On the exact same day that I receive a $300 1/6 scale figure of a character variation that appears on-screen in a movie for the blink of an eye, another company announces an even bigger 1/4 scale version of that figure for less than a third of the price. This is a crazy, crazy world that we live in. Though they’re a little bit late to the house party protocol, NECA is stepping up to the bat with their own take on the Midas armor! Coming in 2014–the NECA Midas Iron Man Mark XXI 1/4 figure!

Man, for an armor that 99% of casual movie-goers would tell you wasn’t in Iron Man 3 at all, the Mark XXI Midas armor sure gets around! First Play Imaginative released an international-only 1/6 Mark XXI exclusive, and then Hot Toys brought out their own (vastly superior) version of the little-seen armor. Now, the better part of a year after Iron Man 3 has been out of theaters, NECA is ready to enter the fray with a quarter-scale Iron Man Mark XXI figure of their very own!

Though its obviously the most obscure iteration of Iron Man that NECA has ever produced, the early photo of the 18″ Midas Iron Man NECA figure definitely makes it look drop-dead gorgeous. The various gold paint tones and blue LED lights on the figure look sensational, and it’s packing the same 25 points of articulation as the original NECA Iron Man Mark VII release (since it’s a repaint of that figure, obviously).

With a cost of likely under $100, I think this may end up being a very reasonable substitute in an Iron Man collection for those who can’t afford the Hot Toys Midas Iron Man, as well as those who didn’t get the now sold-out original NECA Mark VII.

Personally, I’m feeling a little burnt out on Midas now. I literally just received my Midas Hot Toys Iron Man figure that I frantically stalked the Sideshow Collectibles website for for months. I’m good. That’s not to say that the NECA Midas Iron Man 1/4th scale figure doesn’t look good–it actually looks pretty magnificent–but I think I’m all Midas-ed out.

I’m really curious to hear your viewpoints on this release, Marvel fans! Is there anyone out there who already bought the Hot Toys Midas Iron Man and plans to indulge in some double-dipping to get the 18″ NECA Iron Man Mark 21 figure as well? And for those of you who missed out on the Midas Iron Man Hot Toys figure, do you consider this larger and far cheaper 1/4 NECA Iron Man Midas figure to be a suitable alternative?