There’s no doubt that the new Marvel Avengers: Endgame Iron Man MK50 Robot by UBTECH ($250) looks cool. But how does it measure up once you get it out of the box? To use other Marvel films as a scale, is it more of a Thor: The Dark World, or a Thor: Ragnorak? My 7 year old and I decided to find out!

Unboxing

The packaging is really nice. Super sleek; definitely looks like it was designed to impress adults more than grab the attention of little kids. That said, you can see frickin’ Iron Man peeking out, so my kid was certainly still very excited to tear into this.

Build Quality

The first thing I noticed about the Iron Man MK50 is how heavy it is. I didn’t actually weigh it, but it’s gotta be close to five pounds. The body isn’t metal, but the paint job makes it look very metal…y (is that a word?). It doesn’t feel cheap, which is good considering it’s really not cheap!

Set-Up and Play

In order to use this robot, you need to download UBTECH’s free app. I did that, then began to read the instruction manual that came in the box. Before I even got past the first page, my son had Iron Man powered up and doing stuff. Kids these days, right?

I basically let him have at it from there. From what I observed, you can manually control the robot (using the iPad like a remote control), program it to follow sequences (via simple drag and drop type coding), or play AR (augmented reality) games with it.

The AR games were for sure the biggest hit. My son was shooting down drones and fighting bad guys in our kitchen for hours–the most fun he’s ever had destroying our house (and because it was all virtual, I didn’t even have to yell at him to clean up after himself!).

The box says Iron Man MK50 is made for ages 14+, but I personally don’t think a teenager would have as much fun with this as my 7 year old did. He’s a pretty advanced little gamer for his age, but the games didn’t look super challenging. I would say 6-10 years old is a more accurate recommended age range. My son has had a few of his buddies over to play since getting it, and they all had a blast with it. You might even say they loved it 3000!

My 3 year old was also quite enamored!

Conclusion

The Iron Man MK50 Robot is a well-made, easy to use tech toy. But it’s price tag, much like Tony Stark’s ego, is perhaps a bit inflated. It’s hard to think of any toy worth over $200, especially when you consider you could almost buy a Nintendo Switch or other gaming console for the same price.

As a collector’s item, it would definitely look awesome displayed on your desk or nerd shelf, but again, probably not for $250. The price is already dropping ($231 on Amazon, $200 directly from UBTECH and $187 at Target via their 25% off one toy coupon), and will probably continue to go down as we get closer to the holidays.

Overall, not quite a Ragnorak; certainly better than a Dark World. Somewhere between Ant-Man and the second Guardians of the Galaxy seems about right.

Check price on Amazon

UBTECH Iron Man MK50 Review: I Almost Love It 3000

A long, long time ago… 2006… a small print shop known simply as “Marvel” released a seven-issue, limited series crossover special in which teams of virtuous heroes took time away from fighting the evils of the world so they could fight each other. Marvel Civil War became a momentous entry into the printer’s catalog of work, but only to readers. In those times, legendary comics came and went without the mainstream even batting an eye.

Then, many, many years later… the 2010s… a boom time of comic book movies revived all the old, forgotten characters and story lines of Marvel. These moving pictures brought joy to new fans, old fans, and stockholders.

Consequently, the young Marvel fans don’t know the classic stories. So how can the studio cram decades of character history into a series of 2-hour films over years?

The answer, as always, is nerds on the Internet.

Here’s everything you need to know about the story before you see Captain America Civil War:

Original Plotline

The original series started when a D-team group of superheroes, think the Avengers of Stamford, CT, screw the pooch and let a supervillain blow up a chunk of the city, including an elementary school, and on live TV, because they were filming a superhero-themed reality show.

Not wanting to condone the murder of children, the general populace turned against superheroes, urging the U.S. government to implement the Superhero Registration Act. Basically, superheroes had to register their secret identities to the government, which got a lot of them butt-hurt because they hide their personal lives for a reason.

So, the cool superheroes starting resisting the registration, while the nerdy ones stuck by the government they loved so much. S.H.I.E.L.D., under Agent Maria Hill, began enforcing the law and asked Captain America to hunt down all his friends, but he obviously refused and they obviously ordered him to be taken down.

