Well, I don't mind the premium at all, but which version has the best balance of art and features?
For art, first there are the backglasses:
Iron Maiden Backglasses
I would say they are all great.
- The pro offers the greatest variety, but cyborg isn't my fav.. Still great.
- The LE has a trooper focus, which is great, and the nuke is cool. The tank and game-based characters are not so good. The big plus is that it's mirrored. This could push it over the other two.
- The Premium is super cool. I like the color scheme and balance of figures. There is less going on in this one, which is a good thing. It's more thematic than the other two, but the Eddie is far more cartoonish, as if he came out of a Saturday morning special.
Second, the side art:
Iron Maiden Side Art
- The pro is straight up Trooper, which is awesome. This looks the closest to classic maiden. The backbox has killers, which is KILLER!
- The LE has the plane (Bruce's choice, obviously), which is far better in high-rez than I thought it would be. Foil likely makes it even better. The Aces High backbox Eddie looks really cool too.
- The Premium is mummy Eddie blasting through the title. It looks like it says "Ironden Beast." It's cool, but I find it plain compared to the other two. The back box looks similarly plain from the full pin photo below, but I'd have to see a better picture.
Third, the full pins:
Iron Maiden all models
- The pro looks great with its less busy cab. The translite looks busy though. Colour scheme is great.
- The LE does look like an xmas tree in this photo, but the owner photos prove this wrong. It is darker and better blended than it appears.
- the Prem looks like Indy, which isn't necessarily bad. With black T-molding, it will look great. This model has essentially a two-color theme, which is good!
With regard to overall art, they all look great. In person, it may be far different. I'd say the LE would have a chance edging the other two out with the foil and mirrored backglass. That being said, the color scheme and simplicity of the pro or premium might do the same.
To conclude about art, I'd say they are pretty close to equal. Each has both good and bad attributes.
Finally, features:
- To me, this is where the pro is out. The lock and ramp features of the other two are awesome, although I've only played the pro. Maybe the other features will negatively affect gameplay.
- If cost is an issue, the pro is a FANTASTIC value.
- I'm hoping to see the LE and Premium side-by-side to see if the foil and mirrored bg push the LE over the top.
I WANT ALL THREE!