Hajime Sorayama Iron Man Metropolis Variant statue from Medicom (gold and silver die-cast)
Something weird happened a few months ago. While I usually get just a few visitors a day to the site, I found that one day in January has twenty-eight visitors. The site’s blowing up!
The die-cast prototype of the Sorayama Metropolis Iron Man at the Medicom Toy Exhibition, July 2019.
Well, not really. After investigating, I realized that there had been an official announcement for Medicom’s Sorayama Iron Man Metropolis silver and gold variant statue, and people doing searches for that statue lead them to my complete guide about every iteration of that particular piece of Sorayama Iron Man art. This includes the comic cover it originally appeared on, the Gentle Giant statue, and the Be@rbrick (which Medicom also makes).
The prototype statue premiered at the Medicom Toy Exhibition on July 20, 2019, at the Omotesando Hills shopping complex in Tokyo. Social media images were the only hints of its existence.
The official announcement came in January 2022 with an estimated release date of March 2022. While the original report said that it was to be part of Medicom’s MAFEX line, it’s now a part of Medicom’s Perfect-Studio. The statue is (was?) an exclusive at a boutique toy and art gallery called 2G Tokyo. I can find no box art.
Medicom’s Hajime Sorayama Iron Man Metropolis Variant statue (front view)
Medicom’s Hajime Sorayama Iron Man Metropolis Variant statue (rear view)
The entire statue is approximately 18” tall (1/4 scale) and is made of diecast electroplated metal. It also has numerous LED light-up features.
The size, light features, and stance make it nearly identical to the Gentle Giant Iron Man Metropolis statue, right down to the kanji “Iron Man” on the left leg. The only real design difference I can see between them is the antennae coming from the side of the Medicom version’s head. They are also made from different materials; the Gentle Giant version is made from poly-resin.
The original price was ¥327,800, approximately $2,878. Edition size was not revealed. I have found one reseller asking approximately $3,500.
Do I like it? Well enough, and certainly more than the Sorayama Be@rbrick. But my primary interest in the original Sorayama variant is the metallic blue and gold color scheme, so losing that makes this much less interesting to me. (Sorayama didn’t design the armor anyway; Carlo Pagulayan designed the Model 42 “Black and Gold” armor for Iron Man Vol. 5, #1 [January 2013]. This interview with Mr. Pagulayan about Iron Man’s Ablative Armor sheds some light on the design choices).
Honestly, though, It’s the high price that makes it really easy to say no to!
(For reference, here’s an image of the Gentle Giant statue in the same 1/4 scale from 2015.)
The Gentle Giant 1/4 scale Sorayama Iron Man Variant Statue.
