Mega Bloks Iron Man 2 Vehicle Series

[JeffSaylor]

Iron Man and War Machine get some sweet rides...

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Last week we took a look at the "Aerial Attack" series (see that review HERE), the two smallest sets in Mega Bloks' Iron Man 2 film lineup. Today we're moving up the scale into the mid-range "Vehicle" series. Coming in at around a $10 price point, these two sets offer cool, imaginative vehicles for the armored heroes to pilot, along with plenty of stickers and accessories to let young fans' imaginations go wild.

The medium-sized vehicle sets are packaged in boxes that are very similar to the small ones for the Aerial Attack kits, with the same flashy metallic and reflective surfaces. The boxes are square and very narrow, with a big front panel showing the vehicle and mini-figure in an exciting scene complete with special effects. A small "Building Action" thumbnail gives you a preview of how the set is put together. The front of each box has the Iron Man 2 logo at the top left, Mega Bloks in the bottom right, and the set’s name in the bottom left along with the name of the mini-figure and an "Avengers Assemble" icon.

The backs of the boxes have more photos of the set and figure along with a brief "story" of the action. Finally, there is the usual "Collect Them All" section showing the three basic sizes of Iron Man 2 Mega Bloks sets.

The vehicle sets clock in at just under 2000 pieces, with 1955 and 1956 for Iron Man's Jet-Boat and War Machine’s Chopper respectively. Both boxes contain parts in multiple bags, instructions, and stickers. Just like in the smaller sets, the bags are all perforated for easy opening, and the instructions are very clear and straightforward. Here too are extra stickers for customizing the vehicles or anything else you’d like to do with them! Once assembly is complete each set becomes one figure, his vehicle, and a small accessory.

While Iron Man and War Machine pretty much just flew around under their own power in the Iron Man 2 film, these building kits provide young fans with fun "just off screen" vehicles. Iron Man rides the waves in a sleek jet-boat, while War Machine takes to the skies in his favorite chopper. Both vehicles are designed around a single-seater cockpit, and feature the same color schemes as their respective riders.

The jet-boat has a centrally-mounted pilot’s seat, with two forward pointing skis, a large engine block, and two rear-facing "wings." Low and wide, the craft looks built for speed. Most of the parts are dark red and gold, with accents in black and blue. Stickers applied to the skis mark the boat as belonging to Stark Enterprises. The accessory in this set is a green and white buoy that's actually pretty cool, with a clear green top and another Stark sticker.

War Machine's "chopper" matches its rider not just in color, but also in demeanor. Behind and above the bulky cockpit spins a twin-bladed rotor, while pylons extend to either side. The helicopter rests on two skids, and the long body of the craft terminates at two panels designed for stickers of War Machine's armored head. The chopper is primarily black, blue, and gray, with lots of yellow details. There are clear blue protrusions at the ends of the pylons (guns?), and War Machine’s own gatling cannon can be mounted below the cockpit. The accessory in this set is a small helicopter landing pad.

All of the Iron Man mini-figures share the same basic body, with variations for the Stark armors and the enemy drone units. They stand under 2 inches tall and have extremely good articulation for figures of this size. Both Iron Man (Mark III) and War Machine have ball-jointed necks, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, wrists, waists, ball-jointed hips, and knees. All of this gives them great poseability for battle when they're not piloting their vehicles.

Both Iron Man and War Machine share the same basic body, seen before on the Aerial Attack Iron Man. The armor suits have an excellent sculpt featuring overlapping armor plates on the torso, and lots of intricate details, especially around the joints and on the helmets.

The figures complete the look of their film counterparts with detailed paint jobs. War Machine is the simpler of the two, but still looks great in black and silver. The black even has a subtle sprinkling of bright flecks. Iron Man is bright red and gold with white details, but that’s just the start. This version has seen plenty of action, leaving severe battle damage on both arms and the right side of his body from his head to his knee. The scraped look is very striking, especially on the helmet’s face.

While Iron Man has the more interesting look, he doesn't have any accessories of his own. War Machine on the other hand has a shoulder rig that plugs into the hole in its back. The included gatling cannon and missile launcher pod then plug into the top of the rig. For even more firepower War Machine has two identical handheld weapons!

The medium-sized vehicle sets are definitely an upgrade in parts and complexity from the Aerial Attacks, and provide a good amount of building to create the jet-boat and chopper. Both vehicles are solid and look good, and will definitely appeal to kids and collectors of movie-themed constructible sets. The battle-damaged Iron Man Mark III and War Machine mini-figures are unique to these sets and are probably my favorite out of the entire line. Iron Man just looks like he’s been through hell, while War Machine has all of the additional weapons that make him such a badass. Both are highly recommended for Iron Man fans of all ages!

For even more images of these sets, CLICK HERE!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Review samples courtesy of Mega Bloks

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