As soon as Hot Toys revealed the Striker Iron Man sixth scale figure almost a full year ago, I started counting down the days until they announced its Jade Giant-inspired upgraded armor as a limited exclusive repaint (because let’s face it–there’s no way Hot Toys would skip out on a chance to release an awesome figure with no new tooling). And while 354 days is substantially longer than I expected, the destined time has come at last: the exclusive Hot Toys Gamma Iron Man figure is now up for order!

When the 1:6 Iron Man Striker Hot Toys figure was announced last December, I was a bit taken aback by Hot Toys’ choice, as I was sure they would want to release the glorious green version of this armor–the Gamma Iron Man Mark 26–instead of its more drab Mark 25 counterpart.

Of course, in hindsight, it all makes sense: why announce the cooler version until after the less desirable Mark XXV iteration has already been produced and sold, right?

And so, with the Iron Man Striker figure having already been released overseas (and arriving in the United States next month), Hot Toys has finally seen fit to announce the impending arrival of the dual pneumatic hammer-wielding Iron Man Gamma sixth scale figure!

Of course, there’s a catch. While collectors have had close to a year to order the Mark XXV Striker Iron Man 1:6 figure, the Mark XXVI Gamma Iron Man is a limited-edition exclusive. Overseas, he’s a Toy Soul 2015 exclusive, but he’ll be a Sideshow exclusive for us United States collectors.

It’s frustrating that the Mark 26 Iron Man is another LE exclusive, but I’d rather have it be limited than not available at all.

Like the Striker Mark XXV Iron Man armor before it, Gamma Mark XXVI will come with zippo accessories besides its display base and pneumatic hammers. That said, standing over 13″ tall and featuring enormous jackhammer arms, I can’t say that there’s a whole lot of other accessories that would make logical sense for Gamma to come with–or that it needs!

Also, note the distinctly shaped ARC Reactor that Striker and Gamma share. They definitely stand out amongst the ARC Reactors of their Iron Man 3 House Party Protocol brethren!

While this figure is a 100% repaint with no new tooling, with its wicked black and dark green color combination (and particularly slick paint deco jackhammers), I don’t think a anyone will disagree that Gamma is a far snazzier and more visually-compelling armor than Striker.

For whatever reason, Tank Iron Man bombed in the U.S. and has sold very slowly online, but the majority of the Hot Toys Iron Man 3 exclusives (including Midas, Hot Rod, Python and Peacemaker) have all ended up being very expensive and sought-after on the aftermarket. With its unique color scheme and all-around good looks, I really doubt Gamma will follow in Tank’s footsteps.

The Hot Toys Gamma Iron Man is now available for order, and is a Sideshow Collectibles exclusive in the United States. Considering that last year’s year-end exclusive was the Hot Rod Iron Man that has since skyrocketed in price, if you think you’re going to want Gamma, might as well lock in a pre-order (or payment plan) for him now.

Anyone out there besides me still buying every House Party Protocol Iron Man released? And if not, are you making an exception for the 1/6th Gamma Iron Man? These Hot Toys armors are expensive, but man–they’re also my favorite Marvel toys I get every single year!