Iron Man really spear-headed the pro-registration league, since the mother of one of the killed children told him Iron Man was his favorite. Captain America, meanwhile, lead the rebels, in their cool underground lairs with all the badasses. I mean, come on: who cheers for the establishment?

While things were getting heated, Iron Man pulled a nice publicity stunt where Spider-Man admitted his secret identity on live TV to show support for registration. This was a big deal, since Spider-Man was the most popular superhero with a secret identity. It was also useless, since Spider-Man later switched sides.

The supervillains also started joining sides, since they were required to register, too. Some fought for the rebels to keep their privacy, while others fought for the pro-registration for the chance to hunt down their superhero nemeses.

Anyway, Iron Man and Cap strategically try to one-up the other, until Iron Man sets a trap by exploiting the rebel heroes’ weakness of wanting to help people. Faking a chemical fire, Iron Man lured out the underground superheroes and an epic fight ensued. Then Thor appeared, but not the real Thor, a clone Thor (this is a comic, after all: they love their clones). The Thor clone brutally killed a low-level hero named Goliath, and everyone was like “WTF!?”

Goliath’s death shook things up, and a bunch of heroes changed sides. All told, though, the pro-registration side became less popular, and the rebel team mounted a counter-attack against the pro-registration jail.

The climax was another epic battle, which led outside right into Time Square. Cap was about to finish off Iron Man, when he had a corny “Martha” moment and looked around at all the damage their battle was doing to innocent people. Cap surrendered and everyone was like “WTF!?”

But in the epilogue — and this part might come in the movie — as Captain America was walking up the steps to his trial, a sniper presumed to be Crossbones killed the Cap, acting under the orders of the Red Skull. It turned out to actually be a brain-washed Sharon Carter. This is the last Captain America movie scheduled…

What We Know So Far About Captain America Civil War

We know the film starts with Captain America leading the Avengers on a mission, where a catastrophe happens much like in the comics. The loose plot seems to follow along the comics, with a much, much smaller cast.

A few of the team-members changed sides, like Black Panther, partly because the Marvel Cinematic Universe only has the rights to so few of their characters. We also find characters that weren’t that involved in the comic taking mainstream roles in the movie. Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye weren’t in the comic at all.

What to Expect

One of the main reasons we’re excited about Captain America Civil War is because it brings together a wide range of characters from the MCU, including new ones and some introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. These are all characters with deep backstories in the comics, so here are some things you might want to look out for.

1. Love Story Between Vision and the Scarlet Witch

She’s a quirky girl who doesn’t quite fit in. He’s an experimental robot with a space gem for a brain. Yep, that old rom-com cliche.

The two are long-time members of the Avengers in the comics, so it makes sense that they’d fall in love (well, as much sense as a human loving a robot can make). Their affair was tarnished by their teammates’ opposition: Quicksilver because he didn’t want his sister dating a robot, and Hawkeye because he was in love with the Scarlet Witch herself. But, since in the MCU one is dead and the other married, things are looking up for the couple of the future.

2. Black Panther

One of the lesser known Marvel heroes is also one of the most interesting. This prince of a fictional African country Wakanda has more wealth than even Tony Stark, thanks to the highly valuable source of Vibranium. Martin Freeman, who recently played the lead in the Hobbit trilogy, will play the prince’s diplomatic aid in his voyage to the U.S.

3. Iron Man Pissed at Winter Soldier

There’s some speculation that part of the main rivalry results from the Winter Solider having played a part in the death of Iron Man’s father. In the previous Captain America movie, Hydra took credit for the death of Howard Stark.

4. Baron Zemo and Crossbones

It’s already been revealed that two central Captain America villains, Baron Zemo and Crossbones, will be present.

Crossbones was set-up in the previous film, when the Hydra agent Brock Rumlow was maimed in the final battle with Falcon. Baron Zemo is brand new — all we know is that he’s played by Inglorious Bastards actor Daniel Bruhl.

Captain America Civil War: Why Are Good Guys Fighting Each Other?

