Review: 76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition
Posted by CapnRex101,
Brick-built characters have become an essential part of numerous LEGO themes lately, although while Star Wars and Harry Potter have offered various detailed statues for display, Marvel has prioritised action figures. Iron Man seems like a superb candidate for a statue, however.
76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition aims to realise the potential for a display-oriented model and looks extremely successful in official images, replicating the overall proportions and intricate details of the Mark III armour. There is an exclusive minifigure included too, complete with printed arms.
Summary
76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition, 1,297 pieces.
£119.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 | 9.3p / 10.0c / 10.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This recreation of Iron Man's Mark III armour looks stunning from all angles
- Beautifully sculpted armour
- Remarkable accuracy
- Unique minifigure
- All decorated parts are printed
- Relatively little articulation
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
Iron Man MK3 has appeared a couple of times before, but this minifigure is almost completely new. The torso and legs have only been marginally changed, although both are highly detailed, while the decorated arms are a new addition and these have been rare on Iron Man minifigures until 2026, as the figure in 76343 Epic Battle: Hulkbuster vs. the Hulk features printed arms as well.
A new double-sided head also debuts in this set, finally serving as an alternative to the design used extremely frequently since 2018. The previous head with a determined expression and a heads-up display on one side was arguably more versatile, but I like the glasses printed on this head too, even if it is not really useable with the helmet.
The Completed Model
I think the Mark III armour was an excellent choice for this model, as its chunky limbs and fairly distinct sections afford more options to the designer than Tony's sleeker suits, created after this one. The proportions of the figure are realistic and the colours are attractive, with clearly defined areas of metallic gold complementing the dark red elements.
The back of the model is equally detailed and it measures 38cm in height, which is exactly the same as 75398 C-3PO. This is a manageable size on display, though it still has presence. The figure's neutral stance looks rather unnatural though, as the elbows are fixed at different angles. This is easily modified by swapping an angled Technic connector and using the same piece in both elbows, but no spare connectors are included.
As normal for these large-scale characters, the legs are fixed in position, while the upper body includes several points of articulation. However, the joints are really designed to allow only two or three main poses, as Iron Man lifts his palm repulsors in different ways. This is probably how people would display the figure regardless of its articulation, but I still hoped for a little more.
The head tends to prove problematic on brick-built renditions of Iron Man, including the recent 76327 Iron Man MK4 Bust. Nevertheless, this attempt looks better than most, as the faceplate shape is effective and the eyes are probably as accurate as can be, short of using a decorated element created specifically for the purpose.
The dark tan plates on each side are awkward, though they blend with the metallic gold from a distance and this compromise was necessary because LEGO designers cannot build on top of drum-lacquered pieces, which are vulnerable to scratches. I cannot see a way to swap the dark tan 1x3 plates for metallic gold parts, unfortunately.
Printed 2x2 round tiles comprise the auditory sensors and look great. The back of the helmet is rather lacking in detail though, while the neck articulation is underwhelming. The head can face to either side and move back and forward to some extent, although not really enough to look up or down properly.
While the back of the head is perhaps underwhelming, the back of the shoulders and the torso looks fantastic. I love how varied slopes and wedge slopes meet in this area, with only minimal gaps between them. Even those little gaps resemble seams on the original armour and air flaps are included as well, opening to reveal mechanical texture underneath.
The view from the front is impressive too. Once again, slopes and tiles are neatly arranged to match the source material as faithfully as possible, recreating the armour's segmented panels and using a textured 3x4 piece to excellent effect on the lower body. The gaps for the shoulder joints are visible from certain angles, admittedly, but unavoidably so.
Appropriately, the arc reactor is the final piece to be inserted, slotting into a 2x2 hole ringed by curved tiles. While it is a shame you cannot actually illuminate the arc reactor with a light brick, the metallic blue decoration resembles the device's glow from the movie.
The lack of elbow articulation is disappointing, but probably worthwhile because the arms look marvellous! The biceps are perfectly sculpted and make superb use of ingots to capture ridges from the armour onscreen. The forearms and hands are also smooth and I find the latter particularly exceptional, as hands tend to be another troublesome feature of brick-built characters.
Wrist articulation was understandably a priority, given the need for poses with the palms facing outward. Simple clips afford a good range of motion and the hands can rotate as well, so pretty much any repulsor pose is possible. The fingers and thumbs are also poseable, but their motion is more limited, so you cannot create a closed fist, for example.
