For a couple of years now, Tamashii Nations and Sen-Ti-Nel have been releasing figures with the concept of other Marvel superheroes using Iron Man armors. Sen-Ti-Nel’s thing is purely on the figures with no accompanying fiction while Tamashii Nations actually partnered with Marvel to do the Avengers: Tech-on miniseries. Well, there’s actually another miniseries that more or less explored this concept and Hot Toys decided to go with it and finally join the whole Iron Man bonanza.
I’m talking about Avengers: Mech Strike, and I already wrote something about this miniseries a couple of years back. The story is basically The Avengers needing to pilot large mech suits with features based on their individual power sets. It’s not really canon like Avengers: Tech-on and it’s primarily made to sell toys and playsets using the same theme. So, it’s kind of surprising that Sen-Ti-Nel is taking this approach for a high-end collectible figure set, starting with Black Panther.
That said, this figure isn’t representing a large mech suit but rather, an Iron Man-esque suit based on the character wearing it — which is basically the same concept as Sen-Ti-Nel’s Fighting Armor line or Tamashii Nations’ Avengers: Tech-on figures. For Black Panther, his suit can be displayed in its standard humanoid configuration or in its panther mode.
While I don’t collect Hot Toys or 1/6 scale collectibles in general, I do acknowledge the attention to scale they’re doing here. Since this is a mechanical suit with a human inside, it should definitely be larger than your standard 1/6 scale figure as seen here. Now I’m not sure if there’s still a human inside the suit in panther mode but hey, at least it’s still in scale. Speaking of scale, the solicitation on the official Hot Toys site mentions a functioning cockpit hatch on the torso section and a miniature Black Panther figure inside. And if this is a 1/6 scale figure, that would mean a very tiny Black Panther piloting it in real life.
The figure features 60% diecast parts and is as articulated as any previous Hot Toys Iron Man figure. The paint finish features a mix of matte metallics and decorated patterns that react to black light, creating a unique luminescent pattern. It also has LED light up functions on certain areas to further reinforce this luminescent effect.
The panther mode is basically the same figure on all fours so there’s not much transformation going on, though you’ll probably replace the hands and head to accomplish this. The tail will come as a separate piece but it’s supposedly the same spear weapon it uses from earlier photos.
And on that note, here’s everything that comes with this set. Replacement hands/manipulators, a display stand, spear, sword (more like a dagger), and shield.
As mentioned, I don’t collect 1/6 scale stuff, but you have to admit that this collectible figure looks really good, and I’m kind of surprised none of the Iron Man-esque Black Panther figures from both Sen-Ti-Nel and Tamashii Nations had this panther mode which made total sense in the context of the character. But if you do collect 1/6 scale figures, then this is for you. And before I forget, this is part of their Artist Collection DIECAST line, and this design came from Adi Granov, comic book artist and concept designer for Marvel and the MCU.
Artist Collection DIECAST 1/6 Black Panther (Avengers: Mech Strike)
August 2024 / ¥62,000
Order via HobbyLink Japan
