The well-teased and long-awaited new World of Nintendo figures are here!  I checked a Game Stop near me this week and while they had plenty of Toads on shelf, they also had a single Raccoon Mario and Metal Mario as well!  I am excited to review these figures and Jakks Pacific has set the bar pretty high for Mario figures lately so I’m curious to see how Metal Mario compares to other recent releases.

Box – There are no surprises with the packaging but that is okay when the figure speaks for itself.  Metal Mario really catches your eye in the store and looks great in the relatively simple Mario-themed design.  It is curious that Jakks Pacific has included Iggy and Hammer Bro. on the back of the box as if they should be on shelves alongside Metal Mario and Raccoon Mario and are currently not.  Hopefully we do see these at retailers soon because they are sought after by a lot of World of Nintendo fans.

Paint and Details – Let’s get the bad news for this figure out of the way first.  The Metal Mario I bought does have some noticeable defects.  His eye decals are not quite the same size (one is larger than the other) and the seams on Mario’s side and hat are very noticeable too as you can see in the picture below.  I checked the seams in the plastic against the Gold Mario I own and unfortunately, the ones on Metal Mario stick out much more.  Hopefully this is a problem with my Metal Mario and not common but I would recommend checking the hat and the sides of Mario’s overalls when you buy it to ensure that you’re getting as high of quality figure as possible.

It is not all bad news either.  The paint itself is good-looking.  As you can see in the pictures throughout this review, the paint really shines in the light and is actually much brighter than other Mario figures.  It almost reminds me of Amiibo with how Silver Mario looks nearly as good as Gold Mario because of the paint quality.  If you were worried that Metal Mario wouldn’t stand out in your collection, then give this figure a look over at your local store and I think you’ll be impressed by the overall paint quality.

Articulation – If you’ve followed World of Nintendo for a while or own some Mario figures then you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Metal Mario.  He has the closed fist hands which can be rotated and his arms swivel forward.  His knees bend pretty easily though I find that it can be hard to balance Mario outside of a simple running pose.  Mario’s head does not turn and it feels like it will break if you try to do so.  Overall, Mario’s articulation is not bad but there aren’t a lot of different poses you can put him in.  The open hands Mario is better than the closed fist version in this regard.  The articulation of Metal Mario is average for World of Nintendo and you certainly have to be creative with your posing to come up with interesting display options.

Accessory – Along with the excellent paint job, the highlight of this figure is the trophy accessory.  Metal Mario dates back to Super Mario 64 but since that time, he has appeared in Mario Sports games and Mario Kart.  That is where the trophy comes from and this is the best World of Nintendo accessory yet!  The paint is perfectly applied and the impressive details like the Mario Kart script on the top of the trophy and the little label across the bottom are something we haven’t seen in World of Nintendo thus far.  Whether you carefully balance the trophy in Mario’s hands or just place it nearby, Metal Mario looks like a winner!

Comparison to other Marios – One of the things you might be curious about is how Metal Mario compares to some of the other special Mario figures Jakks Pacific has recently released.  While Metal Mario looks great next to Star Power and Gold Mario, I think the paint job stands on its own and Metal Mario steals a bit of their thunder too!  It really is a great looking figure and will stand out on your Nintendo figure shelf.

Closing Thoughts – My only disappointment with Metal Mario are the fairly noticeable seams along the sides and on his hat.  They are very noticeable when viewing the figure from the side and the seams are just not as well done as with previous Mario’s.  Other than that, Jakks Pacific have made a great figure which stands out even if you have all of the other Mario figures in World of Nintendo.  As a Mario fan, I really do appreciate how many variations of Mario there are and that each one is unique.  Jakks Pacific have set a new standard for figure accessories and I hope we’ll see more cool stuff like the trophy in the future.  If you like Mario at all then I’d recommend tracking Metal Mario down!