2x2 round tiles look splendid as the palm repulsors, adorned with the same metallic blue finish as the arc reactor. Furthermore, I am pleased with how smoothly the wrist and finger joints are integrated, so the hands look completely finished from all sides.
The hips incorporate a couple more printed tiles, again adding details too complex to be brick-built at this scale. The shaping around these 3x3 round tiles is maybe more interesting though, as 2x4 windscreen elements wrap over the top, while the change from dark red to metallic gold disguises connection points between the hips and the legs.
I absolutely love the 1x1 quarter circle tiles on the knees, fitting snugly between a wedge plate and curved wedge slope. Furthermore, the dark red 1x1 round plates with hollow studs appear accurate, representing servos. The shape of the calves is effective too, curving exactly like they should.
Slight gaps are visible on the sides of the ankles, but the curved slopes connected above flare out to cover these gaps. The shaping is again accurate and I understand excluding the armour that should continue down the sides, which is very thin onscreen. Any attempt to recreate those panels would doubtless look too bulky.
Other than the printed plaque, the base is very plain, which was probably a sensible choice to draw attention to the figure itself. However, I am surprised the designer did not aim to recreate the darker flooring where Tony first dons the Mark III armour, aided by mechanical arms.
Overall
LEGO statues have greatly improved over time and 76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition continues their advance! The sculpting of the armour is truly extraordinary and I think Iron Man serves as a proof of concept for nearly any armoured character translating to this format. A fully armoured Thanos could be interesting, for instance.
The head is probably the weakest section, although I see no real opportunity for improvement without new elements. Moreover, the articulation is relatively limited, but the essential repulsor poses look fantastic. The price of £119.99, $129.99 or €129.99 feels a bit expensive, but this is still a worthy addition to any Marvel display and comes highly recommended.
76344 Iron Man Mark 3 Collectors' Edition will be released on January 1st and is available for pre-order on LEGO.com.
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33 comments on this article
I have to say it is a beautiful rendition of the character.
I'm just in awe of how well the shaping has been done on this. It's like the designer has sculpted it.
Thank you @CapnRex101 - I like this. A lot. The sculpting is fantastic.
But I do bemoan their sacrificing “poseability” for rigid display.
IMO, this review would have been more impactful after the long awaited review of a similar K2SO. Perhaps you can include a comparison pic of Iron Man into that review? I would also love some more clarifications on the mod possibilities to potentionally improve “poseability”.
Very nice. I think the designer did a fantastic job here.
I really like this set. The final design looks fantastic, and there’s just enough articulation to accomplish a number of cool poses.
I love the new minifigure. It’s probably one of my favorite Iron Man minifigs of all time. Obviously the printed arms are a major draw, but I’m also really glad that they finally gave him a new head print; it looks great!
Honestly the head looks REALLY great to me considering it's entirely brick built. This is one of the best looking LEGO character figures ever, and could easily be mistaken for a sculpted action figure from a distance.
Looks lovely, great minifigure, I'd rather get the Blackadder castle
The Hulkbuster and the bust had lead me to believe they just couldn't get Iron Man right. This looks fantastic, and at an even smaller scale.
Here's to hoping we get a Batman done in a similar fashion.
One of the best Marvel sets ever, it just looks incredible. I think I'll eventually pick this up.
Can't say I'm a big Marvel fan (and thus I own zero Lego Marvel sets), but this looks pretty great. Pretty much as good as they could have done at this scale. And I'm not even mad at this price, even when it's not exactly a steal. But once again a premium product at a premium price. I can live with that.
Will still wait for a nice discount, and considering the amount of stuff I still have to build, no hurry....
Amazing build, but once again I see no point of sets like these.
The Mark 3 is always going to be my favourite armour, and they've really done it justice with this one. Not even so much as a TM on the nameplate.
I like it a lot
Now I need War Machine with shoulder cannons
I think what we really all want to see at this scale is some Gundams.
But I like this anyway. The gold and dark red is lovely, and it’s a good price. Thanks for the review!
Didn't we just have a big buildable Iron Man figure few years back, or am I going crazy?
Designers have gotten this one right. No doubt this is the start of new collectable theme of figures.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Didn't we just have a big buildable Iron Man figure few years back, or am I going crazy?"
I assume you mean 76206 from 2022. That one was more of an articulated action figure set than this sort of display piece, though (which meant more playability but less accuracy and detail).
