Marvel Toy News readers have had to hear me cry and moan for a year that I was certain my favorite Iron Man 3 House Party Protocol Iron Man armor was never going to be produced as a Hot Toys sixth scale figure. Well, as is wont to happen sometimes–I was wrong. Overnight, a brand new and totally unexpected new Movie Masterpiece Series figure made its debut online, and now it’s time to get out our credit cards out–the Hot Toys Bones Iron Man Mark XLI sixth scale figure is now up for order!

When I saw the Iron Man 3 movie for the first time, I teared up a little bit (no, really) when the 34 House Party Protocol armors flew in for the climactic battle. I’d been eagerly awaiting seeing the Igor Iron Man armor and the Starboost Iron Man armor on-screen for months, and after sitting through two hours of excellent character development, I was ready for some action.

But the Iron Man armor that made the biggest impression on me and that I wanted instantly when I saw it on-screen was one I hadn’t given much thought to–the “Skeleton” Iron Man Bones armor (While the Mark 41 Iron Man armor is officially Bones Iron Man, initial merchandising such as the Iron Man 3 Minimates called it the Skeleton Armor Iron Man).

Not only was the Iron Man Marl XLI Bones armor one of the slickest-looking armors in the movie with its black and gold color scheme, but it also had the coolest ability of any of the House Party Protocol armors–the power to separate into individual modules and rocket through the air to attack enemies!

Because of the unique tooling requires for the armor and the fact that collectors would expect Hot Toys to find a way to implement the modular features of this armor, I truly never expected that we would see this armor produced in the sixth scale form. In fact, I legitimately thought that it was the last armor that Hot Toys would produce.

Thankfully, I was wrong. Not only is Hot Toys producing the Iron Man Skeleton Suit as a Movie Masterpiece Series figure, they’ve actually designed the MMS251 Bones Iron Man figure to split up into separate pieces so that it can go into full-on attack mode! This effect will be achieved via strong magnets build into each component of the armor. This will probably add a bit to the cost of this figure, but it’s also the best way of realizing this design in high-end figure form.

The photos of the separated Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Bones armor are rather grainy when the armor is separated, but they’re good enough to sell me on this being a must-have for my collection.

Sometimes I complain that Hot Toys doesn’t give us enough accessories with the Hot Toys Iron Man line–but that’s absolutely not the case here. Not only do we get eight thrust fire attachments for the various pieces of the Skeleton Iron Man armor, but we’re also getting a figure display base with a very different pillar than we’re used to.

According to the specs, this is a “One (1) circular figure stage with flexible pillar and armor parts stands”. So yes, rejoice–it looks like Hot Toys has actually found a way to let us display the Bones Iron Man Hot Toys figure as it flies around in pieces. I can only hope that this is how Hot Toys chooses to display the Iron Man Bones MMS figure at SDCC 2014 in a few weeks.

The bad news is that we’re going to have to wait for this Iron Man 3 Hot Toys Iron Man Mark XLI Bones figure. His scheduled release date is Q2/Q3 2015 (with a loose shipping date of June 2015). I’m not thrilled about waiting an entire other year for the Iron Man Mark 41 Hot Toys figure, but if it’s a year or never, I’ll certainly wait the year.

I’m not sure how quickly a non-exclusive Iron Man 3 armor will sell through being put up for order a year-plus after the movie, but this is the armor I want the absolute most, and I’m not taking any chances–this is an instant pre-order for me.

The Hot Toys Iron Man Bones Mark XLI figure is now available for order on the Sideshow Collectibles website. The $279.99 price-point is a bit higher than it is for the typical Iron Man armor, but this is also a totally unique mold with extra accessories and magnetic features, so I don’t feel particularly ripped off by the price increase.

What do you think of Hot Toys’ latest House Party Protocol Iron Man armor, Marvel collectors? Does the Bones armor Iron Man complete your wish list, or are there still some Iron Man 3 armors you’d like to see Hot Toys tackle?