When Mezco Toyz debuted their ONE:12 Collective Iron Man figure nearly two years ago, I was a little bit skeptical of if I needed a non-soft goods ONE:12 Collective figure for 90 bucks. And so, when the Mezco Iron Man Figure went up for pre-order earlier this year, I didn’t even reserve one. That said, when they announced an event exclusive Model 42 Iron Man in Marvel Puzzle Quest colors last month, I had to have it. I was lucky enough to snag one off a converted Wait List which I’ll review here: I have now drank the Kool-Aid. ONE:12 Collective Iron Man is an absolute treasure…

I genuinely thought I’d be saving money when Mezco started announcing 6” Iron Man figures, as Hasbro has produced a pretty extensive catalog of Marvel Legends Iron Man figures over the years—and those were only priced at 15-20 dollars each, not $90.

But when an MPQ Iron Man figure was revealed as an event exclusive, I was on that Wait List faster than I ever have before for one of their toys (and it thankfully converted so I didn’t have to pay 180 bucks on ebay for one). Even so, while I love me some Marvel Puzzle Quest, if Mezco Toyz wanted my money beyond Model 42 Iron Man, they were going to have to really impress me.

…Well, color me impressed.

As usual, this ONE 12 Collective exclusive variant gets its own unique box. A lot of companies just slap a mere sticker on their variants’ boxes, so I appreciate the extra effort that Mezco Toyz puts in for theirs.

To match MPQ Iron Man, the box has black and yellow sides with Iron Man’s logo on one side and some lovely comic-styled art on the other. It’s just a box, but it is a pretty one.

But when you open up the box and pull out the plastic packaging containing the actual figure and accessories, that’s when the real magic begins.

While I knew I was going to like the colors on this Marvel NOW Iron Man figure based off the official photos, seeing images of it just doesn’t compare to seeing the real deal in personal.

The matte black, glossy metallic yellow-gold, and clear translucent red on this figure look truly incredible together. The colors on this 6” figure look just as good as some of the $350 Hot Toys Iron Man 12” figures I own. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

And while this may be the same approximate scale as a Hasbro Marvel Legends figure, as soon as you pick it up you’re able to feel the immediate difference. Mezco has incorporated some die-cast metal pieces into this Model 42 Armor, giving the figure a heft that feels high-end and not like your typical plastic figure at all.

I shamefully admit that I turned my nose up at the electronic feature on this figure when it was announced, denouncing it as something a six inch figure doesn’t need. I was mistaken: the light-up function on the arc reactor lights up ultra-bright, is visible even outside in broad daylight, and looks slick as hell when activated.

Also, the On/Off switch is perfectly concealed behind a removable panel on Iron Man’s back which snaps tightly on and off with ease. You can turn the power for the light on and off in a second or two with no problems—a far cry from the nightmare of trying to turn on Hot Toys Darth Vader and some other Hot Toys Figures.

The other action feature built into the Exclusive ONE:12 Collective Iron Man Model 42 action figure is a magnetic faceplate on the armor, which can be removed entirely or raised at angle. Either way, you can see a decent enough Tony Stark portrait based off the comic books underneath. I’m unlikely to ever remove the faceplate again after this review, but it’s nice to know the option is there.

But wait—there’s more! Mezco has also included what I believe is the most extensive selection of accessories ever bundled with a 6” Iron Man figure: three pairs of interchangeable hands (fists, palms and grasping), pairs of hand and foot thrust effects, a pair of repulsor blasts, a pair of hip-mounted rocket launchers, a chest beam, and a pair of forearm gauntlet rockets. That’s… a lot of accessories!

Oh, and as usual, a figure stand with attachable flight stand posing pole is also included.

I don’t tend to use these bulky stands in my personal displays, but they do work wonderfully and I know many, many collectors love them.

I cannot overstate how much fun all of the effects pieces and weapons add to this figure. They all snap on snugly and stay in place without issues, and pulling them on and off is a breeze.

The arc reactor chest beam is compatible with the light-up feature, and while it doesn’t glow quite as brightly as the plain arc reactor piece does, it still lights up a respectable amount.

And for those wondering about scale: ONE:12 Collective Iron Man fits in seamlessly with 6” Marvel Legends figures, with Iron Man being just a smidge bigger than a standard ML figure (as an armored Iron Man should be).

If there’s one shortcoming of this figure, it’s the leg articulation. Because of the design of the armor, there are raised armored portions on the legs that get in the way when you move his legs around, inhibiting the leg articulation and making me anxious about scratching up the paint.

Hot Toys gets around this issue by having the legs pull out and extend away from the body on some MMS figures, but this is not a $400 sixth scale figure. This is the one limitation of the Mezco Iron Man figure that holds it back from perfection in my eyes. It’s a bit annoying, but all the positives of this figure outweigh this quibble by a landslide.

Overall: I had no expectation whatsoever that I would fall hard into love with this ONE:12 Collective Black and Gold Iron Man, but it turns out that he’s my absolute favorite figure that Mezco Toyz has produced to date. From the heft of the figure to the exceptional proportions to the lush colors to the cornucopia of accessories, this figure is full of win.

How much do I like this figure? I went back and pre-ordered the blue Iron Man ONE:12 Collective figure as well, because now I want the other colors Mezco does too. Expensive, but worth of every penny—this is exceptional stuff, and I would LOVE to see Mezco tackle more comic book Iron Man armors in the future.

GRADE: A