Well, what do you know, the Mandarin was right–I really didn’t see it coming! Even though I’ve been one of the (minority of) ardent fans and supporters of the Iron Man 3 Mandarin since the movie came out, and despite the fact that I had seen the glamor photos earlier this week and knew the Hot Toys Mandarin would be up for pre-order soon, I was still taking completely unawares: The Iron Man 3 Hot Toys Mandarin is now up for order!

I know that there are a, uh… “few” haters out there of the Marvel movies version of The Mandarin, but I thought that the writing surrounding the Ben Kingsley Mandarin in this summer’s Iron Man 3 movie was sheer beauty.

Make no mistake–the Mandarin is no Tom Hiddleston Loki, but his role (and the acting performance of it) were total brilliance, in my opinion.

Even if you didn’t like the Iron Man 3 film’s portrayal of The Mandarin, it’s hard to deny how spectacular the wardrobe designed for the movie Mandarin figure is. With his sunglasses, elaborate oriental robe and Ten Rings upon his fingers, the Hot Toys Mandarin Sixth Scale figure is easily one of the best-looking human figures ever released as part of the Marvel Movie Masterpiece Series.

While we’ve already seen some Iron Man 3 Hot Toys figures put up for pre-order that won’t arrive until the latter half of 2014. Thankfully, The Mandarin isn’t one of them. He’s scheduled to be delivered in April 2014, so we should be seeing him coming next spring.

If you think you might want the Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Mandarin figure, The Mandarin is now available for pre-order at the Sideshow Collectibles website with an expected arrival in April 2014. He’s listed at the bargain price of $214.99, so there’s no deposit required for pre-orders for the Mandarin and nothing to lose by reserving one to make sure you get him if you want him come next April.

I already placed my pre-order for the Mandarin Hot Toys figure, and will be posting unboxing images and a full review and photo gallery once he arrives in Q2 2014. What about the rest of you, Marvel collectors? Am I the only one who’s really looking forward to seeing The Mandarin coming?