme is attractive and there aren’t any terrible sloppy edges or lines. The light blue coloring on the torso adds some visual interest to what’s otherwise a muted color scheme, but there’s nothing here that makes me want to call this anything but a functional, decent paint job that doesn’t detract from the toy. Which is a good thing when you’re dealing with a toy with so many flaws.

Closing Thoughts

I paid $5 for Ultimate War Machine and I feel like I wasn’t exactly robbed, but I didn’t exactly get a good deal, either. The joints are tight and the figure is sturdy, but the ugly lines, glued on helmet, and loose shin guards make this toy way less fun than it should have been.

Unless you’re an Iron Man completist you can skip this toy . . . even if you find it for $5. There are better War Machine toys on the market, so if you need a War Machine action figure keep your eyes open for one of the toys from the new Iron Man 2 series.

Sorry, Ultimate War Machine, but you weren’t the ultimate toy I was hoping for.

*Affiliate link: Orders using this link earn battlegrip.com cash, which is applied to buying toys.

Philip Reed refuses to look at anything except an awesome toy next. It’s not fun to write about toys with problems, so the next review will either be an amazing toy or something so weird that it’s fun for us all to look at.