Hot Toys Marvel figure collectors have been suffering from a bit of a famine for the past quarter-year, as the last new sixth scale figure to go up for sale was the oddball Dusty Deadpool exclusive variant back in October. But with Captain Marvel and Avengers Endgame fast approaching, the time is drawing near for another feast. Even so, the first new Marvel Hot Toys of 2019 is one no one could have predicted: the Hot Toys Punisher War Machine Die-Cast 1/6 figure is now up for order!

…Um, what? Earlier this month, Hot Toys posted a teaser image of the Punisher skull on some sort of chest plate. I presumed that, with the new Netflix Punisher season premiering this month, it was a sign that a new Netflix 1/6 version of the character was on the way.

But come the end of this week, Hot Toys played their hand, and it was, uh… not something I imagine anyone could have foreseen was in the works prior to that teaser. Based off of the Marvel Future Fight video game, it’s… the Punisher War Machine Armor Die-Cast 1/6!?

Okay, so for those not keeping up with modern comic books, here’s a quick refresher: James Rhodes was killed by Thanos (don’t worry, he’s all better now), and Frank Castle briefly ended up donning the War Machine armor in his own series (don’t worry, that’s over with now).

The War Machine Punisher stuff in the comics was actually pretty decent (you rock, Matthew Rosenberg), but it was also pretty brief, so I wasn’t exactly expecting a nearly $400 figure to come of that storyline.

And, well… it hasn’t. Not directly, anyway. Using the old Civil War War Machine Mark III die-cast body as a base, Hot Toys has created this armored Punisher sixth scale figure specifically using the Marvel Future Fight design of the character from the mobile video game.

I’ve already seen a lot of grumbles about the Frank Castle head sculpt here, but here’s the thing: based off the source material, Hot Toys absolutely nailed the in-game design. This isn’t Netflix or comic book Punisher—this is the version specifically from Future Fight, and while it might not be a style to everyone’s liking, the portrait is authentic and accurate to that game.

For those wondering why HT would pick a mobile video game look instead of a comic book look—I think it’s for the same reason as we got a PS4 Spider-Man Spider-Punk figure: Hot Toys doesn’t have a license to make Marvel comics 1/6 figures, but video games/GamerVerse versions are on the table.

This actually isn’t just a straight-up repaint of the War Machine Civil War die-cast sixth scale figure, either: a new chest plate, Gatling gun, effect pieces, and forearm missiles and guns have been added (as well as the new Frank Castle head). A lot of effort has gone into making this Punisher War Machine as accurate as possible!

That said, this is a huge pass for me. $392 plus shipping for a very obscure version of the Punisher is was outside of my comfort zone, and I’ve got no logical place to display this with my other sixth scale figures. I’ve heard many Punisher fans calling this a “must have”, however.

With how excited some collectors seem about this piece, I wonder if this doesn’t end up with a low production run by a high aftermarket value once it’s actually been released and more people have a chance to see and fall in love with what is a very unique Hot Toys armor.

The Hot Toys War Machine Armor Punisher 1/6 figure is now up for order, and is scheduled to ship out in Q1 2020. Since there’s new tooling required for this 12.8″ figure and it’s not a straight-up repaint, the year of lead-time makes sense to me. And it’s much better than the two years many die-cast Iron Man MMS Figures take! This isn’t a figure that I’m planning to snap up myself, but even I have to admit that this is one gorgeously-designed piece of work.

How do you feel about this *highly* unexpected addition to the die-cast Iron Man series, Hot Toys collectors? Is this War Machine Punisher a must-have for you, or is 400 bones too much to drop on a random video game version of a classic character?