The other Iron Man

 

  • The other Iron Man

    Posted by Huw, 07 Apr 2012 04:15. Filed under Set review.

    4529 Iron ManI'm not a big fan of these Hero-Factory style figures but I thought I'd buy one to see if they were any good.

    4529 Iron Man I don't have any recent Hero Factory models so I don't know how these compare with them, although I suspect many of the parts are the same. However I do have one of the Ben 10 maxi-figs and I can say that this is far, far better than those, both in terms of parts quality and quantity, and the actual build.

    I think this is a pretty good representation of Iron Man, given the parts available. The big, bad, kick-ass weapon on his shoulder is pretty good, too.

    I'm not sure I'll go so far as recommending this set, but if you're a fan of these big figures you will like this one.


    29 comments, latest one posted 14 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by brix in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 04:28

I've always hated bionicle, hero factory and others similar big figures like this iron man - to me, they're not LEGO :(

Posted by BrickBob09 in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 04:30

This is the best one of the bigger figures, but I'm still not that keen. I don't like the Hero Factory parts and still miss Bionicle.

I'm no expert but I can't remember Iron Man ever having a gun like that (on the gold and red costume), only on the War Machine costume.

Posted by vwong19 in United States, 07 Apr 2012 04:41

My 3 year old son loves Hero Factory, but whenever I offer to buy one of these Super Heroes he refuses I want the regular Hero Factory characters instead. I am probably going to buy them for myself, but waiting for a sale or promo. I have to admit, the Heroes are fun to build.

Posted by DrDaveWatford in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 04:55

Thanks, Huw.

I also dipped my toe into the world of these Hero Factory-style figures for the first time recently and bought the Batman set which I reviewed on my blog. While the lack of 'proper' LEGO elements in these sets and the absence of what I consider to be a genuine LEGO-building experience means that I'll not be jumping into Hero Factory any time soon, I liked the finished product enough that I'll probably be picking up a couple more, including Iron Man here....

Posted by namekuji in New Zealand, 07 Apr 2012 05:15

Thats a sweet blue laser thing there.

Posted by Uni in Germany, 07 Apr 2012 05:17

Well...
No Iron Man has any cannon or gun on his costume. Only War Machine has his own wapponery.
I don´t like those Bionicle/Hero Factory things!

Posted by namekuji in New Zealand, 07 Apr 2012 05:23

^I love 'wapponery'!

Posted by xccj in United States, 07 Apr 2012 07:09

Heh, interesting to see all the hate for build-able figures. :P

I think, of all the Super Heroes built in this style, Iron Man does look like the best of them all, although his original robotic look does fit the style well enough. He does seem a little too simple even for a Hero Factory build, but it still manages to show off the character well. Thanks for the pictures!

Posted by murphquake in United States, 07 Apr 2012 08:12

My favorite of the Super Hero big figures by far. The only one that looks like it isn't some weird machine contraption attached to a classic hero.

Posted by Bobszaar in United States, 07 Apr 2012 08:36

15 dollars is pricey for this kind of figure, but I'll consider it, since it actually looks quite decent. Compared to other figs in the series, this one looks the most normal.

Posted by Kalhiki in United States, 07 Apr 2012 08:45

May have to get this guy. I'm a fan of Iron Man and Hero Factory, so this just seems like a good purchase. But I may wait for a sale or something just because he doesn't seem like a "must have" for me.

Posted by Doomtrool in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 10:03

You should do a comparison shot between this Iron Man and the minifigure version.

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 07 Apr 2012 11:05

Hero factory is not normal LEGO.

It is much better than normal LEGO.

All the bricks in HF have great quality, meanwhile minifig sets are getting the habit of sneaking in some chinese things and stickers. The construction system is VERY easy for kids but still VERY flexible - All sets come with a good quantity of bone parts that are not specialized. Meanwhile, good luck using Bruce wayne's new peach face on anything other than a guy that wears the Batman mask.

The Hero Factory Robots are a lot more interesting than Starwars sets which are just a bunch of minifigs piled together over bley bricks and it is the only way to have actual sci-fi sets without paying a George Lucas tax.

Unlike Hero Factory, Most of the Ultrabuild super heroes are rather lame. But this guy is definitely the exception. Look at those pictures. This is way more awesome than I thought. It really looks great. I can't believe it looks better in a real picture than in the CGI shot.

Posted by platinum805 in United States, 07 Apr 2012 11:07

im buying it to review on youtube and for the parts

Posted by brix in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 12:58

@ vexorian - Completely disagree! No way is Hero Factory better than normal lego. Lego is way more versatile - with hero factory, all you can make are figures. With lego, there are almost no limitations - you can make vehicles, buildings etc etc. Normal lego is suitable for children and provides adults with entertainment and challenges at the same time. There are hardly any lego pieces that are "specialised" however the majority of hero factory parts are.
Way more skill goes into the design of normal lego sets and they are soo much more interesting than hero factory!