Look, it’s time to face facts; modern day movie posters are unbelievably lame.  Unless you just have a particular fetish for floating heads, you probably recognize that the occasional great movie deserves something better than just a collection of floating heads of the movie’s top-billed cast on its movie poster.  I know I think so, and by the looks of it, Matthew Chojnacki, author of more than one book about this kind of pop media art, thinks so as well.

He is so convinced, in fact, that he scoured the interwebz and put together more than two hundred independently created, unofficial movie posters for his upcoming book Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground.  The biggest requirement for inclusion beyond being awesome was no official license from the subject studio—that is, the poster must come from the virtual underground of the internet.  And thanks to the The Verge, we have a few examples of some of the inclusions.

These examples favor some science fiction classics but have more than a few dramas in the mix.  The point is, that if you have not seen any one of these films, then you have a new homework assignment.   Put down your Miley Cyrus-Justin Beiber mash-up and sign up for a quick study on some of the more significant and enjoyable movies of modern times.

Now let’s start it off with Bambi, which understandably looks a lot like The Deer Hunter and understandably so.

Then we come to Beetlejuice, which does not read like home stereo instructions.  If only you could call in the ghostest with the mostest to fix Tim Burton…

Do you like the (artificial) owl?  If you can’t stay awake through one viewing of Blade Runner then you are (most) likely an empathy-lacking replicant and in need of retirement.

Chances are that you probably have seen at least one of The Avengers movies, and this poster makes Iron Man look like Master Mold.  Game. Set. Match.

Jennifer Connelly matches wits with David Bowie in a Jim Henson-powered near freak-out, make sure you channel your inner child so as to be properly warped by Labyrinth.

Jacque Cousteau has nothing on Steve Zissou, and this is your chance to become a junior member.

There is only one concept that knows no language barrier, and that is a dying Murphy turned RoboCop, so make sure that you don’t work for Dick Jones.

Awesome Movie Posters from the Underground are Awesome

Developed by digital artist Midu1995, this collection of art builds popular superheroes and villains from the DC and Marvel universes out of the words that truly define them. Designed out of stunning typography, characters depicted within the series include the Dark Knight, the Joker, Bane, Spider-Man, Venom, Carnage, Iron Man and Deadpool.

For instance, a sampling of words that make up Joker’s illustration includes crazy, tricks, violent, blade, law, smile, pain, darkness, revenge and obsessed. The Joker illustration also seems to be derived from Heath Ledger’s take on the character in The Dark Knight. Alternatively, Bane’s depiction is more representative of the comic book version of the villain rather than the version in The Dark Knight Rises. Beyond superhero-related artwork, the rest of Midu1995’s work is related to automobiles and other random items.

You can check out the full collection below. Just a heads up, Venom, Iron Man, Joker and Bats are all sized at 1080p if you wanted to use them for a new computer wallpaper. (Just click to expand, then save the picture.)

Which one is your favorite?

Eight Superheroes and Villains Created with Gorgeous Typography

Developed by artist nottonyharrison, this collection of art assumes that the members of the Avengers are real and news magazines around the world are doing stories on them. Utilizing the full set of Avengers superheroes, magazines depicted in the series include Time, Newsweek, US Weekly, New York Magazine, Scientific American, Life&Style, In Touch and OK! Magazine.

In addition to the covers, the artist also dives deeper into a couple of the magazines and provide full page stories about each of the Avengers. Beyond the magazine art, nottonyharrison DeviantArt profile also includes a variety of Marvel related illustrations. You can take a look at those here.

Check out our favorite picks from the magazine covers and stories below:

If the Avengers Were Real, This is What Magazines Would Look Like

Created by graphic designer Kode Logic of Australia, this collection of illustrations mashes Iron Man’s armor with classic characters from comic books, video games, movies. music and other forms of pop culture. Characters depicted within the series include Superman, Wolverine, Magneto, Mega Man, Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin’s Creed series), Son Goku (Dragonball), Wing Gundam, Daft Punk, Predator and Darth Vader.

