When Bandai Tamashii Nations solicited their first Manga Realization figure in the spring–SH Figuarts Samurai Spider-Man–I was pretty lukewarm on that figure. “Spidey in samurai armor? That doesn’t make any sense! Why didn’t they just make Iron Man?!” Well, lo and behold, for their second figure in the series, Bandai has: the S.H. Figuarts Samurai Iron Man Manga Realization figure has now been revealed!

It’s taken a little longer than it probably should have (as in, “the second action figure released in the line and not the first”), but the character most collectors would have expected to lead off the feudal-themed Marvel Manga Realization figure line has now been officially announced: Samurai Iron Man!

I expect to see this feudal Iron Man figure in-person at the Bluefin booth at New York Comic-Con 2016 in just two weeks (I can’t believe it’s NYCC season again already!), but here’s my thoughts on the few images Bandai has released thus far…

I really like the “chest reactor” on this Samurai Iron Man Figuarts figure. Whereas I’ve become way too accustomed to the sticker that Hasbro applies to the chest armor of their Marvel Legends Iron Man figures, it looks like Bandai Tamashii Nations has opted for a very nice bright blue, shiny/glittery plastic circle for the armor of the chest. This detail really pops on the gold and red armor and is an instant eye-grabber.

In addition, I dig the highly-decorated “jetpack” on the back of the armor, even if it does feel more steampunk than feudal. The antique gunbarrels that will fit under the wrists for “not-really-repulsors” are also pretty slick. This figure really is as wildly inventive as anything in the Stat Wars Movie Realization line.

Much like the SH Figuarts Samurai Spider-Man figure that went up for sale during the summer, the big factor that will be dissuading many collectors away from picking up this Bandai Iron Man Samurai Armor figure is going to be the price-tag: 9,504 Japanese yen, the equivalent of around $94 USD. That’s a lot of money to drop on what’s basically just a crazy (though immensely creative) feudal reinterpretation of a superhero.

There’s a lot of expensive unique tooling required for these figures, and they are beautifully-painted and super-articulated, but $90+ is more than a lot of collectors are willing to drop for a 7″ “alternate universe” figurine.

The Bandai SH Figuarts Samurai Iron Man Marvel Manga Realization figure should be up for order later this month, and is expected to be released in February 2017. Hasbro has allowed all of Bandai’s Star Wars Movie Realization figures and the Samurai Spider-Man Figuarts figure to be distributed in North America, so there’s no reason to believe that this Manga Realization Iron Man figure won’t be available domestically as well.

I’ll post alerts via with Marvel Toy News Twitter and Facebook Pages as soon as this very unique Iron Man actually goes up for sale, so stand by if this looks like the kind of action figure that your collection won’t be complete without (wait–is there such a collection out there?).

Now that he’s been revealed, are you intrigued enough to lay down close to a hundred smackers to have your own Samurai Iron Man action figure, Marvel collectors? What characters (if any) would you like to see next in this style?