This set was kindly sent over to us to review courtesy of Hasbro UK
The Marvel Legends Infinity Saga series was released in the Summer of 2021, spread over ten sets. The mix of single and double pack releases revisited some of the key films of the MCU Infinity Saga and brought us figures of characters we had not seen in the line before, as well as fixing a few older figures. The Iron-Man 3 set gave Happy Hogan his Marvel Legends debut as well as adding another Iron-Man into the Hall of Armour by way of the Mk XXI 'Midas' suit. The set was a Target US exclusive but sold generally elsewhere by way of the Fan Channel distribution. You can still pick it up via sites like Amazon UK and other specialist stores at the time of writing.
Like all the Infinity Saga sets, the two-pack comes in a squared off box, losing the scalloped sides we see on the main Legends releases. It is black in colour with the Infinity Saga logo front and centre under the window with the movie logo in the corresponding position at the top. To the side of this sits the Legends logo. The two side panels are created in a reflective finish and illustrated with a myriad of characters from the Infinity Saga movies. The two panels are slightly different views of the same montage - and these are the same on every pack, they do not build to a larger image as we saw with the sets for 'The First Ten Years'.
The rear of the box includes the movie poster for IM3 and to either side of this is a short piece of text about the two figures within. Neither goes into any details for the plot of the film.
"Stark Industries' new Head of Security gets caught in the middle of the battle as Iron Man gears up to face an all new powerful threat"
"Mark XXI, codename "Midas," is a fully loaded high-altitude suit built by Stark that's outfitted with enriched gold titanium alloy."
Happy Hogan is sculpted as seen in the 2011 Iron-Man 3 so he is clean-shaven and with a shorter hairstyle than we see in his more recent appearances in the MCU. There is a good likeness to Jon Favreau which comes from a combination of strong sculpt as well as the use of the photo-real face application to bring out the shading on the face and the eyes in particular.
While there are a number of suited bodies around for Marvel Legends, the Happy figure looks to be all new introducing a heavier set body that has future potential for both comic & MCU figures (Kingpin?). While the legs and torso appear new, the arms and hands are the same as used for the Logan figure back in 2020.
The main body parts are cast in black plastic while the torso uses the white of the shirt as a base. The jacket top is added as a rubber sleeve and is ever so slightly different in shade to the arms - there is also quite a large gap under the arms exposing the white shirt within. The tie similarly is an added rubbery piece. The only deco added is to the belt with a silver buckle against the glossier black belt strap.
Stark's 'Forehead of Security' features a single set of hands and a single accessory - a mobile phone. This is not easy to do at this scale, and the result is the slimmest and most delicate piece of black plastic with some decals added to create a phone screen. It is perhaps too small for the figure and just about sits in the right hand.
Articulation for Happy is 19 points in total and despite being a guy in a suit, he still gets full double-jointed elbows and knees, waist swivel, and ab-crunch. The leg articulation is pinless, while the arms do have the joints as they are an older donated set.
Happy has plenty of posing potential and is quite expressive when posed either talking on the phone or perhaps adjusting his tie. All the joints are tight and secure and there are no issues with stability when Happy is posed.
The Mk XXI 'Midas' suit is one of a number of Tony's Iron-Man suits seen in the climax of Iron-Man 3 as the House Party Protocol brings them into play. The figure re-uses the Mk 7 Iron-Man figure released in 2018 and gives it a full paint job. There is essentially not a huge amount wrong with this considering the Midas suit was based on the Mark 7 technology.
The Mk7 proportions are much better than the earlier Iron-Man figures which were all a tad undersized. This newer body stands 6.75 inches tall and is better scaled next to Tony Stark or other 'human' characters.
The suit is cast in a gold plastic which is not quite metallic but does carry a sheen as we'd expect from a metal armoured suit. Over the base plastic, we have painted panels in a more metallic gold finish to add some variation to the overall finish. We see these on the helmet faceplate, chest panel, shoulder armour and down both arms and legs. Further detail is added with gunmetal silver on the shoulders on either side of the head, and grey is used in the joints of the elbows and knees.
While Happy got his phone, the Midas suit comes with a more generous offering with an alternative pair of hands and two repulsor blasts. These are again the same as included in the Mk7 Iron-Man release. The repulsor effects are designed to plug into sockets in the palms of the hands and also in the holes in the feet for flight poses - although for this you will need a flight stand.
Articulation starts at the rear of the figure where there are four manoeuvring fins, each sitting on a hinge joint that allows them to sit flush against the body or to be extended outwards.
On top of the rear panels are 18 other points of articulation giving the Midas suit a wide range of posing options. The arms can be extended outwards into firing positions, with the shoulder armour moving with them by way of a flexible hinge. Kneeling is more difficult so he won't be doing any superhero landings, but there is movement in the leg for flight poses or wider battle stances.
The Happy Hogan and Midas set was perhaps the least desired set of the whole Infinity Saga series. While Happy Hogan was a welcome addition to the MCU Legends, many felt an Iron-Man 2 themed set was the better choice with either a Whiplash or a Mk5 Iron-Man alongside this Happy figure - with Happy coming with the Mk5 suitcase. The Midas suit did have very little screentime in IM3 and without commitment to a full Hall of Armour series, collectors will always look for figures who had more screen time.
There is nothing wrong with the execution of the set itself and both the figures are well designed and well painted, and where parts and other figures are re-used the choice to do so is a sensible one. Happy does suffer from the gap in his coat that is very visible at the sides where the Logan arms are perhaps a little too slim for the heavy set torso. The phone accessory is also a little weak and non-descript and needed to be a little bigger to help with posing.
In the long run, any additions to older MCU properties should be welcomed and if we support them with our wallets then future revisits such as the Mk5 suit or Whiplash are still feasible.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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