But I wouldn't be surprised to see more large-scale Iron Man sets in the future as well, considering he's one of the more popular Marvel heroes, his fully mechanical suit is well-suited to a sculpted figure, and much like Batman he's known for having many variations on his costume for different situations.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Didn't we just have a big buildable Iron Man figure few years back, or am I going crazy?"
Well, there was his fat brother.....
I'm not usually into those after-market light kits, but if there was a set screaming for it...
"LEGO designers cannot build on top of drum-lacquered pieces" I'm getting so tired of these excuses from Lego. Yes they can. They've put out plenty of drum lacquered parts that can get scratched in the sets they're in and how they're built, and other brands do similar parts AND prints without expecting praise from consumers for delivering a product devoid of compromises delivered by corporate emissaries.
All decorated parts are printed.
All decorated parts are printed??
All decorated parts are printed!!
@SolidState said:
""LEGO designers cannot build on top of drum-lacquered pieces" I'm getting so tired of these excuses from Lego. Yes they can. They've put out plenty of drum lacquered parts that can get scratched in the sets they're in and how they're built, and other brands do similar parts AND prints without expecting praise from consumers for delivering a product devoid of compromises delivered by corporate emissaries."
I mean, the fact that they've done so in the past doesn't mean that their current standards of not doing so aren't a valid decision. I think it's good that they aim to avoid situations where building with the parts as intended will inevitably damage them, as tends to happen with building on top of lacquered studs (which I say from experience having some of those older sets where they drum lacquered parts with studs anyway).
Then again, simple solution would be to just include 2 extra pieces and give the buyer the choice: Lacquered if you intend to build the thing once and leave it as is, or dark tan if you intend to take it apart and prefer durability over looks.
This set is absolutely gorgeous. I think it's been designed by Aaron Newman, who IMO is one of the best LEGO designers working today. The sculpting all over this build is really impressive. Compare this to the awful 76210 which released just three years ago and it's like night and day. This is exactly what I want to see from large-scale Iron Man builds and I hope we get more suits in this style!
Great figure.
The shaping is excellent (bravo to the designer), printed parts, exclusive new version minifigure with arm and leg printing,metallic gold elements, printed plaque.
At almost 1300 parts, a licensed set for $130usd, not too shabby.
On the must get list!
"The lack of elbow articulation, but probably worthwhile because the arms look marvellous!" I think you left a word or two out of that sentence, Cap. Anyway, Even if I had a lot more display space, I don't know if I'd get this, but I do think that's well done. Now, if I had that display space and they did a Mark I, I'd be all over that.
It’s a nice statuette, but not my thing. I wish they’d include this minifigure (and other exclusive minifigures) with a more desireable set next year; I’m not big on helmets, busts, and statuettes. Sets that focus on putting the characters into a setting or scenario are much more appealing. Of course, I know they do it to get the people who collect the minifigs to buy the display-only set, but still.
Overall it looks fantastic! I think they nailed the shaping.
I am torn on if I want it since can only have so many Iron Man things on display at any given time without looking obsessed.
I am thankful the minifigure while new isn't so drastically new that I HAVE to have it. The brighter colors/accents really make it look nice and those arms look solid. But it isn't different enough for me to really worry about.
Ransom Fern on rebrickable built one out of those action figures from a few years ago so I always considered building theirs, but this looks really well polished.
@Sethro3 said:
"... can only have so many Iron Man things on display at any given time without looking obsessed."
*insert monkey puppet looking side to side meme*
I may have passed that point years ago...
If this set had been made 15-17 years ago I would have been a little worried about those dark red parts, lest they crack. Fortunately, they improved the plastic in the red and brown mixes. I left off the mask and bust, but this one Iron Man is must have for me.
I still can't get past the fact that a Marvel IP set is only 10c ppp. Wow!
@WizardOfOss said:
"Can't say I'm a big Marvel fan (and thus I own zero Lego Marvel sets), but this looks pretty great. Pretty much as good as they could have done at this scale. And I'm not even mad at this price, even when it's not exactly a steal. But once again a premium product at a premium price. I can live with that.
Will still wait for a nice discount, and considering the amount of stuff I still have to build, no hurry...."
I bought one wave of marvel sets, saw they were remaking the sets then stopped. I don't even have time to watch all those disney+. The golden rule is to always skip lego marvel. Since they are forced to redo quinjet, hulkbuster, hall of armor ever 3 years. So there is no harm to skipping or waiting close to retirement