Review: 76203 Iron Man Mech Armour
Posted by CapnRex101,
Iron Man appeared among the original Marvel character mechs and returns here, introducing some welcome updates. 76203 Iron Man Mech Armour features familiar colours, although the standard pearl gold highlights seem unusually pronounced on this model.
The exclusive Iron Man minifigure displays the same predominant golden colour, which appears unique among the numerous versions of Iron Man created to date. Even so, I question whether another Iron Man mech was required.
Summary
76203 Iron Man Mech Armor, 130 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 6.9p/7.7c/7.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A new character would have been preferable to Iron Man, but this mech is enjoyable.
- Excellent colour scheme
- Useful articulation
- Great minifigure
- Another Iron Man mech
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
Iron Man minifigures are inherently collectable and almost forty unique renditions have been produced since 2012, originating from comics and films. This example is predominantly pearl gold and resembles the Mark XLII armour from Iron Man 3, although there are differences, so the design is probably an original creation. Regardless, I think the minifigure looks nice.
The colour scheme of pearl gold and metallic gold, with dark red and metallic silver accents, is outstanding. I love the silver decoration on the torso in particular, enhancing the impression of layered armour. The reverse appears even more intricate and this helmet looks great, despite lacking the opening faceplate that many Iron Man aficionados prefer.
Without an opening faceplate, the face featuring a printed heads-up display is not very useful. However, maybe more disappointing is the omission of Tony Stark's hair piece, as that should certainly have been included. Two trans-light blue Power Blasts are present though, which can be launched from Iron Man's hands.
The Completed Model
Marvel character mechs share the same proportions and building methods, but this design is certainly recognisable as belonging to Iron Man, given its colours and the printed arc reactor decorating the torso. This colour scheme represents a notable change from 76140 Iron Man Mech and matches the minifigure, as pearl gold is its most prominent colour.
Nevertheless, this mech is fundamentally similar to its predecessors, offering shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle joints. They provide ample motion for dynamic posing, but the waist no longer rotates because the Technic beam with three ball joints consistently used before has been replaced with stacked 1x2 plates with ball joints.
The angular chest component is shared between mechs, but features an exclusive printed 2x3 pentagonal tile that displays Iron Man's arc reactor. Opalescent trans-light blue elements adorn the shoulders and complement the arc reactor, although their position is odd. Even so, I like the upper body design, overall.
Pentagonal tiles have appeared on previous mechs, preventing the chest armour from opening fully. This problem returns here, although I think the pointed tile looks great and accessing the cockpit remains easy. No controls are included, but there is comfortable room for a minifigure, as expected among these mechs.
The reverse is very bland, but the smooth finish is effective. Furthermore, the presence of dark tan elements matches pearl gold reasonably well. The same colour would obviously have been ideal, but LEGO consistently mixes pearl gold and dark tan, including on 76191 Infinity Gauntlet last year.
Both hands include articulated fingers and thumbs, but are more notable for their attacking and defensive features! The right hand includes a stud shooter connected inside the wrist, while an opalescent trans-light blue shield is mounted on the left. The shield looks excellent and makes great use of an element designed for NEXO Knights. However, the position of the stud shooter is awkward when posing the mech.
Trans-light blue 1x1 round plates adorn the knees, matching the accents from the upper body. The broad feet look excellent, although stickers are applied on each foot and another appears on the back of the right hand. That is rather disappointing because other mechs from the wave eschew stickers. The designs are attractive though, introducing more golden highlights.
Overall
76203 Iron Man Mech Armour perhaps lacks the excitement associated with Wolverine and Black Panther's mechs from the present range, since Iron Man has been represented in this series already. However, the model features lovely detail and I love the energy shield fixed to the wrist, which complements the pearl gold and dark red colours.
The exclusive minifigure is also enticing, particularly since it represents a significant departure from past Iron Man figures. Even though this is my least favourite among the three individually-packed mechs from the newest wave, I do like it. The price of £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99 represents fair value too, but I hope LEGO focuses on new characters when creating future mechs. Given his likely popularity following the new Disney+ series, Moon Knight would be ideal!
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21 comments on this article
First comment! Also a Moon Knight mech would be awesome.
