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Tripwire Reviews Lego 76194 Marvel’s Tony Stark’s Sakaarian Iron Man Armour

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5 years ago

August 28, 2021

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A Stark Turn Of Destiny

Tripwire’s games and toys editor Matt Zitron takes a look at Lego’s Marvel’s Tony Stark’s Sarkaarian Iron Man armour, out now…

Welcome back to Tripwire’s reviews of the latest slew of Marvel Lego releases. Next up is Tony Stark’s Sakaarian Iron Man armour, from ‘What if?’ As of writing this, the show has only aired its first episode, and so far this is set the only reveal of this particular storyline. The assumption I’ve made is Tony Stark, rather than Thor, ends up on Saakar and has to fight in the gladiatorial ring. Have to say I’m excited to see him interact with Korg and the Grandmaster. There are (so far) only two ‘What If?’ sets, and both of them are Hulkbuster style armours, however as you’ll see this set has a nifty trick up its metal sleeves.

This midsized (approximately £30) set comes with three minifigures and the parts of make the massive suit. The way licensed sets work price wise is the set will be priced around £10 for every character minifigure. This set is no different and I have to say I’m agog at these three. You may think I’m going to complain about the lack of leg printing after my Shang-Chi review, however it’s made up by the sheer coolness of the trio included.

First up the main man, Tony Stark. This would be a fairly pedestrian figure, if it wasn’t for a cool detail. He has the standard double sided face (HUD and normal) and regular grey legs. However what makes him so cool is the printing on the chest. Lego have finally given us a Legoised version of Tony’s Black Sabbath T-shirt from the first Avengers film. While it’s not an official logo, if you go and check it’s a fairly fantastic facsimile (and yes I did love writing that alliteration.) So if like me and you’d maybe avoid getting yet another Tony Stark figure, you may find this one hard to pass up.

Secondly you have Valkyrie, in only her second Lego appearance. I missed out on her in the Thor Ragnarok set but they’ve made some improvements this time around. Her clothes are now more screen actuate and she’s been given a wee cheeky smile. The designers over in Denmark are obviously big fans because not only does she come with her trusty sword, but also a bottle of booze she can enjoy. When I saw Valkyrie came with the set I was overjoyed, as I like to try and have one version of every Marvel character in official brick form (baring the expensive SDCC specials.)

Finally we have what I would argue is the most exciting part of this set, even including the build. This is the first time Uatu the Watcher has been brickified. His MCU design is not a massive departure from Kirby’s original design, and he just looks so cool. He comes with a two piece cape so he can wow his Watcher mates with not only a billowing cape, but a fancy collar. Writing about official Marvel sets still makes me a bit giddy. If 8-year-old me could see the wealth of official characters on offer now, he might pass out. Thinking that I have an official Uatu Lego figure blows my mind, and I instantly want to get him a pair of Lego binoculars for a gag. He’s a simple figure but I’m so happy they included him in this set.

Now to the main event, the build. I’ve made quite a few of these Hulkbuster style suits, in fact if you include the War Machine Endgame set, this is the fifth time Lego have done a suit like this (and I’ve not counted the Hydra Smasher suit that I’m reviewing another time.) What sets this apart from the others is the design. It is an absolute blast the build, as I was making the set I kept smiling to myself at the little design touches. It’s never anything mind blowing, just cool flourishes that I enjoy seeing.

The designers have shown why Lego is the best, incorporating the Saakarian colour scheme, stability and play functionality. The joints are sturdy like an action figure so you can create a ton of battle poses. The suit stands perfectly and despite having a bulbous back (I will explain later) the feet design means this doesn’t compromise the set. This also features the L plate I was raving about in my Shang-Chi review, so it looks like this is Lego’s new staple. [picture RETURN OF THE PIECE}

My one big gripe is the abundance of stickers. I hate doing stickers on Lego sets. Look, I know why they’re there. The cost of printing onto a piece will make this set too expensive and it’s Lego’s way of keeping the costs down. While the mech’s head is printed, I’d really would have liked to have the Arc reactor chest piece as well. That sticker was particularly annoying.

The chest opens up so you can put Tony (or whoever) inside. What I like here is the use of wings to make the chest look complete. Knowing nothing of the plot I’m guessing there’s a Grease 2 style (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m6sTxLt9WQ) building montage where our hero builds some armour out of scrap. The set looks like they’ve designed it as a cobbled together mech, but I may just be projecting my love of musical sequels onto a toy.

What makes this set different from all those before it is the action feature. You can easily pop off his limbs and bulbous back (I said I’d explain) to convert the armour into a racing car! Obviously at some point Valkyrie needs something from the cash and carry; so Tony quickly transforms his battle armour into a sporty little number. Now I did convert it, and it’s fairly simple. You’re left with the forearms and legs to one side, but it’s a fairly cool design element. In all honesty I doubt I’ll change it again for display, but considering this is also for children it’s a nice touch. This is probably a point in the episode but if not, nice one Lego!

You can probably guess that I’d highly recommend this set, even if you’ve previously purchased a Hulkbuster. It’s a unique build and not just a repeat, and the colour scheme is pretty fantastic. Cost wise you do get a lot for your money, and even if you just display like me, this is a must have addition; if only for the Watcher!