Kode Logic’s other work takes on other superheroes like Batman, Spider-Man and Green Lantern as well as popular sports icons like Lebron James and soccer star Lionel Messi. You can take a look at his full gallery on Behance here. Check out the fantastic Iron Man mashups below:

Iron Wolverine

Iron Punk

Iron Vader

Iron Ezio

Iron Wing Gundam

Iron Magneto

Iron Predator

Iron Son Goku

Iron Superman

Iron Mega Man

Ten Amazing Iron Man Mashups with Comic, Pop Culture Icons

Created by an artist known only as Paper Beats Scissors, this collection of 50 illustrations depicts the single moment when two different characters from pop culture meet and give each other an empathetic fist bump due to a similarly depressing trait that they both share. For instance, when the Dark Knight and Harry Potter meet for the first time, they fist bump the fact that they are both orphans.

There are a huge amount of characters included within the series from film, television, video games, comic books, animation and technology. You can check out the full collection on the Paper Beats Scissors Tumblr page here.

We have chosen our top 25 favorites, which can be seen below:

They can’t understand me.

Too many secrets.

Useless without my suit.

Got Digitized.

Can’t stop eating.

Miss my parents.

Dad’s a demon.

No one can see me.

It ain’t easy being green.

Invisible limbs stink.

Visor 24/7

My home is underground.

Annoying Fairy.

Feeling obsolete.

Wish I had my diary.

Just want to ride my bike.

Premature baldness.

Dependent on rings.

Expendable.

Replaced by a newer model.

Magical mask problems.

Wish I had a heart.

Just blue myself.

Ridiculous antihero.

Genetic Experimentation.

Pop Culture Bros Connecting with Other Bros

Created by illustrator Belhoula Amir of France, this series of illustrations depicts the loneliness of being a superhero in the native environments of heroes within the Marvel and DC universes. For instance, Amir’s depiction of Superman has the Man of Steel hovering in space looking down on Earth, specifically North America. Other heroes depicted within the collection include Batman, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Amir’s other work includes designing a collection of Harry Potter inspired bookmarks, a series of minimalist Star Wars posters, full profile illustrations of villains within the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, a group of drawings of the villains of Gotham City and other interesting illustrations related to pop culture figures. You can check out his full Behance profile here.

Check out the entire Lonely Gods collection below:

The Dark Knight

The Web-Slinger

The Man of Steel

The Ol’ Canucklehead

The Armored Avenger

Lonely Gods: The Solitude of Being a Superhero

Iron Man 3 just arrived in cinemas worldwide, busting box office records and earning legions of new fans. Many have been captivated by Tony Stark’s extravagant lifestyle and outerwear since the metallic super hero ignited silver screens in 2008. Fact is, even fans from all the way back to 1963 have to admit the current Iron Man armor is drop dead sexy. Now that sexiness has been immortalized into armor you can touch. Armor you can own. Armor you can plug into your USB ports to save your life back up your files.

Taiwanese infoThink Technology has been making dependable flash drives and memory card readers for years. Specializing in striking designs, infoThink’s flash drives come in perfectly usable 8GB and 16GB sizes. Their turn towards licensed pieces seems to get better every year…

Like this wicked cute miniaturized hard drive.

The Autobot and Decepticon Transformers emblems are pretty frackin’ sweet. That Dark Knight Rises drive is a stunner (seriously — click the image below to see more pics).

 The Avengers drives are damn fine and geek chic.

  But those Iron Man 3 drives… they’d make Tony Stark jealous.

Is Your USB Port Worthy of Iron Man 3 Armor?

Fear not, Iron Man, Ninjabot can do icons. Ninjabot’s Star Wars stamp collection is just one example of its aim to capture striking, colorful prints. While Ninjabot has dabbled previously with everything from Adventure Time to 007, its current ambition is all about origins. Ninjabot’s latest Kickstarter project, the O R I G I N series, has been launched and the team is already working towards its second stretch goal, which is actually more frosty than heroic.

The prints use signature colors and intense silhouettes to cut right to the creation of each hero. And before you can say that Batman wasn’t born in the glimmer of a pearl, just consider that the captured essence in pieces like Rose Alley, Amazon and The Other Guy are the perfect counterpoint for some of the recent bombastic big-screen adaptations. That, and doesn’t Prodigal Son make you just want to slap someone on the face and scream Iron man 3?

The ORIGIN Series

The Essence of Iron Man, Batman, Superman and the Amazon in Print