These mechs seem like just extra pieces to have to enjoy the great minifigs…nothing more.
The boxart really undercuts the hue of the pearl gold, it makes it much darker (i think) than actuality.
Well, this one makes more sense at the very least! And I do think Lego deserves props for getting these out at a $10 price point.
Iron Man: Caramac edition!
(I suspect only the UK audience will get this)
@lost_scotsman said:
"Iron Man: Caramac edition!
(I suspect only the UK audience will get this)"
You are correct, as I do not understand this reference.
It’s not bad but I prefer the colour scheme and shape of 76140 which I already have.
I intend to get the Wolverine one and am hoping for a Doc Ock one in future that’s better than 76198’s.
Can really see the difference between the gold now and the gold that was used up toward 2018/2019.
The box art might not show it, but the pearl gold back in 2018 was in the process of being replaced by the newer color, so the 2018 nexo sets used mostly old pearl gold which has a lot more olive greenish tint to it compared to this orange/yellow.
72004: Tech Wizard Showdown had a gold battlesuit inside the mech and the color looks nothing like the gold now.
I haven't got much of the new pearl gold, but seeing it in this quantity it really doesn't look as nice as the original in my opinion. It almost look flame yellowish orange, not gold at all. The older color had a bit of a greenish undertone that really set it apart and gave it some depth. Again, I don't have a ton of it in hand, almost all of my gold parts are the old hue, so maybe it will look better in person.
@lost_scotsman said:
"Iron Man: Caramac edition!
(I suspect only the UK audience will get this)"
We have Caramac in the Netherlands.
But it's been many years since I had one.
@Celldweller said:
"These mechs seem like just extra pieces to have to enjoy the great minifigs…nothing more."
Thats not true- the Black Panther minifigure isn’t great ;)
Oh boy have I come to dislike this helmet and all the likeness problems it has and the play-display scenarios it takes away.
Needs to be used for 4+ Iron Man only. Just my opinion.
@Rimefang said:
" @lost_scotsman said:
"Iron Man: Caramac edition!
(I suspect only the UK audience will get this)"
You are correct, as I do not understand this reference. "
It's a chocolate bar of sorts, and the colour perfectly matches the gold hue of the minifig and mech. It also comes in a red and yellow wrapper. And like this mech, it splits opinion on whether it is actually any good or not
Thought this set was flame yellowish orange when it was first revealed, no idea it was pearl gold. The renders to a terrible job of selling the set.
@NatureBricks said:
"Second comment! *rolleyes*
I like how LEGO is still using the older Nexo Knight mech piece and not just the new style."
I've been crossing my fingers for over a year now that Lego makes the old version in Bluish Gray or a Pearl gray before they retire the mold, and first seeing the new piece gave me a mini panic attack; I need the old version for my minfig-scale Iron Monger MOC, and the new version doesn't work.
The fact that they're at least still using the old one in this wave gives me a teeny bit of hope, though I'm not optimistic.
Having no controls makes perfect sense for this one, as Tony can just have his suit interface directly with the mech. Also, the new gold makes the color scheme look like ketchup and mustard.
The greys on the ankles are very distracting here. It looks more unfinished compared to the previous version because of it.
I would like to see DC start getting the mech treatment.
@Terreneflame said:
" @Celldweller said:
"These mechs seem like just extra pieces to have to enjoy the great minifigs…nothing more."
Thats not true- the Black Panther minifigure isn’t great ;)
"
Ha! Ok you got me there. 2 out of 3 then.
As others have stated, LEGO had two attempts at the hip joints, and still managed to screw it up. Why couldn't they have just stuck to the tried and tested method that they've used for the last few years!? I'm sure everyone would have been fine with that. I'm really not too keen on the ugly colourscheme, nor am I a huge fan of the new Iron Man helmet piece. Also, stickers are a big no-no for what is essentially a pocket money set for younger audiences, and all parts should have been printed. I agree that there should also have been a hair piece for Stark. I would have paid a little more for this set had they solved these minor irritations.
The helmet makes the iron man like an idiot. It's a shame for all new iron man like this compare to old iron man with flip up helmet.