Photos of the upcoming 6-inch Iron Man 3 figures have popped up in an Entertainment Earth pre-order. This wave, which includes an Iron Monger build-a-figure (BAF), is listed as being a Marvel Legends spin-off and specifically tied to the Iron Man 3 film (despite featuring comic armors).

The three selections shown are Heroic Age Iron Man, Classic Iron Man (with interchangeable horned helmet), and the Iron Patriot. All three previously had figures in the 3.75-inch scale in the Marvel Universe line ("Classic" also getting a figure in the Iron Man 2 line) and, to an extent, all three have some resemblance to their smaller incarnations.

I'm personally overjoyed to finally see an Iron Patriot in the scale as he's been a character that I've wanted for quite a while now. While he doesn't seem to be super-articulate (lacking a waist joint like the 3.75-inch version, for starters), Iron Patriot still represents a good rendition of the character. Given that the Marvel Universe one had an unmasked variant, I'm somewhat hoping that an alternate head might appear as a pack-in (yes, I know, it's unlikely). To clarify, I would mean Norman Osborn's head (ie, Dark Avengers) rather than Tony Stark (who now uses a similar deco in Ultimates) or James Rhodes (who uses a similar deco in Iron Man 3).

The "Classic" Iron Man looks like an older sculpt. That said, the interchangeable head and BAF piece make him a must-own regardless. The most impressive of the bunch is the Heroic Age armor, ironically the one I care the least about, which seems very well-jointed. Equally exciting is what we've seen of the Iron Monger BAF thus far. Hasbro did a pretty solid rendition of the character in their Iron Man 2 line so this should definitely have some promise. And, if the photos are any indication, he might be the first really big BAF in ages.

I imagine that we'll see the rest of the line-up at Toy Fair in another few weeks.

[ Pre-order a case (8 figures, contents subject to change) at Entertainment Earth ]