Posted by Squishypony in United States, 07 Apr 2012 14:03

Out of all the Super Hero action figures, Iron Man looks the best by far. The robotic suit translates well into the Hero Factory bones and shells.

Also, in my opinion, both regular Lego and the Hero Factory/Bionicle building systems are versatile and have tons of potential to make great things.

Posted by Icarax123 in United Kingdom, 07 Apr 2012 15:23

I'd just like to say a few things. Firstly, if you like System but don't like Constraction, fine, just don't state your opinion as fact or insult other people over it. If you like Constraction but don't like System, fine, just don't state your opinion as fact or insult other people over it. If you like System AND Constraction, as I do, cool, just roll with it. Secondly, if you are a System-only fan, please don't say something along the lines of "build-able figures aren't LEGO!" just because they're different. You shouldn't look down on something like Constraction or judge people who like it for superfluous reasons such as this; you don't have to make erroneous statements about a product just because you don't like it. This last bit of advise can apply to System-hating Constraction fans also. Okay, rant over.

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 07 Apr 2012 19:14

brix: All the hero factory parts are incredibly well designed.

Normal LEGO Bricks are a 1972 idea from a random toy company. It was genius at the time. Then LEGO stole the idea and then bought the patent. But really, they are not that much of a big deal to invent.

Meanwhile, it is clear that a lot of effort was put in Hero Factory. If you check out the last 10 years of Bionicle, you will see that it is non-trivial to make bricks that connect through joints, make strong such connections, are still articulated and just don't break. And I mean, really, they don't break. The first bricks to break in a Hero Factory set are those things inherited from system.

I can definitely say that it took LEGO a lot more work to design Hero Factory bones than to buy the patent for generic bricks.

If you consider generic LEGO bricks, sure you can build a lot of cars and houses, they will all look pixelated, but still, that's fun. But the reality is that we are talking about LEGO themes here. System has become just glorified minifig packs. 50% of the design money goes to movie companies and designers just always do the same thing: Grab some ship, put some licensed figures with peach faces and voila!. Surely, if I compared Hero Factory to Creator, Creator would look more versatile. But if I compare Hero Factory to Star Wars, Hero Factory is by far more versatile and a much more original sci-fi setting at that.

That's something great about hero factory, you get to have sci-fi LEGO without giving George Lucas money. A choice that system has been unable to give to us in the past year.

Posted by multani in Canada, 08 Apr 2012 01:00

@ vexorian

you may want to review the history of lego. you're off a wee bit.

Posted by brix in United Kingdom, 08 Apr 2012 04:49

@ vexorian - please don't insult LEGO and lie about them before actually reading up on their history. LEGO started off as a wooden toy company. They then came up with building bricks that had studs on top and were hollow underneath in order for them to stay together more easily. LEGO system was born in 1954. The parts became more complex over the years. LEGO didn't steal the idea from anybody.
Secondly, not all sets are derived from films, the majority of themes aren't therefore most sets aren't "glorified minifig packs" and what's wrong with paying more for film based lego sets if you choose to?
Thirdly, I don't even see how you could argue that hero factory is more versatile than star wars - as i've said, with hero factory, you can just make figures, with star wars you can make spaceships, bases, planet landscapes, buildings - pretty much anything
And I didn't meen the parts of lego are harder to design because of course hero factory parts are more complex. I meant the sets are.

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 08 Apr 2012 09:58

When LEGO made the switch from wooden toys to plastic bricks, but KiddiCraft already had the patent for that (A 1939 patent). LEGO actually got ideas from KiddiCraft designs. Eventually the conflict was solved when LEGO bought the patent.

Next time you say that HF factory is not real LEGO, keep in mind that, HF parts are actually LEGO's own design and work whilst the bricks are mostly a KiddiCraft thing. http://www.architoys.net/toys/toypages/kiddicra.html

Please don't take this as a insult to LEGO. I love LEGO, specially Hero Factory and classic space. But as serious AFOLs we got to recognize the truth, that LEGO is the Apple of plastic interlocking bricks. They didn't invent the plastic interlocking brick, just like Apple didn't invent the mp3 player, but they knew how to turn it into something awesome. They added minifigures, wheels and millions of other things, including the Hero Factory build system to the idea from KiddiCraft.

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 08 Apr 2012 15:29

@Vexorian - Please, if you are going to make a statement which is obviously going to antagonise a lot of members here on Brickset, make sure you have go your facts straight. There are a lot of brands of binding bricks similar to Lego, it is true to say that Kiddicraft were one of the first with a similar design. However, the unique element of Lego bricks is the tube underneath the brick, not the studs on top. That is the key to Lego being the most successful toy brand in history, and that is what the patent is for.

Also, it is totally unfair to say that Hero Factory parts are better than standard bricks as mainstream parts are much more versatile and usually of better quality. You are of course entitled to your opinion, just be safe in the knowledge that I imagine nobody on the site will agree with you. Oh and also, if Lego Star Wars is apparently so terrible, how would you explain the incredible sales?

