Since the Marvel theme was introduced in 2012, it has mostly sought inspiration from Marvel Studios’ long-running and interconnected universe. As the MCU has expanded, so has the offering from the LEGO® Marvel range. Beyond playsets, we have seen the Helmet Collection, buildable props and even a brick-built recreation of the Marvel logo. Last month, the LEGO Marvel theme revealed a new subtheme called the Bust Collection. This new collection of sets offers displayable miniature busts of iconic Marvel characters, including Tony Stark’s alter ego, Iron Man. This upcoming set is inspired by the MK4 suit introduced in Iron Man 2.
Product Details
Set Name: Iron Man MK4 Bust | Set Number: 76327 | Pieces: 436 | Theme: Marvel
Number of Bags: Bags x 5 | Stickers: N/A | Characters: Iron Man MK4
RRP: £54.99/$59.99/59.99€/99.99AUD/79.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailers from June 1st
When the LEGO Group began to create sets with adult fans in mind, they helped to expand the offerings of several themes, including LEGO Marvel. Despite offering something different for the long-running theme, the 18+ sets haven’t always clicked with fans. Several of these sets have been inspired by Iron Man, such as the 2020 Iron Man helmet and the huge Hulkbuster released in 2022. The Bust Collection is sort of a combination of past concepts, but refined to reflect some of the issues those past sets have garnered.
The bust is mounted on a small black plinth, similar in style to some of the other displayable sets, such as the Helmet Collection and Star Wars Starship Collection. It also offers a choice of how it’s built. It can either be constructed to include a space for the minifigure to be displayed or not. The main difference between the two versions is the use of a pair of ‘A’ plates. With these added, one is used to hold the printed display tile and the other for the minifigure. If you choose not to include the minifigure, then the display tile sits in front of the stand.
The upper part of the armour is impressively detailed and even features a couple of the functions found on the suit. Hidden within the shoulders are two flaps which can be lifted to reveal missile cannons. On the rear of the suit are two adjustable flaps. The head can also be rotated, although this is less useful. The head features several drum-lacquered golden elements, unfortunately, the odd score marks are extremely noticeable due to their placement. Whilst I agree the mouth on the face plate does look a little odd, it isn’t as bad as it appears in the official imagery. The element used for this part of the set seems to be the best fit for the job.
As a founding member of the Avengers and the MCU, Iron Man minifigures have appeared in plenty of different LEGO sets. Thanks to Tony Stark’s tinkering, there have been many different versions of the Iron Man suits to choose from, yet the Mark IV hasn’t been one of them until now. The MK4 suit was first featured in Iron Man 2 and is a mostly red suit, with small patches of gold on the arms, legs and faceplate. The minifigure isn’t vastly different from other variants, but does lack the gold detail on the arms. As with most of the heads included with Iron Man minifigures, it features Tony Stark’s normal face and the other is overlaid with the suit’s onboard AI system. Unfortunately, the piece featured in my set has a print error on this side of the face.
When the set was first revealed, it attracted a lot of negative opinions. Many focused on the price of the set, and I agree, it doesn’t feel as if it’s worth the RRP. This is an unfortunate trait with many licensed sets. But the set isn’t as bad as it was first perceived. Yes, the face plate does look a little like Iron Man has eaten a rather sour-sweet, but for the scale the set has been built at, it has managed to pack in a lot of detail. I’m a sucker for collections and after building this set, I will definitely be picking up the Iron Spider-Man bust and would certainly like to see more characters appear in the same format. Although it may be limited to Marvel heroes and villains who are masked. That still leaves a few characters who could make great mini busts, Doctor Doom, Black Panther, Star-Lord and Miles Morales, to name but a few. It could also extend to the DC universe. The LEGO Marvel Bust Collection: Iron Man MK4 set will be released on June 1st and can be pre-ordered now.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Marvel. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
