Supposedly “it’s better late than never”, but I feel like that expression is getting stretched just a little bit by the new Marvel figures just released by Bandai. While the rest of the toy companies of the world have rushed to flood the market with figures and products from the 2013 summer blockbuster “Iron Man 3” movie, Bandai is countering with two all-new figures based on “Iron Man 2”! Yeah, as in, “The Iron Man movie from 2010”. But hey, even if the figures are a little late, at least Bandai is bringing something rockin’ to the table–the S.H. Figuarts Iron Man Mark VI and War Machine figures!

I love Bandai, and I love their S.H. Figuarts line. I love Bandai so much that I have a whole other anime toy blog where probably half of the coverage is of Bandai figures (Really! It’s up in the main menu bar!). So when I heard that Bandai was going to try their hand at making SH Figuarts Iron Man figures, well, I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear. The super-articulated 5″ S.H. Figuarts line of action figures take a long time to develop, so to have movie product ready for this summer, the figures produced needed to be based on Iron Man 2.

As with all Bandai Figuarts figures, the Iron Man 2 S.H. Figuarts figures are expensive (re: expensive). If you’re trying to grab either of these figures off of ebay, expect to pay at least $55-$60 plus shipping. SH Figuarts figures are things of pure beauty, and I love them to death, but man are they ever expensive!

For their hard-earned dollars, Marvel collectors who pick up these Bandai S.H. Figuarts Iron Man 2 figures will be getting some of the finest and most poseable Iron Man 2 figures ever made. They’re not exactly Hot Toys quality or anything, but Hot Toys make these Bandai figures look cheap cost-wise. Though Hasbro did some very nice Iron Man 2 action figures of their own, the Bandai Figuarts War Machine and Iron Man 2 figures have vastly superior paint deco, accessories (including awesome effects pieces, alternate hands, and extra weapons), and even nicer packaging.

The Iron Man 2 S.H. Figuarts War Machine and Iron Man Mark VI figures were just released in Japan, and there’s a plethora of them already available for shipping on ebay. Bandai does not have the license to release these figures in America themselves, but if you can wait a little bit longer, BigBadToyStore is still taking pre-orders and should be receiving their import shipment of the SH Figuarts Iron Man Mark 6 and War Machine figures later this month.