Anyway, this set looks reasonable, Iron Man suits this style perfectly unlike many of the other Super Heroes action figure scale figures. Probably still not enough to make me buy it though.

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 08 Apr 2012 22:10

"However, the unique element of Lego bricks is the tube underneath the brick, not the studs on top."

Arguable. The tube wouldn't do much without the studs. And of course, no one mentioned the tube until this post. brix was talking about LEGO inventing the brick with studs on top. Which clearly is not true because of the KiddiCraft patent. What we now to be true is that KiddiCraft got the earliest patent about plastic bricks and it includes the studs.

It does become a 180 degrees turn in the importance of the claim. From "LEGO created the plastic construction brick" to "LEGO invented the tube inside bricks".

"That is the key to Lego" also arguable. Minifigs being a truly LEGO original creation and the one thing that differentiates them from other brands rather than studs or inter-locking seem like a better contender.

"and that is what the patent is for. "
Which of the many patents specifically? The first one that seems related to the topic is from KiddiCraft. Later LEGO and other companies added a good bunch of patents and trademarks to these toys.

"Oh and also, if Lego Star Wars is apparently so terrible, how would you explain the incredible sales?"
Clearly, since they are popular they must be good.

Posted by namekuji in New Zealand, 09 Apr 2012 00:58

Good on you Vexorian! Stick it to them mate! That was an enlightening read. I don't own any of the Hero factory sets, (but 1 old bionicle, picked up on super cheap for fun), however can appreciate the beauty that the parts of these models can make in both traditional blocks and plates construction and the extended articulated range of bionicle and Hero factory style construction. (Except I can never find an apt application for Buzz Lightyear's big ol' head of similar scale, however I'm sure I will).

I guess they both lend themselves to opening doors of creativity in the forum of construction toys. I think in recent times it has been interesting to see a lot of these moreso articulated components, find their way into mainstream Lego sets, and certainly present challenges to builders. Nevertheless, if pulled off well can give some delicious texture, function and delight to the aesthetics of the models created.

Oh and @ brix, perhaps you need to see some of the wonderful creations made by these so called 'non-versatile components'...'all you can make are figures' indeed...what rot! and closed mindedness is that? Certainly a comment that goes against the very ethos of Lego. My goodness! A few good hybrid examples are, http://www.brothers-brick.com/2012/02/08/and-now-for-a-different-sort-of-spacecraft/ and http://www.brothers-brick.com/2011/12/23/bionicle-tiger/ http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/12/10/the-emerald-viper/ and http://www.brothers-brick.com/2011/06/24/will-you-be-my-honeybadger/ Its also worth visiting the flickr photo streams of some of these designers too.

I don't think I'll ever get into this kind of theme, but appreciate its (very much so) unlocked potential and admire the designers and creators who can. In this case, Ironman just doesn't do it for me but he's got a nice blue laser thing. Anyway just my 2 cents on the discussion for now.

Posted by brix in United Kingdom, 09 Apr 2012 07:19

@ namekuji - thankyou for these links - I guess having never bought sets like these I didn't realise the many uses of the parts and I do apologise for being so closed minded.
@ vexorian - thankyou for the information about the kiddicraft and I also apologise for saying that you lied about LEGO. I am sure that you are correct about Kiddicraft. The website I'd read about lego's history made out the bricks were a revolutionary idea first invented by lego so i do apologise and probably should have read a few more sights before arguing my misinformed point. I can now see that you are right - Hero Factory is very versatile but I still stick with my opinion that LEGO system will always be more so.

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 09 Apr 2012 08:26

@vexorian - Of course the tube under the brick would be useless without the studs on top, but Lego was the first to combine the two making their bricks the most versatile and durable. The Minifigures were certainly also a key development in Lego's popularity, however they were not introduced until 1975 so cannot explain the huge popularity before then, unlike the tube beneath the brick which does account for this popularity in Lego's early history.

I would also agree that Lego certainly did not invent the plastic construction brick, but they created the most popular kind of brick and the best design so it is the only company to really stand the test of time.

Finally, one of the first patents Lego took out on their design was the inclusion of the tube beneath the brick allowing for a much more solid fit than other brands. That is why it is widely accepted that the key to Lego's success is first the tube and how it connects to the studs, and then later on the Minifigure.

I would agree that there are applications for Bionicle and Hero Factory parts but they are simply not as versatile as standard Lego System bricks in my opinion.

Posted by namekuji in New Zealand, 09 Apr 2012 18:39

Hey no worries brix. There are a lot more than those that are worth checking out as well as a lot of talented designers who use the components to generate super models.

Hey, You know whats really challenging? DUPLO! Oh, Man, that is super difficult at a completely different scale and can be very cool if used wisely.

Posted by rockbrick in Gibraltar, 10 Apr 2012 16:28

whoever says herofactory is for babies...

check out 2235, Fire Lord for example, loads of technic elements and excellent articulation.

Bionicle may have been for babies

Posted by Rockman Xtreme in United States, 10 Apr 2012 16:53

^ BIONICLES FOR BABIES!?!? That's blasphemy!

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